Martial Art Weapons - Shuriken

Shuriken

A shuriken (pronounced "sure-ee-ken") is a sharpened star or rod shaped, multi-pointed, throwing weapon made from various metals. They come in many shapes and sizes. It was mainly used as a harassing, nuisance weapon that was thrown at the opponent to give the warrior time to draw his sword.

When using the shuriken, some warriors carried it in the palm so that it was hidden from the opponent's view. Some carried a small stack of them so that when thrown they would spread out in an array. One of the easier ways to throw on is to grip a point between thumb and forefinger and throw overhand or sidearm with a quick snapping motion. When throwing overhand, it is thrown similar to a dart. When held near the tip of a point, the star will spin quicker than when held more toward the center of the star. The star will stick best if it is thrown so that it strikes the target board parallel with the grain of the wood.