Subject: 岡っ引きokappiki, doshin policeman
Culture: Japanese
Setting: Tokugawa shogunate, Japan 17-19thc
Object: 突棒 tsukubō 'push pole' man-catcher
Royal Armouries Museum > Oriental Gallery *
"Head of a push pole (tsukubō) Part weapon, part device for catching escaping prisoners, the tsukubō
or 'push pole' was designed to force a fugitive to the ground or against a wall, while its barbs became entangled with a fugitive's clothing.
Groups of similar implements were racked outside watch houses, as a deterrent to potential criminals.
Its haft has been cut off" Japanese, 19th entury ....
