Ninja Weapons

Ninja weapons are one of the highlight stones In the rich history of the Japan, the ninja was known as a skilled martial arts warrior who had great knowledge in the arts of assassination, espionage, and illusion. They were greatly trained in various ninja weapons which included the shuriken, the popular Ninja sword , claws, and a lot more. Today, some of the most popular and sought-after ninja weapons include the ninjato, kunai, tanto, shuriken, and the blow gun.

The Ninjas

The ninja or shinobi was known as a mercenary or covert agent during the feudal period of ancient Japan and were trained thoroughly to acquire numerous skills in espionage, infiltration, guerrilla warfare, and of course, assassination. Their clandestine method of conducting irregular warfare was considered dishonorable and disgraceful beneath the samurai social class who followed strict rules about combat and honor.

Shinobis are a trained group of special mercenaries and spies that appeared during the fifteenth century of the Sengoku Era; though the predecessors may have already appeared during the fourteenth century and even in the twelfth century (specifically the Heian or the early Kamakura period). The ninja worked in little bands wherein each member had great knowledge in some type of ninjutsu training; they had a vast assortment of ninja weapons and they were required to master these. However, a few ninjas became more adroit at certain ninjutsu weapons but even if this was the case, they were still required to be capable of wielding the numerous ninja weapons that were present.

Ninjas were skilled in utilizing standard weapons such as the spear, sword, as well as the bow and arrow, but it was their wide array of ninja weapons that made the shinobi such feared fighters.

Early History of the Ninjas

It was not until the fifteenth century that spies were highly necessary, and only a few individuals were specially trained for this purpose; around this period, the word shinobi was utilized to clearly define and identify the ninja as a covert group of warriors. There were numerous evidences for this which have been recorded in historical documents, and during the Sengoku era, people began to refer to those stealthy warriors as the shinobi. As time passed, the shinobi have appeared as mercenaries during the fifteenth century: they were recruited as raiders, spies, arsonists and at times, even as terrorists.

Among the samurai warriors, they had a sense of decorum and ritual which they strictly observed; the samurais were expected to duel or fight openly which is something that was not always wanted especially during the unrest of the Sengoku period. Because of these factors, the demand for warriors who were willing to carry out dishonorable deeds was greatly needed; so by this era, the shinobi were given different roles which included the kancho (spy), the kishu (surprise attacker), teisatsu (scout), and the konran (agitator).

Different Ninja Weapons

Although daggers and shorter swords were mostly utilized, the ninja sword was probably the shinobi’s best weapon of choice. Yet aside from the katana, there were other ninja weapons that were utilized for their missions and listed below are the most common pieces that the ninjas used:

Ninjato

The ninjaken, ninjato, the shinobigatana, or the ninja sword is said to be the most preferred tool that the ninjas carried. The weapon is portrayed by a couple of contemporary ninjutsu practitioners and the ninja sword is also being eminently exhibited in today’s pop culture. Replicas of the ninja swords are also on display at Ninja Museum of Igaryu which is located in Iga, Mie Prefecture. Aside from the museum in Iga, the ninja swords were also on display at the Koka Ninja Village Museum which is located Koka, Shiga; plus, some pieces are also found in the Gifu Castle Archives Museum which is a popular place to visit when in Japan.

Generally, there is no physical evidences regarding the existence of the ninja blade that was utilized by the shinobi even before the twentieth century, though it is greatly believed that the design and style of its replicas were based on the design of the chokuto swords or the wakizashi.

Kunai

The kunai is categorized as a Japanese dagger and two widely recognized variations of the weapon are the sho kunai (short kunai) and the dai kunai (big kunai). This may just be a basic tool when wielded by an expert in martial arts but the kunai could readily be utilized as a multi-functional tool; the kunai is usually identified with the shinobi who utilized the weapon to gouge out holes in walls. These weapons were originally created to function as farming tools but eventually, it evolved and developed into fine weaponry that has been utilized for a variety of tasks.

Tanto

The tanto is a short blade and is considered as one of the classically-made ninja swords that were utilized during the feudal period of Japan. The tanto dates all the way back to the Heian period when it was primarily used as a weapon but eventually, its design developed throughout the years to become more fancily decorated.

Shuriken

The shuriken is another one of the popular ninja weapons that is categorized as a concealed weapon; it was utilized as a metsubushi (hidden dagger) to misdirect an opponent. Contrary to common misconceptions, the Shuriken is not really designed to be tossed / thrown, or even coated with poison. Shurikens come in various forms: some are improvised from tools whereas some are manufactured.

The edges of these weapons were usually sharpened to be highly effective when penetrating open arteries or skin; and due to its effectiveness, the shuriken was considered as supplementary tools to the numerous weapons that make up the warrior’s arsenal, though most of the time, the shuriken had an extremely vital effect during battles. The art of properly wielding the shuriken is called shurikenjutsu, and this was taught as a secondary portion of the curriculum of martial arts.

Blowgun

A blowgun, which is also often referred to as the blow tube or blow pipe, is one of the simplest yet deadly ninja weapons that consists of a long and narrow tube that is utilized for firing light darts or projectiles. The tool is used by slipping the projectile or dart into the pipe, then using adequate force by breathing through the pipe to give the dart enough momentum to hit its target. Its forceful and effective power all depends on how good the user’s respiratory muscles are.