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WABUKAN Arsenal · Spears and polearms · China

Monk’s spade

A pole with a flat spade at one end and a crescent blade at the other. Tradition says monks used it to bury the dead they found on the road.

Monk’s spade
Monk’s spade WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

月牙鏟 · yuè yá chǎn; crescent-moon spade

Origin and history

The monk’s spade is a staff with a spade blade at one end and a crescent at the other, associated with Buddhist monks and especially Shaolin. Tradition says travelling monks used it to bury the dead they found on the road.

Martial arts that use it

Shaolin Kung Fu

Construction

A wooden or metal shaft of about 1.5–1.8 m with a flat, shovel-like blade at one end and a crescent-shaped blade at the other; rings are sometimes attached.

Basic techniques

Training

Polearm training begins with handling: sliding the hands along the shaft, turning the weapon end to end and keeping distance. Thrusts, sweeps and blocks are drilled solo, then in prearranged forms with a partner using wooden versions with padded or blunt tips.

Safety

Long weapons need room: check the ceiling and the space behind you, and warn partners before turning the weapon. Inspect wooden shafts for cracks and splinters and replace them rather than repair them.

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?

In the novel Journey to the West, the monk Sha Wujing carries a weapon of this kind.

More weapons

Ge (dagger-axe) Halberd Taiaha Naginata Yari Qiang (spear)

Sources

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

  1. Wikipedia — Monk%27s spade