In the popular ninja series, The Ninja Stars, anime fans will love to learn about the history of ninjas and how they became such deadly warriors. A ninja is an Asian concealed weapon-a concealed blade that was primarily used as an attack or defense weapon. It was made from either steel or wood and was either carried on the person or held in a concealed sheath on the belt. Ninjas were depicted as dark-skinned individuals who wore all black, and were trained in martial arts and spying. They practiced their craft by night in what is called bushido, and perfected their skills in climbing, swimming, and shadow fist techniques.
There is much mystery surrounding ninja stars, the weapons of ninjas and the techniques that allowed them to move and attack so quickly and silently. The first item we are introduced to is the katana, which is known as the ‘bladed sword’ because of its three main blades that were attached at different points along the handle. It is one of the most recognizable swords in all of Asia. There is also the sai, a short sword that was essentially a one handed sword that had a hilt, grip, and was usually used in hand to hand combat. Then there is theuzake, a larger sword that was much longer than the sai and could be used in one hand.
The ninja stars, also known as ninjutsu, was a type of Japanese martial art that incorporated several weapons into its practice. Some swords were decorated with dragon figures and depicted the dragon form in its most basic form. Two other types of weapon were included: one was the bo staff, which was longer and could only be used on a pole, and another was the staff that was only used in close range and could not be moved. Ninjutsu often incorporated poisons, traps, deception and surprise attacks into its training. It is believed that the ninja stars and ninjutsu came from the same root, but there is no definite proof of this. The truth is that these martial arts developed over many hundreds of years and some say there are as many similarities between ninjutsu and ninja stars as there are differences.