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WABUKAN Arsenal · Knives and blades · Okinawa

Kama

A rice sickle turned into a weapon. Kobudo uses it in pairs, to hook, block and cut.

Kama
Kama WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

鎌 · nichōgama (pair)

Origin and history

The kama is a farming sickle used to cut rice and grass; in Okinawa it became a kobudō weapon, usually trained in pairs (nichōgama). It also appears in Southeast Asian and Indonesian arts as the celurit or arit.

Martial arts that use it

Okinawan Kobudo

Construction

A wooden handle of about 40–50 cm with a curved blade set at a right angle near the top; kobudō versions sometimes have a small notch to trap a staff. Training kama have wooden or blunt blades.

Basic techniques

Training

Short-blade training starts with trainers made of wood, aluminium or rubber. Students drill angles of attack, grips (forward and reverse), checking the opponent’s arm and footwork, then flow drills with a partner. Live blades are kept for solo forms by experienced practitioners, if at all.

Safety

Use training knives for all partner work and eye protection for fast drills. Never mix live and training blades in the same session, store blades sheathed and out of reach of children.

Legality (general information)

Swords, knives and other edged weapons are regulated very differently from country to country (and sometimes from region to region): owning one at home is often allowed, while carrying it in public, buying it under a certain age or importing it may be restricted or banned. Practitioners usually transport them cased, out of reach and straight between home and dojo. This is general information, not legal advice: check the law where you live.

Did you know?

Kama kata are considered among the most dangerous to practise, which is why beginners use wooden blades.

More weapons

Butterfly swords Deer horn knives Kris Karambit Golok Balisong

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Kama (weapon)
  2. Wikipedia — Okinawan kobudō