The Indonesian "paku"

Donn F. Draeger, in his "Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia", writes of an Indonesian weapon called the "paku" whose appearance and throwing method appear very similar in nature to that of the shuriken. It is said to be an old weapon which derives from the Chinese piau, which may in fact be true due to the linguistic similarity of the two words. Draeger states that the throwing method is similar to the Japanese shuriken, and given that the weapon is a 2-3 inch long needle pointed at both ends (see below), we can guess the throwing method is similar to that of the hon-uchi, or overhand throw. They were concealed in the hands and the clothing, and thrown in defensive situations. Draeger writes that the shortness of the paku was deliberate, making it difficult for opponents to throw back, because the paku required great skill to throw.

Apparently modern paku are longer, about 6 inches in length, and are only pointed at one end, making them more similar to Japanese bo shuriken.

Illustration of paku from Draeger's "Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia"

Piau in Indonesia.

Draeger also makes mention of an Indonesian weapon called piau, of very unusual design (see below), thrown much the same way as a Japanese shaken. The weapon does not resemble any Japanese shuriken, and the word piau is not an Indonesian word, so this item may in fact not be correct.

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