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WARRIOR QUEST INTERNATIONAL 2129-B S. Sheridan Blvd. Denver, CO 80228 720-560-0981 Or email us at: Bugeikuden@aol.com |
Q: Is the straight Ninja sword a historical weapon?
The Ninja sword…. What exactly was it? Was it a straight sword? A curved sword? Did it have a long or short blade? These questions, and many more are the subject of much debate. Ninja teachers have always expressed that the Ninja’s sword had a short straight blade, a long handle and a large square handguard. It has also been said that these weapons were not as sharp as the traditional katana and wakizashi used by the Samurai class, making them bludgeoning weapons rather than slashing weapons. One explanation for this difference in design may be that Ninja did not have sophisticated forges in their mountain hideouts, so they created roughly sharpened shanks of metal, created a long handle to improve the leverage of its attacks, and designed a larger than average guard to increase its defensive capabilities. However, historians disagree with this explanation, expressing that Ninja used the same swords as the Samurai and there is no physical proof to support the existence of the fabled straight-bladed Ninja sword. They claim that many Ninja were in fact Samurai who assumed secondary identities so they could operate outside social and political boundaries without dishonoring their lord or their family name. The fact that these two-faced Samurai existed cannot be disputed, but did they use their katana while in the guise of a Ninja? And if so, why would Ninja teachers speak of a straight blade? One explanation may have been that the Ninja would acquire a katana from a fallen Samurai and cut down its length, which would give it the appearance of being straight even though it still had a slight curvature. No matter what the explanation, no one can dispute that it would be far more advantageous to have a shorter, more concealable weapon that could be drawn quickly when moving under the cover of darkness. Thus, the Ninja of the Kurai Kotori clan utilize a short, long handled weapon with a large guard referred to as a “Shinobigatana” (sword of the stealer-in). Whether sharp or blunt, the combative applications are the same. The Kurai Kotori Ninja use powerful body dynamics to launch slamming attacks, apply in-fighting maneuvers, and defend with strong clashing tactics. Aside from these special applications, the weapon also mirrors many of the techniques of classical Japanese swordsmanship involving cuts, thrusts, parries and drawing skills.
