Kage No Senshi Chokuto, BattleBlades

Kage No Senshi Chokuto, BattleBlades

The Kage No Senshi Chokuto is steeped in the mysteries surrounding the existence of modern Shinobi. The name of the sword translates as " Shadow Warrior", which, along with the dark blue colour of Sageo and Ito, hints to the shadows in which the shinobi are said to operate. The latest member of the Chokutō family is distinguished by an unusual O-Kissaki blade tip, rarely seen in shinobi gatana. It not only gives the blade a striking appearance, but also makes it easier to thrust with it. The katate maki wrapped Tsuka is decorated with custom-made golden dragon Menukis and a kabuto gane style Kashira. Overall, the sword is more compact than the Shinobi Chokutō, as it has a slightly shorter blade and a smaller Tsuba. The rikko-style tsuka, on the other hand, is 10 mm longer than that of the Shinobi Chokutō to increase torque and maximum cutting power. The razor-sharp, polished and hand-forged Hazuya T10 blade features our trademark, the glaring, clay-hardened hamon. Protecting the blade is a deep black, fully customised saya with a unique Koiguchi shape for easier insertion.

This weapon is of guaranteed BattleBlades quality and comes with an embroidered BattleBlades silk sword bag and a certificate with serial number.

How the Shinobi Ninja Provinces Were Born

To protect themselves, their homes and families from the constant wars of the Sengoku period (1467-1598), the commoners now known as shinobi formed their own caste outside the usual feudal social categories such as lords, samurai and serfs. The shinobi's stealth may go back even further, but it was not until the Sengoku period that the ninja were specifically trained for their purpose: to take advantage of constant warfare.

The Yamabushi also lived in the mountain regions of Iga and Koga and practised religion and inner peace. The new caste system was partly founded by them, as they wanted nothing to do with the cruel warfare outside. The formation of their own caste system allowed the two ninja strongholds of Iga and Koga to exchange information and practice their own techniques of medicine, espionage, warfare and assassination. Both Iga and Koga were ruled by a council rather than a daimyo (ruler), making them politically and socially independent, democratic and self-governing ninja provinces. However, this era was soon to come to an end when the last Koga ninja was employed in the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637 and the mountain regions came under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and its 300 daimyos. The Shimabara Rebellion was the largest civil war in Japan during the relatively peaceful Edo period (1603-1867). With the end of the Edo period, imperial rule in Japan was restored by Emperor Meiji and the Boshin War.

Ninja weapons

During the Sengoku and Edo periods, the two ninja strongholds of Iga and Koga developed their own weapons along with martial arts. The preferred weapons of the ninja were the katana and straight-bladed swords such as the ninjato. There are many techniques that the ninja utilised with these swords, including using them as weapons and as distractions. Ninja swords were coated with a combination of red pepper and dirt towards the tip of the scabbard. When the sword was drawn, the mixture was thrown into the eyes of the enemies to distract them from the fatal blow.

A lot is left to the imagination, as much of the known information about the national myth surrounding the ninja comes from folk tales and modern pop culture. This mystery surrounding the shinobi has led to the belief that some of them even possessed supernatural powers, such as flying, invisibility, shape-shifting, the ability to "split" into multiple bodies, the summoning of animals and control over the five classical elements.

The modern ninja of pop culture was mainly inspired by the actor, writer and martial artist Sho Kosugi, who made the straight-bladed ninja sword famous through his films and TV shows in the 1980s. It is still debated whether there really was a straight-bladed ninja sword with a square tsuba in feudal Japan, even though it is depicted in many paintings. Myth or not, the Kage No Senshi Chokuto is a tribute to the great Sho Kosugi and the Ninja To he re-popularised.

Details:
- Blade material/Nagasa material: T10 steel
- Total length: approx. 84.6 cm
- Blade length/Nagasa: approx. 56.2 cm
- Handle length/Tsuka: approx. 27.7 cm
- Blade thickness rear/ Kasane: approx. 7.1 mm
- Blade thickness front/ Sakikasane: approx. 3 mm
- Blade width/ Motohaba: approx. 3.2 cm
- Blade width at tip/ Sakihaba: approx. 2.4 cm
- Weight with scabbard/Saya: approx: 1.2 kg
- Weight: approx. 1.04 kg

The above specifications may vary slightly from piece to piece.

Please note:
This item is only sold to persons over 18 years of age. Therefore, please enter your date of birth in our order form. In addition, we require a copy of your identity card, driving licence or similar by e-mail, scan, fax or post.