Melanesian pole club?

[fearn]

Hi Tim,

I was thinking of the Japanese hanbo, which is about 3 feet long and 1 to 1.5 inches diameter. It might have a hole drilled near one end for a wrist loop. Basically, the smooth, relatively even club with an octagonal cross section seems like a Japanese thing to me.

Without doing a (destructive) wood test, there's not much way to tell, unless you have something in the way of provenance.

Anyway, it's just my opinion. I'd be happy to be wrong.

F

[Tim Simmons]

F you are not wrong. At least it is an old one. Another piece to put at the back of the wardrobe.

[fearn]

Hi Tim,

Glad to help. Perhaps it needs a home behind the door, for providing a warm and friendly welcome to any visiting neds...

F

[ausjulius]

could most likely be fiji or could be tonga both areas octagonial clubs were common.. , actualy fijian clubs were traded all around the pacific due to their quality and hardness of woods found in fiji.

[Tim Simmons]

You sound such a nice chap
I had hopes but have lost my confidence. I can say as can be seen, it has an all over smooth patina which I have not seen on martial arts kit. The octagonal carving in real space seems less precise that one would think of Japanese work or is that just hope. Look at the patina of all three clubs.

[fearn]

Hi Tim,

The thing is that the Japanese martial arts community seems to have set standards for the different stick sizes, so one way to check the origin is to get out your tape and measure length and diameter. If it's close to 30" and between 1 and 1.5", it's quite possibly a hanbo. If it's not close to these measurements, it's more likely something else.

F

[Tim Simmons]

It is 34" long and just over an inch at the distal end . Is that near or off Japanese standard size? The polish and patina to the wood does give me a little hope to hold on to. I know that todays martial arts kit is not polished or has patina but would one from the late 19th early 20th century be so


Having googled images "hanbo" I am no longer so sure it is a hanbo. Like swords most stick weapons are in universal size perameters. The Japanese may have famous schools and names for weapons but lets not forget that a club or stick weapon is exactly that and the South Seas peoples fought with clubs for thousands of years surely they new all the moves or more too. There is something about the finish so similar to all my other clubs that also makes me not so sure any more of it being a hanbo but the doubt the other way is still there, sadly. Certainly untill better information or another edxample is shown.