Ninjutsu
Ninjutsu is a Japanese martial art style focused on deception. The 18 disciplines:
- Bajutsu – horsemanship
- Bōjutsu – stick and staff techniques
- Bōryaku – tactics
- Chi-mon – geography
- Chōhō – espionage
- Hensōjutsu – disguise and impersonation
- Intonjutsu – escaping and concealment
- Kayakujutsu – pyrotechnics
- Kenjutsu – sword techniques
- Kusarigamajutsu – kusarigama (chain-sickle) techniques
- Naginatajutsu – naginata (polearm) techniques
- Seishinteki kyōyō – spiritual refinement
- Shinobi-iri – stealth and infiltration
- Shurikenjutsu – throwing weapons techniques
- Sōjutsu – spear techniques
- Sui-ren – water training
- Taijutsu – unarmed combat
- Tenmon – meteorology
The following tools may not be exclusive to the ninja, but they are commonly associated with the practice of ninjutsu.
Composite and articulated weapons
Kusarigama – kama linked to a weight, either by a long rope or chain.
Kyoketsu-shoge – hooked rope-dart, featuring a metal ring on the opposite end.
Bō – 3′ (Han Bō), 4′, 5′ (Jō) and 6′ (Rokushakubō) wooden pole techniques.
Kusari-fundo, also known as manriki or manriki-gusari – a chain and weight weapon.
Fistload weapons
Kakute – rings resembling modern wedding bands with concealed, often poison-tipped spines, typically worn by kunoichi and enabling ninja to quietly strangle enemies with the pointed ends against the neck or throat.
Shobo – a jabbing or piercing weapon, similar in shape to kubotan and yawara, but often featuring a center grip ring.
Shuriken – various small hand held weapons including throwing stars, darts and blades that could be used to stab, slash or they could be thrown.
Kubotan – or “hand stick”. Used mainly for pressure points, subduing opponents.
Tekko – an earlier version of brass knuckles.
Tessen – a folding fan with an iron frame. It could be used to club or cut and slash the enemy.
Jitte – A weapon similar to the sai.
Modified tool weapons
Kunai – multi-purpose tool.
Shikoro – used as a tool for opening doors and stabbing or slashing.
Projectile weapons
Fukiya – Japanese blowgun, typically firing poison darts.
Makibishi/tetsubishi – the Japanese type of caltrop.
Shuriken – various small hand held weapons including throwing stars, darts and blades that could be used to stab, slash or thrown at the enemy.
Yumi and Ya – traditional Japanese bow and arrow.
Bo-hiya – fire arrow.
Tekagi-shuko and Neko-te – hand “claw” weapons.
Chakrams – disk like projectiles like boomerangs.
Staffs and polearms
Hanbō, bō, jō, and Tambō – various sized staff weapons.
Yari – traditional Japanese spear that’s similar to the naginata.
Nagamaki – pole arm with roughly equal length blade and handle.
Naginata – traditional Japanese pole-arm used by women and samurai.
Swords
Katana – a long curved and single-edged sword, more commonly used by samurai or ninja who disguised themselves as samurai.
Wakizashi – short sword that can be hidden on the ninja’s body, also a backup weapon.
Ninjatō – an edged weapon used by ninja as swords. Ninjato can be stolen katana from samurai or forged by ninja themselves with varying lengths. There’s some doubt as to whether or not ninja actually used such swords.
Tantō – dagger.
Kaiken – Similar to the tantō.
Bokken – traditional wooden sword use in Japanese martial arts typically modeled off of katanas.
Shinai – bamboo sword used in kendo.
Stealth tools
Kaginawa or grappling hook – climbing and Hojojutsu composite tool that also functioned as a makeshift gaff hook weapon.
Shinobi shōzoku – the reputed ninja clothing.
Ono (weapon) – Japanese axe and hatchet.
