The kama (jap. 鎌, engl. "sickle") is a sickle-like tool that was used for planting and harvesting rice.
A secondary use is as a percussive weapon, where it is assigned to the family of kobudo weapons and is also used in koryu.
Kama's Description
Like other kobudo weapons, the kama is a misappropriated agricultural implement (farmer's weapon). The kama is a sickle with only a slightly curved blade used in the Ryūkyū Islands and Asia for harvesting rice, among other things.
As a weapon, the kama is mostly used in pairs. They come in different sizes. A particularly large version exists in the Asayama Ichiden-ryū, in which it is wielded singly or in pairs.
The Ashigaru were armed with a particularly small version called the jingama (陣鎌), also called field camp sickle. The art of using the jingama is still taught in the Yagyū Shingan-ryū.
Several kama variants exist, to which a chain weighted with a metal ball is attached. These variants are called Kusarigama. Furthermore, there is a variant in which the kama is attached to a Rokushaku-Bō, this variant is called Rokushakugama.
Although the blade may not always have been sharp enough to severely injure an armored attacker, it did allow it to hook onto the attacker's arm or head.
Weapons similar to the kama are also used in other Asian martial arts, and sickles were also used in Europe in the Middle Ages and modern times.
In training weapons, the blade is made of wood or aluminum.
Kama Kata
The following kama katas are known in the kobudo styles:
- Hamahiga no kama (Butokukai International)
- Kanegawa no kama (Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai, Ryukyu Kobudo Tesshinkan)
- Kanegawa no kama sho (Ryukyu Kobujutsu Hozon Shinko Kai)
- Kanegawa no kama dai (Ryukyu Kobujutsu Hozon Shinko Kai)
- Sagami (ki) no kama
- Tozan or Toyama no kama (Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai, Ryukyu Kobujutsu Hozon Shinko Kai)
- Kama no Te/Ti or Matayoshi no Kama
- Kama no Ho or Ryuei no Kama (Ryuei Ryu)
- Kishaba no Kama ichi (Yamanni Ryu)
- Kishabe no Kama ni (Yamanni-Ryu)
- Odo no Kama ich (Ryukyu Kenpo)
- Odo no Kama ni (Ryukyu Kenpo)
- Renshuho Shodan (Gendai Goshin Kobujutsu)
- Renshuho Nidan (Gendai Goshin Kobujutsu)
- Renshuho Sandan (Gendai Goshin Kobujutsu)
