Jakotsutō

The, wielded by Jakotsu of the Shichinintai, was a broad sword made up of at least 50 chain-linked blades held together at each end by pins. When deployed or swung, these blades zig-zagged back and forth as they moved forward, resembling the movements of a snake moving in for the strike, which is why its name translated as Snake Skill/Bone Sword.

When deployed, the Jakotsutō unraveled and raveled to great lengths, allowing Jakotsu to attack faraway enemies and keep them at a distance simultaneously. The speed and erratic nature of the sword's movements made his strikes nigh-impossible to predict—and it didn't help that Jakotsu was able to change the sword's path mid-strike to catch even the most alert fighters off-guard. This ability also allowed Jakotsu to ensnare his opponents with his sword and then dismember them cleanly with a flick of the wrist.

The most frightening aspect of this sword didn't lie in its versatility, but in its precision. In Jakotsu's hand, the Jakotsutō wasn't just a deadly weapon, it was like an extension of his own arm. In what was probably his most impressive display of control, Jakotsu was able to extend the Jakotsutō from a considerable distance and retrieve the Shikon shard from Suikotsu's neck—and he was able to do it without cutting Kikyō's nearby hand or severing Suikotsu's head completely in the process. (In fact, the damage he dealt to Suikotsu's throat was so menial that he could still speak without difficulty.) Other feats of skill included wiping out an entire unit of soldiers—horses and all—with a single strike, trapping enemies in elaborate cages of blades from yards away and angling the sword so that it could cleanly slice off the tips of long-barrel rifles (Meaning he was able to maneuver the blades into an angle perpendicular to the sword hilt and maintain enough speed and force to cut metal).

Despite Jakotsu's skills with his sword, surviving combat with him was far from impossible for skilled fighters. Although swift and unpredictable, the sword could still be dodged by faster opponents like Kōga or Sesshōmaru, and when countered with strong enough blows, the sword's path could be diverted from its target. Furthermore, the sword was all but useless in close-quarters combat, so whenever opponents came too close, Jakotsu was unable to counter without first putting distance between them (Usually through acrobatics of some sort). Though sharp, there were things that the sword couldn't cut, such as demon swords or the Hiraikotsu, so it could be blocked using those objects or sometimes become entangled with them. These entanglements bought only seconds of time, however, as Jakotsu could easily untangle his sword, and sometimes even used it to launch the entangled objects back at his foes. There was also one instance in which Sesshōmaru intentionally entangled the Jakotsutō with Tōkijin and used it to fling Jakotsu over his head and further away from the mountain barrier. Sesshōmaru was also the only one skilled enough to reflect Jakotsu's attack right back at him, though he missed killing him by mere millimeters. Also, despite being strong enough to kill demons (Conventional weaponry is usually ineffective against demons), Jakotsutō was still composed of normal metal, so it was powerless against powerful yōki-based attacks like the Kaze no Kizu. This limitation was what eventually contributed to its destruction.

Trivia

 * Jakotsutō can also be read as "the Jakotsu sword" or "Snake Bone Sword" which could be a reference to its segmented parts.
 * In accordance with its name, the design on Jakotsutō's sheath resembles a snake's scaly skin.
 * The dual wrist-guards on Jakotsutō's hilt help to secure and tighten/stabilize the wielder's grip on the sword, allowing for better control and manipulation of the blades when deployed.
 * The way the sword moved quickly and in all directions when deployed caused distortions in the air currents between the combatants. This made it nearly impossible for Inuyasha to use the Kaze no Kizu effectively while fighting Jakotsu.
 * Though never really addressed, maintenance on the Jakotsutō would be a tedious, time-consuming and burdensome process, requiring the disassembly of the sword so that each blade could be cleaned and polished separately. Then it would have to be reassembled and each pin connecting the blades would have to be oiled and tightened just-so to allow the smooth movements required to maintain control over the entire sword.

Jakotsutō Jakotsuto 蛇骨刀 Pedang Jakotsu