Shuriken

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Shuriken (手裏剣; lit.: “sword hidden in the hand”) is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that were generally used by shinobi no mono (or ninja, as they are more commonly known) for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing. They are sharpened hand-held blades made from a variety of everyday items such as needles, nails, and knives, as well as coins, washers, and other flat plates of metal. Shuriken were mainly a supplemental weapon to the more commonly used katana (sword) or yari (spear) in a warrior's arsenal, though they often played a pivotal tactical role in battle. The art of wielding the shuriken is known as shuriken-jutsu, and was mainly taught as a minor part of the martial arts curriculum of many famous schools, such as Yagyu Ryu, Katori Shinto Ryu, Itto Ryu, Kukishin Ryu, and Togakure Ryu. In the modern western world, shuriken can often be purchased online as collector's items, but in some countries owners must possess a certificate for “knives”.

Shuriken are commonly known in the West as “death stars”, “throwing stars”, or “Ninja stars”. However, the shuriken took many different shapes and designs during the time that they were used.

The major varieties of Shuriken are the Bō Shuriken (棒手裏剣, Stick Shuriken) and the Hira Shuriken (平手裏剣, Flat Shuriken), or Shaken (車剣, also read as Kurumaken, Wheel Shuriken).

[edit] Bo-Shuriken

Bo Shuriken from a private collection

This is a throwing weapon consisting of a straight, iron or steel spike, usually 4-sided but sometimes round or octagonal in shape. They are usually single-pointed, but there are some that are double-pointed. The length of bo-shuriken ranges from 12 to 21 cm (5–8 1/2 in) and the average weight was from 35 to 150 grams (1.2–5.4 ounces). The bo-shuriken is thrown in a number of ways, such as overhead, underarm, sideways and rearwards, but in each case, the throw involved the blade sliding out of the hand through the fingers in a smooth, controlled flight. This is not to be confused with the Media:kunai, which is a throwing knife.

The major forms of throw are the jiki da-ho (direct hit method), and the han-ten da-ho (turning hit method). These two forms are technically different, in that the former does not allow the blade to spin before it hits the target, while the latter requires that the blade spin before it hits the target.

Bo-shuriken were constructed from a wide variety of everyday items, and thus there are many shapes and sizes. Some derive their name from the materials they were fashioned from, such as kugi-gata (nail form), hari-gata (needle form) and tanto-gata (knife form); others are named after the object to which they appear similar, such as hoko-gata (spear form), matsuba-gata (pine-needle form) while others were simply named after the object that was thrown, such as kankyuto-gata (piercing tool form), kunai-gata (utility tool form), or teppan (plate metal) and biao (pin).

Other items were also thrown as in the fashion of bo-shuriken, such as kogai (ornamental hairpin), kozuka (utility knife) and hashi (chopsticks), although these items were not associated with any particular school of shuriken-jutsu, rather they were more likely just thrown at opportune moments by a skilled practitioner who was skilled in a particular method or school.

[edit] Origins

The origins of the bo-shuriken in Japan are still unclear despite continuing research in this area. This is partly because shuriken-jutsu is a secretive art, and also to the fact that throughout early Japanese history there were actually many independent innovators of the skill of throwing long, thin objects.^{[citation needed]} The earliest known mention of a school teaching shuriken-jutsu is Ganritsu Ryu, prevalent during the 1600s. This school utilized a long thin implement with a bulbous head, thought to be derived from the arrow. Existing examples of blades used by this school appear to exhibit an mixture of an arrow's shape with that of a needle traditionally used in Japanese leatherwork and armor manufacture.

There are also earlier mentions in written records, such as the Osaka Gunki (大阪軍記, the military records of Osaka), of the standard knife and short sword being thrown in battle, and Miyamoto Musashi is said to have won a duel by throwing his short sword at his opponent, killing him.

[edit] Hira-shuriken

Hira-shuriken are constructed from thin, flat plates of metal derived from a variety of sources including hishi-gane (coins), kugi-nuki (carpentry tools), and senban (washers), and generally resemble popular conceptions of shuriken. These are sometimes called "ninja stars" as ninjas are consistently seen throwing this which looks like a star. 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. This proved convenient for the shuriken user, as well, as the weapons could be strung on a string for transport, and the hole also had aerodynamic and weighting effects that aided the flight of the blade after it was thrown. In some schools the hole was used as a center reference, a sort of “pointing spot” for the overhead throwing method. Usually a common four-pointed hira-shuriken is thrown with the index finger placed slightly in or aside the edge of the central hole, parallel with one point and directed toward the target at the time of release.

There is a wide variety of forms of hira-shuriken, also known as shaken, and they are now usually identified by the number of points the blades possess. As with bo-shuriken, the various shapes of hira-shuriken were usually representative of a particular school or region that preferred the use of such shapes, and it is therefore possible to identify the school by the type of blade used.

There are two major forms of throw with hira-shuriken, the overhead throw and the horizontal throw. The arm action of the overhead throw is very similar to that of bo-shuriken, although the blade grip is slightly adapted to accommodate the circular shape of the blade itself.

[edit] Uses

Contrary to popular belief, (video games, Hollywood, anime, etc.) shuriken were not primarily intended as a killing weapon, but rather as a secondary weapon that sometimes played a role supportive to a warrior's main weapon, usually the sword or spear. Shuriken were primarily used to cause either nuisance or distraction, both being tactics to gain an advantage in battle. Targets were primarily the eyes, face, hands, or the feet, the areas most exposed by a samurai's armor.

Shuriken, especially hira-shuriken, were also used in other novel ways – they might be embedded in the ground, injuring those who stepped on them, or wrapped in fuse to be lit and thrown to cause fire. They can also be used as a handheld striking weapon in close combat.

There are reports of shuriken being coated with poison intended either for a throwing target or for whoever may pick them up when left in a conspicuous place. Other reports indicate that shuriken may have been buried in dirt or animal feces and allowed to rust and harbor the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani – if the point penetrated a victim deeply enough the bacteria would be transferred into the wound, causing a then-incurable tetanus infection.

Shuriken are a simple weapon, but their historical value, thanks to their wide variety of uses and the ready availability of material from which they could be made, has increased. Unlike katana and other bladed weapons, antique shuriken are not often well preserved, largely due to their original status as throwaway weapons.

[edit] Popular culture

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Shuriken, also known as ninja stars, available from sources of martial arts equipment and other weaponry

Shuriken are popularly believed to have been used by Japanese ninja. They can be seen in a wide range of modern media set in both modern and ancient settings. They have been used by comic book characters such as Batman, Anarky, Elektra, Miho and Bullseye; video games such as Mortal Kombat: Deception, Ninja Gaiden, Tenchu, Shadow Warrior and The Revenge of Shinobi; cartoons series such as the ninja of Naruto, Jezmine from Conan the Adventurer; and films such as 3 Ninjas. While shuriken are almost always associated with ninja and to a lesser extent other thieves and assassins, they are sometimes seen as wholly separate from that context: for instance, WarioWare: Touched! and WarioWare: Smooth Moves feature shuriken-throwing minigames, and Vancha March, a vampire-warrior from Darren Shan's novels uses shuriken as his only weapon of choice. In Painkiller, the electrodriver gun shoots shurikens and lightning, it is even possible to fire eletricfied shurikens. Occasionally, the use of shuriken does not even involve a human throwing them: in the PC game Tyrian 2000, for example, there is a secret mode which features guns that fire shuriken, and in the Nintendo64 game Jet Force Gemini there are shuriken that home in on targets.

[edit] In film and television

• In the 2002 Japanese Super Sentai series Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger and its American counterpart the 2003 Power Rangers series Power Rangers: Ninja Storm, the sixth and final Ranger to appear was Tenkuu Ninja Shurikenger, (known in Power Rangers: Ninja Storm as the Green Samurai Ranger). The symbol on Shurikenger's Shinobi Medal and the Green Samurai Ranger's Power Disc was a green eight-point hira-shuriken. Also in Hurricaneger, the Hurricanegers fired shurikens from their Hurricane Gyro henshin devices, where in Ninja Storm, they are replaced with lasers instead.
• In Gamera tai daiakuju Giron (1969) aka Attack of the Monsters, (Gamera vs. Guiron), Guiron fires four-point shuriken from the sides of his head. In You Only Live Twice, the character Tiger Tanaka saves James Bond from being killed by Blofeld's gun by means of a throwing star.
• In the film Alien vs. Predator, the predator disc changed from an actual disc into a shuriken-style throwing star.
• In the film Hot Rod, during a fight scene between Rod and his father, the latter throws a shuriken at Rod that gets embedded in his chest.
• In the South Park episode "Good Times with Weapons," Kenny is depicted wielding a pair of shuriken.
• The character Mai, from the television show Avatar: The Last Airbender seems to be an expert in shurikenjutsu. She has been shown using both bo-shuriken and hiro-shuriken.

[edit] In games

• In the GamesWorkshop tabletop board game Warhammer 40,000, the Eldar race use guns that shoot razor-sharp rounded shuriken.
• In Dynasty Warriors 6, Lü Bu wields a weapon which is similar to a shuriken.
• In a few games of the Final Fantasy series, shurikens are buyable weapons that are thrown at enemies.
• World of Warcraft has buyable throwing knives, some of which look and are thrown like shuriken, usually used by Rogues.
• In Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX, Phantom and Model P/Px use shuriken as a weapon. Phantom's signature move is the ability to create a giant shuriken and ride on it, granting him the ability to fly. In ZX, Model P/Px can use the shuriken as a sort of protective boomerang that not only goes forward, but circles around the character for a brief time before disappearing.
• In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the player can buy and wield "throwing stars" made out of various materials.
• In Final Fantasy VII, Yuffie uses shuriken as her primary weapon, along with a variety of other throwing and improvised weapons.

[edit] In English-language literature

• In Midnight: A Gangster Love Story by Sister Souljah, the eponymous protagonist's visit to an apple orchard in upstate New York culminates with an unrealistic visit to a nearby blacksmith's shop, where he asks to have a shuriken made to his specifications.

[edit] In music

• French hip-hop emcee Shurik'n is named after shuriken.

Modern shuriken, unlike historical ones, are most often made of stainless steel. They are commercially available in many knife shops in Europe and North America, although they are illegal in many states, countries, and provinces, such as the U.S. state of California.^[1]

[edit] See also

• Shuriken-jutsu
• Kunai

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ California Penal Code Section 12020 outlaws the manufacture, import, sale, and possession of a large number of weapons (including shuriken) with limited exceptions for law enforcement and the motion picture industry.

[edit] Further reading

• Finn, Michael (1983) Art of Shuriken Jutsu Paul Crompton, UK,
• Fujita, Seiko (1928) Zukai Shurikenjutsu (An overview of Shuriken jutsu)
• Hammond, Billy (1985) Shuriken jutsu: The Japanese art of projectile throwing A.E.L.S , Japan
• Iwai, Kohaku (1999) Hibuki no Subete ga Wakaru Hon (Hidden Weapons) BAB, Japan
• Kono, Yoshinori (1996). Toru Shirai: Founder of Tenshin Shirai Ryu in "Aikido Journal" #108
• Mol, Serge (2003) Classical Weaponry of Japan: Special Weapons and Tactics of the Martial Artists. Kodansha, Japan
• Nawa, Yumio (1962) Kakushi Buki Soran (An Overview of Hidden Weapons) Japan
• Saito, Satoshi in Skoss, Diane ed. (1999) Sword & Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan Vol. 2 Koryu Books,
• Shirakami, Eizo (1985) Shurikendo: My study of the way of Shuriken, Paul H. Crompton, London
• Someya, Chikatoshi (2001) Shuriken Giho Airyudo, Japan

[edit] External links

• The Secrets of Shuriken website
• Shuriken in Iga-Ueno Museum
• How to throw the Shuriken