Page 57 - All About History - Issue 34-16

SHADOW WARRIORS

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a ninja’s kit bag

Ninjutsu armament was designed to enable ninja to infiltrate, assassinate and escape,
and they were masters of many weapons and tools

KYOKETSU-SHOGE This double- BO-SHURIKEN A simple spike-like KAGINAWA Part of the ninja’s perfect weapon for a ninja, as it was ideal
1 edged blade attached to a 3.5-metre- 6 throwing weapon, it was used to slow 10special equipment, this grappling for sneaking into areas where weapons
long rope or chain was developed from a and injure opponents at close ranges. hook was used to scale walls. were not allowed.
peasant knife. It was a ranged weapon and
could also be used to climb walls. SHURIKEN The ninja’s most famous KUSARIGAMA The kusarigama TEKKO-KAGI Like many of the
7 weapon, the throwing star was never 11was made up of a sickle with an iron 15ninja’s weapons, the tekko-kagi
TESSEN The tessen, or war fan, was intended to kill. They could be wrapped chain that could be used to entangle an was developed from a farm tool. Worn on
2 made from iron and used as a covert with fuses and used to create a cloud of opponent’s weapon before striking at them both hands, they were used to scratch an
weapon and to deflect darts and arrows. poisonous smoke. with the blade; the art of this weapon’s use opponent’s weak points.
was called kusarigamajutsu.
KAKUTE These small, viciously BO-HIYA Originating from Korea, ASHIKO CLEATS Ninja tied
3 spiked iron rings would often be tipped 8 the bo-hiya fire arrow was originally MAKIBISHI These sharp, spiked 16these iron cleats to their feet and
with poisons. shot from bows, but in the 16th century, 12iron caltrops could be used against used the spikes to help them scale the
matchlock arquebuses arrived in Japan, men and horses. walls of castles and fortresses.
SAI Typically used in pairs, sai and and samurai and ninja began firing bo-hiya
4 jitte were blunt weapons used to beat MANRIKI The manriki, or kusari- YUMI BOW Used by both ninja
from them.
opponents with side guards to hook into 13fundo, was made up of a chain 17and samurai, the powerful yumi
clothing. It was also a symbol of rank. KATANA The katana is synonymous (kusari) of any length with two weights continued to evolve throughout the 16th
9 with the samurai but ninja also used (fundo) at each end. and 17th centuries. Ninja were required to
CHIGIRIKI Similar to a European the deadly razor-sharp artisan-made master kyūjutsu (the art of the bow), and © Alamy, Getty Images, Rebekka Hearl
5 Medieval flail, the chigiriki had an iron swords. Using the katana was one of the SHIKOMIZUE The covert began by learning to rapidly hit targets on
weight attached to a wooden shaft. martial arts a ninja had to master. 14shikomizue sword cane was the foot and horseback.

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