In this article, we will be discussing Ninjitsu arts and most of the weapons commonly used by Ninjas and people who train Ninjutsu.
The weapons most often associated with the ninja are the shuriken, the bow, the naginata (polearm), and the katana (a sword). However, numerous specialty weapons associated with ninjas include sai (pointed knives), nunchucks, scythes, blinding dust, flashbangs, and metal claws.
Since I cannot make any claims to being a ninja historian, nor was I a Ninja (to the best of my knowledge) in my former life, I decided to present what I believe are the top seven weapons for the ninja…at least in terms of pop culture, and what I can gather to probably be an accurate story. After a lot of digging, I found out that what does and does not qualify as traditional or true ninja weapons is a subject of heated controversy online.
Today, some of the most popular and sought-after ninja weapons include ninjato, kunai, tanto, shuriken, and samurai. Ninja weapons are among the keystones of the rich Japanese history, a ninja is known for being an expert martial artist with great proficiency in assassination, espionage, and illusion. They were highly trained with the different Ninja weapons, which included shuriken, popular ninja sword, claws, and many others.
Ninjas Practiced with Many Weapons
Ninjas were proficient at using standard weapons like spears, swords, as well as bows and arrows, but it was their vast arsenal of ninja weapons that made shinobi such feared combatants. Ninja weapons were mostly tools for farming because the ninjas were mostly farmers, but they later became involved with the martial arts. Most were used in agriculture, but ninjas converted them to killing tools later in a ninjas life.
Some Ninjas became more adept with some ninjutsu weapons, but even when they did, it was still necessary for them to be capable of using the many Ninja weapons present.
Some Samurai had higher-ranking men who were ninjas, or a shortage in numbers in their armies, and thus used ninjutsu arts to achieve advantages. The reason behind swordsmanship is because of how the sword is used by a ninja versus how a samurai uses the sword. There is this myth about how only throw stars, swords, and knives were used by Ninjas — they did not use the modern weapons.
Yes, some ninjas actually did own swords, which were made in their village, but the notion that every ninja carried the standard assortment of weapons (shurikens and swords) and wore the same clothes (black pajamas) was, as Alt put it, ridiculous.
Weapons Were Often Similar to Farming Implements
Since a lot of ninjas dressed like farmers (heck, a lot of ninjas’ fortresses are located in rural areas), their weapons of choice were probably kusari-gamas, which are scythes that had chains attached to them. While shorter swords and daggers were used, the katana was likely the preferred ninja weapon, sometimes carried around the back. Although daggers and shorter swords were used primarily, the shinobis sword was likely their best weapon of choice.
Because the blade was not extremely sharp, ninjas were also able to use ninja swords as hammers, holding onto the blade (carefully) and striking it with the handles.
The ninja sword’s blade was flat, and its sheath was also used as a place for blinding dust to distract enemies. Another use for the ninja sword is that it can serve as a little ramp, and by ramming the blade into the ground, a ninja can then use its scabbard as a ramp, gaining the additional height needed to climb walls. To use the blade of a ninja sword effectively, one had to employ the saw-like movement as the blade came in contact with an opponent’s flesh.
The wakizashi has been slightly misrepresented in modern media depictions of ninjas, like in popular ninja series such as Naruto, where the wakizashi is shown as being far more similar to a throwing knife than to its namesake and precursor.
The Shuriken Is the Ninja’s Iconic Weapon
The shuriken is another popular ninja weapon classified as a concealed weapon; it is used as metsubushi (hidden dagger) to disorient the opponent. As prevalent as this throwing knife is to shinobi, the shuriken is a small, multiple-pointed throwing weapon, which is fast to throw, and more often than not, is thrown in large numbers.
Another weapon for samurai or ninjas, The Tanto is a Japanese knife or dagger (usually in katana form) that is normally hidden somewhere on the body and serves as a fast draw. Like ninja-to, the tanto is not made from high-grade steel, as a samurai sword is, but ninjas compensate by using the tanto as a multi-purpose tool.
The ninjato is frequently mentioned as being a favored sword by ninjas, however, no physical evidence exists for it being used prior to 1900. The ninjaken is depicted by a couple of modern day Ninjitsu practitioners, and a Ninja sword is prominently displayed even in modern popular culture. The list of ninja weapons goes on, since there is just too much diversity in the types of ninja weapons, but most are used extensively. Along with the common weapons, there is also a wide assortment of a wide range of atypical weapons associated with ninjas.
Most Weapons Are Still Accessible
Most weapons were usually used and left, except for the sword, which was offered to a Shinobi at the villages prior mission at a weapons storehouse or similar. Knowing how to use those weapons teaches the Ninjitsu student to use whatever alternate items can be found in the streets. Its weapons-based techniques are in a league of their own, and anybody with knowledge about the weapons of ninjitsu and the techniques of the ninjas will be able to protect themselves everywhere.
In addition to being trained in the art of vanishing, the ninja comes equipped with a variety of tools and weapons that will aid in keeping a low ninja profile. Ninja stealth was needed, in part, because, unlike their fellow samurai ninjas, the ninjas generally operated with little, if any, armor. For the ninja, a kunai was also immensely useful in digging, climbing, breaking down doors, cutting things, stabbing, throwing on enemies, and punching holes through walls.