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shuriken, as well as Ganritsu Ryu techniques from him. He pioneered the use of a throwing needle, about 10cm in length

and w eighing about 2 0gm, which was used in the manufacture of the helmet, armour, and leather mask. The needle,

several of which he wore in his hair, was held between t he middle and f orefinger, and thrown into t he eyes of an

attacker. Apparently, Katono said that if he was able to blind an attacker, there would be no reason to fear them. It was

said that he could throw two needles at a time at a picture of a horse, hitting each hoof in turn. Listed in Iwai Kohoku's

"Hidden Weapons" as using the blade depicted below (see fig 4) called "mesu gata",.

Figure 3. Needle type shurikenof Izu Ryu. (Fujita Seiko "Zukai Shurikenjutsu")

Figure 4. Mesu gatashurikenof Izu Ryu, from Iwai Kohoku's "Hidden Weapons".

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Negishi Ryu

Negishi Ryu was founded by Negishi Nobunori Shorei, a retainer of Joshu Annaka during the last days of the Tokugawa

shogunate. Negishi became a student of Kaiho Hanpei, the second master of Hokushin Itto Ryu sword, after showing

promise with the use of a shinaias a child. He then studied swordsmanship of ot her schools such as Araki Ryu, taught

by his father Negishi Sentoku, and spear of Oshima Ryu, but he returned to Hanpei, eventually becoming the head of the

Kaiho Ryu, and later taught for several years. When the Meiji Restoration ordered the abolition of swords, he became a

farmer, and passed away in 1904. Kaiho Hanpei was also a student of the Katono Ryu shurikenjutsu,and hence we can

see t hat Negishi Ryu descended directly f rom Ganritsu Ryu. The s imilarity in shape between Negishi Ryu blades and

Ganritsu Ryu blades is evident in the bulbous head and tapering shaft. The successor to Negishi Shorei was Tonegawa

Magoroku (also called Tonegawa S onoroku Masatoshi), ( 1850 - 1939), w ho w as succeeded by Kanji Naruse(also

Narusei) (1888 - 1948). For a brief period, 4th headmaster role was pased onto Isamu MaedaSensei, who transferred

the t itle i n 1959 to current headmaster, Satoshi Saito Sensei 1922 - ). In interview, Saito Sensei has stated t hat hissuccessor will be Mr. Yoshimi Tomabechi, but there have also been reports that his successor will be Yoshinori Kono

Sensei. ( to be confirmed). T here is also a r eport that 2nd headmaster, Tonegawa also studied under Shirai Toru

Yoshikane, but this is possibly not true, as Shirai Toru passed away in 1843.

The basic blade shape of the Negishi Ryu is a projectile shaped pen that has an enlarged head and tail, like a slender

bomb ( see fig.4-5), and can weigh between 47 - 74gm. According to Someya Sensei, there are two types, one where

the shaft of the blade narrows in the middle, and widens towards the tail (Type 1 - fig.4), and the other where the shaft

narrows towards the tail, (Type 2 - see fig. 5 ) and sometimes has a eye-hole shaped hook attached to the base. The

Type 1 blades generally have either string, or paper wrapped and held together by lacquer, around the shaft, in order to

create a rough surface which causes friction against the fingers as it leaves the hand. This is to enable the thrower to

limit the forward rotation of the ta il end towards the tip, thus assisting in longer distance flight. The Type 2 blades

generally have animal hair (see fig. 7,below), or a tassle of st rings (see fig. 5, below) attached at the tail end of t heshaft, to create drag in flight, which also assists in straight flight. Mr Shirakami mentions that as the student throws this

type of blade, his throws are at first rather wild, and the long hair assists a straight flight, but over time, the hair wears

off and becomes shorter, while at the same t ime the students t hrow becomes more comfortable and accurate, thus

compensating for the lack of hair.

tional Shuriken schools - an introduction

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Figure 4. Negishi Ryu shurikenType 1, showing tail wrapped in string.

(from the cover of Someya Sensei's book "Shuriken Giho")

Figure 5. Negishi Ryu shurikenType 2 showing tassle attached to tail

(From Otsuka Sensei's Meifu Shinakge Ryu Shurikenjutsu website)

Some people suggest that the wrapping of material around the blade changes the balance of the blade, thus assisting

either a shorter or further distance throw, however the weight shift caused by adding by such material is negligible when

compared to the weight of blade itself and the force used in the throw. The balance of the blade, whether for shorter or

long distance throws is determined rather, by the actual shape of t he blade. As can be seen from the many examples

shown here, the size of the bulbous head and the length of the shaft are what determines the balance of the blade. Thus

it is in the nature of the Negishi Ryu blade whether it i s a long distance or short distance thrower, unlike the Shirai Ryu,

who can throw long or short distance by adjusting the throwing technique, regardless of the nature of the blade.

Figure 6. Negishi Ryu shuriken, Type 2

Figure 7. A shuriken(Type 2) of the Negishi Ryu, showing attached pigskin/hair tail (Click image to view large)

From the collection of Charles V. Gruzanski(photo courtesy of Robert C. Gruzanski, used with permission)

Figure 8. A modern day Japanese made Negishi Ryu blade, with a conveniently constructed knob

on the tail around which a tassel can be more easily fitted.


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Figure 9. A modern, commercially made Negishi Ryu shuriken.

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Shirai Ryu

Shirai Ryu was founded by Shirai Toru Yoshikane, born 1783 in Okayama and died in 1843, aged 61. At the age of 8 he

began to learn swordsmanship under Ida Shimpachiro of Kiji-ryu, and at 14 moved to Tokyo and t rained daily under the

Nakanishi school of Itto Ryu sword, and began teaching in Okayama at 23. Over 9 years his fame spread and he had

over 300 students, but he continued to doubt his ability. In the subsequent years he returned to Edo a number of times to

train with his seniors, until eventually he achieved some sort of major revelation and found peace with his technique. After

this revelation, he added the word Tenshinto the name of his art, thus known as Tenshin Itto Ryu. The style of blade

and throwing method he taught became known as Shirai Ryu. According to Satoshi Saito Sensei, current headmaster of

Negishi Ryu, the Shirai Ryu became a lost art, ie. no-one who practiced it remained alive, and that he began a study of

the art and revived it. Shirai Ryu techniques are now taught by Saito Sensei as part of Negishi Ryu training.( 2) According

to Yoshinori Kono, a lthough Shirai Toru left no official successor, his students "gathered together to practice among

themselves" (3)

The blade of Shirai Ryu is a metal rod 15cm to 25 cm in length and about 5-6mm in diameter. I t is sharpened at one end

and rounded at the other.(see fig. 7-8). They consist of both round and square cross sections, the differences no doubt

due to the origin of their source material - needles for the round type, nails for the square.

Figure 10. Shurikenof the Shirai Ryu

Figure 11. Shurikenof the Shirai Ryu,

From the collection of the late Charles V. Gruzanski

(photo courtesy of Robert C. Gruzanski, used with permission)

***

Other styles and types of shuriken


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There are other less well known styles of shuriken, and a huge variety of blade shapes. Here are some more examples.

Araki Ryu

No information on t heir shurikentechniques available at present. The blade in f ig. 12 s hows t he shape t hought to be

used in Araki Ryu, taken from a screen shot of the Negishi Ryu Shurikenjutsu video produced by the Nihon Budokai,

which is te-yari gata shuriken. A te-yariis a short hand spear, similar to uchine, but not intended to be thrown. It has a

25-30cm blade attached to a wooden haft. The shurikenis named so as it is shaped like the blade portion of the te-yari.

Fujita Seiko has this type of blade listed as belonging to Tanba Ryuand Chishin Ryubelow. To confuse matters, Fujita

Seiko lists only the blade shown in Fig. 14, an Onkobushi(lit. trans. "Yin Fist") as being of the Araki Ryu, and not the

te-yariblade .

Figure 12. An Araki Ryu shuriken, thought to have derived from the "te-yari", a type

of short throwing spear, similar to uchine. About 17cms long.

Figure 13. Hoko gata(spear shaped)shuriken, listed by

Yumio Nawa Sensei as Araki Ryu blades.

Figure 14. Onkobushi(inken?- kanji reading uncertain) of Araki Ryu

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Chishin Ryu

According to M r Shirakami, this s tyle is descended from Takemura Ryu (see below). A student of Takemura, by the

name of I ijima Hyobei ( Iijima I chibei?) f urther de veloped t hese t echniques, which w ere t hen passed on t o D ogen

Tasaemon, who passed it on t o Niki Juemon and t hen on to Asano Denemon, finishing with Tanba Orie Ujinaga (who

presumably was the last headmaster of the art). It is interesting to note that the name of the last headmaster is Tanba,

suggesting a connection between Chishin Ryu and Tanba Ryu, about which nothing is known at this stage. Furthermore,

the throwing style of Musashi was said to be the turning hit, with a tanto-gata(knife shaped blade), whereas the Chishin

Ryu blade in its f inal form is a kugi-gata(nail shaped blade), t o be thrown with the Negishi Ryu style direct hit t hrow.

Under what circumstances did the tanto-gatashurikenof Takemura Ryu change into a kugi-gata s hurikenof Chishin

Ryu? It seems as though there is a discrepancy in the history at some stage.

Someya Sensei describes the blade (see pic below, and also design) in his book, as being 16cms in length. A Chishin

Ryu blade in the author's possession also measures 13.5cms. An interesting feature of the Chishin Ryu stance is that the

right foot is forward as opposed to the left stance used in the majority of the other styles. Also, a distinguishing feature

of the blade itself is the pyramidal finish to the butt end.

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Figure 15. Shurikenof the Chishin Ryu(photo courtesy of Robert C. Gruzanski, used with permission)

Fig.16 Chishin Ryu blade as shown by Fujita

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Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu

According to a student of the Abashiri Dojo in Hokkaido, Sokaku Takeda Sensei was a master of Negishi Ryu shuriken.

Daito Ryu is t he foundation art f rom which Morihei Ueshiba Sensei developed Aikido. Historical sources state t hat

Takeda Sensei carried a pair of metal chopsticks which he was able to throw like shuriken. One source has stated that

Daito Ryu uses the projectile shaped Negishi Ryu blades, although students of Abashiri Dojo are taught shuriken rather

informally at present, and practice with bo shurikenconstructed from large rounded nails 15cm in length (see Fig. 17),

thrown outside against old tatamai, or traditional matting. It seems the art is going through somewhat of a revival in

recent times

Figure 17. Simple bo shurikenmade from nails, used for practice at Abashiri Dojo, Hokkaido.(photo courtesy Giacomo Merello, used with permission)

***

Enmei Ryu

The f amous s wordsman Miyamoto M usashi was reportedly the founder o f this s chool, which involves t hrowing a 40cm

blade, p robably a tanto, o r k nife. There i s a st ory o f a duel be tween Musashi and Shishido, an e xpert o f t he

kusari-gama, a sickle and chain developed specifically to defeat the samurai's sword. As Shishido pulled out his chain,

Musashi threw a dagger and struck him in the chest, killing him. According to Meik Skoss, Enmei Ryu is no longer extant.

Bugei Ryuha Daijiten lists Enmei Ryu as having ajujutsucomponent, added by one of Musashi's students.

Chikatoshi Someya Sensei, late headmaster of Meifu Shinkage Ryu Shurikenjutsu, depicts a tanto-gataas the blade

used in Enmei Ryu.

More information added as it comes to hand.

Figure 18. Shurikenof the Enmei Ryu, tanto-gata, Japanese knives adapted to become shuriken

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Hirano Densho Ryu Toukenjutsu


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This is a modern school, founded by a Mr. Ohmi., who, I believe, was a student of the now defunct Hakkaku Ryu. The

art is characterised by utilising very powerful throws, with both left and r ight hand alternately, and the blades are large ,

heavy (about 150gm), forged and polished with a very sharp edge, to a unique design.

Figure 20. Shurikenof Hirano Densho Ryu. Note highly polished tip.

Iga Ryu

Refers t o a col lection o f t raditional arts, i ncluding j ujutsu and b uki-waza ( weaponry), as w ell as Ninpo, confined

historically to t he Iga-Ueno region in central Honshu, Japan, with close t ies to Koga Ryu, b asically an identical art

confined to the Koga region. I ga Ryu utilised a wide variety of blades in the shuriken component of their art, mainly

shaken, although they do possess a uniquely shaped blade called "Matsuba gata" (Pine needle shaped), or "Enbi-ken"(swallow-tail blade). Along with being thrown as a weapon, the blade served several other functions, much like a pocket

knife.

Figure 21. An illustration of the "Swallow Tail blade" of Iga Ryu, from Fujita Seiko's "Zukai Shuriken jutsu"

Figure 22. The method of holding the "Swallow Tail blade" for throwing.(photo courtesy of Danny Fletcher)

Ikku Ryu, or Ikku-ken

Ikku-ken is the name given to a relatively modern style of shuriken, created in 1965 by modern day shurikenmaster,

and author Shirakami Eizo. Mr Shirakami was born in Tokyo in 1921, sadly passed away in 2001, and although he did

have some students over the years, he apparently left no successor as head of this Ryu. He was a student of Master

Naruse Kanji (d.1948), the 3rd headmaster of Negishi Ryu shurikenjutsu who had also trained in Yamamoto Ryu sword,

and had written a book on Japanese Sabre Fighting after his experiences at war with China at the turn of the century.

Master Naruse was a student o f Y onegawa Magoroku who in turn was a student o f the above mentioned founder of

Shirai Ryu, Shirai Toru. Mr Shirakami began shurikentraining in 1938 under Mr Naruse, and learned both Shirai Ryu and

Negishi Ryu, and combined the blade from the Shirai Ryu with the throwing style of the Negishi Ryu, and formed a new

method, w hich involves a double pointed b lade (see fig. 23), This method overcomes t he problem of positioning t he

blade the right way round in the hand before throwing, giving greater flexibility in distance. Mr Shirakami also learned

kenjutsuof the Hokushin Itto Ryu under his uncle, General Hayashi Senjuro, and archery (including uchine) of the Heki


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Ryu, from another uncle, Miyamura Chizuka.

Figure 23. Shurikenof the Ikku Ryu (to be confirmed)

Click image to view enlarged(photo courtesy of Robert C. Gruzanski, used with permission)

Note: Mr Shirakami writes t hat it was his innovation to make use of the double pointed blade, so one could throw either

Negishi or Shirai Ryu style throws, without having to change one's blade, or without having to adjust the positioning of the

blade in the hand. Are we to assume from this that he developed the double pointed blade? Perhaps something was lostin the translation I am not sure, but the double ended shurikenhas been around for quite some time. This needs some

research.

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Itto Ryu

Itto Ryu Kenjutsu, and several of its substyles, figure heavily in the lives of several prominent innovators of shuriken.

Negishi Shorei, founder of Negishi Ryu Shurikenjutsu, was a student of Kaiho Hanpei, the 2nd headmaster of Hokushin

Itto Ryu. Shorei originally learned Annaka-ha Araki Ryu kenjutsu from his father, Negishi Sentoku, but he also learned

both kenjutsuand shurikenjutsufrom Hanpei. Hanpei, who studied shurikenjutsuunder Katono Izu (Fujita Hirohide), also

studied Itto Ryu under Chiba Shusaku Narimasa, who created the Hokushin line by mixing Hokushin Muso Ryu and

Nakanishi Itto Ryu. Nakanishi Itto Ryu was studied by Shirai Toru Yoshikane, who founded later Tenshin Itto Ryu, and his

shuriken jutsu,although strictly speaking was part of Itto Ryu, came to be popularly known as Shirai Ryu. Itto Ryu is

said to use the round sectioned blade, similar to the subsequent Shirai Ryu style of blade. It is interesting to note that it

is said of Negishi Shorei that he f iled the round needles to make the octagonal blades that is characteristic of Negishi

Ryu.

The throws in both Shirai Ryu and Negishi Ryu utilise a vertical downward action, through the body's centreline, similar to

the sword cut kiri-otoshi, a once secret cutting technique peculiar to Itto Ryu.

Itto Ryu is one of the major influences on kenjutsuthroughout Japanese sword history, and I suspect, although it is not

verified at the moment, that Itto Ryu has also played an important part in the dissemination of the early shurikenart.

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Jitsuyo Ryuor Kobu Jitsuyo Ryu, Chuko Shinkan-Ryu

Not much reliable information on this school available a t pr esent, however Fujita listed i t a mong his l ist of schools i n

Zukai Shurikenjutsu . Jitsuyo means "pragmatic use". The founder was Hirayama Kozosen, (or Hiraiyama Kozo Hisomu,

also Hirayama Gyozo), (1759 - 1828) born into a family who functioned as Iga-gumior guards in the Iga area, and was

succeeded by S oma T aisaku. U nder Saito S andayu he s tudied t he Naganuma school of m ilitary strategy, from

Matsushita Kiyokuro the spear-fighting methods of Oshima-ryu, f rom great w restler Shibukawa Bungoro Tokihide t he

jujutsuand iai-jutsu of Shibukawa-ryu, f rom Yinokami Ryuzaemon the f irearm shooting of Buei-ryu school. Also he

studied h orseback r iding, ar chery an d sw imming. H irayama's sw ord-fencing t eacher w as Y amada M ohei f rom

Shinnuki-Ryu. A lso Yamada w as t he t hird-generation grandmaster of t he Untyu-ryu ( spelling?) s chool of k enjutsu.

Hirayama also studied kenjutsu of other schools, including Shinto Isshin-ryu. Hirayama's treatises "Kensetsu" ("Meaning

of fencing") and "Kentyo" ("Collection about fencing") are the treasure of bujutsu.


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The essence of the system Hirayama described in the beginning of "Kensetsu": "My kenjutsuis served to punish enemies

by death". Tyuko Shinkan-ryu was ultimately combat-oriented and completely negated competitions. Apparently all their

weaponry w as t hick and heavy duty, designed to penetrate armour and d ismount r iders. For t raining f ights t hey used

bamboo shinai, but didn't use protectors. Opponents used standard 1-metre shinai, but students a short sword (only 40

cm with handle!). Fighters of Tyuko Shinkan-ryu tried to immediately came close to enemy and stroke him by sw ord,

hands and legs. Yumio Nawa depicts the blade below as representative of this school.

Fig. 24. Shuriken of Jitsuyo Ryu, about 6 inches in length.

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Kashima-Shinryu

Founded in the late fifteenth century, the Kashima-Shinryu is one of the oldest martial systems in Japan. Although training

focuses on the use of the sword, Kashima-Shinryu is a composite art, consisting of twelve disciplines including kenjutsu,

naginata(halberd); sojutsu(spear), bo(staff) jo(short staff), hojo-jutsu (rope t ying t echniques) a form of grappling

called goshin jutsu, and others, such as shuriken-jutsu. A recent videohas been produced by this school which features,

among a few other obscure weapons, a shurikencomponent.

Fig 25. The Kashima Shin Ryu shurikenis a slightly tapered square blade, about 12cm long,

with an octagonal tapered tip, about 3cm long.

The shuriken of Kashima Shinryu resembles t he b lade of Ryu, i t i s about 1 2cms long, 1 .5cms at its widest point,

tapering down to about 8mm at the tail end. The tip is octagonal, with a 2.5 cm taper.

The method of throw is the choku-da-ho, or "direct hit" method, though the hanare, or exit of t he blade from the hand

differs fr om that of Negishi Ryu. In Kashima Shinryu, the blade is held in a slight angle across the palm, with the tip

resting over the first finger. The throw mimics the kesa-giri, or "collar-cut" style of the sword, but as the blade leaves the

hand, t he hand sl ightly pushes f orward, and t he f leshy p art of t he base of t he t humb pushes against t he t ail, t hus

inhibiting the natural tendency of the blade to turn. For short distance throws, the blade is pushed further up the hand,

towards the fingers, and for longer distance throws, the blade is pushed further down, closer to the centre of the palm.

This method is quite contrasted with the Negishi Ryu method of stroking the tail of the blade with the middle finger as it

leaves the hand.

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Katori Shinto Ryu - Sugino line

A branch of Katori Shinto Ryu under Yoshio Sugino. Sugino sensei was regarded as Japan's last great swordsman, as

was famous for helping the choreography on Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai". Shurikenjutsu is still taught today as part of

the curriculum.


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Yoshio Sugino shihan, 10th dan (1904-1998)

Photo courtesy of Kristoffer Sandven, Yuishinkan Sugino Dojo, Tokyo

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Koden Ryu

A form of ju-jutsu, said to be of Korean origin, extant in Japan as early as 7th Century AD. (Seems very early) Source:

http://www.vpuma.com/styles/jujutsu.html , Finn. T hey are very distinctive in appearance, being called "kunai ga ta".

Kunaicome in a variety of shapes, and appear t o be a rather versatile utility tool, used for purposes such as digging

implements and climbing aids. They were apparently originally used in "kumi-uchi", an early batt lefield grappling art, as a

hand held item for prying open an opponent's armour. Perhaps their use as a throwing weapon was realised, and thus

the technique was passed on and came to be known as Koden Ryu Shuriken. Fujita Seiko shows the following as blades

of Koden Ryu in "Zukai Shurikenjutsu".

Firegure 26. Shurikenof Koden Ryu. From "Zukai Shurikenjutsu"

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Koga Ryu

Refers to the martial systems that were practiced around Koga prefecture, Japan. Probably not a ryuas such, rather a

general term for a number of various arts known to the region. Fujita Seiko was reportedly the last headmaster of this


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system. He died in a car accident with three of his students in the 1960's. Not long before this however, he had donated

a large part o f his martial a rts c ollection, i ncluding shuriken, to the Koga City Ninja Museum. (see also Iga Ryu,

Shingetsu Ryu)

Kukishinden Tenshin Hyoho

Kukishin Ryu is another ancient and comprehensive fighting art that traces its beginnings back to the 1300's, and teaches

a variety of weapons and hand techniques. They use 7.5cm square flat plates of sharpened steel called "teppan", which

are said t o be t hrown against warriors w ith armour, a technique reminiscent of t he tsubuteof ancient times. They are

lozenge shaped with a square hole in the centre, as seen in Fig. 50(r) below. In some of the Kukishin documents there is

mention of such plates reaching up to 12cm in diameter. They also use the "kozuka" or swordsman's utility knife, as wellas normal "bo-shuriken".(FIg. 27)

Fig. 27. A bo shurikenof the Kukishin Ryu, of the needle type called "uchibari" ( )

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Masaki Ryu

In one of his books, Yumio Nawa Sensei, current headmaster of Masaki Ryu Manrikigusari jutsu,pictures this blade as

being of the school, however this may be an error in publication.A student of Nawa Sensei has confirmed that this is a

typographical error, as Masaki Ryu, by tradition, does not include shuriken jutsuas part of the school.

Fig 28.

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Meifu Shinkage Ryu

This style was founded by Chikatoshi Someya Sensei, who began training as a boy in Katori Shinto Ryu from the 1930's

to the 1970's. Shuriken jutsuwas his forte among the buki wazaof the Katori Shinto, and he made some modificationsand formed his own style in the 1970's, thus giving the art its current name. He was also a shurikenresearcher, having

investigated a number of t echniques and t ypes of blades used in various ryu. Someya Sensei passed away in June

1999, and is succeeded by Yasuyuki Otsuka Sensei, who trained under Someya Sensei since 1980 and now runs a dojo

with about 30 st udents in Japan, and also manages the Meifu Shinkage Ryu website. It is one of only 3 ryu specifically

devoted to the shurikenarts, the o ther two being Negishi Ryu and Ikku Ryu, although with the passing of Shirakami

Sensei in 2001, it is not certain whether there are any Ikkyu Ryu students or schools in existence.

Chikatoshi Someya Sensei depicts blades and throwing methods at length in his book, "Shuriken Giho", in Japanese.

Someya Sensei was trained in Katori Shinto Ryu, w ho utilise a variety of blade shapes. However, he introduced the

blades below, resembling those of Shirai Ryu, for beginners to practice with, as they are easier to learn the basics with.

They practice the direct hit method of throw up to 7m distance, beyond that they practice the turning hit method, and

advanced practitioners throw a w ide variety of blade shapes, in a variety of throws, including "Chinese Fist method".

There is a video available hereon this art.


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Figure 29. Shurikenof Meifu Shinkage Ryu Large image available here [ 1](author's collection)

Figure 30. Shuriken of Meifu Shinkage Ryu [view larger]

These blades are 7mm in thickness and 15cm long.(photo courtesy of Danny Fletcher, used with permission)

***

Mou En Ryu

The founder was Koshiba Soubei, and it appears the art may have originated in China. This fact seems to be confirmed

by several sources when taken together suggesting that the long tapering shape of the Mou En Ryu blade derived from a

triangular Chinese dart, although the blade is termed kugi gataas it is made from wakugi, the traditional nail. Someya

Sensei in his book "Shuriken Giho" states t hat the art is "touden" ( ) - ie. originated in China, and shows the blade

for this art as seen in fig. 31. The blade shown appears to have a triangular cross section, however Otsuka Sensei said

in personal communication that it is square, and triangular blades were not generally known, due to a certain difficulty inthrowing them. The example shown here is 16.7cms long. In Fig. 28, the top example is 13.3cms

Fujita Seiko, in his book "Zukai Shurikenjutsu" depicts Mou En Ryu blades as seen in Fig. 32, which exhibits square cross

sections. In "Ancient Chinese Hidden Weapons" by Douglas H. Y . Hsieh, a t riangular throwing dart is described, w hich

has a two sharp edges that meet at the point, and a third dull edge at the rear (see also Teihozan Ryu, below). This dull

edge sits in the palm, and the blade is thrown under-arm, palm forward, with the tip pointing outwards towards the

target. This description may well suggest the reason for the unusual triangular butt end of some Mou En Ryu blades, and

therefore show a derivation from the Chinese. However, the method of throwing in M ou En Ryu is not known at this

stage, so it is still difficult to accurately compare the Ryu with Chinese sources.

Fig.31. A blade of the Mou En Ryu, as depicted in Someya Sensei's "Shuriken Giho"

Fig. 32. Mou En Ryu blades as depicted in Fujita Seiko's "Zukai Shurikenjutsu".Note that the cross section for these blades is square, confirming Otsuka Sensei's coments above.

***

Mouri Ryu

Named after its founder, Mouri Gentaro Gentatsu who apparently was a cripple and practiced throwing 15cm nails at

sparrows as a child. He later dueled with Yagyu Jubei, and carried 36 blades, 18 in each hand. (There is an account of

this duel with Yagyu Jubei somewhere, I am presently searching for i t. There is some suggestion that this account is

actually fictional, appearing in a work of fiction and misunderstood to be an historical event. - Jason)

***


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Otsuki Ryu

Yasuda Zenjiro, a master of Otsuki Ryu Kenjutsu from Hiroshima recounts that his teacher, Okamoto Munishige, an Edo

period samurai of the Aizu domain used shurikenon a number of occasions during his employment in the Shogunate's

security force. He r eportedly carried around 1 2 blades in various places, including t he koshita, or back flap of t he

hakama. - no longer extant (Skoss)

***

Ryusei Ryu

There are several mentions of this school, but no information can be found on them at present. The blade said to be ofthis school is depicted below with the Yagyu Ryu examples, Ryuseiis a Japanese word for comet.

***

Shinei Ryu

This style of shuriken jutsuwas formed by Isamu Maeda Sensei (also known as Shinei Maeda, his martial arts name)

based on his training in Negshi Ryu and Shirai Ryu under Kanji Naruse Sensei. Maeda Sensei was due to be next

headmaster of the Negishi Ryu after Naruse, but passed the title on to Satoshi Saito Sensei, during the 1950's. Maeda

Sensei felt his style wasn't representative of Negishi Ryu, and therefore should not be headmaster, however his throwing

style was rather distinct, if not unusual, in that he seemed to make very little arm movement while throwing. Video

footage shows Maeda Sensei holding and throwing blades in what is called the "Chinese Fist" method, and was able to

accurately throw blades well into his later life. Reportedly, Shinei Ryu is still taught, under the auspices of a Master

Teranaka, in Osaka. It appears this style of shuriken jutsuis taught as part of the Itosu-kai Shito Ryu karate curriculum.

Shingetsu Ryu

This shurikenart was reportedly passed onto Manzo Iwata Sensei of Shito-Ryu by Seiko Fujita Sensei, in 1948. Fujita

Sensei was the 14th headmaster of Koga Ryu Ninjutsu, and the author of several historical books on various traditional

arts. In his "Zukai Shurikenjutsu", he mentions that the founder of this art was Fujiwara Naritada, and depicts the

Shingetsu Ryu blade, of similar length to Shirai Ryu blades, but thicker, with a rounded sides..

Fig.33. Bo shurikenof the Shingetsu Ryu. Note that the thickness increases towards the tip.

***

Shosetsu Ryu

Founded by Yui M inbu no suke Tachibana Shosetsu, t his art is said to use a kogai, or o rnamental ha irpin as i ts

representative blade.

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Shosho Ryu

Shosho Ryu Yawarajutsu is a old school of jujutsu, based in Iwate-ken (prefecture), that also includes sword, staff and

rope tying t echniques, and possesses a shurikencomponent. Details are scanty, but it appears they used tanto-gata

(knife-shaped blades) in the manner of Enmei Ryu, of Musashi Miyamoto.

***

Takemura Ryu

This school was founded by Takemura Yoemon Tsunenori who was the adopted son of Miyamoto Musashi. It is said he

was very skilled with the sword, and the shuriken, and that he once demonstrated his skill by throwing a 40cm dagger at

a peach floating on a river, piercing it to the core. Fujita Seiko, in his Shurikenjutsubook depicts the blade as the type of

tantoshown in Fig. 34 below:



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Figure 34. Tanto gata shurikenof Takemura Ryu

Fujita Seiko also illustrates this blade shown in Fig. 33 below as being of the Takemura Ryu. (This is the same type of

blade thrown by O-Ren Ishii, the female mafioso in the movie "Kill Bill", but with a tassle attached). According to Iwai

Kohaku, in his "Hidden Weapons" book, this blade is a Kankyuto gata ( ) shuriken.According to the kanji, this

translates as "pierce a decapitated head". It is possible this example is the spike used to e ither pick up a decapitated

head and present it t o the presiding official at executions, or to act as a support to which an identifying label is attached

and iserted into the head on display, not, as has been suggested, the kogai. A similar item to theKankyutois the uma

bari, ( lit. horse needle), which is a utility needle used to either pierce boils in the horse's skin, or the let blood from the

swollen veins in the horse's legs caused by overwork, or possibly to clean objects from under the hoof. They are usually

classified together and thought to be the same, however technically, the kankyu-to possess a sharp knife edge hence

the character -to, w hereas the uma bariis, as the name suggests, needle shaped, usually being round with a sharp

point.

Fig 35. Kankyuto gata shuriken, also of Takemura Ryu.

Fig. 36. "Uuma bari". From Iwai Kohoku's "Hidden Weapons"

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Tamiya Ryu Kenjutsu

This school of swordsmanship also contains shurikenthrowing techniques as part of its curriculum, no doubt as an"assimilated art". Viewing a demonstration on video, the style appears very similar to Katori Shinto Ryu. More

information needed to confirm this.

***

Tanba Ryu

Little is known of this school at present, although Fujita Seiko shows the blade below as belonging to both Tanba Ryu

and Chishin Ryu. It is interesting to note that the last headmaster of this school is named Tanba, and this blade, along

with the blade shown above in the section on Chishin Ryu, are both listed together by Fujita Seiko as Chishin Ryu AND

Tanba Ryu. It is my suspicion that Tanba Ryu and Chishin Ryu are synonymous, and that the error is caused by the fact

that the teachers name was Tanba, and the art's name was Chishin. See also Araki Ryuabove

Figure 37. Shurikenof the Tanba Ryu, from "Zukai Shurikenjutsu".

Tatsumi Ryu

This school is a comprehensive martial art founded by Tatsumi Sankyo around the mid 1500's, and still operates today.

It teaches a complete range of weaponry, including shuriken, as well as battlefield and martial strategies. Details about

the shurikenin this Ryu are scarce at present, though I suspect shurikentraining was introduced into the art at a later

date. The photo below shows a blade currently used in the Tatsumi Ryu. It is 12.6 cms long and weight 90 grams. At its

base, it is 17mm wide, and 12mm thick. This blade is rather interesting in that it's cross section is somewhat diamond


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shaped, being flattened along one axis. This is possibly due to the nature of the source material used to make the blade.

Figure 38. Shuriken of the Tatsumi Ryu(photo courtesy of Danny Fletcher)

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Teihozan Ryu (Tsutsumi Hozan Ryu)

Teihozan is an alternate reading for the name of the school's founder, Tsutsumi Yamashiro no kami Hozan. Tsutsumi

Hozan Ryu is a 15th centuryju-jutsu art that included a form of grappling called yoroi kumi uchi, which involves grapplingin armour, as well weapons such as kenjutsu and kusari-gama(sickle and chain). Hozan Ryu is sometimes mistakenly

called a school of Kendo, but this is untrue. When the Kendo katawere be ing f ormulated, s pecific t echniques w ere

incorporated f rom a variety of e xisting Ryuwhich contained a kenjutsucomponent. Tsutsumi Hozan Ryu w as one of

these schools, and it was the Hachiten Giritechnique f rom Hozan Ryu, borrowed and used, along with techniques f rom

others schools, to form the first standardised set of Kendoforms.

Little is known about the shuriken component o f t he Ryu at this stage. Fujitadepicts the blade shape shown below as

being the blade of this school. It is interesting to note that this blade shape is similar to the Chinese flying dart, called Fei

Biao(see History). See also Moen Ryu, above for similar triangular shapes in blades.

Figure 39. A Shurikenof the Tsutsumi HoZan Ryu.

***

Tendo Ryu Naginata-jutsu(Tendo Ryu Heiho)

Tendo Ryu also includes shuriken, although there are apparently very few people who know these techniques. Naginata

is practiced against sword, where the uketachifor the tachiside, and shidachifor the naginataside. Tendo Ryu also

includes Nito, Joand kusarigama, all of which are matched against t he tachi, and the sword against sword kata have

apparently been lost. In some of the earlier kata, too, techniques for kaiken and tanto are included as well.There were

apparently even some yari techniques, too.. The later weapons are only taught to older high ranking students.

***

Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-Ryu

This style is one of the most famous martial arts of Japan, with a long and distinguished history. I t is a composite art

consisting of many weapons, sword and shurikenincluded. As with many other schools, the shurikenwas taught as part

of the techniques for sword. There are descriptions of two different blades. One is a blade with hexagonal cross-section,

(fig. 38) but most are the square sectioned type shown in fig. 40 - 42. It is thought the throw of Katori Shinto Ryu is that

of the "direct hit" method, as of Negishi Ryu, which explains the similarity in shape of the example in fig. 38 to those of

Negishi Ryu. The variations in shape of these types of blades (excluding hashishaped) are due to the balance of weight


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along the length of the blade. The ones shown in fig. 40 have their weight balanced close to centre, fig. 38 the weight is

forward, and in fig. 39 top, the weight is to the rear. These variations in weight balance affect the blades rotation in

flight, therefore determining whether a blade is more suitable for a short, middle, or long distance throw. This theory is

identical to that of Negishi Ryu, and it suggests that the two arts are more closely linked than previously thought.

Figure 38.

Figure 39. Top Shurikenof Katori Shinto Ryu, middle Chishin Ryu, nottom. Ikku Ryu.

Figure 40. Authentic Katori Shinto Ryu shuriken, on display at the Katori Shrine.

These blades were offered to the shrine by the school in 1890.

Figure 41. Authentic Katori Shinto RyuShurikenfrom the collection of Chikatoshi Someya Sensei, now

in the possession of Yasuyuki Otsuka Sensei.

(photo courtesy of Danny Fletcher)


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Figure 42. Shuriken of the Katori Shinto Ryu from the collection of the late Charles V. Gruzansky.(photo courtesy of Robert C. Gruzansky, used with permission)

Figure 43. A set of Katori Shinto Ryu shurikencopies, made by myself following the

pattern of a blade given to me by Otsuka Sensei. Length has been extended to

17.8cm, thickness is 8mm.

According to school documents called the "Mokuroku Heiho no Shinsho", Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu contains the

following shuriken jutsutechniques in their curriculum:

1. Omote no shuriken - 7 kajo (Basic techniques - 7 teachings)

2. Gogyo no shuriken - 8 kajo (Higher techniques - 8 teachings)

3. Gokui no shuriken - 9 kajo (Secret techniques - 9 teachings)

***

Tsugawa Ryu

The blade used by this style is a large, double pointed spatulate b lade, called by some a teppan, and by ot hers a

ryobari-gata shuriken, or ryohashi tsurugi-gata shuriken, as it has two points that are similar to the double edge straight

sword called tsurugi. Some groups use teppanto signify a large lozenge senbantype blade. The word teppanmeans

"plate metal", so the label is not incorrect for both. I heard a report that this pattern is similar in shape to a part of the

traditional armour, and that in battle it was known to be removed and used as a throwing weapon. Perhaps this is the

reason for the unusual shape of the blade.

Fig. 44. The Tsugawa Ryu shuriken, a double ended blade.

***

Yagyu Ryu

A famous kenjutsu s tyle f ounded by K amiizumi I se n o K ami N obutsuna, an d passed t hrough t he Y agyu f amily.

Successive generations of Yagyu lords served the Tokugawa shogunatefor many years. Someya Sensei depicts the

Yagyu Ryu shuriken blade a s a 4 pointed hira s huriken, a s well as a 2 nd t ype, s imilar in s hape t o Negishi Ryu's


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"projectile" shaped blades, but with the tail end having a star shaped cross-section, much like the fletchings on an arrow.

This is the style of shurikenthat was presented to the French Government on a diplomatic mission during the 1800's,

and was the basis for the French designed "flechette", a piercing weapon dropped at height from aeroplanes, used in

World War I. They were dropped in bundles of 3500 to 4000 from an altitude of 2000m, and achieved a velocity of 150m

per second, enough to pierce through body of a man, and the horse he sat on.

Figure 45a& b. Shuriken of the Yagyu Ryu, Type 1 (Click to enlarge)(photo courtesy of Robert C. Gruzanski, used with permission)

Figure 46. Shurikenof the Yagyu Ryu, Type 2. (Click to view enlarged)

(From Otsuka Sensei's Meifu Shinkage Ryu Shurikenjutsu website)

Figure 47. This "ju-ji" (Japanese: number 10 shaped) shurikenis listed

in Fujita Seiko's Shurikenjutsu book as being a Yagyu Ryu blade, however

in Nihon Kobudo's video on shurikenit is referred to as a Ryusei Ryu blade.

The kanjiin the top right do not specify Yagyu Ryu either.


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***

Isu Ryu

Quite possibly a variant of the spelling of Izu Ryu (See Katono Ryuabove).

Blades of the various schools - hira shuriken, orshaken

Generally these blades were of Ryu used by the various clans of Ninja.

Figure 49. Some disc or star-shaped shuriken, or shakenfrom various Ninjutsu schools.

From top left, examples 1,3, and 4 are shurikenof t he Koga and Iga Ryu. 5, 6. Kobori Ryu, 7. Yagyu Ryu or Ryusei

Ryu, 8. Koden Ryu, Shosho Ryu, 10 is from Yagyu Ryu and Koga Ryu.

Figure 50. Some throwing stars from various schools and sources.

from the collection of the late Charles V. Gruzanski (Used with permission, Robert C. Gruzanski)


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Figure 51. A variety of shaken, including hira shuriken,and senban shuriken (top right), throwing

blades from

the collection of Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi, current Head Master of Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu. Of interest is the

rough rounded black object next to the large centre item. It is a tsubete which is a flat, round rock...perhaps

a very early pre-cursor to the shaken.

Figure 52. A selection of shurikenfrom the collection of Charles V. Gruzanski (Click image to enlarge)

(photos courtesy of Robert C. Gruzanski, used with permission)

The star and cross shaped shuriken, known as hira shuriken, orshaken,use an entirely different principle in f light than

do the bo shuriken, as they spin at a rapid rate, and have multiple points which can make contact with the target. There

seems to be some dispute over t he method of throwing. Dr Hatsumi, current Head Master, or 34th sokeof Togakure

Ryu Ninjutsu, shows throwing t he shurikenas one would throw a small "frisbee", that is, the blade is held horizontally,

parallel to the ground, between the thumb and first finger. The wrist makes a flicking action forward as the arm

straightens out in front of the thrower's stomach. Several shurikenare held cupped in the left hand like a stack of coins,

and are passed to the right hand in rapid succession. Shirakami Eizo however, states that this method is wrong, and that

the blade is held and thrown vertically, in much the same way as a bo shuriken. (see fig. 53, below)

Figure 53. Holding a hira shurikenof the Ninjutsu schools. (1) shows an incorrect method


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Both types of throw are feasible, however, the latter method can generate much more power. See herefor more details

on throwing shaken.

Finn: Michael Finn Martial Arts: A Complete Illustrated History, "One of the earliest schools of jujutsu, dating back to the

seventh century, was called Koden Ryu ... Much of their inspiration derived from Korea."

2. Interview with Satoshi Saito in "Sword & Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan Vol. 2" Koryu Books, 1999(back)

3. Kono, Yoshinori (1996). Toru Shirai: Founder of Tenshin Shirai Ryu in "Aikido Journal" #108 p.43


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