Weapon House

The kanabō (金棒) (metallic staff) is an iron or steel club used in feudal Japan as a weapon. It was constructed out of heavy oak wood, and covered with some form of metal from the end to the middle, with metal studs along the metal-shod end. Later versions were made entirely out of metal, but shorter. It was this later version that many popular pictures of Japanese demons carry. It is said to be one of the heaviest hand weapons ever wielded. The one used as a sample in the Spike TV program Deadliest Warrior weighed around 35 pounds.

Because of its sheer weight, only a few soldiers carried it. It was more of a mythical weapon, often used in tales by the great Japanese demons "oni" since the oni were extremely strong and could carry these mammoth weapons and so were feared by many superstitious people. Today there is a saying in Japanese that says, "Like giving a kanabō to an oni" — which means to give an extra advantage to someone already holding all the cards.

When used, the purpose of the kanabō was to smash enemies' armor, bones underneath and break their warhorses' legs. The art of using this cumbersome weapon, kanabō-jutsu, consisted of a mastery of both balance and strength; it required great skill to recover from a miss with the heavy club, which could leave a warrior open to a counter-attack.