The Ever So Versatile Ninjatō
September 10th, 2007 | 
Author: You are probably all familiar with Japanese swords. And I’m willing to bet that when someone talks about a Japanese sword, you conjure up visions of a long, shiny, curving blade. The swords of the samurai. They were ornate, and highly symbolic blades. It was said that the soul of a Samurai rested in his blade. As a result, Samurai swords were elevated to aristocratic status, and became symbols of rank and prestige.
Today, however, we aren’t going to talk about samurai swords. Nope. There was another, more pragmatic sword that probably had just as much an effect on Japanese history as did the Samurai Sword. And it was a soulless, heartless instrument indeed. None other than the spartan Ninjatō. The sword of the Ninja. The Ninjatō (or Ninjaken) were designed to play a much different role. They were neither swords of ceremony or of prestige. They were made to do one thing, and they did it very well. They were the Ninjas weapon-of-all-trades.
Ninjaken – Polished and Gold trim
[view full size] [view full size]
Samurai swords were excellent weapons. However Ninja needed more from their weapons than just cutting excellence. They needed functional flexibility and versatility. And thus was born Ninjaken. Ninjaken differed from their high-brow cousins in many ways. First off, they were shorter. This allowed them to be used in smaller spaces, concealed much more easily, and were faster on the draw than the longer Samurai sword.
Battleready Ninja, Blk, Musashi Koga Ninja, Blk
[view full size] [view full size]
Another advantage of the shorter sword is that they were a little lighter, stiffer and less susceptible to lateral bending stresses than their longer Samurai counterparts. Ninjaken usually have a larger, square tsuba (guard). This, in conjunction with the shorter stiffer blade allowed them to be used in ways a samurai sword might not have tolerated well, such as leaning it against a wall, and using the larger, stronger square guard as a step.
They could also still be used with a full sized saya (scabbard), which would deceive an opponent into underestimating how long the sword was, and how fast it could be drawn. Then there was the added bonus that the remaining saya space could be used to hide all manner of small items, such as blinding powders and such. Between the numerous hiding places that could be engineered into a ninjaken and it’s saya, one could conceal a set of spike or star shuriken (throwing knives), tenouchi (small, hand-held impact weapons), powders, rope, tools, etc. The possibilities were endless.
Due to the popularity of Ninjas in the media over the past two decades, Ninjaken design has been copied rather shamelessly, spawning numerous replicas, such as the weapon used by the Operative in the movie Firefly Serenity. But the basic formula has always remained the same. A medium sized, full tang, single-edged straight blade, usually with a square tsuba (quard), and a uniquely angled, tanto-like point.
[view full size] [view full size]
All in all, Ninjaken fulfilled their design objectives admirably. It is truly an interesting weapon, well suited for it’s task as the versatile, multi-function, close quarters combat version of the prestigious Samurai sword, kinda like the medieval equivalent of a carbine, as opposed to a rifle… Not quite the same range, but just as deadly…
Galaxy Viper Sword Set – [True Swords]
Ninja Katana – 24-K Gold Trim – [True Swords]
Striking Cobra Sword Set – [True Swords]
Ninja Katana – Polished Chrome Trim – [True Swords]
Deluxe Ninja Warrior Sword Kit – [True Swords]
Musashi Koga Ninja Sword, Black – [True Swords]
Battle Ready Ninja Tech – [True Swords]
Related posts:
Category: Knives, Swords | 
Tags: Combat, Dark, Firefly, Japanese, Ninja, Serenity, Shinobi, Shuriken, Spears, Tactical, Throwing | 
6 Comments »
Nice affiliate site! I am impressed. About the Ninja swords sold today, are they battle ready or just for show? And what do ‘real’ Ninjas feel about all these people buying Ninja swords that are no where near being a Ninja?
Thanks, I’m glad you like my little blog!
I believe the Musashi Koga Ninja sword is the only sword that I would consider truly battle ready.
The other swords are fairly durable, but the grade and type of steel used makes them less flexible and more prone to bending, chipping and/or breaking under stress. You could use them for mild cutting work, but they are best used as wall hangers.
What do I think a modern day Ninja would think? I seriously doubt it would matter much to them. After all, it’s not really like the existence of wannabe ninjas with fake Ninjato would really undermine the abilities of a true ninja. Unless it were a matter of pride. I dunno…
you are a little inaccurate as the ancient ninjato were slightly curved and not straight like their modern day counter parts
Actually, ninjato/ninjaken came in both varieties. It’s just the slightly curved katana-shape has become synonymous with Japanese sword-fighting, thus any blades that were shaped like this were better known.
The original blades used by Japanese warriors were in fact straight-edged; it was a long time before a bright spark smithy realised what would happen if he put a slight curve in the blade… but that’s interesting trivia, as it came before the advent of the samurai – and, in reaction to them, the ninja.
But Ninjato that are straight have a definite thrust advantage, which was a boon to ninja; a stealthy thrust is much less noticeable (and less chance of an errant clint of light) than a slashing move.
Thank you Niccolo!!
Yes. Ninjaken came in both straight and curved varieties. Even Dr. Hatsumi has been on record saying that some early ninjaken were little more than straight, flat bars of steel with an edge ground into them.
I get this “correction” a lot. I will grant you that it is not *entirely* inaccurate, but it isn’t exactly true either. And perhaps my referring to what we currently refer to as Ninjaken without making any distinction between them and traditional Ninjaken may not be helping the issue, but the nature of Ninjaken isn’t so black and white.
To say that Ninjas have always used any “specific” kind of sword is actually incorrect, and displays a lack of understanding of how Ninjas used to operate.
I think I may have to dedicate a post specifically to my precious Ninjaken…
Nice. Very nice. ^^ I look forward to reading that particular post.
And you’re more than welcome, Phyreblade.