Shuriken (手裏剣; lit:
"hand hidden blade") is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that
was used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing. They are small,
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, or more correctly, a secret part
of the martial arts curriculum of many famous schools, such as Yagyu
Ryu, Katori Shinto Ryu, Itto Ryu, Kukishin Ryu, and Togakure Ryu.
Shuriken are commonly known in the west as "throwing stars" or
"ninja stars". This term hardly does justice to the weapon, however,
as the pointed "star" shaped form is but one of many different
designs the blades took over the centuries in which they were used.
The major varieties of Shuriken are the bo shuriken (棒手裏剣) and the
hira shuriken (平手裏剣), or shaken (車剣, also read as kurumaken)
Contrary to popular
belief, (video games, Hollywood, etc.) shuriken were not intended as
a killing weapon, but rather as a secondary weapon that sometimes
played a supportive role to a warrior's main weapon, usually the
sword or spear. Shuriken were primarily used to cause either
nuisance or distraction, both being tactical methods to gain
advantage over the opponent in battle. Generally the target was the
eyes, face, hands and the feet.
They were also used, especially hira-shuriken, for a wide variety of
other uses, such being embedded in the ground so as to cause pain to
those who stepped on them, or to have a fuse wrapped around the
points of the blade, to be lit and thrown in order to cause fire, or
to be used as a handheld striking weapon when used in close quarters
combat with an opponent. There are reports of shuriken being coated
with poison, directed at either the person the blade was being
thrown at, or to whoever may pick them up when left lying around in
conspicuous places. Other reports indicate that shuriken may have
been buried in dirt or animal feces and allowed to harbor the
anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani; if the point penetrated a
victim deep enough it would impart the bacteria into the wound and
cause a then-incurable deadly tetanus infection.
Shuriken were a simple weapon, but their value was in the wide
variety of applications they could be used for, and the ready
availability of material in which to fashion the weapon from.
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