Ninjatō
| Ninjatō (忍者刀) | |
|---|---|
A computer image sample depiction of the ninjatō | |
| Type | Short sword (single-edge) |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Ninjutsu practitioners |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | ~0.42 kilograms (0.93 lb) |
| Length | ~48 centimetres (19 in) |
| Blade length | Blade length 46 centimetres (18 in) 46 cm 61 centimetres (24 in) |
The ninjatō (忍者刀) was the preferred weapon of the shinobi of feudal Japan. It is portrayed by modern ninjutsu practitioners (including Masaaki Hatsumi and Stephen K. Hayes) as the weapon of the ninja and features prominently in popular culture. 20th-century examples of this sword are displayed at the Koka Ninja Village Museum in Kōka, Shiga, at the Gifu Castle Archives Museum in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan and at the Ninja Museum of Igaryu, established in the mid-1960s.
Historically, there is no evidence for the existence of this "katana-like short sword legendarily used by ninja" before the 20th century. Instead, the designs demonstrated by replicas may be based on the design of wakizashi or chokutō swords or the swords associated with ashigaru—common infantrymen with no "ninja" aspects.