Martial Arts - Ninjitsu - M E Peters - Knife Throwing Techniques of the Ninja (pdf document) free file download at fliiby.com

"@ 1986 BUTOKUKAI, NKTC INC. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for purposes of review, without written permission of the publisher. BUTOKUKAI, Cornville, Arizona INC. 86325 Table Introduction Prologue of Contents .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. .. . . .. . .. .. . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 1 - Blades of the Ninja . . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. 3 Knives .. . . .. . 9 Section One: Obtaining and Maintaining Section Two: Throwing Methods Section Three: Training Methods Section Knife Four: Throwing Throwing . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . .. . . .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. . 13 and Safety in Combat Thrown Concerns . . . .. .. . .. . . .. . .. 29 .. . .. .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. . . . 39 Knives . .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . . 43 Section Five: Defense Against Afterword . .. . .. .. . . . .. . .. . .. .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. 45 - WARNING Neither author any responsibility the information - nor the publisher assumes for the use or misuse of contained in this book. INTRODUCTION A knife is the first weapon given to a Ninja. He or she learns Tanto-jitsu, knife art. As well as becoming an expert in hand-to-hand combat, a Ninja learns to throw knives, as well as many other objects. But some knives are designed specifically for throwing. With such specialty knives, the Ninja knife throwing expert is particularly dangerous. Normally, a Ninja carries four such throwing knives as well as a combat knife which could be thrown if necessary. Ninja throw knives, primarily, to achieve three goals: To distract. To wound. To kill. With practice and hard work, a Ninja can learn to accomplish all three of these goals, but the last purpose is difficult to achieve, and requires the utmost skill and dedication. This book was developed for practicing Ninja who wish to round out their training. Only western style throwing weapons are covered. For information on oriental throwing devices, a serious Ninja should obtain a copy of Throwing the Ninja Star of Death, the companion edition to this book, which was also written by Michael E. Peters and published by Butokukai. PROLOGUE BLADES OF THE NINJA Kenji knew that he must be careful about how he entered captured, Hon Castle. Even though he was disguised as a merchant from a distant province, that would mean nothing to Lord Katsugami’s brutal occupation troops. They would treat and search him roughly, disgusted at even having to touch a member of the lower classes. He would have to cower before them and appear to be submissive. One wrong look, just meeting the eyes of one of the Samurai, would be taken as an infraction, reflecting great disrespect for the warrior class. A deadly iai-jitsu draw and cut would follow, aimed at the neck of such a vile, disrespectful merchant. On top of everything else, most of the soldiers would be drinking, celebrating their recent victory. After raping and pillaging an entire province, they would need little excuse to spill the blood of a defenseless merchant. The young Ninja knew that he might suffer great indignities at the hands of the invaders, but only if they tried to slay him would he be forced to defend himself and try to escape. But that must not happen; he might escape or he might be killed, but either way his mission would fail, and it would then be even more difficult for the next Ninja spy to get in. The enemy would increase their security. His only hope was to slip in and complete his mission while the invaders were still occupied by sacking the countryside and celebrating their victory. They were not even aware that in triumph they were vulnerable. Kenji hoped to teach the invaders a bitter lesson for invading his homeland. NINJA KNIFE THROWING The Ninja Clan to which he belonged was allied with the other side. He was being sent to gather information. Rumor had it that the invader’s finest general, who had orchestrated the successful seige of Hon Castle, had been seriously wounded by an arrow during the final battle. If the rumor proved to be true, with late reinforcements, the defending armies would launch a counterattack, regain the castle and crush the enemy. Without their finest leader, the invaders would be routed. Knowing that he would be thoroughly searched, Kenji was only lightly armed with the tanto dagger which most traveling merchants were allowed to carry. He also carried four flat, superbly balanced throwing knives, which were cleverly concealed in the sides of a wooden box which he used to carry some of his wares. He was selling decorative handguards for swords. Each of the tsuba were made by a famous artisan. Along with those items and the clothes on his back, Kenji carried nothing out of the ordinary for which a merchant would be found. He prepared himself mentally as he approached the outer gate. His performance had to be calculated and perfect. “Dog!” one of the guards screamed at him, ripping Kenji’s pack off his shoulders. “What garbage have you come to peddle?” The man was half drunk. Kenji bowed unceasingly as he trembled to his knees. “Mighty warriors, most honorable lords, I come to you bearing many fine tsuba, fashioned by the reknowned artisan, Mitsunari of Mido. Perhaps you have heard of him? They would be most worthy of your. . .” The back of an armored hand cuffed him. His pack was emptied on top of him, and the guard began to pick through the merchant’s possessions, flinging items to the laughing soldiers nearby. “There is nothing of value here,” the guard howled. “Only junk. We will throw it away for you and relieve you of the burden of carrying it.” “Hold it, you fool,” an authorative voice said. Out of the corner of his eye, Kenji saw an older Samurai on horseback, snapping a resplendent fan at the guards, who sprang to attention as quickly as they could. The rider turned to Kenii. .v.. w-- v-.x.. - . . . ..V . . ... u “Did I hear you say Mitsunari of Mido?” “Yes, mighty lord,” Kenji muttered through his tears. He did not dare look up. “Guard!” the leader snapped. “Bring one of those.” He pointed at the handguards which had spilled from the box onto the stones. Hurriedly the brutal guard picked up one tsuba, bowed, and handed it to the rider, who examined its workmanship closely. “Hmmm, it is indeed the work of that famous artisan; I know his skill well. It is old, from the days before the peak of his mastery, but good work nevertheless. You will be given a pass for food and lodging for one night. Seek out the retainers of my house this evening, where you see my standard. I will examine your merchandise more closely at that time.” The rider turned once more to the guards. “Do as I have said with this merchant, and see that no harm comes to him within these walls. Trouble him no more or I shall hear of it. The artistry he bears is worth more than the lot of you! Now stand your posts. Stop drinking. The enemy is still in the mountains. They may yet try to regain the castle.” “Thank you, gracious lord,” Kenji said, bowing repeatedly. The rider spurred his horse and rode into the castle. Kenji was left to gather up his belongings. What was taken was not returned, and the guards scowled at him when he took his pass from them. Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he scurried off onto the castle grounds. Once inside, he was directed to the rooms of the lord who had taken interest in his goods. He made an appointment and took his meal, doing nothing to attract suspicion. In the evening, he met the lord, and made a fine sale. Appearing pleased and tired, he was given a place among the servants for the night. Once night fell, Kenji’s real work began. He turned his clothing inside-out and changed from his merchant disguise into his black Ninja uniform. For weapons he had the merchant dagger in his belt and the four throwing knives from the wooden box. He had caught sight of the standard of the enemy’s top general earlier in the day. Cautiously he made his way through the shadows of the captured castle toward the general’s quarters in order to spy on the general’s condition. Upon reaching the general’s quarters, he found them as he had expected them to be-heavily guarded. Kenji was forced to make his way silently up onto the roof and cautiously down into the rafters above the general’s room. Once there, the young Ninja listened for a great while, detecting the sounds of two people sleeping. He could tell from the way that they were breathing that they were deep in slumber. Kenji could not see much from his vantage point, despite the dim moonlight bathing the chamber. He had to climb down into the chamber. Silently he lowered himself slowly into the chamber by means of a thin strong rope. Immediately he caught sight of two guards sitting by the door. As soon as his feet touched the floor, he drew two of his throwing knives, retreated, and crouched in the shadows of the room. But neither of the guards moved; it was they who were sleeping. Quickly he made his way to the general’s bed. The general lay in the bed, but he was stone dead. It was a ruse to fool spies. The general’s body had even been embalmed and covered with a thin layer of wax. For proof, Kenji took the general’s ring. Quickly but carefully, he made his way back to his quarters and gathered his things. He had the information for which he had come, and he would leave that very night to inform his clients. Strangely enough, the same drunken Samurai guards who had bullied him were at the gate when he went to leave. Kenji was on his guard, He had his knives concealed on him still. “Well, merchant,” the leader of the guards said, “did you do well?” “Yes, great warrior, your lord was most gracious. I am on my way to board a ship now. I have passage to leave.” “Very well then. But there are brigands and ronin about, waiting to cut the throats of fortunate merchants. Our lord gave us charge to see that no harm befell you within the gates. Let us escort you beyond them as well. You are only armed with that puny dagger, a pitiful weapon against an enemy.” “You are most kind,” Kenji said. The leader and two other NINJA KNIFE THROWING Samurai lead him out of the city and down the road. After they had travelled far away from the castle, the three bushi stopped. “Here we must leave you,” the leader said. That must have been the signal. Instantly the other two Samurai whipped out their swords. “Pig! Dog!” the second Samurai raged. “You caused us to lose face before our lord. Honor requires your life!” “Give us your money and your goods,” said the third, “and perhaps we shall let you live. And do not attempt to touch your dagger. Our skilled swords will cut you down before you can draw it.” Kenji fell to the ground, trembling and begging for forgiveness. Slowly he reached into his pack, gripping the handle of one of his throwing knives concealed there. In one swift motion, he flung the heavy pack into the leader, knocking him to the ground. Diving and rolling beneath the swords of the other two Samurai, he ripped upwards with his dagger, slashing the second man viciously in the groin. The Samurai groaned and fell. Springing to his feet, Kenji saw the third guard charging at him, while the leader drew his own sword and maneuvered behind the Ninja. Without hesitation, Kenji threw his dagger underhand style into the charging man’s right thigh and stepped aside. The dagger buried itself deeply in the guard’s leg, causing him to howl and topple forward, impaling himself on the thrusting sword of the leader. Kenji charged them unexpectedly and shoved them to the ground. Drawing his second throwing knife by the blade, and snapping the thread that suspended it behind his neck, Kenji threw it at the second guard who had been wounded in the groin. The man was struggling to rise as Kenji’s knife pierced his throat, dropping him instantly. Kenji drew his final two throwing knives from the wrappings around his ankles, as the leader disentangled himself from the corpse of the third man. He rose and faced Kenji warily. “You have killed two of my men,” the leader said, “good men as well. Only a Ninja could do what you have done. But the element of surprise upon which you rely is gone. And I have my sword, while you only have three knives. Are you ready to die, Ninja?” “It is you who shall die, Samurai. I was trained as a child in Tanto-jitsu. I can hit a flying sparrow at thirty paces with my blades, and bring it to the ground alive.” “We shall see,” the leader said. “But this much is certain. One of us shall not survive.” With that he charged. Kenji threw his third knife, and the Samurai swatted it away. But the fourth knife followed quickly, spinning in the moonlight to strike the man in the chest. Kenji drew the dagger from his waist. The Samnurai halted and laughed boldly, pulling the dagger from his chest and hurling it away into the darkness. “I have you now, Ninja. You only have one knife left, and your last blade did not cause a serious wound. Surrender your life and I shall make the end quick. I will not stop until I kill you.” “That you shall never do,” Kenji said. He circled around the Samurai, who put his back to a tree. “For you see, Samurai, my blades are poisoned. Even now you feel the sharp fingers of its grip, which will soon crush your heart. Even if I let you go, and you ran as fast as you can-you would not make it back to the castle. And there is no antidote.” The Samurai leaned more heavily against the tree. “Then I will shout until one of the patrols hear me!” The Samurai opened his mouth to yell, but it was filled with Kenji’s fifth dagger. Expertly thrown, the blade pierced the back of the man’s throat, effectively nailing his head to the tree. The corpse convulsed and sagged. Kenji retrieved his knives, stripped the bodies, and hid them as bandits would. The men would not be missed or found until the next day at the earliest. By that time, the counterattack on the invaders would have begun. SECTION ONE: Obtaining and Maintaining Throwing Knives ml I To obtain throwing knives, look through the pages of any martial arts magazines and you can usually find a supplier. Knives may also be found in surplus shops, at gun shows and at flea markets. (Photo 1.1 shows a number of throwing knife designs.) How many throwing knives should a Ninja own? For effective practice, a Ninja should own at least a dozen knives of the same kind. That is a minimum number. If they cannot be acquired all at once, they should be purchased a few at a time over a short period. Twenty or two dozen knives would be more advantageous for the Ninja who can afford them. This will cover any knives which are damaged, lost, etc. Throwing knives are relatively easy to maintain. They should be kept clean, dry and rust free. Some throwing knives do not have to be sharpened. Others can be sharpened with a mill-bastard file. Still others require the use of an oil stone. Take the appropriate sharpening measures, depending upon which type of throwing knives are owned. Throwing knives are difficult to destroy under normal use. If they become bent, they can be hammered or bent flat once more. On the rare occasion that a throwing knife does break, it should be thrown away and replaced. NINJA KNIFE THROWING Another important factor to consider is design. A Ninja may wish to own more than one type of throwing knife. Many of the current designs throw well, with practice, but the most important factors with regard to throwing knives are: Length Weight Balance Length is the first crucial factor. For a throwing knife to have good flight characteristics, power and penetration, it must be at least nine and no more than sixteen inches in length. A knife any shorter than nine inches will often result in poor penetration; any length beyond sixteen inches will cause the knife to be awkward and difficult to throw. Smaller throwing knives may be used as distractions, but they seldom cause serious wounds, and they are virtually nonlethal. The weight of a throwing knife is also important. Among trained knife throwers, a well known approximate ratio of one inch to the ounce is standard knowledge. Therefore, a nine-inch throwing knife should weigh approximately nine ounces, and a sixteen-inch throwing knife should weigh approximately sixteen ounces. If a knife is too light, it will have poor flight characteristics and not enough hitting power.If a knife is too heavy, it is difficult to throw, has a shorter range and is slow. An old Ninja maxim states that, “A thrown knife should not fly like a feather or a rock, but like the beak of a hawk.” Last but not least, balance is another important factor determined by a throwing knife’s design. It is inherently related to the other two factors. The finest and most versatile throwing knives can be thrown either by the handle or by the blade. They are balanced exactly in the center of the knife. Test this by balancing the knife on the end of one finger to find its center of gravity. Other knives are meant to be thrown by holding the handle. These knives have blade ends which are heavier than the ends of the handles. The balancing point will often NINJA KNIFE THROWING be found approximately in the center of the knife or up to one inch toward the handle. Such knives require round numbers of spins in order to hit a target point first. Thus a knife thrown by the handle must make one, two, three-up to five or six complete revolutions in order to strike home. Any increment of half revolutions will not strike the target point first. If this is not clear at this point, the matter will be explained in the section on throwing methods. Still other throwing knives are designed to be thrown by holding the blade. Such knives have lighter blades and heavier handles. The blade’s center of gravity will be found anywhere from approximate center up to a inch toward the point of the blade. These knives must be thrown in half increment rotations. Therefore, in order to land point first, knives thrown by holding the blade must make anywhere from l/2 up to 5% and 6% revolutions in order to hit home. The universal throwing knife is the most versatile and easiest knife to begin training with. Handle-thrown knives are the second best. Blade-thrown knives are slightly more difficult to master for beginners. Other facts about throwing knives. Do not be surprised if throwing knives do not resemble regular combat knives. Many throwing knives are flat and do not have regular wood or plastic handles. They can be used in hand-to-hand combat, but that is not their primary function. A note on throwing ordinary knives and miscellaneous objects: Any knife (or any object which can be picked up) can be thrown effectively, once a Ninja understands both how an object is balanced, and the basics of throwing: judging distance, throwing methods and rotations. This includes knives and objects not specifically designed for throwing: hunting knives, kitchen knives, and even items seldom considered to have potential as weapons, such as ice picks, scissors and screwdrivers. Once the basics of knife throwing contained in this book are learned, a Ninja can apply those same principles to throwing almost anything. The general NINJA KNIFE THROWING rule of thumb is to find the center of balance of an object, and understand how it flies. For example, a screwdriver can be treated like a knife. If the handle is heavier, throw the object by the blade, using full rotations. If the blade is heavier, throw it by the handle, using half rotations. Practice with such irregular items on large c..."

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