Jump to content
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt

How many weapons can you list that used to be farm equipment


Recommended Posts

  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • Replies 24
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

In European martial traditions, the majority of the great pole-arms of history were farm tools mounted on enormously long poles. With such a weapon, peasant foot soldiers were able to defeat heavily armed and armored knights.

 

There are almost infinite variations on the pole-arm theme - pole axes, halberbs, pikes, glaives, guisarms, etc, etc. Some had poles up to six meters in length.

 

See http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dungeon/9939/arms.htm for details on these weapons.

KarateForums.com - Sempai

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
No, the zai were not used to cook meat. The zai is probably the only weapon used in Okinawan Kobudo that wasn't really a farming weapon.

 

I've heard the sai was originally a pin used to hold the cart to the oxen yoke. The person would often have more than one lying around because they were brittle enough to break semi-frequently. Used as a weapon, people often had three of them at their disposal. Sounds pretty plausible to me.

 

Another sai explanation I've heard is for planting seeds. Bore the hole for the seed, then lay the sai down sideways to gauge the distance where the next seed should go. That doesn't really explain the forks though.

1st Dan Hapkido

Colored belts in Kempo and Jujitsu

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have heard many theories on the uses of the sai...

 

http://www.student.kuleuven.ac.be/~m9209392/Saihistory.htm

 

http://www.thekarateacademy.com/history/weapons.htm#Sai

 

http://www.kenshin-kan.com/weapon.html

 

each on of these sites presents a different theory altough there is a nother which I read somewhere but teds to be less common.

 

A chickens head may have been placed between two prongs which where then placed in the soil to help hold the chickens head in place while it was killed.

 

so yea believe what you may and hopefully you will find these sites helpful

 

altough I believe they were a farming tool. I say this because if they weren't their existence you have not been allowee in okinawa and it would have seemed very unlikly this art would be pratice in together with the other weapons that help forumlate what we know today as kobudo

Goju Ryu Karate-do and Okinawan Kobudo, 17 Years Old 1st kyu Brown Belt in in Goju Ryu Karate-do, & Shodan in Okinawan Kobudo

Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both....and surpass the result.

I AM CANADIAN

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry, missed this topic but just caught it today.

 

The main reason for the zai not being thought of as being farm tools is because of the materials used.

 

Metal was not readily available to the peasants.

 

Another theory is that the manji-sai was a police symbol used in much the same way as a badge.

 

Anyway,this seems to be quite a popular topic

"You Are Never Given A Dream Without Also Being Given The Power To Make It True. You May Have To Work For It, However"


Principal Kobudo Instructor & Owner

West Yorkshire Kobudo Academy

2nd Kyu (Matayoshi Okinawan Kobudo, IOKA UK)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...