The Japanese bamboo flute, or shakuhachi, is called this because it measures a (traditional Japanese) foot. A foot worth of solid bamboo is a pretty effective club; and apparently this happened often enough that the Tokugawa regime banned one-piece flutes, creating by neccessity a new version of an old folk instrument.
Similarly, Polish noblemen used to be banned from carrying around swords publically. Since nobody would harsh on a nobleman carrying around a cane, heavy hammers came into vogue as walking sticks. Until there were enough fatalities in barfights for the hammers to become prohibited, rather.
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Date: 2003-07-29 12:58 pm (UTC)Similarly, Polish noblemen used to be banned from carrying around swords publically. Since nobody would harsh on a nobleman carrying around a cane, heavy hammers came into vogue as walking sticks. Until there were enough fatalities in barfights for the hammers to become prohibited, rather.
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Date: 2003-07-30 10:26 am (UTC)