Kunai
A multipurpose ninja tool and throwing weapon
The kunai is originally a Japanese multipurpose masonry and gardening tool, featuring a thick, leaf-shaped iron blade with a ring pommel. At 20-30cm blade length, it was originally used for digging walls and making holes, becoming famous when ninja (shinobi) adopted it as an all-purpose tool-weapon. Uses included driving into walls as footholds, attaching rope as a grappling hook, and wielding as a close-combat dagger. Though depicted as a throwing weapon in popular culture, its heavy weight and poor aerodynamics actually make it an inefficient projectile.
Origin
A multipurpose tool used by ninja around Japan's Sengoku period. Originally a masonry and gardening implement repurposed as a tool-weapon — an example of civilian tools adapted for military use.
Features
- Leaf-shaped thick iron blade (20-30cm)
- Ring pommel — for rope attachment and multipurpose use
- Originally a masonry/gardening tool
- Ninja multi-tool (climbing aid, digging, grappling hook)
- Poor throwing efficiency despite pop-culture depiction
- Weight approximately 200-400g
Usage
Ninja used it as a wall-climbing foothold, rope-attached grappling hook, close-combat dagger, and digging tool, adapting to each situation as needed.