5. Chain Whip
This is one of my favourite weapons, and a particularly nasty one at that. Traditionally called a Jiujiebian or Qijiebian, a chain whip consists of seven or nine sections of metal rod, respectively, joined with rings to create a whip, with a handle at one end and a dart at the other. The dart on the end can be used to slash and pierce, especially when it is whirling around on the end of a chain as long as the distance between the wielder's chin and the ground. The design of the chain whip is pretty clever but that isn't what has earned this weapon a place on the list. It's how it is used and what makes it an effective weapon. On the surface it seems like a simple, if somewhat erratic weapon to use. Hold it away from you and windmill it into your opponent. It couldn't be further from the truth, the techniques behind the use of this weapon are complex and intricate. Means of reversing the direction of spin, increasing momentum and directing the dart are the inventive part. Once it is spinning you can control it by spinning it in a figure of eight in front of you, wrapping it around the crook of your arm to build momentum, and release as you bring it back across, releasing a devastating slash. You can let the chain wrap around a palm and release at the point where it will then fly forward in order to pierce. Even wrap it around a leg as you do a crescent kick, turning yourself one hundred and eighty degrees. The ideal result being you have just kicked the guy in front of you to the jaw but the one creeping up behind you has now been subjected to a vicious downward slash from the dart. The techniques are far too intricate and numerous to detail but that's the point. The weapon itself isn't complex but the use of it is remarkably so. The other clever thing about the chain whip is the versatility. When initially presented with one of these I found myself wondering what it could achieve that a sword couldn't do better, figuring it to be more of a novelty for displays and demonstrations than a practical weapon. However, they were apparently employed on the battlefields of China as early as the Jin Dynasty, (265 420AD). What makes them a powerful weapon is they are fast and unpredictable, can be quickly retracted and concealed, will wrap around a blocking weapon or shield and still strike the opponent or ensnare the weapon, trapping it and making it possible to wrench it from an opponent's grasp. Plus you can poison the dart, which adds some additional peril to both you and your attacker, which is exactly what you want in a weapon whirling around your head as you perform a complicated manoeuvre involving wrapping the whip around your neck and unwinding as you step through. My personal philosophy with the chain whip, along with the majority of flexible weapons is: "a man learning to use a chain whip will hit himself. A man who has mastered the chain whip will hit himself less."