The kyoketsu-shoge (Japanese: 距跋渉毛), which means “to run about in the fields and mountains”, is a double-edged blade, with another curved blade attached near the hilt at a 45–60 degree angle. This is attached to approximately 10 to 18 feet (3–5 m) of rope, chain or hair which then ends in a large metal ring. Likely used by ninja of the Iga province, it is thought to be a forerunner to the later more widely known kusarigama (sickle and chain). Ninja were often recruited from the class of rural peasantry who resided on remote farmland, and the tool’s resemblance to farming equipment and high versatility in combat gave it many benefits in stealth combat.
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