Shuriken

[Bruno@MT]

I've seen vids on youtube from some guy who manufactures something that looks like a bo shuriken but he calls it different. Torpedo or something like that. He throws it with a spin, and it seemed effective enough past 6 meters, shattering large bricks and tearing up water bottles.

 

[Chris Parker]

I honestly wouldn't consider that shuriken in the sense of a traditional form. It seems to have been created out of a desire to replicate movie-style usage. An actual shuriken frankly won't "shatter bricks", really. So we've left actual shuriken usage behind now, and are looking at just spikes being thrown.

 

[Bruno@MT]

Yes, it was just a double ended spike, kinda like an underwater torpedo. It was hardened steel and rather heavy. Thicker than a bo shuriken definitely. I understand shuriken (bo or the other kind) were not meant as actual distance weapons, but a spike could be used effectively beyond 6 meters.

 

[Chris Parker]

Yep, not a shuriken. Actual shuriken are rather light, far lighter than those heavy slabs available through some martial art supply stores, or mail-order catalogues. They aren't designed for penetration, just distraction, hence the primary targets being the hands or face/neck.

As a practical aside, if they were intended to do real injury, they didn't do it with penetration and weight, they did it with coatings of various types. Most think of poisons here, but the most common were either manure (leading to quite a nasty infection), or simple rust, causing tetanus. For a guard who has seen his friend go down to tetanus, following the guy throwing metal plates at you suddenly doesn't seem like such a good idea....

 

[Tanaka]

Suzuki sensei whom is a master at shurikenjutsu.
He is able to throw from large distances without spin. But I'm not sure about combat effective range. Because it would be easy for a target to dodge.

I wish I knew how to embed these videos.

 

[Chris Parker]

While his accuracy is impressive, this is simply not Shurikenjutsu. There are far too many issues with the way he is doing it, the compromises he needs to achieve such range, and so on. His technique and claims lend themselves to too many questions, really. Being easy to dodge is actually only one of a number of issues I'm seeing here.

Oh, and if you go to the "FAQ" section, there's a thread from Bob on embedding videos. It's quite easy, really, even I can do it. See?

[yt]2cf2qzZU-rA[/yt] Negishi Ryu Shuriken Jutsu. Often taught in kata form with a sword, after the throw the practitioner closes in to finish with their sword.

 

[Tanaka]

While his accuracy is impressive, this is simply not Shurikenjutsu. There are far too many issues with the way he is doing it, the compromises he needs to achieve such range, and so on. His technique and claims lend themselves to too many questions, really. Being easy to dodge is actually only one of a number of issues I'm seeing here.

He explains that he does those distances for a challenge.

Here is what he wrote on the video(His English is not perfect)


"
As for this throwing, there isn't much meaning as martial arts, but is interesting as a challenge.
We(I) have to make motion of a body very small in near distance in case of martial arts, as you know.
In case of less than 11m, we can throw by fix leg.
The next video is the sample
watch?v=GgzxjubvXM0
However, the my upper part of the body is moving too much.
It is still difficult to apply small motion of Kobudo in long distance."

 

[Chris Parker]

My issue was not just the distance (although the compromises he required was part of it), it was more that his approach was devoid of a number of characteristics of actual Shurikenjutsu. Add to that the fact that the only references to his Mumyou Ryu lead to his own site and more You-Tube clips, and I don't see much authenticity, so I'm not classing it as Shurikenjutsu. It's a guy throwing knives and spikes from a distance, and doing what he needs to to achieve his results. But that doesn't make it Shurikenjutsu, I'm afraid.

 

[Tanaka]

My issue was not just the distance (although the compromises he required was part of it), it was more that his approach was devoid of a number of characteristics of actual Shurikenjutsu. Add to that the fact that the only references to his Mumyou Ryu lead to his own site and more You-Tube clips, and I don't see much authenticity, so I'm not classing it as Shurikenjutsu. It's a guy throwing knives and spikes from a distance, and doing what he needs to to achieve his results. But that doesn't make it Shurikenjutsu, I'm afraid.

Well I do not want to speak for him. But I do know Mumyou ryu is his own creation. But I think in a previous discussion, he had mentioned his training in actual shuriken schools. I'll ask him about it next time I get a chance, because I'm curious myself.

 

[Chris Parker]

I'm going to suspect Meifu Shinkage Ryu, if he has trained in a Koryu form, his technique is closer to theirs than the Negishi Ryu's, for example. I always wonder why people create new "ryu" in this manner, especially when based around archaic weaponry and situations that are no longer in existance.

 

[mukashimantis]

My personal experience is, the weight is the big factor. Also, much practice. I typically maintain a distace of twelve to fifteen feet for shuriken. Shaken can go a little further, 20 feet to 25 feet. Knives I can throw with one rotation, occasionally a half rotation, up to 40 feet. At 40 feet, my lighter knives will usually veer off target, after a number of throws, I can correct this, for the most part. I usually use an underhand throw for knives, I personally find this to be more accurate. Side throws for shaken tend to veer off course over long distance, overhand throws tend to stay true, just more difficult to account for a drop in height. Optimal range, I would say is up to 12 feet for all.