A bisentō (眉尖刀, 'brow blade')[1] is a polearm used in feudal Japan. The bisentō has various descriptions, "a double-edged long sword with a thick truncated blade",[2] "a spear-like weapon with a blade at the end that resembles a scimitar",[3] "a polearm resembling a glaive, with a long, heavy haft and a heavy, curved blade".[4] The bisentō is said to have been used by ninja and peasants.[2]

Bisento (Méi jiāndāo; 眉尖刀) from the Wǔjīng Zǒngyào (武經總要)

Depictions of this weapon can be found in the Chinese military compilations the Wǔ jīng zǒng yào, Sāncái tú huì, the Wǔbèi zhì, and many others,[5] though no artifact representations currently exist of this implement.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ The Way of the Ninja: Secret Techniques, Masaaki Hatsumi, Ben Jones, Translated by Ben Jones, Kodansha International, 2004 ISBN 9784770028051 P.204
  2. ^ a b Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan, William E. Deal, Oxford University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-19-533126-4 P.162
  3. ^ Tuttle dictionary of the martial arts of Korea, China & Japan, Daniel Kogan, Sun-Jin Kim Editor Sun-Jin Kim, Compiled by Daniel Kogan, Sun-Jin Kim, Contributor Sun-Jin Kim, Tuttle Publishing, 1996, ISBN 978-0-8048-2016-5 P.37
  4. ^ Ninja: The Invisible Assassins, Japanese Arts Series, Andrew Adams, Black Belt Communications, 1970, ISBN 9780897500302 P.52
  5. ^ "Kukishinden-ryu Bisento". Classical Martial Arts Research Academy. 2017-11-11. Retrieved 2019-04-03.