ninjatō (忍者刀) is a fictional Japanese sword used by the ninja that was similar to the katana, but tended to be straighter, and was generally not made of folded metal. Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century A sword (from Old English sweord; akin to Old High German swerd lit. ... A ninja on the cover of Black Belt magazine. ... Katana of the 16th of 17th Century, with its saya. ... Metal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Many beliefs are held about the sword of the ninja. The discussion on veracity of these is left out of this article; however, it is not even certain whether this weapon existed at all. Some claims about this weapon: Look up belief in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

1. The ninja did not put much effort and soul into his equipment (in contrary to the samurai's bushido). Therefore the sword could be abandoned if necessary.
2. The cord (sageo) hanging from the saya was longer so the user could climb over a wall with his ninjato and later lift the sword up with the cord he brought with him.
3. The hilt (tsuka) was longer to facilitate its use as a launchpad over walls, etc.
4. The blade was rarely sharp all over. Most effort was put into the end, where cutting and stabbing were performed.
5. The blade was shorter (so it could be easily carried and drawn from back) because close quarters work was often performed by the ninja.
6. The hilt was sometimes longer so that things could be hidden inside it. Examples: shuriken, blinding powder, and secret documents.

The ninjatō was more than likely created during WWII, and branded as a sword used by ninja. Easily created by mold casting methods, it would obviously offer less strength than a katana, or similar weapon, that would be folded and hand-forged. A weapon of similar build, in practical use, would more than likely snap or break against folded weapon, which would then become a danger to the wielder of the weapon. Japanese samurai in armour, 1860 photograph. ... For other uses of the term bushido see bushido (disambiguation) Bushido (Japanese: 武士道; bushidō, way of the warrior), was an ethical code of conduct, developed between the 11th to 14th centuries and was formalized during the opening years of the Tokugawa shogunate for the members of the Samurai class. ... Saya can be either: a sword sheath for a katana. ... Hira Shuriken Shuriken (手裏剣) are throwing blades. ... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... A ninja on the cover of Black Belt magazine. ... Katana of the 16th of 17th Century, with its saya. ...

The ninjatō is sometimes claimed to be straight, because of the inferior blacksmithing techniques used by poorer, rural blacksmiths. The truth is that all blacksmiths created edged weapons, either as farm tools: sickles (known as kama), scythes, or something simliar; or created to order for samurai. The way in which a blade curves while using the folding technique is naturally occurring. This technique was by no means a secret, and known to all who would call themselves a blacksmith. The technique was part of the quenching process (the process in which the blade is heated to extreme temperatures and quenched in a medium such as water or oil).

There is one reference to straight-bladed sword that might fit the definition of the ninjatō (however unlikely.) It was known as "The Drying Pole", used by Sasaki Kojiro, an insane, but very talented swordsman in the samurai epic, Miyamoto Musashi written by Eiji Yoshikawa. Sasaki Kojirō (佐々木 小次郎 died April 14, 1612) was a prominent swordsman; he is most famous for his death in battle with Miyamoto Musashi. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Eiji Yoshikawa (吉川 英治 Yoshikawa Eiji, August 11, 1892 - September 7, 1962) was a Japanese author specializing in historical novels. ...