Kusarigama jutsu (art of Japanese chain and sickle) (鎖鎌術)
The term 'Kusarigama jutsu' refers to a martial art in which a fighter, holding a sickle on a chain in one hand and the chain with a iron weight in the other, and swinging the weight in a circular motion, could throw the iron weight to the opponent's body or use the chain to entangle the weapon to retrieve and then kill him with the sickle.
Incidentally, different schools use different type of kusarigama (a chain and sickle) in shape, length and the position of the chain attached to the neck of the handle, therefore, it is rare to find exactly the same type at an antique shop.
It is believed that kusarigama was mainly used as a weapon by farmers who were forced to fight in a battlefield, and eventually developed into a martial art form, but the details remain unknown.
Meanwhile, jingama which ashigaru (a common foot soldier) used in a battlefield was quite different from kusarigama.
Kusarigama jutsu is often transmitted with an art of naginata jutsu (art of Japanese halberd).
Schools
Schools which mainly transmit kusarigama jutsu
Shinkyo-ryu school of kusagama
Ichishin-ryu school of kusarigama jutsu (affiliated with the Shinto Muso-ryu jojutsu [art of staff])
Yamada-ryu school (affiliated with Fusen-ryu school of jujutsu [present-day Judo])
Nitoshinkage-ryu school of kusarigama jutsu (founded during the Taisho period)
Schools which transmit kusarigama jutsu and other martial arts (use of tanto [short sward], the naginata [halberd], the bojutsu [the staff], and retaining techniques with jitte [truncheon], and torite [rope], and so on)
Masaki-ryu school
Araki-ryu school
Takeuchi-ryu school
Shibukawa-ryu school
Shibukawaichi-ryu school
Yoshin-ryu school of naginata jutsu (art of halberd)
Tendo-ryu school
Komagawakaishin-ryu school of ken jutsu (art of fencing)
Jikiyushin-ryu school (Jikishinkage-ryu school of naginata jutsu also transmits the style of Jikiyushin-ryu school of kusarigama jutsu)
Kiraku-ryu school