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RICK HUST

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The Samurais Self-Defense Weapon

by Don Cunningham

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tucked in the obi (belt), it played a signicant role in Japanese etiquette, especially on formal occasions, and was rarely out of a samurais possession. Perhaps because it was considered such an ordinary item, it was easily employed as a side arm with only minor modications.

Styles of the Weapon

Tessen were one shaku longslightly more than 12 inches by modern standards. They came in three shapes or styles: sensu-gata: the basic folding fan maiohgi-gata: the style of fan used for traditional Japanese dancing and in kabuki plays gunsen-gata: the style used to control troops during war. The basic design consisted of eight to 10 metal ribs covered with silk or sometimes a strong paper. The paper was often lacquered, reinforced with gold or silver foil, or treated with oil to make it more decorative and less susceptible to weathering. In some cases, only the outside ribs were metal, while the inside ones were lightweight bamboo strips. That made them easier to carry, but they were effective as self-defense implements only when closed. Because folding tessen were expensive to make and difcult to maintain, look-alikes were crafted from iron cast in the shape of a closed fan. Often called tenarashi-gata, they were quite heavy. Some models had straight edges and only faintly resembled a hand fan, while others were more convincing. Most samurai considered them more effective than the folding style. Solid tessen were also carved from hardwood such as oak. Called motsu-shaku, they were used for practice as well as selfdefense.

ccording to Japanese folklore, a warrior monk named Benkei pledged to rebuild his monastery by collecting and selling 1,000 swords. Armed with a naginata (halberd), he challenged samurai to duels on the Gojo Bridge each night in Kyoto. After defeating them, Benkei took their blades. Hed allegedly collected 999 swords when a samurai named Minamoto Yoshitsune approached. Challenged by Benkei, Yoshitsune didnt bother to draw his sword. Deftly avoiding the monks naginata, Yoshitsune disarmed him by striking his wrist with a tessen, an iron fan. Amazed by his skill and self-condence, Benkei became his devoted disciple and served him during numerous military campaigns. While that story may be nothing more than legend, there are many records of duels that were won when iron fans clashed with naked swords. Some accounts even tell of deaths caused by blows from the tessen. The skill set for wielding the fan, called tessen-jutsu, was viewed as a sophisticated art, especially among senior samurai.

Decorations
Both styles of the tessen frequently incorporated engravings of poems, rank titles, animal images and kanji characters. Sometimes a fancy silk-cord wrapping was used as a handle, rendering it similar to a bladed weapon. Of course, many tessen were purely practical and functional, with little or no decoration.

Honing Skills
Although tessen-jutsu was considered part of the classical Japanese weapon arts, it was primarily intended for self-protection. Tessen techniques are more defensive than aggressive. Most are designed to incapacitate or restrain an opponent instead of inicting permanent injury or death. That, coupled with the ease with which the moves can be done with a variety of substitute weapons, makes them all the more valuable in the 21st century. About the author: Don Cunningham holds advanced ranks in judo, jujutsu and kendo. Hes written numerous articles about the history of the traditional Japanese martial arts. His book, Secret Weapons of Jujutsu, describes the development of exotic defensive weapons like the tessen and jutte. For more information about him, visit www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/who/.

Backup Plan
The samurai were renowned for their skill with the sword, but when they were stripped of their blades or when it was preferable not to kill or seriously injure an attacker, they had to turn to other weapons. The various ryuha, or martial arts schools, that existed during the Tokugawa era (1603-1868) taught a range of techniques involving short arms that were designed for self-defense and could be hidden within the folds of everyday clothing. Samurai and commoners alike considered the folding hand fan, or sensu, an important accessory. Carried in the hand or
APRIL 2009 / www.blackbeltmag.com

BB Online Traditional Japanese Weaponry

To read Don Cunninghams Jutte: Born in Feudal Japan, This Traditional Weapon Helped Keep the Peace Until the 20th Century, visit www.blackbeltmag.com/jutte.
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