Tacco is a fairly broad concept that includes many different types of weapons, which can be combined into one group for a number of signs. All weapons belonging to the TEKKO group can be divided into two subgroups:
- Tekko and related weapons;
- Takko-kagi and other varieties of ninja claws.
The weapons from the first group most resemble the brass knuckles, the second group is a specific weapon that the ninja used.
The history of the appearance of Tacco
The classic tacco is the ancestor of most modern brass knuckles. Although in other countries there was a weapon that was similar in functionality (for example, a cestus or a knight’s glove), it is precisely Tecco that most resembles modern brass knuckles.
The story of the emergence of Tacco is quite simple. It is believed that the ancestor of this weapon is the stirrup from a horse saddle. According to legend, samurai, deprived of weapons in battle, used stirrups as brass knuckles and won the battle. Local peasants managed to see this, and they began to use stirrups as brass knuckles.
In fact, the horse-shaped stirrup could only become a weapon in the hands of warriors, who were completely deprived of weapons. Such were the representatives of the Okinawa nobility, deprived of their titles after the revolution of 1868. They were able to turn harmless stirrups into an effective weapon, complementing them with protruding spikes and a grasping handle.
Takken - Ninja Brass
A few centuries before the revolution of 1868, there was another specific weapon that could have prompted the impoverished Okinawan nobility to create weapons from the stirrup. This tacken is an iron ninja hand. It was a curved iron strip in the shape of a rectangle with spikes on one side. The takken could be put on both with spikes outwards and inwards.
The technique of applying takken depended on how he was worn on the arm. If he wore spikes inward, he was used to block the cold arms. By beating the sword on the backswing with the tacken, it was possible to manage to deliver the fatal blow with the main weapon.
If the takken was spiked out, then it was used as the main weapon. The spiked blow easily pierced the skull and broke the bones.
Tekko-kagi and their varieties
The ninja claws, known as the tacco-kagi, first appeared to the public in the late 1980s, in ninja films. In the 2000s, such a design again became extremely popular, Wolverine from the kinovelennaya about X-Men famously cut them into pieces of the hordes of enemies.
Ninja claws were divided into two categories:
- Takko-kagi with long claws (bear's paw);
- Takko-kagi with spikes on the back of the hand (shuto).
Some sources indicate that long claws were used not only in battle, but also for climbing trees. It is difficult to imagine how you can climb with 30-centimeter claws, the weight of which was several kilograms. The basis for both types of claws were two iron bracelets, which were put on the palm and wrist. The use of these species is very different.
Takko-kagi with long claws on the back of the hand were not so much a combat weapon, as demoralizing. Nekja using takko-kagi, beautifully climbed trees, some even slept there. Their attack tactics were unexpected and terrible. Dressed in black clothes, with a demon mask on his face and huge claws, the suddenly appeared ninja caused panic horror. Those who dared to engage in battle with the "night demon" had a hard time. Only a samurai in battle armor could count on victory. The leather armor of simple soldiers easily pierced huge claws, pulling pieces of meat out of their bodies and ripping their bellies.
The design of the takko-kagi claws made it possible to block the blows of swords and spears, and the wounds inflicted by them made people remember the meeting with the "demon" until the end of their lives.
The second version of the claws served for more peaceful purposes, although in the case of detection of the spy served as an excellent weapon. Takko-kagi with spikes on the inside of the palm were used for climbing walls and trees. They are better known under the name "shuto".
There was also a foot version of shito for the legs - asiko, which could also be used in combat. Now in specialized stores you can freely purchase a modern version of shuto and asiko, which almost completely correspond to historical analogues.
Battle claws "nekote"
The necote’s battle claws, which were worn on each finger separately and copied by ninjas from musicians who put them on to play koto strings, can be attributed to the tekko group. These claws were light and most often used by female ninja. The claws wetted with poison, despite the fact that the wounds they left were shallow, always brought painful death.
Japan has always been a great variety of exotic weapons. Although few people know about traditional takko, takko-kagi are known to almost every person under the name of "ninja claws".
