Throwing weapons: shuriken, throwing knife, shaken, flexible shinbiao spear. Shuriken: the deadly star of Japanese ninja Video shuriken square shape

Shuriken throwing techniques

In the ryu that have survived to this day, the curriculum of which includes shuriken jutsu- Katori Shinto-ryu, Negishi-ryu, etc., a variety of are used. Throws are performed from different positions, along different trajectories.

In throwing technique bojo shuriken distinguish between a throw with a half turn ( hankaiten-daho) and throw without turnover ( tku-daho). When throwing, rotation around the transverse axis is tried to be minimized. A well-balanced bojo shuriken flies in an almost straight line. The easiest way is to stick into the target, sharpened at both ends.

Shakeny they threw, as a rule, in series, very quickly, one after another. They must be thrown “with twist”, which is ensured by the shift of the grip to the periphery of the projectile and the “click” movement of the brush. Thanks to the rotation, the flight of the plate becomes more stable, and during a horizontal throw, the plate rests on the air with its plane (wing effect), which significantly increases the range and accuracy of the throw.

However Hawa Yumio notes that in the old manuals on we will not find anywhere descriptions of how to throw shurikens. Perhaps this fact can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, they could be considered secret weapons, in which case the student received instructions on their use only from the lips of his mentor. However, given the widespread use of shuriken among Japanese warriors, this seems unlikely. Rather, the methods of throwing the blade were simply not codified, and each fighter developed his own methods of throwing.

How to wear shuriken

Shaken making

Asterisks-shakens made in various sizes. The size depended on the owner's height, weight, physical strength, throwing distance, etc. Most often there are samples with a diameter of 115 mm to 175 mm. Accordingly, the weight of the sprocket varied in the range from 5 to 30 momme.

Hawa Yumio describes in detail juji shuriken making process(cross-shaped shuriken) weighing 20 momme. To do this, they took a steel blank weighing about 23 momme. It was strongly heated and flattened into a round cake. Then, trying not to thin the blank in the central part, gradually 4 tendrils were made with hammer blows, giving the blank general form juji-shuriken with thick central part and gradually thinning towards the tips of the blade. Then, excess metal was removed from the workpiece with a file, bringing the weight of the sprocket to the required 20 momme, grinding the shape so that the “asterisk” was without bumps and notches, and sharpening the tips of the blades.

If it was made eight-beam shuriken, then first did cruciform shuriken, and then with a chisel they divided the blades of a well-heated blank in half and parted a little to the sides. It was necessary to sharpen the blades evenly on both sides, otherwise the accuracy of the throws would be extremely low.

Of particular difficulty in the manufacture of "stars" was the hardening of the blades. All "rays" had to be given the same degree of hardness, otherwise they could break or bend, making it impossible to use the "asterisk". Of course, in order to heat the workpiece and throw it into cold water or oil, a great mind was not required, but with this technology, the blades often broke, and all the work went down the drain. Therefore, it was necessary to find some more gentle way hardening. In addition, it is necessary to harden only the very tips of the "rays" of the "star" so that it does not lose its strength and does not shatter into pieces when strong blow on a hard surface.

The option of alternately heating and hardening the rays was not suitable due to the small size of the product: try hardening one beam, and then heat the other so that the first one remains cold. Therefore, the ninja made a small round hole in the center of the "asterisk", into which a thin long steel rod was passed. Having set it in a horizontal position and quickly rotating a red-hot “star” on it, its rays were lowered into cold oil, which ensured that only the necessary parts of the blade were hardened.

The hole in the center of the "asterisk" was usually not closed up, since a cord can be passed through it to string a few more syakens on it and make a bundle convenient to carry. However, due to the fact that a shaken with a hole emits a slight whistle in flight, sometimes the hole was sealed with lead to completely mask the noise.

Surprisingly, among the huge variety of Japanese edged weapons, two of its types have received the greatest (one might say, world-wide) fame: the traditional katana sword and shuriken throwing stars. And if the popularity of the katana does not raise any special questions, then the loud glory of the "flying stars" seems a little inadequate. Shuriken gained their fame thanks to a huge number of Hollywood films that tell the Western layman about the invincible Japanese ninja spy warriors, throwing "stars" at their opponents without a miss.

In fact, everything is not so simple: the shuriken has never been exclusively a ninja weapon. In addition, in medieval Japan there was great amount various kinds of these weapons, sometimes very different from those that were replicated by the cinema.

Shuriken is a fairly large group (dozens of varieties are known) of cold throwing weapons, which are intended primarily for concealed carry. Moreover, it can not only be thrown at the enemy, but also used with great success in close combat, inflicting stabbing or cutting blows on the enemy. It is not for nothing that the name "shuriken" itself is translated from Japanese as "a blade hidden in the hand." In Japan, the possession of shurikens developed into a separate martial art - shuriken-jutsu, it was studied (and is being studied) in the largest martial arts schools. Although, it should be noted that in the arsenal of a Japanese warrior this throwing weapon has always been a secondary, a kind of addition to a sword or spear.

Ninjas really often used shurikens, but these weapons were no less popular among samurai.

Shuriken can be divided into two types:

• shakens;
• bo-shurikens.

The well-known "stars" belong to the syakens - to an extensive group of throwing weapons, which includes flat metal discs of various shapes with a sharp cutting edge.

In Europe, there were practically no analogues to the Japanese shuriken. An exception may be perhaps the so-called German throwing cross, which was also called a throwing ax. He was in use very long time, from the XII-XVII century. Despite this, this weapon practically unknown to the general public, moreover, it is not mentioned in any work of art. It is believed that this weapon was "ignoble", that is, it was not used by knights, so after the end of the Middle Ages it was thoroughly forgotten.

Shurikens have now become a fashionable toy in the US and Europe, and can be easily purchased at any gun shop. It is not difficult to make this weapon yourself, there are enough materials on the Internet on this topic. However, one should not forget that shuriken is quite dangerous weapon and should be treated accordingly. According to Russian law, if the beam length of the “ninja star” exceeds 8 mm, then the shuriken is already considered a melee weapon and its owner may have serious problems. In some countries, the sale of shurikens is generally prohibited by law.

Story

In Japan, unlike, for example, medieval Europe or the ancient world, throwing weapons were not very common. Medieval tracts describe how warriors hit opponents by throwing a wide variety of objects at them: arrows for a bow or wakidazashi short swords.

The most ancient Japanese written treatise "Kojiki" describes how to properly throw stones at the enemy, in other ancient sources you can find instructions on throwing arrows. The first mention of shuriken is found in the War Tale of Osaka Castle. One of the heroes this work, the warrior of Tadamasa, later became the founder of the art of throwing shurikens - shuriken-jutsu.

In the early periods Japanese history the most popular projectiles were ordinary stones. They were thrown at the enemy simply with their hands or using the traditional Japanese heshihajiki sling. And it's not just about individual fights. In ancient chronicles, one can often find descriptions of the use of stones in fairly significant battles. The Japanese armies had special units stone-throwers, and the use of this simplest projectile was called "inji-uchi", which means "stone-throwing battle". Warriors who used stones to defeat the enemy were called "advanced stone throwers" (mukai tsubute no mono). Apparently, they walked ahead of the troops and fired at the enemy infantry (like the slingers of the Romans).

Later, from about the 13th century, simple stones began to be supplemented with special metal projectiles, which were called inji-yari, and in their shape resembled a spearhead. It is likely that the ballistic and penetrating characteristics of the new weapons were significantly higher than those of conventional cobblestones. Around the 16th century, another type of Japanese throwing weapon appeared - tsubute, which was a sharpened metal plate of a square or polygonal shape.

Tsubute was a very popular weapon, it is also mentioned in the so-called ninja treatises. It was hard to kill with it, especially an armored enemy, but inflicting a wound on an unprotected part of the body or simply distracting the enemy was easy.

There is an assumption that it was the inji-yari that became the predecessors of the bo-shurikens, and the stars-shakens “came” from the tsubute plates. This assumption is confirmed even by the translation of the word "shuriken" - "a blade hidden in the hand." It is likely that the first shurikens were more like an elongated blade than a sharpened polygonal star.

There is another version of the origin of shurikens. According to her, these weapons came from ordinary household items that they thought of using for defense or attack. In support of this hypothesis, one can cite the fact that many types of shuriken retained the names of their "ancestors" in their names: kugi-gata (in the form of a nail), ari-gata (in the form of a needle), tango-gata (in the form of a knife).

One way or another, but by the middle of the Edo era, shuriken-jutsu - or throwing shurikens - had become quite a popular and developed martial art. Where and how it originated is still a mystery to historians.

The popularity of shurikens in medieval Japan is easy to explain, because these weapons were relatively simple, very cheap and at the same time quite effective. In addition, shurikens were perfect for covert wearing (no wonder ninja shinobi loved them so much), so with the help of shuriken it was always possible to unpleasantly “surprise” the enemy. For the manufacture of this weapon, medium-quality steel was suitable, and the blacksmith's qualifications might not be the highest. In addition, shurikens can also be used in close combat, when there were no other options left.

Sometimes various signs were applied to the surface of the shurikens, usually they were of a mystical nature and were intended for more effective use this weapon.

Description of weapons, their classification and application features

It is quite difficult to give a description of any "average" shuriken, because this weapon is very many-sided. In addition to the well-known "stars", there were other forms of shuriken, reminiscent of blades, rods, needles, etc. As mentioned above, shuriken can be divided into two large groups: bo-shurikens and shakens.

Bo-shuriken is a throwing weapon, shaped like a rod, which could have a round, tetrahedral or polyhedral section. They were made of steel and could be sharpened on one or both sides. There were also bo-shurikens, the shape of which resembled the tip of a spear or small knife. The length of the bo-shuriken varied from 10 to 25 cm, and the weight - from 25 to 150 grams. Currently, more than 50 varieties of this weapon are known.

Bo-shurikens were thrown in different ways. This art was studied in many samurai schools, each of which had its own peculiarities in the use of this weapon. However, the general technique was similar. The pointed rod of the bo-shuriken was clamped between the thumb and forefinger so that its blunt end rested against the palm, and the hand was sharply thrown out in the direction of the opponent. The ideal trajectory for such a throw is a straight line. Sometimes the weapons were twisted. Rods pointed at both ends were easier to throw. It was possible to throw weapons from behind the head, from the chest, from the side or from below. It is believed that such a combat rod could be thrown seven to eight meters.

It should be noted that the bo-shurikens were more popular with the samurai, and the ninjas really used the shaken stars more.

Shakens are flat discs with a pointed edge, which could also have the most different shape and sizes. The second Japanese name for this throwing weapon is kuruma-ken, which can be translated as "sword-wheel". The thickness of the shakens could be different: from insignificant (about 1 mm) to very decent (up to 3 mm). Plates of smaller thickness and diameter were easier to throw, respectively, their “rate of fire” was higher. However, compared to the heavier shakens, they had a shorter flight range and penetrating power. The best shakens had different thickness, it decreased from the center to the edges. Such a "star" had the best ballistics, but it was more difficult to make it. Very often, a hole was made in the center of the shakens, which improved the ballistic properties of these weapons, and also made it possible to carry them on a rope and make it easier to pull them out of any objects (for example, from a tree or an enemy’s head).

In flight, the syaken was given rotary motion, which improved the accuracy and range of the throw. By the way, in terms of their combat characteristics, the shakens were superior to the bo-shurikens, the flight range of the stars reached fifteen meters.

Today, more than fifty types of syakens are known. The shape of this weapon could be very different, ranging from sharpened metal squares to complex multi-beam stars. Syakeny usually threw in series, trying to inflict several wounds on the enemy at once. According to ancient sources, the master could throw up to five "stars" at the enemy in 10-15 seconds. Considering the maximum range of this weapon, the warrior usually had only a few seconds before the enemy approached within striking distance. bladed weapons. Often, the cutting edge of the syakens was coated with poison; ninjas especially liked to use this technique.

By the way, in treatises on ninjutsu, there are practically no descriptions of shuriken possession techniques. Researchers cannot explain this fact. Either this weapon was so secret that they were afraid to entrust information about it to paper, or each master had his own unique technique throwing "stars" and personally passed it on to his students. Well, the fact that the ninja masterfully owned shurikens is beyond doubt. Shadow warriors could throw them from any position: standing, prone, kneeling, along any trajectory.

Shuriken (Japanese 手裏剣 literal translation: a blade hidden in the hand) is a Japanese concealed throwing weapon (although sometimes used for strikes). It is a small blade made according to the type of everyday things: stars, needles, nails, knives, coins, and so on.

Appearance shuriken reflects the Japanese interest in mysticism. then various signs were also applied to the surface of the weapon itself, since both the craftsmen who made the weapon and those who used it believed that powerful otherworldly forces could be attracted to their side in this way

Ninjas are famous masters of throwing shurikens, or, as they are also called, “stars”. Throwing them is much easier than knives, but without practice correct technique and there is no way around it. Many in childhood made shurikens from metal plates or gramophone records, so they know how unpredictable the flight path of a flat projectile can be.

Therefore, shurikens must be compact in size and heavy enough to fly straight and not deviate from their target. In Japan, there were a huge number of shuriken throwing techniques. Each school of martial arts sacredly kept its secrets and shared them only for big money.

Moreover, the Japanese showed any tricks in medieval times only once. The master took the money, showed the reception and left satisfied. And whether you remember it or not - it's yours personal problems. Only a powerful Japanese daimyō could afford to hire a permanent teacher. Now we will tell you the main points of throwing “stars” and “combat arrows”, shakens and bo-shurikens, if in a scientific way.

Features of the technique of throwing shurikens

All bo-shurikens are thrown using reverse or non-revolving vehicles. Non-reversible was used at short distances up to 3-5 meters, reverse - up to 10 meters. At the same time, you need to be aware that the bo-shuriken is quite light, and its striking abilities depend directly on the distance. Heavier models will fly farther and vice versa.

The bo-shurik throwing technique looks like this:

• First, the weapon must be placed on the palm of your hand and clamped between the index and thumb. In this case, the blunt end should rest against the base of the palm;
• Then you need to carefully aim at the enemy;
• When throwing, the hand should stop just above the point at which you aimed, and you, as it were, follow the projectile forward when it breaks from the palm of your hand.

For reverse engineering, two ends of the bo-shuriken were often sharpened, but they threw it in the same way as the one with one sharpened end. I don’t know how the ancient Japanese were there, but in our yard they always threw pieces of sharpened reinforcement using their own method. To do this, the projectile was simply taken between the thumb and forefinger, and a powerful movement was sent to the target. He flew very well, and stuck into a tree, not even sharpened.

In order to increase the chances of the rebar hitting the target, I connected two pieces crosswise, fastening them with wire. So that they do not fall apart, I had to use a file to choose the grooves in the middle. Then the percentage of sticking increased to 95%! Shakens or "stars" were also rushed by different methods. At a short distance they were thrown straight, with blades pointed at the ground. Then the throw was fast and powerful. Only with accuracy at long distances in this case it was rather weak. Another way of throwing shaken is when it is thrown flat. The brush at the time of the throw should spin the combat "asterisk" in order for the flight to be more effective. Shuriken in this case, as it were, rests on the air with its plane and flies much further. True, the striking ability of the weapon will be much less. But since the shurikens were sharpened very carefully, and most often thrown in the face, this was enough to force the enemy to abandon the pursuit or attack.

In the Japanese instructions for shuriken-jutsu, one can find information that an experienced warrior must throw five throwing knives or stars during a standard inhalation / exhalation cycle. According to another old source, five knives were supposed to be thrown in 10-15 seconds.

From my modest practice of ninjutsu, I will notice that throwing shaken stars is much easier and faster. A stack of "stars" is taken, placed on left palm, and the right hand throws them. With proper skill, the "rate of fire" is very impressive. An opponent who has received a series of stars will definitely no longer want to attack. By the way, in films you can often see how shakens are stuck directly into the forehead of the enemy. This has nothing to do with reality. Not every knife will pierce the frontal bone, but there is nothing to say about the “stars”. But despite this, they were still often thrown head-on to inflict bleeding wounds. This is explained very simply - the blood will flood the eyes, blocking the enemy's view. In general, throwing shurikens in the face, they tried to hit the enemy in the eye.

Ninjas and combat "stars"

Shakens were an auxiliary and distracting weapon of the ninja. The main weapon was, of course, the sword. But, sometimes, samurai used kusarikama, although the stars were really popular with medieval Japanese spies. But the ninja did not at all seek to use any weapon. Them main task there was intelligence and espionage, often the murder of a certain person. In any case, it was more profitable for the spy to poison the victim than to arrange a bloody meat grinder, which would certainly attract the attention of the warriors.

Modern schools ninjas say that a true shadow warrior must throw shakens from any position, whether he is standing or running across rough terrain. In addition to throwing, shurikens were used for close combat, as piercing and cutting devices, with their help they cut through the walls in traditional Japanese houses, pick nails or make holes for observation. Shurikens were often hidden in the folds of the ninja's clothing, the way they were worn behind the cuffs of the sleeves was considered especially popular. Like any martial art, shuriken throwing requires concentration and patience.

Throwing weapons have accompanied man since ancient times. The first stone thrown at the mammoth marked the beginning of the evolution of the most incredible flying objects necessary for survival. We will talk about them today. Knives and, and special throwing plates: samples of throwing weapons that have come down to us from time immemorial differ in shape, weight, material from which they are made, range, but they have one thing in common - without a trained hand, it's just a piece of metal.

Martial artists say that in skillful hands it can become a weapon. Of course, people have been using them for hunting since ancient times, but if we consider objects, namely, as weapons: a shaken, an ax, a knife, etc., then here you need to spend some time learning how to use it, learning how to throw it correctly , prepare your own .There are many types of throwing weapons, but today we will consider only four of them.

shuriken

Shuriken (bo-shuriken) - a large forged pin with a sharpened end. it secret weapon ninja. The literal translation from Japanese is a blade hidden in the hand. Shuriken - a weapon of concealed carrying in the form of a steel pin for a swift attack at short distances. The length of the bo shuriken varies from 12 to 21 centimeters, and the weight, from 35 to 150 grams. Shuriken itself can be used not only as a throwing weapon, but also as a weapon. hand-to-hand combat. Traps were set up with shurikens.

There are two main ones that depend on the grip. At the first grip, the shuriken is taken with the sharp end up. This is a relentless throw. At the second grip, the tip of the shuriken turns down - throwing in a half turn.

If you just practice throwing a shuriken to a person who has never done this, then the next day not only his arm, but his whole body starts to hurt. Because it uses the biodynamics of the whole body, starting from the legs, twisting the hips, torso, abs, chest and arms, that is, the work of the whole body is almost completely used.

The task of a fighter when throwing a shuriken is to turn his body into a catapult. The energy of the throw is born in a barely noticeable movement of the legs. The master moves the body forward, giving the hips an impulse of rotation, and only at the final stage the hand is included in this mechanism. That is, practically the hand is the final stage. Practically we are.

Shuriken is most effective when throwing non-reverse. That is, it does not rotate in a vertical plane. Almost everything depends on the distance to the target and the angle of attack.

With any throw, you must instantly determine the distance to the target, determine the position of the target in space, understand your own position in space, and only taking into account all these factors, make a throw. The actual distance to hit a target with a shuriken varies anywhere from two to four meters.

In Japanese martial arts, shuriken has a distracting function. That is, for example, a shuriken is thrown from the left hand, with right hand.

Syaken

The next example of a throwing weapon is a shaken, or, in other words, a ninja throwing star. This is a flat throwing weapon with four to eight rays, really like a star. The diameter of the shaken ranges from five to ten centimeters, and the weight can reach up to 300 grams. Be careful, formally, the use of shakens, like bo-shurikens, is prohibited by the law on weapons, but only when it comes to combat, and not sports. But how to distinguish them - the law does not give an explanation. Although in this case the lack of clear criteria gives a free interpretation of the law on weapons. An expert may or may not recognize a shaken as a melee weapon. And yet, to use such thrown weapons outside the walls sports sections- Not recommended.

Contrary to popular belief, the ninja did not try to cause much harm, but tried to minimize it, and, if possible, avoid collision altogether. Accordingly, the shaken was also a distraction to break the distance and hide. In medieval Japan, clothing was fairly loose. And one of the options for using this clothing was to protect against shurikens and shakens, since a freely hanging fabric is a rather serious obstacle for a shaken, blocking its flight path.

The technique of throwing a shaken can be different. A trained fighter is able to throw throwing star from any position and hit the target. At the same time, you do not need to control which side this throwing weapon will enter the target, and bother with the number of revolutions. In flight, the asterisk rotates around its axis. This rotation causes a phenomenon similar to the action of gyroscopic forces on a top. While the top is spinning, it does not fall. The stronger the impulse of rotation that the fighter's hand transmits to the shaken, the more stable the flight of the throwing star.

To divert attention, you can throw any improvised means, such as metal money, and the effect will be about the same.

Xinbiao - a flexible spear, or a dart on a string

This is a heavy forged blade that is attached to a long rope. With this weapon, you can strike in the manner of unwinding the rope and hitting it flat with a forged blade, or you can spin it and put it forward so that it flies with a tip, and if the target is hit, it pulls back by the rope, and you again remain with your weapon.

Shinbiao is one of the so-called rope spears. The length of historical samples of this weapon reached 20 centimeters, and the mass reached 300 grams. This is a rather serious type of weapon, and, like any flexible weapon, it is extremely difficult to master and takes a lot of time to master.

Unlike shakens and shurikens, which are most effective at a distance of five meters, the range and speed of shinbiao is much higher. The technique of its use is very spectacular and interesting. Allows you to throw it in one direction, pull it out, and immediately, without doing anything else, throw it in the other direction.

Throwing Knife

Only in shape it resembles a classic knife. As a rule, it is a thick, heavy projectile, the weight of which can reach up to 500 grams. Unlike a conventional knife, a sports equipment does not have cutting edge, so the athlete can freely take it by the blade without fear of cutting himself.

In Russia, special requirements are imposed on the knives with which athletes train. The knife should have one-sided sharpening, the blade width should not exceed 6 centimeters and the absence of a stop (guard). This is partly determined by the law, partly by the rules of international competitions.

Man gives it a linear and angular velocity. Both of these parameters must be completely under the control of the athlete. Linear speed is the speed at which the knife moves towards the target. Angular - the speed of rotation of the knife around its axis.

The closer we stand to the target, the closer we take the knife with a grip to the tip. The knife, accordingly, commits more revolutions. The further you move away from the target, the higher you intercept the knife by the blade. At long distances, the knife is taken under the very handle. In this case, the knife spins more slowly. A good, heavy knife made of forged steel, has great speed and penetrating power when thrown. At the same time, even if it hits a harder target than a regular target, such as a metal sheet, it does not blunt.

The mysterious country of Japan gave the world a lot of interesting and useful things - great cars, household appliances, robots (which in the near future will be on the same level as humans). The culture of Japan is diverse, and this is its attractiveness - it is not similar to the traditions and customs of other countries (to be fair, we note that, in principle, all countries are different from each other - this is unique).

Many constantly travel to the Land of the Rising Sun, get acquainted with it, imbued with love and respect for the thousand-year-old traditions. Unlike Western countries, most of the customs of Japan have come down to us almost in their original form. Particular attention is riveted to weapons - traditional, unlike any other in the world. By far the most famous is the katana sword, now a collectible (and once a samurai sword). But Japan came up with other types of weapons, no less terrible and deadly, requiring dexterity and accuracy. Shuriken is one of them. Let's take a closer look at what it is.

Hand throwing a blade

This type of weapon was part of the equipment of the ninja - Japanese mercenaries who had excellent fighting skills, almost supernatural reaction, speed. AT Japanese the word "shuriken" consists of several - shu (hand), ri (release, release), ken (blade, point). In this way, given word can be translated as a hand throwing a blade.

Indeed, the shuriken required superior skill and amazing precision and accuracy. Nowadays, this word refers to all small-sized throwing weapons that can be hidden in clothing.

There are two types of shurikens - syaken (the same famous stars) and bo-shuriken (throwing arrows). Appearance is different, but similar friend on a friend - stars, needles, knives and so on. The reader may ask - why did they make this weapon in such a "star" form? The answer is quite simple - the Japanese (and especially the ninja) believed in mysticism. Some signs were applied to clothes (like crosses on the cloaks of the Templars), to weapons. Why was it easier to make the weapon itself in the form of signs? Thus, the warriors believed that they had powerful forces on their side that would help them in battle.

Origin story

It is very difficult to trace the history of the origin of the unique throwing weapons of the ninja (after all, ninjas do not tell anyone about their secrets). Plus, throwing shurikens like martial art, was secret - only the elite were trained in it. However, there are some facts about the creation of certain types of shuriken that were made for certain ninja families.

There were various forms, sizes - 4-coal, 8-coal, were even in the shape of a triangle. The first mention of shurikens dates back to the 16th century - it was then that a certain throwing projectile made of metal with sharpened sharp edges was first mentioned in Japanese treatises. Until this period, the Japanese threw stones in battle (and quite accurately), then came the turn of small spears (the size of a tip). But it was the shuriken that got all the glory of throwing Japanese weapons.

We note right away that it is, of course, difficult to immediately kill with this weapon - the dimensions do not allow (we are not talking about damage to vital organs, for example, using a shuriken on the enemy’s throat). However, it was not difficult to inflict significant and painful injuries. Warriors of the night - ninja - most often unexpectedly wounded the enemy with a steel "star".

It was possible to cut something or stab in close combat (here death will come for sure - from many small and precise wounds). AT Peaceful time shurikens were used in everyday life - for example, when climbing trees.

Shuriken Glory

But not only this was the success of using shuriken. Indeed, in talented hands, any weapon will be deadly. What was the glory of shuriken? In throwing technique. Even here there were rules that the warriors strictly followed. For example, bo shuriken was thrown with and without a half-turn - future ninjas studied this technique for a long time, practicing each movement in detail.

Even more difficult was the throwing of the shaken - here it was necessary to take into account the shape of the weapon. Here, twisting is needed, which provides a clearer and more accurate movement and accurate hit on the target.

It can be achieved by holding the shuriken by the edges in the direction of the brush. The last type of weapon was thrown one by one at high speed. In total, a warrior could have up to 30 throwing plates, which he used.

Unfortunately, with the advent firearms in Japan (and with it the shuriken) ceased to be used everywhere. After the start, many martial artists went to the front. Not everyone is lucky enough to return from the battlefield. There was no one to teach the intricacies of throwing shuriken.

It would seem that these traditions were doomed to extinction. But the West's interest in Japanese culture and traditions revived the people's interest in throwing weapons again.

New schools of martial arts began to appear everywhere, where young people have the opportunity to touch the secret of shuriken. And of course, last but not least, shuriken received a second "birth" thanks to movies about ninja - invincible warriors of the night, releasing their deadly "stars".