Kubotan
The Kubotan (sometimes erroneously spelled as Kubaton) self-defense keychain, is a close-quarter self-defense weapon. It is essentially a derivation of the Yawara stick, usually 5.5 - 6 inches (14 - 15.25cm) long and slightly thicker than a marker pen. Attached with a keyring for convenience and concealment, the kubotan appears as an innocuous key fob to the untrained eye. It is often carried instead of or as a complement to pepper spray, with the advantage that it does not deplete or backfire due to wind direction.
In usage it is very similar to the yawara, except that it is only long enough to protrude from one end of a closed fist. It is often touted as needing very little training to be effective.
As with the Yawara stick, the principal targets for use in self-defense include bony, fleshy and nerve centers such as knuckles, forearms, bridge of the nose, shins, stomach, ribs, groin, neck, eyes etc. It is usually held in either an icepick (for hammerfist strikes) or forward grip (for stabbing and pressure point attacks). Common uses include stabilizing the fist (fistload) for punching, applying pressure to sensitive parts of an assailant's body, striking vulnerable parts of the body and gaining leverage on an assailant's wrist or fingers. With keys attached, it can also function as a flailing weapon. As a pressure point weapon it can attack any point a finger can, with much greater effectiveness. With the exception of the trademark wrist "gasket" pressure compliance techniques (which Soke Kubota developed specifically for the Kubotan), its use is nearly similar to the Yawara stick. Its techniques are greatly linked to 'empty handed' martial arts techniques, and almost all of its uses derive from the fighting style in which it is included. It is one of the few weapons that can adapt to an art, rather than dictate its own set of movements and uses.
The use of the Kubotan (and similar weapons like the Yawara stick and the Koppo stick) makes it a particularly interesting weapon because improvised versions can be readily found and can be equally effective. Since a Kubotan is just a rod of plastic, metal or wood, any restrictive regulation would most likely be ambiguous and undefined due to the ability for any rod-shaped item to essentially be used in kubotan-like fashion. This property makes it one of the few weapons that can be replaced by everyday items, whilst retaining all its combative properties. Typical improvised items can include rolled up paper or magazines, a roll of coins, hairbrushes, pens, magic markers, flashlights, twigs, Tootsie rolls, etc. Almost anything with roughly the same shape and size can be a viable replacement, while still using almost all of the kubotan's techniques. It is because of this property that adaptive martial arts such as ninjutsu value the yawara and kubotan.
In the United States, Kubotans are still widely unregulated. In the UK, however, Kubotans (and improvised items such as pens/flashlights/markers) are illegal, if it can be proved they are carried with intent to injure.
History
Kubotan is a registered trademark of Grandmaster Takayuki Kubota, who originally developed it as a tool for police officers to restrain suspects without permanent injury. Its popularity began in the mid-1970s when Grandmaster Kubota brought the weapon to the attention of the LAPD and began schooling female officers in its application. Because of its extreme effectiveness in breaking the will of unruly suspects with painful locks and pressure point strikes, the Kubotan is also dubbed the "Instrument of Attitude Adjustment". The Kubotan gradually expanded toward civilian self-defense application and is now a moderately popular self-defense tool.
The authentic Kubotan (as sold by Takayuki Kubota) is a hard high-impact plastic rod about 5.5 inches (14 cm) long and 9/16 (0.56) inch (1.5 cm) in diameter. The body is marked with six circular grooves for added grip and bite, and there is a screw eye with a split ring attached to one end for keys. There are many other forms and variations of the original design available, ranging from aluminum alloy to spiked, pointed, tapered or special "ninja" models that contain darts or tear gas in them. Although they are marketed as Kubotans, they are actually classified as generic or imitation self-defense keychain sticks or SDKS and are not considered to be authentic Kubotans. They may often be more offensive in nature, could be considered illegal and can pose more of a danger for the owner if dropped during a scuffle. The umbrella term pocket stick is also used sometimes to classify short cylindrical hand weapons like the Kubotan.