The military rake in times of peace – from the battlefield to civilian protection – part 2

 

A real antique kumade - this one was more than  260cm long

We looked at the military rake (kumade) last month, so now it’s time to see how it fared after the long centuries of war came to an end. Perhaps it was its utility that doomed it in the field of war – It didn’t have much mystique or status as a weapon, did not seem particularly attached to any social or military group (unlike the masakari or long handled axe, for example, which was long associated with yamabushi), and without anywhere to realise its use as a weapon, people forgot how useful it could be, and little more is seen or heard of it…as such. 

A modern day yamabushi with a masakari

 

(image courtesy of Trip Advisor)

 

While it doesn’t seem that the kumade made the transition as a weapon into the relatively peaceful Edo period, several weapons were used in civil defense/law enforcement that involved entangling and immobilizing an opponent. These were the triad of sasumata, sodegarami and tsukubo (there are several alternative names, but these are the most common – the fork, the sleeve entangler and the push pole. Matsura Seizan, for example, calls them the sasumata, hineri and shumoku). They were categorized as implements or tools rather than weapons, but their array of short spikes, partly to deter grabbing, would have been capable of causing significant damage, as well as helping to catch and entangle clothing. If you get the chance to see them close up, there is no doubt that you wouldn’t want the business end of any of them near you. 

sasumata

sodegarami

tsukubo

In their use, they could very well have replicated the hooking functions of the rake, and perhaps they were more suitable for use against unarmoured opponents. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of techniques for these implements that have been passed down, though there are several videos online of people using them in more or less plausible ways. 

I would think that anyone reasonably well-versed in the use of pole arms (and jujutsu, perhaps, given their use for restraint) could come up with similar techniques. 

These were not the only tools used to subdue unruly lawbreakers. Anyone who has seen the classic film, Daisatsujin Orochi, starring Ichikawa Raizo, will surely remember the scene where the lone swordsman is confronted by a crowd of constables who attempt to capture him using ropes, doors two-wheeled wooden wagons and ladders (as well was some of the more usual implements just visible in the bottom of the frame below. (This is well worth watching in any case – one of my favourite Japanese movies. it's English title is The Betrayal).

A still from Daisatsujin Orochi - the hero is in the centre - note the the tsukubo and sasumata at the bottom of the frame.

A slightly less conventional law enforcement tool

Though this approach may seem to be a relic of the past, a modern iteration of the sasumata is still a common piece of equipment in schools (and police stations) in Japan (and also in China apparently – I saw one in evidence in a news report about one of the recent mass stabbing incidents) and has occasionally been deployed successfully. It offers the ability to hold off a knife wielding attacker while remaining at a safe distance. Techniques have been designed to give it more flexibility in use, and it looks as if it could, indeed, be quite effective, especially if it is part of a coordinated effort involving several people. An ideal version is depicted in the picture below. 

 

Teachers training with sasumata

 Here is a link to a video showing training in a supermarket:

https://youtu.be/WtdCxgmqDI4

Note the use of supermarket trolleys, too!

However, as always, the reality of an attack is likely to be quite different from practice. It would require a cool head to use it well against a knife wielding assailant, and, perhaps because of its success in being sold as such a practical response to a knife attack, there has been some criticism of its effectiveness. These criticisms stress the relative ease with which the knife wielder could catch hold of the head, either to twist it around so they can get past, or, by grabbing both prongs, take control of it. (As someone holding the two prongs has a mechanical advantage over someone just holding the shaft, this is quite possible.) The lack of spikes in the centre of the ‘u’ section, a feature in some ‘samurai period’ sasumata also means that there is nothing to stop the aggressor pushing back directly against the force of the defender, possibly forcing the defender to drop the sasumata or risk being cut. 

I like pole weapons but space limitations in Japan means I haven’t had the chance to practice with them as often as I would like. The modern sasumata certainly seems like something it would be fun to play around with.

On a final note, although the sasumata is designed to immobilize an attacker, that is not the only way of using it. The video below shows the owner of a jewelers shop in Tokyo using it successfully as a club in the most basic of ways – and it worked.

https://youtu.be/q1vwgwi-k9Y?si=9_Xv-ugJsCjvXLz9