Hachiwara
Encyclopedia
The , meaning 'helmet breaker' or 'skull breaker'
(also kabuto wari or hachi wari) was a type of knife-shaped weapon, resembling a jutte
in many respects. This weapon was carried as a side-arm by the Samurai
class of feudal Japan
.
One type of hachiwara was forged with a sharp dirk like point, to parry an opponent's sword, to hook the cords of an armor or helmet, or like a can opener to separate armor plates. The sharp point could pierce unprotected or weak areas of an opponents armor like the armpit area. The blade of this type of hachiwara was a curved tapered square iron or steel bar with a hook on its back edge. In combat one could parry and catch a blade with that hook, as with a jutte.
Some hachiwara of this type were mounted in the style of a tanto
with a koshirae.
The other type of hachiwara was a blunt cast iron truncheon like weapon resembling a tekkan
or a jutte.
and with a twisting movement catch it, to get an advantage in combat.
It would appear that tales of samurai
breaking open a kabuto
(helmet) are more folklore than anything else. The hachi (helmet bowl) is the central component of a kabuto, it is made of pie-piece shaped plates of steel or iron riveted together at the sides and at the top to a large, thick grommet of sorts called a tehen-no-kanamono, and at the bottom to a metal strip that encircles the hachi. This would require enormous pressure to split open. This idea that the hachiwara was somehow able to smash or damage a helmet kabuto is most probably a misinterpretation of the name which could have several meanings, as hachi could mean skull or helmet bowl and wari could mean, split, rip,crack or smash.
In modern times there is no Ryū
(School, Style) known to train with hachiwara, although certain dojos within Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu still train with them, as an extension of juttejutsu. A number of weapons retailers in Japan still sell usable hachiwara.
Image:Hachi wari.JPG|Antique Japanese hachi wari (hachiwara).
Image:Hachi wari 1.JPG|Antique Japanese hachi wari (hachiwara) mounted in a shirasaya.
Image:Hachi wari 2.JPG|Antique Japanese hachi wari. The cast iron type with a hand guard "tsuba" and a wrapped handle "tsuka".
Image:Hachi wari 3.JPG|Antique Japanese hachi wari. Close up of the hand guard "tsuba" and the wrapped handle "tsuka"
(also kabuto wari or hachi wari) was a type of knife-shaped weapon, resembling a jutte
Jitte (weapon)
The , literally meaning "ten-hand" , is a specialized weapon.In Edo period Japan the jutte was a substitute for a badge and represented someone on official business and was carried by all levels of police officers including high ranking samurai police officials and low-rank samurai law enforcement...
in many respects. This weapon was carried as a side-arm by the Samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
class of feudal Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Types
Hachiwara were usually around 350mm long, some larger versions are around 450mm long. There were two types of hachiwara:One type of hachiwara was forged with a sharp dirk like point, to parry an opponent's sword, to hook the cords of an armor or helmet, or like a can opener to separate armor plates. The sharp point could pierce unprotected or weak areas of an opponents armor like the armpit area. The blade of this type of hachiwara was a curved tapered square iron or steel bar with a hook on its back edge. In combat one could parry and catch a blade with that hook, as with a jutte.
Some hachiwara of this type were mounted in the style of a tanto
Tanto
A is one of the traditional Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate...
with a koshirae.
The other type of hachiwara was a blunt cast iron truncheon like weapon resembling a tekkan
Tekkan
The Tekkan or "iron sword" is a Japanese weapon, used during the Edo period until the beginning of the 20th Century.This weapon was an iron truncheon, and could closely resemble a wakizashi sized sword with a blunt iron blade or they could be a cast iron version of a hachiwari .Tekkan became very...
or a jutte.
Use
Similar weapons were known in Europe, where they are called 'left-hand daggers' or 'sword-breakers'. The form of these weapons is very different from hachiwara, although their use and purpose is the same. Left-hand daggers are double-edged knives with spring-loaded sub-blades which jut out on each side of the blade. The left-hand dagger could parry and catch a rapierRapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
and with a twisting movement catch it, to get an advantage in combat.
It would appear that tales of samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
breaking open a kabuto
Kabuto
A kabuto is a helmet used with traditional Japanese armour as worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan....
(helmet) are more folklore than anything else. The hachi (helmet bowl) is the central component of a kabuto, it is made of pie-piece shaped plates of steel or iron riveted together at the sides and at the top to a large, thick grommet of sorts called a tehen-no-kanamono, and at the bottom to a metal strip that encircles the hachi. This would require enormous pressure to split open. This idea that the hachiwara was somehow able to smash or damage a helmet kabuto is most probably a misinterpretation of the name which could have several meanings, as hachi could mean skull or helmet bowl and wari could mean, split, rip,crack or smash.
In modern times there is no Ryū
Ryu (school)
A Ryū , or ryūha , is a Japanese word referring to a school of thought in any discipline...
(School, Style) known to train with hachiwara, although certain dojos within Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu still train with them, as an extension of juttejutsu. A number of weapons retailers in Japan still sell usable hachiwara.
Gallery
Image:Hachi wari.JPG|Antique Japanese hachi wari (hachiwara).
Image:Hachi wari 1.JPG|Antique Japanese hachi wari (hachiwara) mounted in a shirasaya.
Image:Hachi wari 2.JPG|Antique Japanese hachi wari. The cast iron type with a hand guard "tsuba" and a wrapped handle "tsuka".
Image:Hachi wari 3.JPG|Antique Japanese hachi wari. Close up of the hand guard "tsuba" and the wrapped handle "tsuka"