Squad 2 Weapon Database

Lavi wrote:Welcome to the Database of the 2nd Division Weapons. Here, you may find different weapons and information on them.

Shuriken: Shurikens are the most noticed weapons of a ninja. They are a must-have. It can also be used as a last resort.
Shurikens are a small(it may fit the size of your palm), star-shaped long-ranged weapon made from steel, which gives it a dark color. It also has a hole in the middle.
Shurikens can be thrown from long ranges. They have a small size and can nearly hit anything. They can never miss because they have four or five edges. Shurikens of poorer quality were sometimes bedded into the ground for improvised use as caltrops.
SAYINGS ABOUT A SHURIKEN It is said that four-star shurikens are for experts, and five-star shurikens or with more stars, are for beginners. It has also been said that shurikens can be used as hidden melee weapons, but no historical evidence exists of this rather uncommon use

Kunai: kunai is an ancient Japanese kind of gardening tool or trowel. Two variations are the short kunai and the big kunai It is a good example of a very basic tool which, in the hands of a martial arts expert, could be used as a multi-functional weapon.
The kunai was conventionally wrought of ranged from 20 cm to 60 cm, with the average at 40 cm. The kunai was used by common folk as multi-purpose gardening tools and by workers of stone and masonry. The kunai is not a knife, but something more akin to a crowbar. The blade was soft iron and unsharpened because the edges were used to smash plaster and wood, to dig holes and to pry. Normally only the tip would have been sharpened. The uses to which a kunai was put would have destroyed any heat-treated and sharpened tool like a knife.
Kunai normally had a leaf-shaped blade and a handle with a ring on the pommel for attaching a rope. This would allow the kunai's handle to be wrapped to act as a grip, or when used as a weapon; to be strapped to a stick as an expedient spear, to be tied to the body for concealment, or to use as an anchor or piton.
Contrary to popular belief, they were not designed to be used primarily as throwing weapons, though they can be thrown and cause damage. Instead, they are a thrusting and stabbing implement.

Spikes: Also known as Bo-Shuriken, they is a throwing weapon consisting of a straight, iron or steel spike, usually 4-sided but sometimes round or octagonal in shape. They are usually single-pointed, but there are some that are double-pointed. The length of bo-shuriken ranges from 12 to 21 cm (5–8 1/2 in) and the average weight was from 35 to 150 grams (1.2–5.4 ounces). The bo-shuriken is thrown in a number of ways, such as overhead, underarm, sideways and rearwards, but in each case, the throw involved the blade sliding out of the hand through the fingers in a smooth, controlled flight. This is not to be confused with the kunai, which is a thrusting and stabbing implement that is sometimes thrown.
The major forms of throw are the jiki da-ho (direct hit method), and the han-ten da-ho (turning hit method). These two forms are technically different, in that the former does not allow the blade to spin before it hits the target, while the latter requires that the blade spin before it hits the target.
Bo-shuriken were constructed from a wide variety of everyday items, and thus there are many shapes and sizes. Some derive their name from the materials they were fashioned from, such as kugi-gata (nail form), hari-gata (needle form) and tanto-gata (knife form); others are named after the object to which they appear similar, such as hoko-gata (spear form), matsuba-gata (pine-needle form) while others were simply named after the object that was thrown, such as kankyuto-gata (piercing tool form), kunai-gata (utility tool form), or teppan (plate metal) and biao (pin).
Other items were also thrown as in the fashion of bo-shuriken, such as kogai (ornamental hairpin), kogata (utility knife) and hashi (chopsticks), although these items were not associated with any particular school of shurikenjutsu, rather they were more likely just thrown at opportune moments by a skilled practitioner who was skilled in a particular method or school.

Shinobikatana: The Shinobikatana, also known as a ninjato or ninjaken is perhaps the most known and identifiable weapon of the ninja arsenal.
It is drastically different than the standard katana in many ways. Usually it's single edged straight blade is nothing more than a piece of sharpened iron 20-27 inches in length and forged with less than ideal equipment. It commonly has an oversized, square shaped tsuba (handguard).
A frequent practice among ninja is to contain the blade in a saya (scabbard) longer than the blade itself. The excess space allows for storage of a multitude of items such as poisons, powdered medicines, and flash powders, small shurikens, caltrops, or even a small knife or other small weapons in it's detachable bottom.

Katana: The katana is a type of Japanese sword , and is often called a "samurai sword." The term katana may be applied to the standard size moderately curved [as opposed to the older "tachi" style featuring more curvature] Japanese sword with a blade length of greater than (27" inches). The term is sometimes incorrectly used as a generic name for any kind of Japanese sword. In Portuguese the designation (spelled catana-perhaps delineated from the Japanese word when Portuguese traders first arrived in Japan) refers to a slightly shorter and wider blade, commonly used to clear paths through dense jungle, or to otherwise cut down wild vegetation.
The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single edged blade, circular or squared guard, and long grip to accommodate two hands. It has historically been associated with the samurai of feudal Japan, and has become renowned for its sharpness and cutting ability, to the point that its purported cutting capabilities have reached mythical status.

Ninjato: The ninjatō (忍者刀?), also known as ninjaken (忍者剣?) or shinobi gatana (忍刀?), is the most common name for the reputed (if not, fictional) sword a ninja would have carried. According to Masaaki Hatsumi, Sōke or Grandmaster of the Bujinkan, these swords came in a variety of shapes and sizes. Often, however, they were much shorter than the traditional daito katana used by the samurai of feudal Japan. The straight bladed, square guard sword (as seen in the image) is a product of the modern imaginative conception.
The typical ninjatō carried by a ninja would most likely have been a wakizashi or shortsword fitted with a katana-length handle and placed in a katana-length saya (scabbard). This may have been used to deceive one's opponents into miscalculating how quickly it could be drawn allowing one to use a battoujutsu strike faster than expected. It also disguises the weapon (that would easily identify them as a ninja) as a common sword. The extra space in the saya may also be used to store or hide other equipment or goods, such as tubes which act as snorkels or shiruken. Another advantage to using such a short sword was the increased ease of fighting at close quarters, an irrevocable requirement of an assassin or intelligence gatherer.
Modern ninjato are often straight with a square tsuba (hand guard), but this is not historically accurate. According to the same book by Masaaki Hatsumi, the ninja ken was straight, but only in contrast to the average sword of the period which were much more curved. The ninja ken still had a slight curve to the sword.
The Bujinkan dojo currently contains one school, the Togakure-ryū, which teaches the use of the ninja ken. Typically, this is a sword of wakizashi-length (slightly longer swords have been known to be allowed) that has been outfitted with katana sized koshirae (fittings).

Tachi: The tachi is a Japanese sword, often said to be more curved and slightly longer than the katana. However, Gilbertson, Oscar Ratti, and Adele Westbrook state that a sword is called a tachi when hung from the obi (belt or sash) with the edge down, and the same sword becomes a katana when worn edge up and thrust through the girdle. The "tachi" style was eventually discarded in favor of the katana.
The daitō (long swords) that pre-date the katana average about 78cm in blade length, larger than the katana average of around 70cm. Unlike the traditional manner of wearing the katana, the tachi was worn hung from the belt with the cutting-edge down, and was usually used by cavalry. Deviations from the average length of tachi have the prefixes ko- for "short" and ō- for "great or large" attached. For instance, tachi that were shōtō and closer in size to a wakizashi were called kodachi. The longest tachi (considered a 15th century ōdachi) in existence is more than 3.7 meters in total length (2.2m blade) but believed to be ceremonial. In the year 1600, many old tachi were cut down into katana. The majority of surviving tachi blades now are o-suriage, so it is rare to see an original signed ubu tachi.
In the case of Ninja, occasionally some of the Ninja leaders were originally samurai, so they use tachi as a ceremonial inheritance, and other cases when they kill an enemy samurai lord, they took the tachi of the deceased daimyo to give to their masters, letting them know their enemy has fallen.

Lavi wrote:Bo: The Bo is one of the most important weapons in the ninja's arsenal.
It was generally around 6 feet in length, made of hard wood or bamboo and was hollow.
The reason for the hollow part was another trick of the ninja trade. By flicking the bo with great speed, the ninja could launch a poison tipped dart or small knife out of the open end of the staff, often catching the opponent off guard.

Bow: The bow and arrow was a weapon used by the ninja as well as the samurai.
There are two types of bows and arrows: The long and the short. Ninja probably used shorter bows than the samurai's yumi(longbow). Both kinds of bow can be made from wood, steel, or other metals. But most are made from wood that are curved, then a string is attached.
Bows could be used from long distances to make quick, precise, and most importantly silent kills. Stronger bows could go through armor (i.e. samurai armor) making it a valuable asset to any battlefield. The arrows were sometimes dipped in poison to make them deadlier. Kunoichi (female ninja) were experts with the bow and arrow.

Blow Gun: A Blow gun (Fukiya), is a fairly common Weapons as it is smaller and more conventional than a bow. They fire small Blowgun Darts darts that usually have poisoned tips. Other variations of darts can be: Tazer Darts, Explosive Darts, and barebed darts. Most blow darts are painted black for stealth. These weapons have a lethal accuracy, and are fired by blowing a short and fast stream of air.also traditional blow guns were disguised as plants so when they were in the water they could stick it out of the water and it looked like a bamboo reed and they would then avoid detection. The fukiya, or blowgun, was a staple in the Ninja's arsenal since it was so versatile. The fukiya was used to shoot darts (sometimes poisoned) at an enemy from a distance and, since it made almost no noise, the Ninja's hiding place wasn't threatened by using this weapon. Aside from launching darts, the blowgun could be used as a snorkel while the Ninja was underwater. Since the fukiya was usually made of bamboo, it blended in with the reeds in the water, therefore enabling the Ninja to stay submerged for hours, if necessary. Metsubishi could also be delivered through the fukiya by shooting small paper containers filled with pepper and metal shavings at an enemy's face.

Blowgun Darts: Blowgun Darts are fired out of a blowgun. The ninja would use the poison darts differently depending on the situation. It was not uncommon for the ninja to carry poison darts in his mouth so they could be blown into the enemy's face at close range. If they needed to kill someone quietly, a dart could easily enter the body and be withdrawn without leaving a mark. From a distance the dart could be shot with a blowgun. Kunoichi (female ninja) would hide the poisonous darts in their hair. When the victim was preoccupied with something else, the ninja would stick them with the dart. They can be made at home, simply by cutting small pieces of yarn, and taping them around a nail. or you can take a clothes hanger straightend out and then put a duck tape funnelon the end. To load them, use a pencil to push them in. You can obviously place poison on the tip, and then fire, just don't breathe in the poison.

Tazer Blowgun Darts: Again, from instructables
High voltage ammo has never been so simple and fun.
Parts:
1. Photoflash capacitor. The most important thing about it is that it is small enough to fit in the tube. I forget what type of disposable camera I harvested the one I am using from. So the only thing I can suggest is just to test out a range of capacitors, and when you find one that fits perfectly see if the maker sells them in bulk. 2. The tazer glove http://www.instructables.com/id/ESJUFG9VBJEPUCHSMG/ (the web of danger continues) would greatly simplify this, but if your too lazy to make one all you really need is a disposable camera with exposed charge leads. 3. 2 metal pins 4. Soldering iron and solder
Process:
Solder the 2 pins onto the leads from the capacitor. Put some electrical tape around the base to provent accidental bridging. Because the capacitor is already wide enough to block most of the air behind it, just put a small piece of electrical tape on the back, this not only traps extra air, but prevents you from being shocked if you accidentally breath in, although if you are dumb enough to breathe in you deserve to be shocked. Now you may be asking yourself "isnt putting a high voltage capacitor inside a metal tube, and then inserting that tube in my mouth extremely dangerous?" The answer is yes. However to minimize the chance that the leads will be bridged when the capacitor is flying through the tube, place a piece of electrical tape over the needles and bend it down both sides, so it completely coveres all parts of the needle. Push the 2 points just slightly through the tip of the electrical tape. You may not even need to push them through depending on how hard you can blow. The safest thing to do would to be to have the tips of the pins covered, and then driven through the tape and into the target by the force of the impact.

Explosive Blowgun Darts: Parts:
1. Drinking straws 2. Strike anywhere matches 3. Flash powder http://www.instructables.com/id/E65PVI1DFCEPUCHXG0/ I love tying my instructables together, its like a giant web of destruction 4. Yarn
Process:
Cut the drinking straw to slightly shorter then 2 match lengths. Stick as many pieces of yarn into one end of the straw as possible. The yarn will not only act to to help accelerate the straw, but will also act as a plug preventing the flash powder and match from falling out, so make sure there is plenty of yarn. Insert one match into the other end of the straw, so that the head is facing the open end. Fill the straw with flash powder until the head is reached, but not submerged. (Warning: Do this step roughly and youll be missing fingers, make sure to avoid excess jolts on the match heads. A good idea is to go outside and play with the strike anywhere matches, if you are unaware of their sensitivity, thats right play with matches to be safe. Try striking them on different surfaces until they ignite, notice the different amounts of force required to ignite heads with larger white tips, as you will see they are not overly sensitive. In fact they are almost not sensitive enough to make this work, but still better safe then sorry.) Insert the other match, with the head facing in, so that the 2 match heads are in contact. Pour in slightly more flash powder to cover the 2 heads, if you want you can even fill up the rest of the straw with flash powder for a larger boom (Legal note: I almost forgot, dont use more then 50 miligrams its illegal. Even less then 50 is probably illegal depending on what state you are in. If 50 miligrams isnt enough to fill the straw, you can always mix 50 miligrams with gunpowder as filler, it should still have a nice report to it.) With both matches in the straw, stuff around the matchstick with tissues or something so the powder does not leak when the straw is horozintal. Just dont stuff it so tight that it prevents the match stick from moving.

Smoke Bomb: This circular bomb of smoke was made famous by the ninja movies in the 80's. For a quick get away this bomb could be filled with gun powder to make an explosion and smoke. Because of the smokebomb's use by the ninja, legends tells of ninja being able to "Vanish in a cloud of smoke."

Shinobishozoku: The Shinobishozoku is a uniform traditionally utilized for stealth based operations, it commonly consists of the following components:

Zukin: A cloth about 30 cm in length, which acts as a hood.

Fukumen: A cloth mask which was implemented to disguise the facial features and to muffle breathing sounds.

Uwagi: A jacket that is usually lined with hidden interior pockets of various sizes.

Tekkou/Tekoh: Bracers that hide and protect the forearms and the hands.

Tattsuke Hakama: Pleated trousers identical to conventional hakama except for one thing. The legs end with leggings called kyahan which are tied tightly around the calves.

Tabi: Ankle high socks with a separation between the big toe and other toes.

Jika-Tabi: Boots made of tough material with rubber soles, jika-tabi function as outer footwear rather than as socks. Like other tabi, jika-tabi are toe-divided.

It is important to remember that ninja customized their equipment depending on the operation.

Ninja Hood: A ninja hood will conceal a ninja from others. The hood was made by tying two strips of 3 ft. cloth around the head, but can be made easily with a tee shirt for less costly adventures.

Ashiko: Ashiko are one of the many two-in-one all purpose weapons/armors of a ninja.
Ashiko are spiked claws worn on the feet of a ninja. They are very sharp and are made of steel nails.
Ashiko are used by the ninjas to climb things easily, and also to deliver very deadly kicks. There is one disadvantage, though. That they can leave footprints when stepped on dry land.

Lavi wrote:Caltrop/makibishi: A caltrop (also known as caltrap, galtrop, cheval trap, galthrap, galtrap, calthrop, crow's foot) is an antipersonnel weapon made up of two or more sharp nails or spines arranged in such a manner that one of them always points upward from a stable base. They may be thought of as the landmines of antiquity, useful to shape the battlefield and force the enemy into certain paths and approaches, or to provide a passive defense as part of a defensive works system. Caltrops serve to slow down the advance of horses, war elephants, and human troops. They were said to be particularly effective against the soft feet of camels. In more modern times, caltrops are used against wheeled vehicles with pneumatic tires.

When pursued by enemies, ninja would scatter makibishi on the ground. In ancient Japan, common footwear consisted of sandals made of straw, called zori, which offered relatively little protection against such hazards. Makibishi spines were often hooked, and occasionally grooved to allow for a light coat of poison, to increase the damage they dealt to those unfortunate enough to step on them and possibly result in death.
Stories exist of other destructive versions of makibishi which would explode when stepped on. These are referred to as bakuraibishi. However, the general purpose of these was merely that of distraction. They could be used to block an escape route, to make the target vulnerable to attack by means of arrows or direct confrontation while he/she searches another possible path.

KAGINAWA
The kaginawa, or grappling hook, was a climbing device consisting of a pronged hook with 12 to 15 feet of rope attached. The kaginawa was used to scale walls or to swing across large gaps, however, it could also be used as a weapon. By holding the rope and swinging the hook over the head, the Ninja could strike his opponent with the sharp prongs of the hook or the rope could be used to entangle the enemy and enable the Ninja to strike with another weapon.

Kama: The Kama was a sickle used for harvesting crops and other farming purposes. Later, it was found to be an effective weapon. Kama could be used single or in a pair. Their slightly curved blades made them effective against a sword for their use of hooking the sword away while the second kama (or other weapon) could deliver the final blow to the enemy. The blades were VERY SHARP, thus making slicing off limbs relatively easy. The kama could be fitted with a chain, and a weight attached to the other end of the chain, to make a kusarigama.

Naginata: The naginata was a bladed polearm weapon favored by samurai and ninja alike. It was sometimes a wife's wedding gift if she married a samurai, because she would need to defend her house properly. The art of using the naginata was called Naginatajutsu. A naginata consists of a oval wooden staff with a short sword's blade one end. Some were made custom to have a staff as long as its user was tall, and a blade a foot or two long, making this weapon longer than its user was tall. A naginata was used mainly as an anti-cavalry weapon.Due to its length, one could knock a samurai off of his horse and finish him off with the blade. It had an advantage over a sword, at range, naginata would easily rule out any advantage of upper body strength and keep its wielder out of their opponent's reach. Sometimes, if a ninja managed to kill a samurai, he would take his naginata and swords because they were better than many of their weapons. Ninja liked the way it could take down a samurai from slightly further away. Of course, their downsides was that they could not be concealed, their weight made them slightly slower than a sword, and up close, one's amount of attacks was greatly limited.

NUNCHAKUS: Though not a primary weapon of the Ninja, nunchakus (also known as "nunchucks") were used because they could be adapted for many situations. Aside from being easy to carry, the nunchakus were used to defend against most any weapon from a bo to a sword. By trapping the blade of a sword with the chain between the two sticks, a Ninja could entangle and disarm a sword-wielding attacker.
The same concept applies to almost every other weapon. The nunchakus were not just used for defense, they could also be effectively employed against an enemy in an offensive way. The Ninja could strangle an opponent or even execute joint locks with the chain or cord between the two sticks. They would commonly use two nunchakus in conjunction with each other, that way they could use one to entangle a weapon, while the other struck a blow to the head or other places. Contrary to popular belief, they should not be thrown, they cannot be used as shurikens because their poorly balanced weight made them difficult to throw. Some ninja would attach blades to the ends of their nunchaku. They are also used in other forms like freesyle, where the user performs tricks and very "flashy" moves with them. For this form, performers often use glow-in-the-dark nunchakus or even flaming nunchaku in rather extreme cases.

NEKO-TE
The Neko-te were usually used by the kunoichi (female ninja). The weapon is strong iron fingernails that were fastened into leather bands fitted on the fingers, and resembled claws (not like that of of the shuko, ashiko) and were also dipped in poisons. The eyes were a favorite spot for slashing.

Shikomizue: The shikomizue ("prepared cane") is a Japanese concealed sword disguised as a cane or walking stick, similar to the swordstick. It was used mostly by the ninja. It is most famous for its use by the fictional swordmaster Zatoichi.
The name shikomi-zue is actually the name of a type of mounting; the sword blade was placed in a cane-like mounting (tsue), to conceal the fact that it was a sword. These mountings are not to be confused with the Shirasaya mountings, which were just plain wooden mountings with no decorations.
Some shikomi-zue also concealed metsubushi, chains, hooks, and many other things. The shikomi-zue could be carried in public without arousing suspicion

Sai: Sai were small (10-24 inch) dagger-shaped truncheons that have 2 short prongs and on long on in the middle. They possibly derived from a pitchfork head, though farmers did use them to measure how far into the ground their seeds needed to be planted. Traditional sai have no blades, yet are sometimes sharpened on the end to use for stabbing, despite being a blunt striking implement. With proper technique, they could be twisted far enough to break a sword. It was a favorite for fighting against a samurai armed with a katana or other sword wielding opponents. Could disarm most weapons with ease.

SHUKO
These were steel or iron bands that were tied over the hands and feet and used as climbing aids. With the use of these, a Ninja could scale a wall or climb a tree in a matter of seconds. In fact, many Samurai were reported as saying the Ninja could "climb like a bear." Shuko were worn on the hands and ashiko worn on the feet. They could also be used to deliver deadly open palm strikes to an enemy.