Ninja Gear
From Katana to Kunai, ninja are all about the gear.
bō staff
The bo staff is sometimes known in the west as a bow staff or Quarterstaff.
The Kanji "Bo" means staff. Throuought history there have been several periods
where traditional weapons such as swords were outlawed. Only officials were allowed to carry them. A part
of the ninja way is to remain hidden among the populous. Obviously any self respecting ninja wouldn't give
himself away by displaying a katana at his side. During times like these adaptation is the ninjas primary goal.
While going out with a sword would be bad, nobody would question a farmer carrying a staff with a couple of
buckets on the ends. The bō iteslf was traditionally used for farming. The art of bōjutsu developed mainly
as self defense. This allowed a ninja to hide in plain sight, while still keeping a powerful weapon at his
side. Some similar weapons have developed from the bo staff. The spear or "yari", the halberd, and the glaive, or
"naginata" are all examples of weapons that are later improvements on the bo staff.
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sai
The sai is believed to have evolved from the ancient weapon the trident. Carried by King Triton the son of the god Neptune, the trident is a three pronged spear. The sai is supposededly born from the broken tip of such a spear. Historically the sai was seldom if ever used by ninja. It was meant to be a nonlethal weapon. Generally the tsuba (points) were not sharpened. Instead they were used to block melee weapons. There should be a large bulb near the base of the handle known as the Knuckle. This is the part of the weapon used to strike an opponent rendering him unconsious. Its name is believed to come from the greek letter Psi Ψ. The symbol for psi looks remarkably similar to the shape of the sai.
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katana / kitana
The katana is a short sword with the blade curved backwards slightly. The blades were turned back because the katana was meant to cut its target and not to chop into them. When riding horseback the blade can be swung down with great force and still draw back to attack again. A straight sword would become lodged in the victim leaving the bearer struggling to retrieve his weapon. Forging of a blade took days, or weeks and was a sacred art. The parts of the katana are: saya, tsuka, fuchi, kashira, and tsuba. True master swordsmiths would often use three grades of steel in the manufacture of a katana. The core of the blade would be soft to prevent the blade from shattering. The rounded back of the blade would be medium to provide strength and flexibility while protecting the soft core. the front of the blade would be made from extremely hard steel. Harder steel will hold the sharpest edge. Backed by the soft core it is prevented from shattering. The art of the katana is called Kenjutsu. Often throught history katana have been illegal in japan. Even today they are only allowed as works of art and must be accompanied by documentation in order to be possessed. Today you are more likely to find a sword made by an ancient master outside of japan. Over so many centuries of bieng banned many were destroyed and most of the ones that remain were traded or smuggled out of the country.
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shuriken
Chinese stars or throwing stars are both modern terms for what is more properly called Shuriken. However less commonly known is that the term shuriken represents many types of throwing weapons including needles, spikes, stars, darts, and kunai knives.. The art of wielding the shuriken is known as shuriken-jutsu. It was a secret part of the martial arts curriculum of many famous schools. Throwing stars originally were made from common items in order to be cheap and easily replenished. Ancient coins used to have a hole in the center. When throwing stars were made from such coins, it was found to give good results. Thats how the hole in the center of throwing stars came about. The number of points on the ninja star could be used to distinguish the school from which it came. Also less commonly known about the shuriken is that they were quite often not used as throwing weapons at all. Instead they would be buried half way or stuck out of doorways and floors as traps. When a victim cut themself on the shuriken they would become distracted opening an opportunity for the ninja to strike with a more lethal weapon.
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nunchuck
The nunchuck's traditional japanese name is nunchaku. In the west it is sometimes referred to as numchucks or chain sticks.
This martial arts weapon is constructed from two equal sections of wood joined with a flexible connection. Modern versions will
often use a chain where traditionally rope was more common. While a sword or staff is often the same size regardless of the user,
nunchuks are a more highly specialized weapon. This weapon should be properly sized to fit the user. When choosing a
nunchuck the ideal length of the wood should match the length of the users forearm. The chain should be just long enough to hang the
sides straight down when draped across the palm of the users hand. It should be balanced so that both sides weigh exactly the same and
the majority of the weight lies twards the ends away from the chain. The nunchaku is one of the most effective close range weapons in
the ninja's arsenal. However it also requires a much higher skill level. The ninja who practices to master the nunchaku benefits in
more than just mastery of the weapon. Regular use conditions the hands and increases the natural agility of the user.
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