The Myth of the Straight- Bladed Ninja Sword and Its Origins; Ninja/Ninjutsu Podcast #19

There is a myth that the ninja used straight bladed swords. It is so commonly believed now that even some Japanese believe it!
In this podcast I examine the truth and delve into the origins of the myth. I have to shoot down some misconceptions and purposeful mis directions that have been made over the years.
If you want to know more about the reality of the ninja sword, and how it is used, I have a book that goes into the subject a bit.
www.amazon.com...
The exact quote by Stephen Hayes I mention in the podcast goes like this,
"A friend asked me why this was important enough to put on my web site. He was concerned that it made me look defensive arguing back against my inferiors. Why would a master need to justify what he teaches?
"I post it because the “no straight blade ninja sword” argument makes me look wrong. If you just follow the foolishness on those critical internet sites, you could assume that others who know more than I do proved me wrong. And if I were wrong, I would expect my best students to be alarmed over what else I might be teaching wrong.
"This kind of educational integrity has nothing to do with loyalty. It is intelligence. If I am wrong, I expect my students to be concerned. I expect to be held accountable for the veracity of what I teach. I would certainly be the first to hold my own teacher to the same standards."
You can find the quote in an online article he wrote. While reading it, you can see the tone and how defensive he is.
www.stephenkha...
As for the advertisement of the straight ninja sword I mention (and which I use as a thumbnail for this podcast), you can find it on page 27 at the following link.
www.stephenkha...

[@reprobaterenegade2594]

I left a comment on a indie game developer's page telling him not to change the katana to a 'ninja sword' and someone chimed in telling me that the 'ninja sword' was historically accurate, my argument was that we have hundreds of thousands of katanas in circulation that are centuries old and not one of them is a 'ninja' sword. When he realized he couldn't dispute that, he told me that "There was some weird cover up with ninjutsu".

[@Maryland_Kulak]

I recently watched a video on Schola Gladiatoria on this same topic. The comment section was full of people who had “expert” opinions. It gets infuriating after a while.

[@SteffenReichel]

About the Togakure sword: What is the lenght of the blade? It loos not as short as a Wakizashi or Kotachi, it looks a little bit longer than those. As I am right, the Shoninki states, that Ninja often used Wakizashi/Kotachi inside the hilt of a regular Katana, just to have an advantage in faster draw and also narrow spaces, but I am not sure about. That's why I am interested in the lenght of that blade

[@Maryland_Kulak]

Thanks for doing this video.

[@chrislaurette6778]

What this topic always brings to mind for me is something I saw somewhere about ashigaru creating makeshift swords out of broken, found blades. The idea being that a sword made from the broken blade of a naginata could end up being a straight bladed sword. I seem to recall seeing an illustration to that effect somewhere. Which is of course not proof of anything. Just a plausible idea for where a sengoku era straight blade might come from.

[@Tantojutsu]

I've seen that. But it really does not relate to this matter. Some have tried to make the case that they are connected, but it is a very extreme stretch.

[@preparedsurvivalist2245]

The question is not did the shinobi of Feudal Japan use ninjato, it's do modern ninja use it? And the answer is yes they do.

[@Tantojutsu]

@@preparedsurvivalist2245 no they don’t. Who the fuck uses a sword in the 21st century dumbass?

[@noctiscreo793]

As an aside, you say a few times 'it's not curved' and then 'it's not straight' when talking about the same sword (e.g. @ 8:25)

[@Tantojutsu]

@@noctiscreo793 oops. Should have been more careful.

[@Markbell73]

It has a very shallow curve. So technically it is both not curved and curved. It is definitely not straught. But it also is the most shallow curve I've seen on a Katana. It is definitely not a Chokuto.

[@Why-ct6kz]

i cant beleave this is even an issue these days , yes way back in the 80's , but with all the resources to look things up , and ppl still want to argue this point, bit like the point was ninjutsu made up by Hatsumi........

[@JuaneDosesII-wj6dd]

Off topic. I’ll take a cold steel ( SouthAfrican made) machete over pretty much anything. They have a steel dguard that is integral with the blade and the 1055 high carbon steel is tougher than anything else that I know of. They are the only blades that hold up under joex destruction test. And yes you can stab with a machete. I’ve been through way too much real life shit to give a squat about how fancy a blade is or what the legacy might be or anyone else’s two cents. In a muddy bloody chaotic scene, the dguard keeps it in hand, provides , support , protection and leverage. The cold steel wakasahi and katana machetes are also fantastic, you would be hard pressed to find anything tougher especially for the price. I prefer weapons that work for me because I’m not a swordsman.

[@Tantojutsu]

@@JuaneDosesII-wj6dd I keep one in my car NOT to defend myself, but because it can be a damn good tool when you need to hack and slash to get your vehicle out of a mess. But I haven’t had to use it yet, like the kitty litter I keep in the car to keep me out of mud or snow.

[@Dosetsu1]

@@Tantojutsu I once drove to check on a house where the tenant moved out and there was shallow but dense snow on the driveway. I had no problem driving down the driveway but could not drive back up. I called my brother for snow shovels and then took my Cold Steel Barong Machete out of my trunk and started prying sheets of snow off the driveway. I had about 1/4 of it cleared before my brother arrived with the shovels.