Shuriken is the real name of that weapon which we call ninja stars or throwing stars. These basic, simple, and handy weapons came from Japan. Ninjas were the fearful ones using in various martial arts in the feudal era of Japan.
Among several weapons, throwing stars are at the top of the ninja weapons list today.
The logic behind these shurikens is misunderstood nowadays. The actual reason for using a ninja star was to distract the opponent or attacker to hide or defend. The fact is blurred in the modern world and people think that ninjas used these stars for killing.
The Purpose of Ninja Stars:
Throwing stars were simply a weapon to help stop the enemy and commonly used by ninjas. These were just sharpened sticks tied together to form a star shape. Because of the lack of technology and equipment, they were not that sharp to kill or injure intensely.
These weapons helped in various ninja fights of those days. Moreover, the fact can't be ignored that the star shape was not the specific one for shuriken in ancient times and modern times as well.
Nowadays, the tips and edges of ninja stars are used to be sharpened intensely to cut the flesh. Furthermore, different uses of such weapons are also increasing day by day.
What Are The Types of Ninja Stars?
Throwing stars vary in size, shape, and sharpness. The variety of shapes included a three-sided shape, hexagonal, four-pointed, swastika-shaped, cross-shaped, and many more. But, the types of such stars are two, which are given below:
- Bo Shuriken:
Shuriken is a spike or a group of spikes to hurt to distract the opponent. Bo shuriken is the single, straight spike or sometimes four-sided. The bo shuriken varies in materials and sizes.
People also called them as Japanese darts, which were usually steel or iron ones.
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Hence, Tanto-gat, Hari-gata, kugi-gata are some examples of bo shuriken.
- Hira Shuriken
Hira shuriken or shaken is a type in which the ninja stars comprise of thin steel or iron plates to create spikes. They also have a hole in the center for numerous reasons. The edges and sizes differ as the modern shuriken are different according to several regions.
The use of hira shuriken can be different, like embedding them in the ground for the enemies stepping on them.
Various Uses of Ninja Stars According to Different Situations:
At first, they were used to stop the enemy but not to kill them. But, different other ways to exploit the enemies were there as ninja tricks. The silent and hidden attacks are popular ones. The shot of such weapons was to get time to hide or escape in the dark while slightly injuring the opponent.
The common uses of throwing stars may include the dipping of shuriken in poisonous or harmful things to kill the attacker, embedding them in the ground for deadly steps, and throwing them over metals to create shocks, etc. Samurai warriors also used these stars but in a different way of their employment.
However, modern use is a bit different according to the succeeding world. Most of the people love to collect different types of throwing stars or to place them as decorative pieces from ancient times.
Whereas, some keep them to tackle the sudden situation and for self defense as well. In addition, throwing them is also a hobby these days for weapon lovers or simply for fun lovers.
Conclusion:
No matter what is the reason to get these durable, strong, and fearful weapons, they prove to be the best in the desired fields. Whether you are interested in getting dragon faced ninja stars, samurai throwing stars, or rainbow battle stars, etc.all are worth buying.