Kubotan

What is kubotan?

The name Kubotan comes from the fusion of "Kubota" and "stick". It is an innovative defensive weapon, considered by many to be the most modern weapon since the advent of martial arts.

The weapon's popularity began in the mid-1970s when its inventor, Soke Kubota Takayuki, exhibited it at the Los Angeles Police Department. Today, the Kubotan is one of the most widely used personal defense weapons in the United States, if not the best.

It measures approximately 15 cm in length and 1.5 cm in diameter. The Kubotan is small and easy to carry. With this size, it can easily be mistaken for a pen. Kubotan is generally made of plastic, wood or metal.

Kubotan is usually attached to a key ring to make it appear harmless to neophytes. What's more, the Kubotan is easy to use and conceal, so it can be carried discreetly by thousands of men and women, martial artists and non-martial artists alike.

Based on the shape of a Yawara, Kubotan is the perfect weapon for striking back and defending sensitive and vulnerable parts of the body. For example, areas where large muscle bundles, nerves and soft tissue pass through.

Kubotan: what are its commercial variants?

Traditionally, Kubotan should have a hollow body with six grooves to improve comfort and grip. At one end of the weapon, there is a handle hole for the key ring.

This version of the key ring (designed and sold by its inventor Soke Kubota Takayuki.) is a rod made of a very hard plastic material (usually polycarbonate), wood or metal (usually stainless steel).

If you are looking for a reliable and inexpensive traditional Kubotan model, here are a few visible on our Hattila.com website:

• Kubotan Blackfield With Hardened Tip ;
• Kubotan Blackfield Stainless Steel With Key Chain

Nowadays many other types of Kubotan have been derived from the original model for greater ergonomics, other types of exercise, and even more aggressive features. There are those with blades, sharp points, darts or tear gas. Only, it's important to note that although they share the same name, it's not really a Kubotan in its original concept. Normally, it would have a simple cylindrical design.