Monday, February 27, 2012

Through the Blades of Grass in the Field of Kusa Fly...Shuriken

Shuriken, a weapon of the ninja that people know so well. Or so they think.

Shuriken are portrayed as great throwing weapons utilized by the shinobi in many media aspects of Japanese culture. They originated from tools just like many other weapons any any culture, but just as any weapon they had their purpose.

My main question; What were some of the origins of all the different variations of the Shuriken floating around throughout history?

Do you think you can fill in some of the blanks in The Field of Kusa???

1 comment:

BrandonC said...

The word shuriken, composed of the characters "shu", "ri" and "ken", is literally translated from Japanese as "hand hidden blade". There are two common types of shuriken that are commonly utilized:

Hira-shuriken ("stars") are constructed from thin plates of metal which came from ordinary farming or construction tools. They often have a hole in the center and possess a fairly thin blade sharpened only at the tip. The holes derive from their source in items that had holes – old coins, washers, and nail-removing tools.

Bo Shuriken ("spikes") are throwing weapons consisting of a straight spike, usually four-sided but sometimes round or octagonal in shape. They are commonly single-pointed, but some have points on both sides

A common misconception with shuriken is that they were used for killing. In actuality, they were used as distraction or close-combat devices. Targets are primarily the eyes, face, hands, or feet--the areas most exposed under armor. They also might be imbedded in the ground, acting as caltrops and injuring anyone who stepped on them.

With both bo shuriken and hira shuriken, the various shapes were usually representative of a particular school (ryƫ) or region that preferred the use of such shapes, and it is therefore possible to identify the school by the type of blade used.

More info:

http://www.secrets-of-shuriken.com.au/history.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuriken