sleeve entangler; barbed pole weapon for catching criminals
Historical term for a pole weapon with barbs, used by Edo-period law enforcement to snag a suspect's clothing and restrain them without lethal force.
The sodegarami was one of the weapons used for arrests in the Edo period.
In a period drama, I saw a scene where a constable skillfully wielded a sodegarami.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical weapon.
Variant with okurigana; less common.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; may be easier for learners to read.
Compound of 袖 (sode, 'sleeve') and 搦み (garami, 'entangling'), from the verb 搦む (garamu, 'to entangle'). The name describes its function of catching a suspect by the sleeves.