Sales of feudal-era weapon heat up in Japan after store uses it to thwart robbery

The incident: Robbers on a motorcycle pulled up in front of the store, Ryutsu, in Tokyo’s Ueno District, at around 6:40 p.m. on Sunday, SoraNews24 reported. They entered the business without removing their helmets and began smashing display cases with crowbars.

Their scheme did not last long, however, after a worker chased them out with a sasumata, a forked, pole-like weapon first used in feudal Japan. A third robber was deterred from entering the store in the ensuing chaos.

Arrests: Two of the robbers have been arrested, while one remains at large. Four robberies have reportedly occurred in the area since March.

About the weapon: Sasumata, a pole-like weapon with a pair of short, elongated bars at the tip — to hold people with — was used to apprehend criminals during the Edo Period (1603-1868). Today, some police officers, schools and businesses are still trained to use it.

Sale increase: A company in Tochigi Prefecture that produces sasumata told NHK that it has seen a demand for the weapon since fall 2022. The surge became even more pronounced after Sunday’s robbery, with orders climbing from a few every month to 10 per day.

Company president Sano Takemitsu stressed that the sasumata is a weapon primarily used for self-defense and not to instigate fights.