The Kubotan is a self-defense tool that is basically a 5 or 6 inch long rod made of steel, wood, strong plastic or other tough material.  The basic design of the Kubotan comes from the Yawara stick, a commonly used martial arts implement.  The word "Kubotan" is sometimes misspelled as Kubaton or Kobuton.  The name Kubotan is derived from Mr. Takayuki Kubota, the person who developed the Kubotan for implementation by police agencies.

The kubotan is used as an aid in a physical conflict. The kubotan can be used to improve your punches while the hard ends extending from your fist may be used to either jab into bones or slash across flesh.

The Kubotan can also be used to assist with certain holds (wrist holds, etc.) for subduing an aggressor. The kubotan is relatively easy to use -- so much so that there are videos available from Amazon that basically teaches all that most people will ever need to learn about how to use a kubotan.

Kubotans come in several different varieties.  The traditional kubotan is usually found with blunt ends, but there are also kubotan keychains, kubotan knives and kubotans with spiked ends. There are also kubotans that have pepper spray,  mace, or ninja darts inside. One advantage of a kubotan keychain is that you can hold the kubotan and use the keys to slash the face of an attacker.

One of the great things about Kubotans is that they are inexpensive enough that anyone can afford one. If you want to buy Kubotan you might want to take a look at the Amazon and Ebay listings on this page, which usually have very inexpensive prices.

One especially interesting item is the "Sharkie" pen made by Cold Steel, which is a working felt-tip marker that has been strengthened enough that it can be used as a kubotan (and you can clip the Sharkie in your shirt pocket and most people who see it would never guess what it can be used for).

Additionally, there are other brands of metal pens that have been designed to serve as a kubotan also. There's really no reason to go without this easy-to-use and inexpensive personal protection!