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Vajra-musti (Sanskrit:, "thunder fist" or "diamond fist") refers to a knuckleduster-like weapon and also a form of Indian wrestling in which the weapon is employed. The weapon is sometimes called ''Indra-mukti'' which means Indra's fist. The vajramusti is usually made of ivory or buffalo horn. Its appearance is that of a knuckleduster, slightly pointed at the sides and with small spikes at the knuckles. The variation used for warfare had long blades protruding from each end, and an elaborate bladed knuckle. ==History== The first literary mention of vajra-musti comes from the ''Manasollasa'' of the Chalukya king Someswara III (1124–1138), although it has been conjectured to have existed since as early as the Maurya dynasty. Matches were patronized by royalty and wrestlers thus became held in high regard. Vajra-musti and its unarmed counterpart malla-yuddha was practiced by the (lit. "the most excellent wrestlers"), a jāti of Krishna-worshipping Modha Brahmins first mentioned in the 12th century. The Jyesti clan trained specifically in malla-yuddha and vajra-musti. The ''Malla Purana'' is a Kula Purana associated with the Jyesti sub-caste, and is thought to date back to the 13th century. It describes the wrestlers' diet, the preparation of the arena, and the various exercises used. By the 16th century, the Jyestimalla were synonymous with fighting, renowned athletes and professional fighters who would act as bodyguards for the rich. During the Mughal era, Negrito aboriginals of Gujerat (sometimes mistakenly referred to in European writings as being from Madagascar due to their appearance) were trained in vajra-musti from infancy. The Portuguese chronicler Fernão Nunes records the practice of vajra-musti in the southern Vijayanagara Empire. "The King has a thousand wrestlers for these feasts who wrestle before the King, but not in our manner, for they strike and wound each other with two circlets with points which they carry in their hands to strike with, and the one most wounded goes and takes his reward in the shape of a silk cloth, such as the King gives to these wrestlers. They have a captain over them, and they do not perform any other service in the kingdom." By the colonial period, the Jyesti clan became known as Jetti. At this time the Jetti of Baroda are recorded as practicing ''naki ka kusti'', a form of wrestling with bagh nakh. James Scurry wrote the following account while he was a prisoner of Tipu Sultan in the late 1800s. "The Jetti’s would be sent for, who always approached with their masters at their head, and, after prostration, and making their grand salams, touching the ground each time, they would be paired, one school against another. They had on their right hands the wood-guamootie After independence, the Jetti today live in Gujarat, Hyderabad, Rajasthan and Mysore. The family tradition of wrestling lost its prestige without its royal patronage. Modern Indians regarded such violent sports as barbarically outdated. Even the relatively safe malla-yuddha dwindled in popularity. Fights persisted nonetheless, typically held during Dasara festivals. Australian martial artist John Will trained in vajra-musti with one of the last masters in the 1980s, during which time the art was already nearly extinct. Vajra-musti matches are still held during the annual Mysore Dasara festival, a tradition dating back to the Wadiyar dynasty in 1610. Unlike the bloody matches of old, modern combatants use knuckle-dusters with blunt studs. The fight ends immediately after first blood is drawn, and the referee's verdict is seldom questioned. On the rare occasion when the decision is disputed, the loser or his guru can appeal to the judges panel. The umpire and the judges are normally former wrestlers with decades of experience. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vajra-mushti」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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