Читать книгу Japanese Throwing Weapons. Mastering Shuriken Throwing Techniques (Downloadable Media Included) онлайн

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The word shuriken (shoo-ree-ken: The Japanese “r” sounds like a soft “d”) is a Japanese term for small pieces of metal used as throwing weapons. They appear quite often in films and on TV, so it’s unlikely that anyone would not recognize their basic form and function, even if it’s only at a superficial level.

Shuriken-jutsu means “hand release blade techniques.” It entails using shuriken in combat, primarily by throwing, but also by cutting or thrusting. For a long time, the practice of throwing shuriken has been most commonly associated with the ninja, but they were not the only users of these weapons. In fact, every Japanese school of martial arts has had, at some point in its history, at least one form of shuriken-jutsu in their teachings.

As a matter of fact, these weapons are not entirely unknown in the west. During the First World War, similar weapons were used as “bomblets” dropped by the hundreds from aircraft over enemy troops.

It is thought that some of the earliest Japanese practices of shuriken-jutsu were examples of warriors throwing their short swords in battle. The samurai carried two or three swords: a long sword, a short sword and a dagger. The odds of striking a fatal blow against an armored opponent by throwing a short sword are very low. It was an unlikely maneuver, but not totally without merit, as practice in throwing the short sword became common. In some cases, even the long sword was thrown.