Ninja Weapons VS Samurai Armour: Would Samurai Armour Keep You Safe?

[@RingsOfSolace]

As an English native speaker, I have never seen the word "Muppet" used with such animosity. You have truly achieved a mastery of my language, my polyglot sir.

[@vargenfenrisson1164]

Then you dont want to know how Swedes use words like that hahaha would blow your mind xD

[@marcopohl4875]

that's what a muppet would say, you muppet!

[@sunte91]

@@vargenfenrisson1164 indeed

[@maelewnchief5156]

Muppet is used psychologically. Applied to those who cannot function in the society they find themselves in. It will take several years or decades to restore them to a semblance for normalcy. This too depends on the econ-political system they belong.

[@tllaw]

If one ninja is a shinobi no mono, are two ninjas shinobi no stereo?

[@Phasma_Tacitus]

And 5 are shinobi no surround 5.1

[@inhibitedhat5959]

@@Phasma_Tacitus lol

[@windhelmguard5295]

shinobi no duo.

[@ArkadiBolschek]

That goes without saying.

[@laterreurrouge1917]

Shinobi no dolby

[@chabis]

Keep your friends close but your enemies even closer. At least if your sword is short and he is armoured.

[@rikantasmarcinonis9651]

Aaaahh So that's the meaning of this quote... lmao

[@j.d.j9574]

It's crazy to see the growth of your channel over the years and quality gets better and better. Keep it up And the comedy is gold

[@Testosterooster]

Can't wait for you to react to the new show coming up on Netflix "Age of Samurai Battle for Japan"

[@valvexe1238]

wut didnt noticed that somethins like this is comming up. Is there a relase date?

[@megaoptamas759]

Feb 24th. all the armor is Iron mountain armory. Which is amazing! we’re gonna see period armor and weapons!

[@thelaundryman9287]

Is it live action or animated?

[@shogunaldeputy1500]

@@valvexe1238 season 1 comes onto Netflix in 4 days

[@sepehrniknam9069]

It would be a new debunking video

[@doktordanomite9105]

I would love a grounded realistic show following a ninja from assignment to assignment not a bunch of violence but a bunch of high stakes spy work.

[@mondaysinsanity8193]

Yeah maybe only have a actual fight like very rarely like a season finale kinda thing and he mostly tries to escape

[@shaolin1derpalm]

Watch the old Japanese movie Shinobi no mono.

[@rihaanparakkal6599]

Oh my God your friend spins around like a Hollywood ninja too well, bro

[@MarcusH.Valentine]

Thank you 🙏 🤟🏻🤟🏻

[@igorvoloshin3406]

0:00 Oh no! Don't die Metatron, we need you!

[@ycplum7062]

A tanto is extremely effective when the armor is gorgeously displayed up on a stand and the samurai is comatose from a night of heavy drinking.

[@mondaysinsanity8193]

Let me direct you to the ancient jutsu of hiding in the shitter to stab him in the ass

[@arumatai]

jep tactics rule!

[@lukesheridan4623]

@@mondaysinsanity8193 a shitnobi?

[@mondaysinsanity8193]

@@lukesheridan4623 it's worth noting this is a real historical assassination (well somebody said it was true back in history atleast and wrote it down

[@John2r1]

@@mondaysinsanity8193 They where not assassin's they where spies with combat training whom knew where the gaps in the armor was because many of them were Samurai. So a combination of stealth training which is actually what traditional Ninjutsu is . And knowledge of the gaps in Samurai armor from the fact that many were Samurai and even the retainers who where not did train with Samurai generally of lower rank but still they had the knowledge required to do their job efficiently. Usually it wasn't assassination. Japanese culture is very honor bound. Killing someone in their sleep is frowned upon by society.

[@alexandersarchives9615]

2:45 I never noticed that your katana has the Metatron’s cube on it... Sick!

[@dragonthumbs7727]

"What's a Ninja?" "Just a fairy tale, they don't exist"

[@metatronyt]

Historical ninja did exist, unless you are quoting something I don't know

[@dragonthumbs7727]

@@metatronyt Ninja the protector - i'd recommend it if you want a hilarious movie experience.

[@metatronyt]

@@calaveracode4235 I beg to disagree ;)

[@WillianKazmierczak.A]

@@metatronyt where did you buy that historically correct helmet?the imperial roman helmet ?

[@ITBEurgava]

@@metatronyt maybe he meant the term "ninja". Didn't history says "rappa" or "shinobi", equivalent of spy?

[@asloii_1749]

damn that transition to the sponsor was genius

[@metatronyt]

Glad you liked it

[@danamoral3666]

My ninja in shogun 2 trying to kill daimyo,but always failing and revealing himself. 0:08

[@wilhelmu]

this is the quality content I subscribed for

[@Pasakoye]

this is the quality content I BELL(

[@Goldenleyend]

Going around stabbing yourself for no reason is the most ninja thing I've ever seen 😂

[@LeannaLuna]

No its not

[@LeannaLuna]

Thats not a ninja thing at all

[@Goldenleyend]

@@LeannaLuna Listen kid, many times on you will see adults say things that seemingly don't make any sense. In that case its best not to get involved until you can understand it.

[@LeannaLuna]

@@Goldenleyend okay that makes sense but a ninja wouldn't stab himself

[@sukarmatakamu]

@@LeannaLuna Naruto?

[@rhawkas2637]

You were having way too much fun with that prop tanto in the beginning. XD

[@CAP198462]

You know you watch too many Metatron videos when you can’t hear Julius Seesar without reflexively saying “Gaius Iulius Caesar Augustus.”

[@nikoszaxarias5200]

Hello, friend, and thank you SO MUCH for this subject, as I love the Ninja culture. As I have done Okinawa Karate in my youth (from my 9 till my 19 years), I have to say that you were absolutely correct about the Okinawa kobudo weapons: they are meant mostly to incapacitate, not to kill. In Okinawa (and in whole Japan, I think), the common people were not allowed to carry any style of weapon, even if it were a simple stuff, that's why they developped a weaponless martial art (Karate means literally "empty hand", without a weapon) and every weapon that is used in Kobudo was derived from everyday tools. Kamarigatsu is mostly seen as a tool used to climb walls rather than a weapon. Of course, the tanto was the best weapon, as a Ninja was an expert in infiltration, so he was used in carrying weapons small in size, so as to be able to hide them in his clothes or weapons easy to throw, like daggers and shuriken. The two most prominent choices were the kama, the most common agricultural tool in whole East Asia, and the tanto. Sensei Masaaki Hatsumi, who was the man under the reveal of the historical Ninja (or Shinobi), has said that the tanto was the most prominent weapon used. And I state three very famous (or notorious, if you want to call them so) Ninjas, Hattori Hanjo Masashige, Momochi Sandayu and Fujibayashi Nagato-no-Kami. Of them, Hattori Hanjo Masashige was considered a master with the yari. Have a nice time, mate, and I expect to have more information about those strange and extraordinary people.

[@sasavlaisavljevic824]

I really like your simple sense of humor! Stabbing yourself with that knife multiple times and putting your face in front of the camera was pretty hilarious, at least in my opinion.

[@steffent.6477]

Thanks for the break. i really needed it after hours of physic and chemistry exam learning.

[@JinnKyu-dt1hk]

"Unless hes a complete idiot." This killed me😂

[@dvmpld9103]

So a ninja were like those three guys from Kurosawa's Kagemusha, trying to find out if Shingen was really dead

[@ArkadiBolschek]

Yes! :D

[@JosephKerr27]

Yes, but that's only for story purposes. They talk too much. In the Bansenshukai, it talks of never revealing yourself, even to allies, as they can become enemies in times of turbulence.

[@robertcaseydavis]

I learned on Langfocus that the word "ninja" came from China and was adopted in Japan. *The more you know!*

[@juncheok8579]

I think I heard from somewhere that "ninja" has the same kanji as "shinobi no mono" but just pronounced in "Chinese pronunciation"

[@GallowglassAxe]

Historically speaking the word "ninja" was never used to describe what we would all ninjas. They were refer to as Shinobi no mono or Shinobi. Though Shinobi is actually a verb but its in the same way we use vikings when viking is actually a verb. Though I do not know where there word ninja comes from but I'm sure Antony Cummins would have the answer in one of his many videos on the Samurai and Ninja History channel.

[@markhorton3994]

Is it coincidence that mono in Spanish means monkey and ninja climb like monkeys?

[@lucascastro2802]

@@markhorton3994 yes

[@surgeonsergio6839]

*Thanks, now I know what to use against a Samurai in case my cover gets blown. Wish me luck!*

[@rosiello5100]

When I practiced HEMA we loved to train this kinds of scenarios, and the overall conclusion is that, if you're facing an armored enemy, running is always the best option. Even if armor doesn't encumber a person that much, if you're unarmored you're still capable of running faster and for longer than an armored opponent; but if you have to fight for your life, trying to get in close quarters, and engaging with a short weapon is the next best thing. Knives and daggers are immensely practical weapons, easy to maneuver, easy to control and don't require much training to be effective (as opposed let's say a sword). Of course this line of action isn't easy at all; the armored opponent still has a huge edge on you. Even trying to throw them down and engage in ground fighting could turn in their favour just because of the masses involved, but I think you still a better chance than fighting with a staff or any kobubo weapon.

[@itsmemaryo1615]

It would be cool if you can make a collab with "Let's ask Shogo - Your Japanese friend in Kyoto" his content about Japanese history is very interesting. He has a video about different names of shinobi depending on regional dialects, and he did also state that the term ninja is a modern term.

[@eyeballpapercut4400]

You stole the words from my mind lol

[@simonemastrovito6315]

Best strategy against a fully armored samurai? Kanabo strike to the head, or (as I like to call it), a good ol' KanaBONK. If that fails, consider throwing a couple of grenades

[@carlos930610]

If that also fails, consider blowing up with c4

[@Goldenleyend]

Shoutouts to Marcus with the ninja weapon demonstrations, that was awesome

[@MarcusH.Valentine]

Thank you

[@samtheman9002]

The thing is a lot of the shinobi were samurai they were kind've like a special operations unit that had a lot of different skills that convential forces didn't. It's like you said some shinobi were spies, some were saboteurs, some were used on the battlefield, some were used for assassination but rarely as any thug could usually be hired for that, unless it was a heavily guarded castle that required a more specialized skill set. The most professional shinobi came from Iga and Koga during the sengoku jidai and were used by the Shogunate in various missions and later on in the Edo period as bodyguards and spies on other Daimyo's. After the Boshin War the Japanese military became more westernized and the role of the shinobi was transitioned to intelligence and special operations roles. The reason we know very little about them was because they were very secretive and there were very few of them after the Oda clan conquered Iga and Koga their numbers continued to decline as Japan was in a state of peace for over 200 years and there was little need for their skill set.

[@GallowglassAxe]

Antony Cummins of the Samurai and Ninja History Channel is really an unsung hero when it comes to this topic. Many of the videos that Metatron and Shad made about ninjas comes from his book. Shad even has one of of Antony's books on his shelf when he makes a video (The orange one on the bottom shelf). I like in the Natori Ryu style they talk about using a pot or boiling water to take on a more powerful opponent.

[@stax6092]

I really do think that the Sai is valid because it unlike the other weapons makes it easier to actually disarm the opponent. It's guard is made not only to protect the hand but has enough space that when it's turned gives you more disarm capability. Also I had learned somewhere that the "Ninja" used crushed glass in small breakable items to throw in the face of people for an easy get away. Excellent video.

[@chrislowes540]

Speaking as someone who has studied and practiced with Sai their great value as a weapon is the ability to control an opponent's weapon. With practice a sai can effectively neutralise a katana.

[@juncheok8579]

You forgot the best throwing weapon: blinding powder Blinding powder + tanto = win

[@doktordanomite9105]

Only with the wind at your back.

[@juncheok8579]

@@doktordanomite9105 I heard that it would be incased in eggshells so I don't think it matters, but I'm not sure

[@yewtewbstew547]

@@juncheok8579 That would be better but it could still blow back on you once the shell breaks. It happens to riot police all the time and they fire theirs from paintball guns lol.

[@juncheok8579]

@@yewtewbstew547 hmm, I see. Actually, originally I was imagining an indoors scenario, thus I didn't take wind into account

[@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight]

@@yewtewbstew547 There needs to be a comedy sketch of a ninja getting backfired by his own smoke bombs 😆

[@blackknight5004]

Short ranges weapons like the tanto were also great for attcking under the armpit and inner thigh where the armour is limited to mail or cloth. A Bo is a heavy weapon and would be capable of damaging through some of the armour. (Probably not through the shoulder gaurds). There is traditional grappling style that deals with fighting against armour to get someone onto the ground so you can stab them with something pointy. Shurikens were fantastic to hid in your hands especially in the dark. Use them to stab arms legs when your opponent doesnt realise you have them. When thrown, it was mostly useful as a distraction to escape.

[@planescaped]

Yeah, I do notice a lot of people seem to think of a sai as a weapon. The Sai and Jitte were more like a police truncheon than a weapon. I notice a lot of people also tend to confuse martial arts weapons as weapons of war when they were an entirely different class altogether. There could be overlap, but there were some weapons not really meant to be used in true combat and more as an exercise in martial dexterity and skill.

[@mrpolskija]

The samurai is wearing armor not for whatever reason, but because he's The Metatron and he's gone shopping groceries.

[@SovereignAUS]

Just today I was thinking to myself "I hope Metatron does a video on a Japanese subject soon" and my prayers have been answered.

[@jarnMod]

Paper armor howto Make a piece of paper. Fold it 6 and a half times and arrange the folding face out. When an attack hit, the paper will fold but paper cannot be folded 7 times so the physics will be broken and a blackhole will suck everyone in

[@jotape5681]

Excelent video! It would me interesting to go deeper on the ninja vs samurai trope, as some people thinks that the ninja would easily prevail, because they were able to "play dirt" and to use more diverse weapons and strategies, wereas the samurai would fight under a victorian concept of honour and couldn't use tricky weapons or strategies, because they had a code and stuff. That is inaccurate, ancient bushido wasn't about that, moreover it was even different from the modern concept of budo.

[@Ryan-dp4rs]

Indeed! The concept of honor to the samurai was about serving your lord, whatever the cost, not about only engaging in 1 on 1 combat. There are many examples of samurai "playing dirty" with ambushes and assassinations.

[@gonzachambi3937]

6:50 Franco Nero was an Italian actor, he performs a ninja movie called Enter the ninja. So that moment makes me remember him. As always your videos are the best combination of unbelievable knowledge, in a very practical way, with an unique touch of humour.

[@Laskadeo]

You didn't cover smoke bombs and Shuko. But seriously would love to know about assassins poison usage. Would like a episode about traditional Japanese poisons.

[@cristopherberroamartich2589]

was about to comment something similar, now I don't have to, thanks xd

[@kyleheins]

Agreed, actual poisons of ancient japan and their uses/mode of delivery would be super interesting.

[@ironfistovwudang3485]

You went to town on this video man, i don't have any interest in ninja at all but thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks mate

[@karolrawski410]

If I understand the concept of the historical ninja correctly, poisoning the food, setting their house on fire, or shooting them with a musket, would be most valid and effective techniques against highly trained and armored Samurai.

[@chengkuoklee5734]

Using terrain for your advantage, study targets behaviour and set up trap, no matter how skillful a samurai was, he can't fight an opponent he's not aware of, behind him, with a big stick.

[@balazsszucs7055]

Of course armour would keep me safe. That's the purpose of armor.

[@another3997]

If armour kept everyone safe, nobody would have died on the field of battle whilst wearing it. Which we know isn't true.

[@denniskostrzewa9494]

Thank you for pointing out that the kobudo weapons were of Okinawa origin and unlikely to be used in Japan. Sai were police weapons on Okinawa so used against unarmored civilians. There are sai versus katana techniques but these depend upon closing in, using the sai to pin the hands before drawing the sword and hitting the opponent. Once the katana is drawn there is not much to do but try and catch it before getting cut.

[@John2r1]

The Ninjato appears to be a Chokutō with a square hand guard. This is actually a common thing with swords that are used in actual combat parts get damaged and replaced over time. And combat changes over time as we all know.

[@brianfuller7691]

Thanks for pointing out that Samurai is a social status and Ninja is a profession. And thanks for good reason and solid facts in your videos.

[@nickandrusin7122]

Huh, i was under the impression that the Ninjato was totally a pop culture invention

[@nagyzoli]

@Metatron Regarding the shuriken. It was not a "lethal" weapon and it was not star shaped but more like a sharpened square. The historical ninjutsu tehniques regarding shuriken is to use them as a distraction. The ancient equivalent of flashbang. So I have a wakizashi and 2-3 shuriken in my sleeve. As you close in with the katana I would feint a cut but actually throw the things towards your eye. It is very instinctive to protect your eye so unless you are one of the most experienced samurai, you would likely flinch and deviate the katana to parry, giving me an opening, a chance to get the dagger into the armour's weakspots.

[@tootallforyou112]

The main thing is, ninja didn't want to fight. They were assassins and spys, they would attempt to escape which they had many tools to do so. Kunai were used in many ways including for climbing walls.

[@johnbennett1465]

Although I have never heard of it being used, the combination of a tanto with a sai seems like a good choice. Use the sai to defend against the opponents weapon so you can get close. Then use the tanto to kill them. While this would not be as good as using a battlefield weapon, it would be my choice when limited to small/improvised weapons.

[@chengkuoklee5734]

Sai could be used as a sword breaker.

[@Vovan07]

When I was in Kyoto Ninja museum they told us that ninja most of the time were full-time farmers who did the odd spying jobs for their Samurai Lord, so their weapons most often were improvised from farmer tools (like you mentioned that the kunai were used for digging and kama for harvesting). I doubt that Samurai would also do ninja work because ninjas were basically their subordinates.

[@metatronyt]

Some ninja were definitely of the samurai class. Not all of them, but the idea that all ninja were farmers Is absolutely incorrect.

[@lilletrille8998]

So I guess what you are saying Metatron is: if you are a spy - dont get caught! ;)

[@Hordil]

"But what about a Boar?" 13:58 Good question Metatron, I didnt know they got Boars in Japan xD I would prefer a dagger versus a board, so that you can stab them multi times if they managed to run you over, or to clinch with the legs to their head and ram the knife several times into his belly while beeing on top. Boars often attack by shaking the head inbetween your legs, so be careful. Greetings from the black forest, by a wool-pig keeper xD

[@kevlarandchrome]

I think you guys had way too much fun making this video. Very entertaining.

[@renegysenbergs3171]

Two handed kanabo as primary weapon, wakizashi as secundary weapon and tanto as back up.

[@solinvictus1234]

Great explanation as ever, Sei un grande Raffa. Indeed the Shinobi was no more and no less spies, almost the time hired mercenaries at feudal Lords (or middle class japanese noblemans and merchants) services. Regarding the Ninjato the source we have historically speakking tend us to believe that it wasn't a proper made purpose weapon but mostly a modified broken Katana (raided by Shinobi's in battlefields) or a simply a Tanto (easy to hide). Also what you've underline about the differenciation of Shinobi=profession/way of life and Samurai= Social Status is A LOT relevant also to define the weapons Shinobi used. It's a wrong common belief in fact thinking at Shinobi using Shuriken the majority of them never used that, the iron was a precious metal that only higher status peoples could afford...as a Samurai for example, it was in fact an exclusive weapon of the Samurai. And that's led us to believe that also some Samurai was also secretly a Shinobi (due this aspect, your profession/social status clarify is so right on the point). Another wrong belief is thnking at Shinobi using all that fancy weapons going around with their black suit, when the reality was that, for their infiltration missions, they mostly used working tools as farmer fork, iron hook (that one you use to grab dead animal carcass), Kama (that was simply Sickles without chains, used for cropping fields), Kunai (that at that time was used as gardening tools) and mostly the Bo (bamboo stick) and they were normally dressed. The reason of the use of this unconventional weapons it's and was logic, in case of a physical search by the Shinsengumi or any other Samurai, they would simply tell him they were tools for their job. The Ninjato or Tanto, alongside a bow, was rarely used for an assassination mission, they was used only in night infiltration missions/band raiding, that most of the time was did as a deceptive actions (put the blame of the attack to another Lord's rival faction, fakely wearing it's own symbol. To cause unrest and turmoil for various reasons etc etc)

[@marcelOberauer]

If shinobis were trained to spy and adquire info, then you were hacked by a modern ninja ;)

[@JudithOpdebeeck]

solid segue there mate. its almost like there was no ad at all.

[@harkonen1000000]

I'm not sure how historical, but I ran into descriptions of sai being used to immobilize a samurai's sword hand while two guys hold spears to the samurai's face and have his back to the wall.

[@MBMEMDDD]

If I were a ninja I would use an ōzutsu, the perfect stealth weapon.

[@GuitarsRockForever]

If I were a ninja, I would use a 10mm if in close range, and 7.62 sniper rifle on long range.

[@cadethumann8605]

Whether your historical intelligence or fantasy shadow warrior, it's no wonder that stealth is emphasised for a ninja/shinobi to have (like, as of this writing, Jin Sakai is a recent example that a tanto can certainly kill an armored man if you sneak up on him).

[@Raz.C]

Nb: I was trying to find a KZbin clip of a scene in a (FANTASTIC) movie called Wristcutters, where Will Arnett- called Messiah in the film- kills himself by stabbing a small knife into his heart. He does this in almost the exact same manner that Raphael does at ~ 0:20, so I thought it would be the perfect addition to the intro to this video. Unfortunately, this clip doesn't appear to exist, so anyone reading this will just have to take my word for it. Also, go and watch Wristcutters!! It's got Shannyn Sossamon in it, what more could anyone possibly want from a film???

[@LilithLonelyHeart]

Honestly, with Bo, Tonfa, and Nunchuks, I think these weapons would need to be modified to have metal either inside or outside(kinda going here with idea from FH Xaolin character) to be able to give deal significant concussion impact on armored Samurai, but then again modifications like that are very likely to draw attention

[@ericlanglois9194]

A successful Shinobi wouldn't have to fight an armored Samurai. If the objective is assassination, he/she would wait until the target is asleep or in a vulnerable state, preferably unguarded, and strike then. It could take several days, if not weeks of patience and data gathering to get into position for the strike. The difference between a good Shinobi and a bad one is the good one was able to gain the trust of the target in order to get closer. The bad one got caught and either fled, was tortured for information or was killed.

[@viscountsb7140]

According to my sources the Iga ninja clan were partial to weight and chains and loved anything that uses gunpowder, so guns and bombs. Kunai for the most part were not used as weapons.

[@torstenscott7571]

The Sai and nunchaku being associated more with Okinawan martial arts, weren't normally a part of the authentic ninja's arsenal. Let's not forget their use of arson, firearms, and explosives which certainly aided their lethality. Overall, their brilliant tactics, deception, intelligence gathering, and willingness to endure and outlast their enemies cemented their reputation.

[@BlueSaryu]

You're the first person I've seen ever show evidence that the straight bladed "ninjato" style sword actually existed, since the conventional wisdom seems to be that it's a complete hollywood fabrication. It not being used exclusively by ninja makes a lot of sense, since other "ninja weapons" like shuriken were not actually exclusive to the ninja either. Thank you so much for the information.

[@mladenmatosevic4591]

If you are ninja caught on spying mission in enemy camp, best weapon is "gimme a sec" shuriken throw or tanto stab followed by quick run before buddies of stricken ashigara guard come to investigate screaming.

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

"The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them" - Miyamoto Musashi

[@LegionDerToten]

Sounds kind of stupid actually. If that is the ultimate goal, you can just lock yourself in your house and never come out, which will ensure you will not have to use it. However, in that case you would not even have to learn any martial art in the first place.The ultimate goal of any martial art is to be able to defend yourself when necessary.

[@LamiNalchor]

@@LegionDerToten You don't quite get it.

[@LegionDerToten]

@@LamiNalchor tell me about it

[@LamiNalchor]

@@LegionDerToten I can help you. Of course, there is a pop-cult that comes from movies. Ultimately, there more you are able to fight, the less you need to prove yourself also to others. Moreover, the more you can do, the more you know what type of harm and damage you would cause.

[@slimetank394]

@@LegionDerToten i think it means like making yourself so powerful and dangerous that no one dare to fight you.

[@gaaaarg633]

Thank you for more Japanese/samurai content. Would they like pasta?

[@JosephKerr27]

Although the term ninjato is often considered anachronistic, its typical description is very close to that of chokuto, ancient Japanese straight swords akin to Chinese swords. I have to wonder if that illustration was depicting a chokuto and we're just thinking ninjato.

[@ethancook3245]

You should do a video on the hidden blade and see if it actually affective

[@poochkane]

Maaaaannn I grew up on this channel 10/10

[@matthewrichardson7687]

I sure love his use of the word muppet, it always makes me smile!

[@loyaljones8814]

Its been awhile since I read the book of 5 rings ,I believe Miyamoto Musashi fought a man who was using a kusarigama, he took his weapons strength away by leading him into a bamboo forest. I could be wrong its been 16 years since I have read the book. I believe there are some in a Japanese museum not 100% sure.

[@somerando1073]

You say you wouldn't want to fight someone with a sword if you had a sai, while it's never good to fight someone with a sword, having a sai is probably one of the better choices. It's a defensive weapon meant to catch and trap swords. Since shields were almost nonexistent in Japan, a sai is probably the next best thing.

[@connorg.3381]

So... in short, yes, you’ll be fine in samurai armor

[@Dr_V]

I think you underestimate the effect of blunt/impact weapons. OK a wooden nunchaku is too light and short, I actually parried one in full swing with my bare hands once without suffering more than a nasty bruise (and it wasn't a training/sparring situation), but a long staff / pole can deliver enough force to concuss the brain regardless of external shielding (helmet). Remember that force is mass times acceleration, a 2 meters long sick may be lighter than a war hammer but the "business end" travels much faster (because of the wider swinging arch), equating to a comparable amount of force delivered on the target. Put a watermelon inside a strong medieval helmet and hit it with a fighting pole, it will crack even if the helmet itself remains unscathed, just from the propagated mechanical shock.

[@kaijuslayer3334]

Hey #Metatron, I think you should try doing a video on the ninjato specifically. It’s probably the most controversial ninja weapon. Me and a few friends tried finding more info on it since that painting you showed had problems like it being from the Edo, it might not having been short enough to be a ninjato, and/or being a chokuto or tsurugi. But we couldn’t find really any other art pieces showing the weapon. So I’m wondering to see what happens if you try researching for a whole video cause we might have missed something.

[@grinningchicken]

Metadron on point as usual. I watched teenage mutant Ninja turtles and it confirms what you are saying because they lost to Shredder when he was wearing armor. But I have to add that the Nunchucks were ultimately effective when wielded by a well trained Ninja rat. 🤣

[@moroblizniak4457]

2:09 oh my... impressive!

[@Thijs.]

One of the greatest videos on your channel. Fun Informative and the sponsor section had me really laughing

[@HiopX]

You should do a collab with Gaijin Goomba. He has a more cultural/ historical perspective on Ninja, but not that deep in reenactment and martial arts. I think that could be a very interesting exchange

[@tn1881]

There are jujutsu, tanto, and wakizashi to fight the armored samurai. When fighting with jujutsu, equip katana behind the waist to prevent katana from being robbed by the enemy. There is a reason why ninjya has katana in reverse.

[@FelisInsanisCatfood]

The character at the start of the video was the sepukunja.

[@Talishar]

As kind of mentioned in the video, a ninja would use whatever was at hand for the profession in which they were acting in. Many times, the ninja actually was an expert in their cover job and recruited from it. Many weren't really trained in any defensive arts and there are quite a few accounts of spies being caught, tortured and killed. As to ninjas being trained assassins, we know they weren't because again, there are a lot of accounts of failed assassination attempts. So much so, that what was attributed as a successful attempt was quite big news. We do know that nearly every prefecture had their own ninja, with the Koga and Iga clans coming from what was originally Iga prefecture. This comes to light in some obscure documentation talking about the clans working for some daimyos as intelligence operatives and the like. The Koga and Iga were just famous because the Oda clan actually went into outright war in an attempt to exterminate both groups. Also the kusarigama we know was an actual modified farming tool that just merged the weighted chain and sickle into a single tool. The weighted chain had the same use as European farming flails, as a threshing tool. Again, it would only be used by someone filling in a farming roll and only if the local province used the tool commonly. Also, from what I've seen of old kunai when I was in Japan, they were rarely sharpened and as a weapon, would be more like a short club, much like a sap. Probably wouldn't be throwing one of those except out of sheer desperation. There's also an interesting note in some documentations that many intelligence operative during peacetime acted as a police force as some samurai that are today suspected to have doubled as ninja are known to also have been heads of security of their daimyo's territories.

[@eagle162]

What accounts are you talking about,iga and koka were not just famous because they went to war with oda, they were famous before that being skilled in ninjutsu, ninja did multiple roles such as arson, criminal capture agents, military guards Camp / Castle Defense, and commander work etc,the kusarigam was a not improvised farming tool weapon and Farmers did not use it, old samurai schools still live today teach it.

[@Talishar]

@@eagle162 The Koga and Iga get their fame from the accounts from Oda retainers campaigns to wipe them out as both clans were responsible for running interference and protection against one of his rivals when said rival was fleeing destruction through Iga province. They're the most written about because of this with most of both clans being wiped out. There was supposedly a survivor who has some writings as well as some of the Koga who supposedly escaped being wiped out by being adopted into service by one of Oda's retainers. Ninja are tricky to study and research because by their very nature, they generally didn't write much about themselves. And the kusarigama is literally a modified farming tool, even if there are "samurai" schools that teach its use. A chord with a weight attached to the end and a stick on the other end is even seen in European farming tools as a type of threshing tool used for grains. The kama itself is also a farming tool in its origins, so it's not stupidly crazy to think that someone couldn't have just put the two together to make a combined weapon out of them and just added an extra long chain in stead of cord. Again, they'd have to source weaponry in the field and being made out of modified farming tools means it's cheap and easy to source. People still modify mundane items into weapons today.

[@eagle162]

@@Talishar no they were famous before oda, such as defeating Ashikaga Yoshihisa when he tr to attack,different clans hired them, of course there's the famous Hattori Hanzo and his clan, they were not all wiped out both iga and koka became personal bodyguards and intelligence operators to the Tokugawa Circle After Japan became Unified, the two weapons that make up kusarigama are jingama and konpi what can be said these two have roots in Farming tools they are made to be weapons not work the land again it was not used by farmers the weapon requires a good amount of skill and it can be dangerous to the wielder, farmers do not have the time to practice a weapon like that.

[@eagle162]

@@Talishar also that's not why the oda clan attack them it wasn't because they helped a rival but because at this time the clan was expanding their territory in attempt to unite Japan they were just one of of the steps to achieve that goal, the first attempt was by Oda Nobukatsu then the Second one by his father.

[@nomoreidolatry9845]

The ad introduction was très magnifique.

[@GregAtlas]

To my understanding, nunchaku are more of a grappling weapon to redirect enemy weapon attacks and potentially disarm the opponent. Not so much for their damaging aspect from impact.

[@maxwellkafka]

Sai were an Okanawan police baton with the hand guards designed to trap and catch limbs

[@gongfkai7934]

I don't know if you have watched black sails, but the beard on you has the same effect as John Silver's, it makes you look wiser

[@stephenshw2262]

Ninjas never go head to head with samurai. They normally set traps and used a very rudimentary form of claymore to get the samurai. Some of them even used guns.

[@thatonenerdwhoreadsbyhimse5429]

I think I prefer the idea of the actual ninja over the pop-culture version. I think it's actually more interesting that a ninja could act as a multiple-purpose operator rather than just being portrayed as an assassin.

[@robcubed9557]

The guy in the ninja outfit (is that you Metatron?) has some pretty nice martial arts skills.

[@dennislogan6781]

I heard on the Retroblasting KZbin channel that the Ninjato was created by/for the actor Sho Kosugi. He had a Katana shortened and straitened for ease of use. I don't know what to think.

[@Honeybadger_525]

I wonder if there’s actually any first-hand accounts of an armored samurai and ninja engaging in combat? Given the obvious advantage the samurai has, I would expect such an encounter to be brief with the ninja attempting to flee and avoid confrontation at all

[@brunobergamini7312]

The kusarigama is a historic weapon. There katas and style that focus in kussarigama

[@stormrhode2330]

I gotta disagree. I'd 100% choose to have a bo/jo or nunchaku over a tanto. No protection with a dagger while with the others you have a decent chance to defend yourself and counter. Furthermore, I'd prefer to rely on grappling over precise stabbing with a small blade. It's much easier to cut the distance with the ability to defend yourself. Once grappling, maybe you could use a tanto to poke some holes, but I'd probably opt to pin and break/dislocate some shoulders or elbows.

[@andrewstrongman305]

I think tonfas could be used to block any attack and disarm a samurai (by blocking and hacking the samurai's forearm with the other tonfa). The back end could be used to 'punch' the samurai's shoulders and face, or spun to smash ankles or feet. It's a fanciful situation anyway as samurai only wore armour when at war, training or for ceremonial purposes. Successful assassins wait until their target is alone and unwary, or asleep. They wouldn't stand a chance against a fully armoured man.

[@hearththewolf]

I got so excited when I saw the karigasima which I know I misspelled yet I like anything really if it’s related to Japanese culture or warfare

[@ReformedJohnny]

I do find the ninjato to be a hard thing to believe in. It seems as if you had a straight sword other than a tsrugi than you got a lower than low quality sword