An exotic weapon made of a chain, weight and scythe.
Further Reading:
Primer to Combat
Description
A kusari-gama is a simple weapon. It consists of three parts, a chain, a weight, and a scythe. More crude, homemade kusari-gamas are composed of an iron ball, a
Horse hair rope, and a simple farmer's tool. Weaponsmiths who craft these have replaced
Horse hair ropes with chains and use any number of metals for the handle and the scythe. The basic grasp of the weapon is to hold the handle weapon in one hand, and use the other to manipulate the chain and weight.
Variations
Kokyetsu-Shoge: A very similar form of weapon, the weight is replaced by a metal ring, and the scythe becomes a double edged dagger with a curved hook at the hilt, similar in shape to a half fleur-de-lis.
Kusari-Fundo: Simply a length of chain with a weight at one or both ends, most popular variants are short enough to be worn as a loose necklace, although many examples of longer versions exist.
Kusari-Nogama: A kusari-gama with a far larger scythe. The weapon is mostly unchanged from the original, but the scythe comes with a two handed grip and a larger blade, allowing from more powerful strikes with its edge while sacrificing control of the chain during strikes.
Advantages, Disadvantages, Limitations
Disadvantages: Unwieldy; Require a lot of space to use
Advantages: Superior reach; Excellent entrapment weapon against melee weapons
Technique Examples
Spinning: The method for beginning and halting both horizontal and vertical spins is taught, however transitions between the two are difficult and thus are not taught at this level. Spins are wonderful for keeping an opponent at bay, indeed this is one of the primary defense mechanisms of a kusari-gama, as long as one remembers their surroundings. Spinning qualifies as any rotational movement of the chain, including the half-spins used to generate momentum for lashing strikes.
Entrapment: Entrapment entails wrapping your weapon around that of your enemy. Of course a leather cord against a razor-edged sword would not end well, material must be considered, but with proper consideration almost any weapon can be entrapped. Including a bow if you can get close enough to the archer. Once entrapped, the wielder learns how to pull the weapon, drawing his foe closer or keeping even tension to prevent the enemy from escaping. While this can turn into a deadlock in the wrong circumstances, it gives one time to think. They are also taught how to safely disengage an entrapment to avoid a reversal should the foe be skilled enough to counter.
Tangle: To tangle a kusari-gama is to project a significant amount of the chain portion, as well as the weight in some cases, into the path of the opponent's physiology during defense against strikes. This allows a warrior to entrap a fist or weapon as a form of defense, or temporarily blind an enemy, and control its distance in a fight. While entrapment is a deliberate long range attack, tangling is a reactive close ranged defensive maneuver, oft coupled with a sidestep or dodge, where the cable is formed into loops and left to hang in the air for the enemy to fall into.
Credit
Credit goes to Kaar for the original Kusari-Gama write-up.
