noun
metal rod; iron bar; crowbar
General term for a long, solid metal bar, often iron or steel. Can refer to a crowbar or any similar tool.
泥棒は金棒で窓をこじ開けた。
The burglar pried open the window with a crowbar.
工事現場に太い金棒
Several thick metal rods were lying at the construction site.
noun
iron club; night watchman's staff
Specifically a traditional iron staff with rings at the top, historically carried by night watchmen. Often appears in the idiom 金棒引き (かなぼうひき, night watchman).
時代劇で、夜回りが金棒を引きずる音が聞こえる。
In period dramas, you can hear the sound of a night watchman dragging his iron staff.