Kunai
Encyclopedia
A is a Japan
ese tool possibly derived from the masonry
trowel
. Two variations are the and the . It is a good example of a very basic tool which, in the hands of a martial arts
expert, could be used as a multi-functional weapon. It is commonly associated with the ninja
, who used it to gouge holes in walls.
in ranges from 20 cm to 60 cm, with the average at 40 cm. The kunai was used by common folk as multi-purpose gardening tools
and by workers of stone and masonry
. The kunai is not a knife
, but something more akin to a crowbar
. The blade was soft iron and unsharpened because the edges were used to smash plaster and wood, to dig holes and to pry. Normally only the tip would have been sharpened. The uses to which a kunai was put would have destroyed any heat-treated and sharpened tool like a knife.
Kunai normally had a leaf-shaped blade and a handle with a ring on the pommel for attaching a rope. This would allow the kunai's handle to be wrapped to act as a grip, or when used as a weapon; to be strapped to a stick as an expedient spear
, to be tied to the body for concealment, or to use as an anchor or piton
. Contrary to popular belief, they were not designed to be used primarily as throwing weapons, though they can be thrown and cause damage. Instead, they are a thrusting and stabbing implement.
developed weapons that were merely adapted farming tools, not unlike those used by Shaolin monks in China
. Since kunai were cheaply produced farming tools of a decent size and weight, and could be easily sharpened, they were readily available to be converted into simple weapons.
As with the shuriken
and ninjutsu
, the exaggeration persistent in ninja myths played a large role in creating the current pop culture image of kunai. In the mythology of ninja, the kunai is commonly portrayed to be a Japanese knife that is used for throwing as well as stabbing.
As a weapon it is larger and heavier than a shuriken, and with the grip could also be used in hand to hand combat
more readily than a shuriken.
In addition, it could be used for climbing, as either a kind of grappling hook, or a piton
.
There are several varieties of kunai, including of short kunai, long kunai, narrow bladed types, saw-toothed types, and wide bladed types. In some cases, the kunai and the shikoro, a wide bladed saw with a dagger-type handle, are hard if not impossible to distinguish.
The Kunai blade can be used to gouge holes in a wall to take out doorknobs.
The kunai is often portrayed in manga
/anime
and video games as a common weapon (either primary or backup).
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...
ese tool possibly derived from the masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
trowel
Trowel
A trowel is one of several similar hand tools used for digging, smoothing, or otherwise moving around small amounts of viscous or particulate material.-Hand tools:...
. Two variations are the and the . It is a good example of a very basic tool which, in the hands of a martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
expert, could be used as a multi-functional weapon. It is commonly associated with the ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
, who used it to gouge holes in walls.
Design
The shuriken was conventionally wroughtMetalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
in ranges from 20 cm to 60 cm, with the average at 40 cm. The kunai was used by common folk as multi-purpose gardening tools
Hori hori
A Hori-Hori, sometimes referred to as a "soil knife" or a "weeding knife", is a heavy serrated multi-purpose steel blade for gardening jobs such as digging or cutting. The blade is sharp on both sides and comes to a semi-sharp point at the end....
and by workers of stone and masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
. The kunai is not a knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
, but something more akin to a crowbar
Crowbar (tool)
A crowbar, a wrecking bar, pry bar, or prybar, or sometimes a prise bar or prisebar, and more informally a jimmy, jimmy bar, jemmy or gooseneck is a tool consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flattened points, often with a small fissure on one or both ends for removing nails...
. The blade was soft iron and unsharpened because the edges were used to smash plaster and wood, to dig holes and to pry. Normally only the tip would have been sharpened. The uses to which a kunai was put would have destroyed any heat-treated and sharpened tool like a knife.
Kunai normally had a leaf-shaped blade and a handle with a ring on the pommel for attaching a rope. This would allow the kunai's handle to be wrapped to act as a grip, or when used as a weapon; to be strapped to a stick as an expedient spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
, to be tied to the body for concealment, or to use as an anchor or piton
Piton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
. Contrary to popular belief, they were not designed to be used primarily as throwing weapons, though they can be thrown and cause damage. Instead, they are a thrusting and stabbing implement.
Usage as a weapon
Many ninjaNinja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
developed weapons that were merely adapted farming tools, not unlike those used by Shaolin monks in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Since kunai were cheaply produced farming tools of a decent size and weight, and could be easily sharpened, they were readily available to be converted into simple weapons.
As with the shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
and ninjutsu
Ninjutsu
or may be:*the arts associated with espionage and assassination in feudal Japan, see Ninja*modern schools of martial arts claiming to be based in these traditions, see Modern Schools of Ninjutsu*fictional depictions, see Ninja in popular culture...
, the exaggeration persistent in ninja myths played a large role in creating the current pop culture image of kunai. In the mythology of ninja, the kunai is commonly portrayed to be a Japanese knife that is used for throwing as well as stabbing.
As a weapon it is larger and heavier than a shuriken, and with the grip could also be used in hand to hand combat
Hand to hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat is a lethal or nonlethal physical confrontation between two or more persons at very short range that does not involve the use of firearms or other distance weapons...
more readily than a shuriken.
In addition, it could be used for climbing, as either a kind of grappling hook, or a piton
Piton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
.
There are several varieties of kunai, including of short kunai, long kunai, narrow bladed types, saw-toothed types, and wide bladed types. In some cases, the kunai and the shikoro, a wide bladed saw with a dagger-type handle, are hard if not impossible to distinguish.
The Kunai blade can be used to gouge holes in a wall to take out doorknobs.
In popular culture
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
/anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and video games as a common weapon (either primary or backup).
- Sometimes, characters fight with eight kunai at once, four in each hand (like Kasuga in Sengoku Basara 2Sengoku Basara 2Sengoku Basara 2 is a sequel to the video game Sengoku Basara , released in Japan on July 27, 2006 for the PlayStation 2. A revision with additional features named Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes was released on November 29, 2007...
or Larxene in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of MemoriesKingdom Hearts: Chain of Memoriesis an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Japanese studio Jupiter and published by Square Enix in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game serves as an intermediary between the two larger-scale PlayStation 2 games in the Kingdom Hearts series. It was one of the first GBA games to...
). - The character ScorpionScorpion (Mortal Kombat)Scorpion is a recurring player and boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He has been a playable character in all the games, with the exception of the original version of Mortal Kombat 3.-In video games:...
from Mortal Kombat and the player characterPlayer characterA player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s in most of the TenchuTenchuTenchu is the title of a stealth game series of video games originally developed by Acquire wherein the player assumes the role of a ninja....
video game series use kunai attached to a rope, respectively for attack and movement (climbing). - In the NarutoNarutois an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
franchise, kunai are often used as close and long range weapons by ninja and are sometimes thrown with a tag "火" or "爆発", symbolizing fire or explosion. Called an "Exploding Tag" in the series ("Paper Bomb" in the English dub), the kunai explodes some time after impact with the tag attached to the ring of the kunai via thread, or wrapped around the handle. Exploding kunai are also used by AyaneAyane (Dead or Alive)is a player character in the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden fighting game series by Team NINJA and Tecmo Koei. Ayane has also a complex relationship with Kasumi, the leading heroine of the Dead or Alive series, ever since they grew up together...
in the video game Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, also known as Ninja Gaiden Σ 2, is an action-adventure game developed by Team Ninja for the PlayStation 3. It is an enhanced port of Ninja Gaiden II.-Plot:...
. - In the anime/manga series Fullmetal AlchemistFullmetal Alchemist, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
, the Xingese princess May Chang uses kunai to set up transmutation circles using Alkahestry, a foreign variant of the show's interpretation of AlchemyAlchemyAlchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, specifically in remote transmutations. - In the video game Street Fighter IIIStreet Fighter IIIis a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping...
Ibuki, a teenage ninja, is the only kunai user in the series until Super Street Fighter IV, with the inclusion of Guy from Final Fight. In 2009 her inclusion in Super Street Fighter IVSuper Street Fighter IVis a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of Street Fighter IV and has been said to mark the definitive end of the Street Fighter IV series. Having been deemed as too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the game was made into a standalone title, but given a lower price...
was teased with screenshot of another fighter blocking a kunai thrown by an unknown attacker and followed the Fei Long's ending scene where Seth, the final boss, is killed from behind by a kunai. - The Spy, a class from Team Fortress 2Team Fortress 2Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows...
has a stylized kunai weapon called the Conniver's Kunai, which replaces the Spy's butterfly knifeBalisong (knife)A Butterfly knife, also known as a fan knife or Balisong, is a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. It is sometimes called a Batangas knife, after the Tagalog province of Batangas in the...
. He also uses it more like a traditional kunai, using it for close range combat instead of throwing. - In Monday Night CombatMonday Night CombatMonday Night Combat is a downloadable third-person shooter video game developed by Uber Entertainment. It was published by Microsoft Game Studios on the Xbox 360 and by Uber Entertainment and Valve Software for Microsoft Windows...
, a kunai is the weapon of choice for the Assassin class. - In the video game Mystical Ninja Starring GoemonMystical Ninja Starring GoemonMystical Ninja Starring Goemon, known as in Japan, is an action-adventure video game released by Konami for the Nintendo 64 on August 7, 1997 in Japan and April 16, 1998 in North America as the fifth entry in the Ganbare Goemon series...
, the mechanical ninja Sasuke uses kunai as throwing weapons. - The video game Persona 4 features a character called Yosuke Hanamura, whose main choice of weapons are kunai.
- In the 1987 Taito game, The Ninja WarriorsThe Ninja Warriorsis a side-scrolling beat'em up video game developed and released by Taito in 1988.-Story:The game is based in a dystopian future where Banglar, the President of the United States in 1993, issues martial law on the nation, with the military having total control over the law. A group of anarchist...
. The male and female protagonists (Ninja and Kunoichi) use Kunai daggers as primary melee weapons. In the 1994 re-make for the Super Nintendo known as The Ninja Warriors AgainThe Ninja Warriors AgainNinja Warriors is a beat 'em up video game developed by Natsume and released by Taito Corporation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994...
Kunoichi uses Kunai daggers.
Sources
- Hatsumi, MasaakiMasaaki HatsumiMasaaki Hatsumi Masaaki Hatsumi Masaaki Hatsumi (初見良昭 Hatsumi Masaaki, (born 2 December 1931) refers to himself (and is generally recognised) as the 34th Togakure-ryū ninpo Soke (Grandmaster), and is the founder of the Bujinkan Organization. He currently resides and teaches in the city of Noda,...
. (1988). Grandmaster of the Togakure Ryū school of Ninjutsu. New York: McGraw-HillMcGraw-HillThe McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
. 10-ISBN 0-809-24629-5 - Mol, Serge. (2003). Classical Weaponry of Japan: Special Weapons and Tactics of the Martial Arts. Tokyo: KodanshaKodansha, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
. 10-ISBN 4-770-02941-1 - Turnbull, Stephen (2003), Ninja AD 1460-1650, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 978-1841765259