makibishi
Illustration — Japanese "makibishi" iron spikes, a type of caltrop A makibishi (撒き菱 or 撒菱) is the Japanese version of the caltrop. The tool (igadama) is a sharp spiked object that was used in feudal Japan to slow down pursuers and also was used in the defense of samurai fortifications.
makibishi
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- caltrop · ninja tool
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Illustration — Japanese "makibishi" iron spikes, a type of caltrop A makibishi (撒き菱 or 撒菱) is the Japanese version of the caltrop. The tool (igadama) is a sharp spiked object that was used in feudal Japan to slow down pursuers and also was used in the defense of samurai fortifications.
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wikidata · Q1886378 · wikipedia · Makibishi
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Description
Makibishi was one of the items supposedly used by the ninja. It had six or eight pointed spikes. Iron makibishi were called tetsubishi while the makibishi made from the dried seed pod of the water caltrop formed a natural type of makibishi called tennenbishi. The term makibishi literally means "scattered water chestnut" in Japanese. Both types of makibishi could penetrate the thin soles of the shoes such as the waraji sandals that were commonly worn in feudal Japan when the makibishi was dropped on the ground or planted in advance. Makibishi could be carried in a bag attached to a belt along with other commonly carried weapons and/or tools such as shuriken and kaginawa. Makibishi could be thrown like a shuriken and could also be used against an enemy on horseback. Modifications made by the ninja included serrated tips, which were also said to be occasionally coated with poison.
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- “Makibishi”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1886378: makibishi
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Japanese Castles AD 250–1540, Stephen Turnbull, Peter Dennis, Osprey Publishing, 2008 p. 32
- 2.Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan, Karl Friday, Psychology Press, 2004 p. 119
- 3.Pretzer, Xavid. O-umajirushi: A 17th-Century Compendium of Samurai Heraldry. The Academy of the Four Directions. ccxxx. 2015. 978-0-692-37740-6.
- 4.Pauley's Guide – A Dictionary of Japanese Martial Arts and Culture, Daniel C. Pauley, Samantha Pauley, 2009 p. 176
- 5.Comprehensive Asian fighting arts, Donn F. Draeger, Robert W. Smith, Kodansha International, 1980 p. 127
- 6.Warriors of Medieval Japan, Stephen Turnbull, Osprey Publishing, 2007 p. 162
- 7.Exotic weapons of the Ninja, Sid Campbell, Citadel Press, 1999 p. 100
- 8.Yoda, Hiroko. Ninja Attack!: True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws. Tuttle Publishing. 181. 2013. 978-4-8053-1218-6.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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