Also should mention that the actual documented ninja on what we have documented somewhat where ones that only used katana, so most likely the ninja sword didn't exist but I do agree that maybe most ninja that didn't have any money used old mass manufactured blades or picked up used blades from the battlefields or the battalions in forested areas that they where paid out to kill.
I'm Japanese, but the only thing I know about ninjas is from what I used to watch in theaters back in the day. Lol. I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video. I learned something. Thank you!
As always a top quality production! Very much appreciate the deep dive research into obscurity. You're looking real good D, good form despite the handicap wrist and blade length. Perhaps an idea for future video is weapons of the gangs like yakuza, for example a tuna sword.
Great video, an interesting counterpoint to Anthony Cummins (?) who says that ninjas as we know when didn't exist. According to his research there was no such thing as a dedicated ninja and that a ninja was more of a role than a profession and that anybody could be a ninja, even samurai.
I know he’s done a ton of research, but Ninja were a secret organization whose origins were largely undocumented. There were definitely times where everyone from merchants to concubines were hired as spies/ninjas but the ones that were trained and hand pick by ninja masters to assault castles were the real ones.
Japan likes to traditionalize everything, so if spycraft, deception, and trickery was traditionalized it would be known and the ninja could not exist. Ninjas still exist they've just changed tactics and don't call themselves ninjas, they don't call themselves anything, they just accomplish tasks by any means whatsoever with whatever is available.
I feel like you just brushed over the origins of the all black outfit so quickly that the viewer wouldnt have had time to absorb it. Ninjas were spies, and the idea that a stage hand, whom the audience had been trained to subconsciously ignore, could be involved in the story and be the assassin??? That is a revolutionary plot twist that NOBODY could've seen coming. It's no wonder the longevity and popularity it brought about, who could ever get over that plot twist? The first 4th wall break ever!?
i'm a modern samurai who lost his master (he died 2 years ago because of cancer) and now i'm a Ronin (he teached Ki-Aikido for 40 years). So, i'm here to join the ninja club.
Kinda weird that the limited description given of the Germanic Harii sounds closer to fantasy ninja than historical ninja. Harii wore all black, attacked in the darkest nights, moved stealthy, etc. But i dont think this is bad, the historical ninja are more interesting than the fantasy ones to me.
Fun Fact: there were Ancient Mystery Schools training assassins worldwide. From the Ninja in Japan to the Middle Eastern Hashish smoking inspiration for the word Assassin. Mystery schools teach alchemy & other skills which allows for the making of poisons, weapons, etc as well as how to influence & manipulate people. Such schools are still alive & well today.
Cool review. Another reason "ninja swords" look the way they do: like you mentioned pop culture and kabuki theatre were the way the legend of the ninja was spread, I've heard it said in the past that the swords the ninja used on stage were short and straight because they were easy to produce. The size may also be to theatrically pull from the back, rather than have any sort of function. There you go, pop culture does it again!
Yes the short straight blade is primarily so you can draw it off your back. Almost everything about the ninja is based off circumstantial evidence but it’s fun to think about!
There are paintings of ashigaru with straight bladed swords. I've heard many were reshaped naginata or other weapon blades to make swords. They would be lower quality & such so not likely kept in good condition so havent survived. The few rhat have still have nakago markings saying they are naginata or whatever so likely wouldn't be seen as swords if they were not mounted as such.
16:00 as you said here that is what this sword was made for, it's a stabbing/thrusting weapon which is why it's straight and not curved, it would have been used for stabbing under floorbroads or gaps in walls slashing is not something you would want as that means your fighting someone and as you have a shorter sword at a disadvantage and failed as a ninja this sword was a tool small compact and multable functions.
Yup way back when I was 10 my mom bought me a full blown ninja suit and It wasn’t a Halloween costume this thing was sturdy. But yes nothing else was cooler than ninjas when you’re a kid.
@@Cerberusarms Yeah no kidding.We were walking down the street waiting for her car to get fixed and we walked into this weird Karate/Pawn Shop and there they had a kid sized ninja outfit. It was also one of those odd times when a parent is feeling rather generous as she must have seen me completely entranced by it, and she offered to buy it for me. (that kind of thing just didn't happen). She basically unleashed a 10 year Ninja upon the neighborhood (about a decade before Surf Ninjas). 🤣
Sweet video, Loved the information about sword and history of ninjas. I was a ninja for Halloween every year as a kid and until I was 12. 90s movie 3 Ninjas had me wishing my grandpa was an old Asian ninja master.
Sensei Hatsumi knows more about Ninjutsu or being a Shinobi, then you know. Read some of Donn. Draegers' books, and keep in mind, the Ninja had a very high sense of Honor, Bushido, too. You have to understand that word. 七星剣 Shichiseiken, this sword would have influenced the Shinobi, who may have been Buddhist and may have attached Mystical Powers using this design. And you are right too, about getting weapons from neighboring countries, knowledge in general. As far as fighting, NihonTaijutsu, was what was the prevalent, Martial Art of Japan at that time.
I have a feeling because the ninja sword was so much shorter than the regular katana they must have used it like 1 handed sword plus maybe shield if the opportunity presented itself, if i was broke and had to use a shorter sword id definitely pair it with a shield of some kind, even wood
忍 (nin) means to conceal. So a ninja doesn't fight unless there is no other option. They never engage, they use deception & traps. They cheat, they do anything that's possible to get rid of a threat. They are like a spider that only pounces when the enemy least expects it. Your idea of a ninja has been influenced by movies. Ninjutsu is about spycraft, hiding in plain sight and gathering Intel. James Bond would be considered a ninja by ninjas. You have to wear camouflage that is conducive to the environment. So wearing black clothing in broad daylight and in a concrete jungle does not conceal you, it exposes you. Wearing blue jeans, t-shirt baseball cap and sunglasses in concrete jungle is best camouflage. But with so many cameras around it's hard to do anything.
you should check out TheNinjaEveryDay. he practices toshin taijitsu, which is the hand to hand art that ninja really practice, hes INCREDIBLY legit. also a badass at other martial arts. love the content man, keep it up
taijutsu isnt a martial art its just a blanket term for any weaponless fighting style in japan, on top of that most of the martial arts that get grouped in are significantly more modern than any fighting style than ninjas would have used. koryu is what japanese fighting styles from before modern times are called
The Ninja Sword aka Ninjato was always a side weapon they would pick up katana but for lang range they used the Kusari-kama A sickle with a chain ending in a weight. These would be used more than the ninjato when fighting.
This is a great well done history lesson on what was and wasn't a ninja! Would love to see your review of an "AFRO SAMURAI" Tachi Sword (I love the Tachi's curvature), with perhaps a compare and contrast of a real Tachi sword...
Nice video, but I find the idea that the historical basis of this sword to be hand-me-down chokuto to be a bit of a stretch. We are talking about a roughly thousand year gap between when the chokuto was phased out and the warring states period in which the ninja were most active in Japanese history. You suggested that peasants would have kept swords, but peasants didn't exactly have the luxury to just hang on to a sword like that. More likely they would have used it as a tool or scrapped it to use the metal to make tools of their trade. To my knowledge, the only swords that even ressembled the sword you showed in your video are hypotheized to have been modified naginata blades that were refitted to be used as swords towards the end of the warring states period.
This is the only real explanation I could find, the truth is the ninja sword is a myth and wasn’t really a thing. Ninja would just use regular katana but mostly daggers since you can conceal them.
@@Cerberusarms I am aware there was never a real ninjato, however there are artistic depictions of straight bladed swords with a square tsuba that date to the late warring states to the early Edo period. These are the swords I was referring to that I said are hypothesized to be modified naginata blades, or naginata naoshi.
It almost feels that the two handed grip for a short sword is already too much. ok, we know the wakizashi shares that feature too, but gripping both hands shortens your range even more. one-handed grip is easier to telegraph and extend the reach. easier and faster to maneuver. also it shifts the center mass to the weak side of the blade if the grip is shorter. dunno. it really looked a lot closer combat than one would want to encounter
D years ago: *is an intern and editor for Corridor and Node* D nowadays: “If you wanna check it out, I have a video about it over on my gaming channel Node” 😂
Ok so like you mentioned in your video, ninjas we're Not always dressed in black but in camouflage and this is where my question comes in do you think that the Japanese ninjas used old school Ghillie Suits like the Japanese soldiers in ww2? and do you think that the ninjas had katana ghillie suits?
Top notch Sir, Revenge of the Ninja was a huge influence on my mental development as a young boy, from throwing my improvised golf club ninja sword into my neighbours garden then dressing in black and sneaking out of my house at night to go on a retrieval mission to taking jobs for money that Sho Kosugi's character would be proud of from my late 20's into my late 30's, I got obsessed with Musashi and read the book of five rings on the rock in Regin-do, can you tell me if it's full tang? Respect ☘️🇮🇪
Love the video, D! :D I especially like when you gave context on what actual ninja were like, for context of why this sword looks the way it does. It reminds me of why I like Ninjas. Being very utilitarian and disguising as other people, like Fuke-shū monks, is what appeals to me. To battle with manipulation and psychology of others. There's also how they were wilderness men and women who did anything to survive and live another day, just like in the first character of "Ninja", to endure.
I always thought the straight edge and square tsuba were for climbing. You can lean the sword against a wall and use it as a step. No curve means its not a balancing act when stepping on it and the square tsuba keeps the sword from rotating when against a wall.
I've got the Kouga and Iga, both definitely very cool. I'm not sure if anyone else has had this problem, but the Kouga's kashira on mine was not secured. I fixed it with some super glue with a needle injection applicator and its held up just fine for hanging on a wall and handling for funsies but I've never done any kind of cutting with either of them. All in all, I'm pretty happy with both of these swords and they each came with a copy of The Kouga Ninja Scrolls (English translation). I'm not sure if Hanwei is still packing that in or if it was a limited bonus when these swords were first introduced from Hanwei, but definitely a fun little bonus item if they're still offering that in the sales.
That’s weird mine was super secure, might have been banged up in transit. I know hanwei is great at replacing damaged swords. I didn’t know they originally came packaged with the ninja scrolls that’s awesome, maybe if you buy them directly from Hanwei but mine was from another retailer.
a bit disrespectful. my 70+ year old Ninjitsu Sensei would still kick your ass, bro. (8. Dan Allkampf, 5. Dan Taekwon-Do (WTF), 4. Dan Jiu-Jitsu, 3. Tuan Kung-Fu (Taiwan), 3. Dan Hapkido, 3. Dan Tang Soo Do/Karate, 1. Dan Shaolin Kempo u.a.) Sho Kosugi, the Hollywood Ninja would kick your ass, Steven Seagal would rip out your arms..., and Stephen K Hayes (75) would destroy you easily. real Ninjitsu is using what works from all combat arts and make it your own style, not participate in a tournament for trophies.
Quality production. Was wondering if you work from a script or just wing it? Liked the history content. One of my favorite sword/samurai movies; Red Sun. Charles Bronson brought a gun to a sword fight. Old movies have the best stories.
Amazingly video with some of the most honest ninja info I ever seen. That sword looks super awesome. I might be considering to buy one too while they seem to be in stock. I just wish I knew what music you were playing. Is there a youtube video with it?
so...let me tell ya (oh like your armor by the way) I worked for 15 + years for a shop that sold a lot of Hanwei products ,I have a bunch of their swords, I've seen some other of your vids and now because of your inclusion of the famous shopping network (oh that got me good) scene you have earned another subscriber and by the way I've seen many a mall ninja (and god I hate the tv version of Highlander) and done martial arts (not very seriously, off and on because of age and health) for many years (doin' tai chi now) but I think your sword technique is quite good and to close remember any sword is better if it has "a dragon on the blade"
You can always buy a replacement sagea, from the Tozandoshop. As a leathersmith I would be so tempted to make a cool leather skin for the Saya with a dragons eye.
I don't know very much about ninjas, not many people do because they did their job well. But wouldn't it be better if you could find something A little more stealth looking like A farmer, or crippled person would have. Just food for thought. Cool video, love the reviews.
You should try a truekatana sword. Some are cheap and some are expensive and has very mixed reviews. If I may, I suggest you try one that is around 100$-300$.
I keep trying to tell people there is no actual ninja sword, because if someone could look at you and go "I see your ninja sword, that's a ninja." then you are terrible at being a ninja.
13:15 “this thing is just a big dagger”. Well you have to remember, ninja were masters at deception. So the ninjato was basically a short sword in a long scabbard. That way IF they had to fight, they could get up close, be quicker on the draw, and take out there opponents in one strike. Shorter blade, faster kill.
The straight bladed sword also may have been a result of hammering out a makeshift, disposable sword. Those kind of blades would not have a need for a thermally altered edge, therefore no curve.
This one time I was walking up a rural road in Venezuela, and at the gates leading to a private path on the side of the road there was a large piece of cardboard with the sign, written in sharpies, reading "Ninjutsu School, ask inside". I've never seen anything more suspicious in mi life.
Anthony Cummings's research has shown that Ninja were actually a class of Samurai, much like an archer or cavalryman. A Samurai that specialises in reconnaissance, infiltration, espionage and sabotage.
Some of them were definitely samurai, but im talking more about the origins of the ninja. Few samurai would “dishonor” themselves by becoming Ninja until they became ronin.
@@Cerberusarms this is just patently false. the concept of samurai honor is massively overblown. if there was a dishonorable tactic available to win a battle, it would absolutely be used by samurai. samurai used firearms the moment they were demonstrated to be effective. they used deception. they used dirty fighting tactics. you are doing your community a disservice by spreading falsehoods otherwise. ninja was more of a job description for samurai than anything else. if samurai were the soldiers and warrior class, ninja were the special operatives of the military elite. it's that simple. they were not poor farmers and commoners. they were specially trained samurai that utilized espionage tactics. this isn't an opinion. this is fact that is confirmed through historical documents.
@@carcosa_tyrant9444 You know not all Japanese soldiers weren't samurai right? Sure there were plenty of samurai who worked as ninja who were sent as kill squads but there were also many simple merchants and concubines who worked as ninjas as well. They were spys before anything else. Not all of them were trained assassins who used secret martial arts techniques. Its the difference between real world spies and movie spies.
@@Cerberusarms once again you are just plain wrong. ninja WERE samurai. you had to be a samurai to be ninja. this is not up for debate. you may continue to spread misinformation, but if you truly care about the truth, do more research.
True. and an other famouse Statement of Antony is. Ninja/Shinobi was gloryfied Samurai private Military Night Watchman and have Mutch more to do with todays armed Security officers/Guards. And he is right. Remamber Hanzo Hattori was a Jizamurai (farmer Samurai/landed Samurai) from iga (japan mie prefektur) he wrote the (shinobi hiden Ninja scrool/book), Fujibaiashi yasutake (Bansenshukai scrool/book) Natori Masazumi(shoninki scrool/book) and ther all beside ther Ninja/Shinobi (comando special forces soldire) mostly working as Samurai private/mercenery Military officers, Nightguards and Bodyguards for ther Samurai Daimyo (military warlords)
I remember the channel chosunninja who would show some ninjutsu things but then stopped bc people didn't believe him and added their input on the thing he was doing or just added dumb input. But did also gave us the truth of ninjutsu and how a ninja is a criminal an assassin. And that there were fake teachers who were actually teaching karate instead.
@@Cerberusarms i am honoured with your reply, and hey, i dont blame you, but bujinjkan is Hatusmi soke's creation using the densho scrolls, schools and techniques he inherited from Takamatsu Sensei who inherited the 9 schools of Bujinkan from his teacher Toda. the scrolls and techniques are authentic and were used in real japanese warfare and combat. and i wont lie, the state of most Bujinkan practitioners these days, online especially, is deplorable, but if you watch Dr. Kacem Zoughari, he is probably the best out there. besides this, i appreciate the rest of your research and highly commend it for it's accuracy.
Ninjutsu - modern day perception of Ninjutsu - has to start somewhere. Even if, its in the 1970's or 80's. So in 300 years time, its going to be historically significant and it won't matter if that version started in the 1500's. Like the sword, 300 years from now people will be saying, yeah this sword is from the 1980s and to them it will be antique and a part of history.
Beyond the Chokuto, the only proof I can find of a mass produced "straight-bladed" katana was during the Meiji Restoration, used by the Battotai. This was a specialized police regiment created to combat the Samurai during the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. Their swords were full length Katana, but with straight blades. Historical accounts state the reason for this was this regiment's proficiency in "Kendo" being practiced at that time among these officers. Being so, they wanted a sword to match their Shinai because of their skills with it. Therefore, a straight bladed katana was produced for them and on March 14th they attacked Mount Tabaruzaka leaving the rebels with heavy loses and casualties utilizing them. Now does this mean someone, somewhere didn't produce a quick "throw-away" Ninjato-type sword and it catch on with a few of them .... who knows? No real evidence either way. But, Hanwei / Cas-Iberia swords are really nice and I've no doubt this one is any different. And I were offered that Ninja-to, I'm jump at the chance to have it.
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![[#2024MAMA] BIGBANG (빅뱅) - 뱅뱅뱅 (BANG BANG BANG) + FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EQsYfiPR9uM/mqdefault.jpg)
I came for a look at a cool sword, came away with a Japanese history lesson. Great video.
"Ooh that got me good" was an excellent, surprisingly relevant reference 😂
Also should mention that the actual documented ninja on what we have documented somewhat where ones that only used katana, so most likely the ninja sword didn't exist but I do agree that maybe most ninja that didn't have any money used old mass manufactured blades or picked up used blades from the battlefields or the battalions in forested areas that they where paid out to kill.
I'm Japanese, but the only thing I know about ninjas is from what I used to watch in theaters back in the day. Lol. I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video. I learned something. Thank you!
As always a top quality production! Very much appreciate the deep dive research into obscurity. You're looking real good D, good form despite the handicap wrist and blade length. Perhaps an idea for future video is weapons of the gangs like yakuza, for example a tuna sword.
Great video, an interesting counterpoint to Anthony Cummins (?) who says that ninjas as we know when didn't exist. According to his research there was no such thing as a dedicated ninja and that a ninja was more of a role than a profession and that anybody could be a ninja, even samurai.
I know he’s done a ton of research, but Ninja were a secret organization whose origins were largely undocumented. There were definitely times where everyone from merchants to concubines were hired as spies/ninjas but the ones that were trained and hand pick by ninja masters to assault castles were the real ones.
Cummins 🗿
Japan likes to traditionalize everything, so if spycraft, deception, and trickery was traditionalized it would be known and the ninja could not exist. Ninjas still exist they've just changed tactics and don't call themselves ninjas, they don't call themselves anything, they just accomplish tasks by any means whatsoever with whatever is available.
Yo, nice research and thesis on the sword origins.
I feel like you just brushed over the origins of the all black outfit so quickly that the viewer wouldnt have had time to absorb it. Ninjas were spies, and the idea that a stage hand, whom the audience had been trained to subconsciously ignore, could be involved in the story and be the assassin??? That is a revolutionary plot twist that NOBODY could've seen coming. It's no wonder the longevity and popularity it brought about, who could ever get over that plot twist? The first 4th wall break ever!?
Yeah it definitely would have blown peoples minds
"Especially the white ones..." That had me rofl-ing so bad hahahahaha
It gets really bad, just look up any ninja “master”
Lol yeah had me laughing too
@@Cerberusarms (G.I.Joe) Storm Shadow white ninja: Here, hold my sake a sec
Mall ninjas lol
Except he's wrong and there IS a living master. Look it up 🤷♂️
Thank you for the awesome review and short history lesson! Will be sharing to our social media soon.
Thanks, been a big fan of your swords for years!
I would do anything for a new Tenchu game. every time I think about Ninjas, my brain defaults to this.
I feel you brother. At least we got Tsushima.
i'm a modern samurai who lost his master (he died 2 years ago because of cancer) and now i'm a Ronin (he teached Ki-Aikido for 40 years).
So, i'm here to join the ninja club.
Kinda weird that the limited description given of the Germanic Harii sounds closer to fantasy ninja than historical ninja. Harii wore all black, attacked in the darkest nights, moved stealthy, etc.
But i dont think this is bad, the historical ninja are more interesting than the fantasy ones to me.
Excellent job Presenting the "real facts" of the Shinogi, A pretty well done sword, nice homage to a class of warriors from a rich Japanese past
Unfortunately some people aren’t willing to accept it
Ninjutsu was a skill set, known by the people of Iga and Koga, and the Samurai.
Fun Fact: there were Ancient Mystery Schools training assassins worldwide. From the Ninja in Japan to the Middle Eastern Hashish smoking inspiration for the word Assassin. Mystery schools teach alchemy & other skills which allows for the making of poisons, weapons, etc as well as how to influence & manipulate people. Such schools are still alive & well today.
Are they accredited and take financial aid?
@@omegaalpha2974lmfaaaooo
yea gonna need like even a single source on that one
Illuminati Jesuits Knights Templar Freemasonry
Truth
Cutting tatami on a roof like that. Legend.
Cool review. Another reason "ninja swords" look the way they do: like you mentioned pop culture and kabuki theatre were the way the legend of the ninja was spread, I've heard it said in the past that the swords the ninja used on stage were short and straight because they were easy to produce. The size may also be to theatrically pull from the back, rather than have any sort of function.
There you go, pop culture does it again!
Yes the short straight blade is primarily so you can draw it off your back. Almost everything about the ninja is based off circumstantial evidence but it’s fun to think about!
What a nice explanation as usual. Hope your wrist is 100% ok by now
There are paintings of ashigaru with straight bladed swords. I've heard many were reshaped naginata or other weapon blades to make swords. They would be lower quality & such so not likely kept in good condition so havent survived. The few rhat have still have nakago markings saying they are naginata or whatever so likely wouldn't be seen as swords if they were not mounted as such.
@cerberarusarms what would really be nice is if you do a video or videos about the origins and styles of the Bowie knife.
16:00 as you said here that is what this sword was made for, it's a stabbing/thrusting weapon which is why it's straight and not curved, it would have been used for stabbing under floorbroads or gaps in walls slashing is not something you would want as that means your fighting someone and as you have a shorter sword at a disadvantage and failed as a ninja this sword was a tool small compact and multable functions.
As a retired ninja,
KANCHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Yup way back when I was 10 my mom bought me a full blown ninja suit and It wasn’t a Halloween costume this thing was sturdy. But yes nothing else was cooler than ninjas when you’re a kid.
Lucky. I only got the cheap Halloween costume but I wore it constantly
@@Cerberusarms Yeah no kidding.We were walking down the street waiting for her car to get fixed and we walked into this weird Karate/Pawn Shop and there they had a kid sized ninja outfit.
It was also one of those odd times when a parent is feeling rather generous as she must have seen me completely entranced by it, and she offered to buy it for me. (that kind of thing just didn't happen). She basically unleashed a 10 year Ninja upon the neighborhood (about a decade before Surf Ninjas). 🤣
Sweet video, Loved the information about sword and history of ninjas. I was a ninja for Halloween every year as a kid and until I was 12. 90s movie 3 Ninjas had me wishing my grandpa was an old Asian ninja master.
3 Ninjas was my jam when I was a kid.
shinobi no mono mastered spy-craft, I believe. the rest is we're not supposed to talk about the rest... because ninjitsu (not)
Ahhhh i love when you randomly pop up D. You are legendary my man.
5:00 well, now it makes sense why Kakariko village in LoZ is always in the mountains.
I'm here for the ninja club
Sensei Hatsumi knows more about Ninjutsu or being a Shinobi, then you know. Read some of Donn. Draegers' books, and keep in mind, the Ninja had a very high sense of Honor, Bushido, too. You have to understand that word. 七星剣 Shichiseiken, this sword would have influenced the Shinobi, who may have been Buddhist and may have attached Mystical Powers using this design. And you are right too, about getting weapons from neighboring countries, knowledge in general. As far as fighting, NihonTaijutsu, was what was the prevalent, Martial Art of Japan at that time.
Truth. Well said. Thnx 👊🏽🦁🙏🏽💪🏾🐯
I have a feeling because the ninja sword was so much shorter than the regular katana they must have used it like 1 handed sword plus maybe shield if the opportunity presented itself, if i was broke and had to use a shorter sword id definitely pair it with a shield of some kind, even wood
The artwork you show at 5:09 is actually way sweeter to me than the classic all black ninja. It’s like a medieval ghillie suit!
That was the classic farmer look!
@@Cerberusarms did they wear the straw to keep warm?
@@ConnorPriolawarmth and as a kind of raincoat /poncho
A secret Ninja Club!? I'm in.
🙌🏼
This is awesome and I love your theory, its believable and honestly cooler then them having specialty crafted swords
忍 (nin) means to conceal.
So a ninja doesn't fight unless there is no other option. They never engage, they use deception & traps. They cheat, they do anything that's possible to get rid of a threat. They are like a spider that only pounces when the enemy least expects it.
Your idea of a ninja has been influenced by movies. Ninjutsu is about spycraft, hiding in plain sight and gathering Intel.
James Bond would be considered a ninja by ninjas.
You have to wear camouflage that is conducive to the environment. So wearing black clothing in broad daylight and in a concrete jungle does not conceal you, it exposes you. Wearing blue jeans, t-shirt baseball cap and sunglasses in concrete jungle is best camouflage.
But with so many cameras around it's hard to do anything.
you should check out TheNinjaEveryDay. he practices toshin
taijitsu, which is the hand to hand art that ninja really practice, hes INCREDIBLY legit. also a badass at other martial arts. love the content man, keep it up
taijutsu isnt a martial art its just a blanket term for any weaponless fighting style in japan, on top of that most of the martial arts that get grouped in are significantly more modern than any fighting style than ninjas would have used. koryu is what japanese fighting styles from before modern times are called
@@shrub9677 you right, i realized i forgot to put the vestige. my b
Hope the wrist heals up well
Great video. I may have to add a new sword to my collection soon to now, lol
I would imagine the short sword to be useful in close quarters. Modern military special forces use 10 inch barreled ARs.
Love the get up especially the shoulder piece and the wrist shields...ah so sweet!!! where can can buy it?
NFStrike, it’s actually Airsoft armor.
I’m a ninjitsu master. I played Shinobi III on Sega. That makes me as qualified as the dudes you showed.
Bro ninjas exists
They wear black suit because they attack in mid night darkness the black suit help him to hide in darkness
They existed a long time ago. Hell they might still exist today in some capacity but they would never advertise it.
I was hoping to see the wall scaling feature lol
I would love to see you do a video on some Thai swords. Like the history and a sword review would be sweet.
The Ninja Sword aka Ninjato was always a side weapon they would pick up katana but for lang range they used the Kusari-kama A sickle with a chain ending in a weight. These would be used more than the ninjato when fighting.
Repurposed farming tools were definitely a part of the ninja arsenal. In the right hands they can be very deadly.
Try next the opposite of the katana: the dacian falx, curved blade with the sharp side on the inside. The two hands version.
This is a great well done history lesson on what was and wasn't a ninja! Would love to see your review of an "AFRO SAMURAI" Tachi Sword (I love the Tachi's curvature), with perhaps a compare and contrast of a real Tachi sword...
Nice video, but I find the idea that the historical basis of this sword to be hand-me-down chokuto to be a bit of a stretch. We are talking about a roughly thousand year gap between when the chokuto was phased out and the warring states period in which the ninja were most active in Japanese history. You suggested that peasants would have kept swords, but peasants didn't exactly have the luxury to just hang on to a sword like that. More likely they would have used it as a tool or scrapped it to use the metal to make tools of their trade. To my knowledge, the only swords that even ressembled the sword you showed in your video are hypotheized to have been modified naginata blades that were refitted to be used as swords towards the end of the warring states period.
This is the only real explanation I could find, the truth is the ninja sword is a myth and wasn’t really a thing. Ninja would just use regular katana but mostly daggers since you can conceal them.
@@Cerberusarms I am aware there was never a real ninjato, however there are artistic depictions of straight bladed swords with a square tsuba that date to the late warring states to the early Edo period. These are the swords I was referring to that I said are hypothesized to be modified naginata blades, or naginata naoshi.
Awesome vid!
It almost feels that the two handed grip for a short sword is already too much. ok, we know the wakizashi shares that feature too, but gripping both hands shortens your range even more. one-handed grip is easier to telegraph and extend the reach. easier and faster to maneuver. also it shifts the center mass to the weak side of the blade if the grip is shorter.
dunno. it really looked a lot closer combat than one would want to encounter
Short blades are for assassin's
Excellent job one positive criticism I would give is never pose after the cut be ready for a follow up cut or defence right after.
D years ago: *is an intern and editor for Corridor and Node*
D nowadays: “If you wanna check it out, I have a video about it over on my gaming channel Node”
😂
Super cool video man. Love the format of education before a review. Quick question, where do you get your tatami mats for cutting?
Excellent and fun review as always. Beautiful sword.
Long live Sho Kosugi, the definitive on screen Ninja of my adolescence.
Can you use it as a step ladder functionally?
What do you think of the Cold Steel Chisa Katana?
Ok so like you mentioned in your video, ninjas we're Not always dressed in black but in camouflage and this is where my question comes in do you think that the Japanese ninjas used old school Ghillie Suits like the Japanese soldiers in ww2? and do you think that the ninjas had katana ghillie suits?
They definitely used a form of ghillie suits in the mountains.
Top notch Sir, Revenge of the Ninja was a huge influence on my mental development as a young boy, from throwing my improvised golf club ninja sword into my neighbours garden then dressing in black and sneaking out of my house at night to go on a retrieval mission to taking jobs for money that Sho Kosugi's character would be proud of from my late 20's into my late 30's, I got obsessed with Musashi and read the book of five rings on the rock in Regin-do, can you tell me if it's full tang? Respect ☘️🇮🇪
Love the video, D! :D
I especially like when you gave context on what actual ninja were like, for context of why this sword looks the way it does.
It reminds me of why I like Ninjas. Being very utilitarian and disguising as other people, like Fuke-shū monks, is what appeals to me. To battle with manipulation and psychology of others.
There's also how they were wilderness men and women who did anything to survive and live another day, just like in the first character of "Ninja", to endure.
I always thought the straight edge and square tsuba were for climbing. You can lean the sword against a wall and use it as a step. No curve means its not a balancing act when stepping on it and the square tsuba keeps the sword from rotating when against a wall.
I've got the Kouga and Iga, both definitely very cool. I'm not sure if anyone else has had this problem, but the Kouga's kashira on mine was not secured. I fixed it with some super glue with a needle injection applicator and its held up just fine for hanging on a wall and handling for funsies but I've never done any kind of cutting with either of them. All in all, I'm pretty happy with both of these swords and they each came with a copy of The Kouga Ninja Scrolls (English translation). I'm not sure if Hanwei is still packing that in or if it was a limited bonus when these swords were first introduced from Hanwei, but definitely a fun little bonus item if they're still offering that in the sales.
That’s weird mine was super secure, might have been banged up in transit. I know hanwei is great at replacing damaged swords. I didn’t know they originally came packaged with the ninja scrolls that’s awesome, maybe if you buy them directly from Hanwei but mine was from another retailer.
Just came across your channel. Only watched 2 videos so far, but I've really enjoyed both of them.
:) "ninjas boppin' along rooftops."
a bit disrespectful.
my 70+ year old Ninjitsu Sensei would still kick your ass, bro.
(8. Dan Allkampf, 5. Dan Taekwon-Do (WTF), 4. Dan Jiu-Jitsu, 3. Tuan Kung-Fu (Taiwan), 3. Dan Hapkido, 3. Dan Tang Soo Do/Karate, 1. Dan Shaolin Kempo u.a.)
Sho Kosugi, the Hollywood Ninja would kick your ass, Steven Seagal would rip out your arms..., and Stephen K Hayes (75) would destroy you easily.
real Ninjitsu is using what works from all combat arts and make it your own style, not participate in a tournament for trophies.
Quality production. Was wondering if you work from a script or just wing it? Liked the history content. One of my favorite sword/samurai movies; Red Sun. Charles Bronson brought a gun to a sword fight. Old movies have the best stories.
That spinning slice is gangster
🙏
Amazingly video with some of the most honest ninja info I ever seen. That sword looks super awesome. I might be considering to buy one too while they seem to be in stock. I just wish I knew what music you were playing. Is there a youtube video with it?
It’s a great sword, really in a class of its own.
i own the same ninjato sword its awesome!
Great video very interesting
so...let me tell ya (oh like your armor by the way) I worked for 15 + years for a shop that sold a lot of Hanwei products ,I have a bunch of their swords, I've seen some other of your vids and now because of your inclusion of the famous shopping network (oh that got me good) scene you have earned another subscriber and by the way I've seen many a mall ninja (and god I hate the tv version of Highlander) and done martial arts (not very seriously, off and on because of age and health) for many years (doin' tai chi now) but I think your sword technique is quite good and to close remember any sword is better if it has "a dragon on the blade"
A dragon on the blade instantly makes any sword 200% better
You can always buy a replacement sagea, from the Tozandoshop. As a leathersmith I would be so tempted to make a cool leather skin for the Saya with a dragons eye.
we all now ninja is fake, but i love how it is promoted
they werent fake but they were just spy’s theory that they used ninjato is fake bc it was make after ninjas
You are creative, my friend
I don't know very much about ninjas, not many people do because they did their job well. But wouldn't it be better if you could find something A little more stealth looking like A farmer, or crippled person would have. Just food for thought. Cool video, love the reviews.
One question. Where the cool ninja clothes and shields used in this video purchased?
You should try a truekatana sword. Some are cheap and some are expensive and has very mixed reviews. If I may, I suggest you try one that is around 100$-300$.
I keep trying to tell people there is no actual ninja sword, because if someone could look at you and go "I see your ninja sword, that's a ninja." then you are terrible at being a ninja.
Fascinating theory, essentially ninja could have been using old military surplus swords.
Thank You, Sensei 🙏⛩️🇯🇵
I had a blue T-shirt with a picture of a Ninja on it when I was a kid. Loved that T-shirt. Wore it for school pictures and everything. 😊
Was always fascinated with ninja as a kid swords are my favorite weapons. Was also fascinated how they killed their enemies with poisons as well.
Ohhh yeah... the Ol' "Kiss and Thrust", which comes straight after KANCHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Just bought my custom waiting for it pretty excited
Nice where from?
15:11 man that armor is sweet. Where did you get it??
It's awesome learn history of weapons and culture. I wonder what the next one will be
I'd like to design a tactical ninja sword with a tactical scabbard that's possibly a projectile device
13:15 “this thing is just a big dagger”. Well you have to remember, ninja were masters at deception.
So the ninjato was basically a short sword in a long scabbard. That way IF they had to fight, they could get up close, be quicker on the draw, and take out there opponents in one strike.
Shorter blade, faster kill.
The straight bladed sword also may have been a result of hammering out a makeshift, disposable sword. Those kind of blades would not have a need for a thermally altered edge, therefore no curve.
This one time I was walking up a rural road in Venezuela, and at the gates leading to a private path on the side of the road there was a large piece of cardboard with the sign, written in sharpies, reading "Ninjutsu School, ask inside". I've never seen anything more suspicious in mi life.
Come to my house and start a secret ninja club, please don’t tell my mom. Fricken hilarious. 😂
You're a Ninja!
I definitely look the part!
@@Cerberusarms That suit you wore is what did it.
Anthony Cummings's research has shown that Ninja were actually a class of Samurai, much like an archer or cavalryman. A Samurai that specialises in reconnaissance, infiltration, espionage and sabotage.
Some of them were definitely samurai, but im talking more about the origins of the ninja. Few samurai would “dishonor” themselves by becoming Ninja until they became ronin.
@@Cerberusarms this is just patently false. the concept of samurai honor is massively overblown. if there was a dishonorable tactic available to win a battle, it would absolutely be used by samurai. samurai used firearms the moment they were demonstrated to be effective. they used deception. they used dirty fighting tactics. you are doing your community a disservice by spreading falsehoods otherwise.
ninja was more of a job description for samurai than anything else. if samurai were the soldiers and warrior class, ninja were the special operatives of the military elite. it's that simple.
they were not poor farmers and commoners. they were specially trained samurai that utilized espionage tactics. this isn't an opinion. this is fact that is confirmed through historical documents.
@@carcosa_tyrant9444 You know not all Japanese soldiers weren't samurai right? Sure there were plenty of samurai who worked as ninja who were sent as kill squads but there were also many simple merchants and concubines who worked as ninjas as well. They were spys before anything else.
Not all of them were trained assassins who used secret martial arts techniques. Its the difference between real world spies and movie spies.
@@Cerberusarms once again you are just plain wrong. ninja WERE samurai. you had to be a samurai to be ninja. this is not up for debate. you may continue to spread misinformation, but if you truly care about the truth, do more research.
True. and an other famouse Statement of Antony is. Ninja/Shinobi was gloryfied Samurai private Military Night Watchman and have Mutch more to do with todays armed Security officers/Guards.
And he is right.
Remamber Hanzo Hattori was a Jizamurai (farmer Samurai/landed Samurai) from iga (japan mie prefektur) he wrote the (shinobi hiden Ninja scrool/book), Fujibaiashi yasutake (Bansenshukai scrool/book) Natori Masazumi(shoninki scrool/book) and ther all beside ther Ninja/Shinobi (comando special forces soldire) mostly working as Samurai private/mercenery Military officers, Nightguards and Bodyguards for ther Samurai Daimyo (military warlords)
Here for the super secret ninja club.
Hell yeah 👊
I remember the channel chosunninja who would show some ninjutsu things but then stopped bc people didn't believe him and added their input on the thing he was doing or just added dumb input. But did also gave us the truth of ninjutsu and how a ninja is a criminal an assassin. And that there were fake teachers who were actually teaching karate instead.
I'm Down for a.... The Club, If you don't tell my Mama😳🙏🏾🤫
Please try test cutting with Maguro Bocho and explore the possibility of combat with them.
I had the practical Hanwei Ninja sword and It wasn't full tang, the handle broke. But I made a new handle and still have It.
respect for everything, but just one thing you got wrong, bujinkan is real ninpo, you should do more research.
Bujinkan was founded in 1970 at the height of the ninja movie boom. Seems like a pretty big coincidence to me.
@@Cerberusarms i am honoured with your reply, and hey, i dont blame you, but bujinjkan is Hatusmi soke's creation using the densho scrolls, schools and techniques he inherited from Takamatsu Sensei who inherited the 9 schools of Bujinkan from his teacher Toda. the scrolls and techniques are authentic and were used in real japanese warfare and combat. and i wont lie, the state of most Bujinkan practitioners these days, online especially, is deplorable, but if you watch Dr. Kacem Zoughari, he is probably the best out there. besides this, i appreciate the rest of your research and highly commend it for it's accuracy.
Ninjutsu - modern day perception of Ninjutsu - has to start somewhere. Even if, its in the 1970's or 80's. So in 300 years time, its going to be historically significant and it won't matter if that version started in the 1500's. Like the sword, 300 years from now people will be saying, yeah this sword is from the 1980s and to them it will be antique and a part of history.
We need more video, and you are a good blogger.
Beyond the Chokuto, the only proof I can find of a mass produced "straight-bladed" katana was during the Meiji Restoration, used by the Battotai. This was a specialized police regiment created to combat the Samurai during the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. Their swords were full length Katana, but with straight blades. Historical accounts state the reason for this was this regiment's proficiency in "Kendo" being practiced at that time among these officers. Being so, they wanted a sword to match their Shinai because of their skills with it. Therefore, a straight bladed katana was produced for them and on March 14th they attacked Mount Tabaruzaka leaving the rebels with heavy loses and casualties utilizing them.
Now does this mean someone, somewhere didn't produce a quick "throw-away" Ninjato-type sword and it catch on with a few of them .... who knows? No real evidence either way. But, Hanwei / Cas-Iberia swords are really nice and I've no doubt this one is any different. And I were offered that Ninja-to, I'm jump at the chance to have it.