Ninjato - The Notorious Ninja Sword

In history, the samurai warriors used to carry their trusted katana sword to battle, for defending their lords, land and honor. When it comes to the Ninjas, they too were said to have a favored weapon and this was the Ninjato.

THE NINJA AND THEIR WEAPON The Ninjato was the supposed weapon that the Ninja from Feudal Japan used; modern Ninjutsu practitioners claim that it was indeed the primary ninja weapon. The Ninjato is commonly featured in today pop culture.

THE NINJATO EXISTENCE Generally, there is no actual evidence for the Ninjato existence though a lot of experts describe this legendary Ninja sword as a straight blade Katana.

NINJA MUSEUM OF IGARYU Numerous replicas of the Ninjato have been prominently displayed at the Ninja Museum of Igaryu. It can be found in the Mie Prefecture, Iga, Japan and was established in the middle of the year 1960.

WHERE TO SEE NINJATO IN JAPAN Aside from the Ninja Museum of Igaryu, Ninja swords are also displayed at the Gifu Castle’s Archives Museum in the Gifu Prefecture, as well as at the Kouka Ninja Village Museum in Kouka, Shiga.

DESIGNS OF THE NINJATO Though there are no real samples of the Ninjato, it is believed that the design and styles featured by the supposed replicas are all based on the chokuto, wakizashi, and other swords identified with the Ashigaru.

THE LACK OF EVIDENCE Due to the lack of antique swords or actual samples coming from the Sengoku to the Edo period (specifically around the 16th to the 19th centuries) that match the depictions of the Ninjato, this weapon history can only be chronicled starting from the twentieth century, onwards.

REVENGE OF THE NINJA In the year 1983, the “Revenge of the Ninja” was the very first Hollywood film released in theaters to feature the Ninjato.

NINJATO APPEARANCE The Ninjato are usually described as being a short warrior sword that has a straight blade and a square hand guard. The blade is said to be similar to that of the Shikomizue.

THE STRAIGHTBLADED WEAPON The common description for the Ninjato is mostly due to the idea that ninja’s had to forge and create their own blades from pieces of iron / steel with the cutting edge ground on stone. These were made with straight blades since it’s easier to form compared to the curved classic Japanese sword.

FUDO MYO-OH The Ninjato appeared this way since the ninja were emulating Fudo Myo-Oh, a patron Buddhist deity of the ninja families. The deity is depicted carrying a chokuto-like straight-bladed sword which led them to create the Ninjato similarly.

LOW-QUALITY WEAPON Ninjato had poor quality since ninjas could not afford to hire an expert swordsmith just like how the samurai could. If a ninja were to overcome a samurai warrior, he / she would probably take his sword as these were better.

JAPAN MILITARY HISTORY It is believed that in Japan’s military history, the historical ninja’s most vital weapon was their sword - a standard fighting sword. For convenience, the ninja would opt for a straighter and shorter blade than usual.

NINJATO USAGE Because of the lack of historical evidence about the Ninjato existence, techniques and styles for usage in martial arts are highly speculative.

ON FILM & STAGE When the ninjato is used on stage and film, these swords are described as weapons that have a shorter blade than that of a katana. However can come in different sizes.

NINJATO TECHNIQUES Books, as well as other written text, described numerous ways of how to possibly utilize the ninja swords with fast-draw techniques. The style is focused on drawing then cutting as a continuous attacking or defensive action with a reverse grip and thrust-fencing action.

THE SCABBARD The Ninjato scabbard is believed to be designed for numerous purposes such as a respiration pipe or snorkel for underwater stealth activities, or for overhearing conversations in secret.

OTHER SECRETS OF THE SCABBARD It is said that the Ninjato scabbard was longer than its blade; this was necessary to hide numerous objects such as poison or other tools or chemicals to blind enemies.

THE NINJATO AND WAKIZASHI The Ninjato is said to be very similar to the Wakizashi which was commonly utilized as a sidearm when the samurai lost their main weapon. Due to their approximate similarities in size, Ninjas used their sword in an identical manner to that of the Wakizashi.

THE RECTANGULAR GUARD The Ninjato was a straight-bladed weapon often with a unique rectangular guard. Ninjas were able to climb fences by driving the Ninjato to the ground then stepping on the guard. They’d leave no trace by retrieving the weapon using its lengthy sword knot.

WHERE TO BUY NINJATO? You can find at our website high quality

Ninja Swords for Sale or make your own custom Ninjato by visiting this page: https://katanasforsale.com/product/custom-ninjato/