Jitte & Sai

The jitte and sai are weapons that were adapted from farming implements during the early days of the Empire, and which have slowly gained acceptance with the samurai caste since that time. The jitte in particular is an accepted symbol of a magisterial position. Both are steel cylinders roughly a foot long that possess a short handle and a blunt tip. Both possess metal prongs that originate from the divide between the handle and the blade: the jitte has one prong while the sai has two symmetrical prongs. The jitte and sai have gradually gained acceptance among samurai primarily because they are ideal weapons to use for disarming someone without inflicting any significant damage.