I have finished two more tools. These are a little different. They were an order from my teacher. He asked for an ONO a very large axe and a BISENTO a very large Naginata.

He wanted them both in wood so they would be safe for training.

I started to collect the wood 2 years ago. The heads were had of Elm from a tree that came down a few years earlier. The handles were from a maple that came down just this last year.

The heads have been drying slowly since they had been cut out. I needed them to dry as slow as possible so they wouldn’t crack and loss strength. The maple handles were still moist so I wrapped steel around the ends so it couldn’t crack.

I connected the heads to the handles with more wood. I used doweling to hold them in place. I used ¼” oak dowels.

Once they were together I started oiling them. It takes a few days to fill them with oil. Yet all that time pays off with the final look. To know that they are well oiled means they are unlikely to crack.

Its sad to see them go to there new home, I have been looking after them for so long it seems strange another is no responsible for there well being. Side note for those that remember the old IKEA commercial that’s asks “do you fell sorry for the lamp?” yes, I felt sorry for the lamp.

I will get over it. I have a new project to work on. My work trailer needs a forge built into it. So I best get to it.


Best of luck

I have called this a Kusari-Gama.

Yet it is not a Kusari because it comes with rope not chain, on top of that it is more a Jin-gama than a Kusari-Gama. Yet I feel it is best called a Kusari-Gama because it is the familiar name.

A Jin-Gama was a Kama, chain and weight that was made for the battle field, the blade was heavier and straighter and the weight was attached to the top of the blade for one hand use.

In the Ninja museum in Iga province of Japan there is a Kama-Bo that has a natural branch for the handle in stead of carved handle found on Jin-Gama and Kusari-Gama.

I wanted a Kama that had the battle field properties of puncturing and a heavy weight yet it needed to look like a Kama. It needed to have the ability to harvest yet it needed a top mount for chain or rope for fighting. So I end up with a Kusari-Gama that could pass as a farming tool yet had the capability to fight on the battle field like a Jin-Gama

This piece was born.

Questions comments send them!
and check out

www.ninedirections.com

Kyoketsu-Shoge is an interesting little tool. There is a spear point, a hooked edge like a kama, a length of rope 9’ feet and up and a weight attached to the end of the rope.

Rope, all ranges, used to entangle, control, climbing, restricting. Used with a weight it can strike, thrust, entangle,

The Kyoketsu-Shoge is a tool that seems to be a combination of a couple tools in one.

Stress.

I feel over whelmed today. Is the heat? It may be yet even so that is only an excuse. My mind is every where and it’s not happy in any of those places.

I understand the mind is able to do one thing at a time. The one thing I seem to be doing is being stressed.

I haven’t felt this way for some time.

I felt this way early one in my uchi deshi (live in student) programme. Why do I let my self feel this way? I asked my self, I understood it had been my decision to feel this way. No one was holding a gun to my head I was just letting myself live with the feeling.

Just like today. Have a forgotten the lesson that I had learnt in that year? I had learnt that living with stress was like carrying extra luggage. I didn’t need the luggage and I just brought it along so it can affect every instance of my time. I had made my mind up I would not carry such a stupid idea any more.

Yet here I am holding that same stupid luggage!

I admit a live in programme is as close to real life as a penguin sunning him self on a beach, while drinking a fresh cup of coffee that had just washed up on shore.

Just the same, I had it mastered with in the programme, before tests I was just ready. Stress did not enter my vocabulary.

I once heard that worrying about something is just as affective as chewing bubble gum to solve a math equation. Bloody useless!

Yet again I sit here being stressed.

I felt that I would answer such a question while writing. I must admit that this article was going to be on the Kyoketsu-Shoge a very cool little tool. It’s awesome at stabbing, sword capturing, thrusting and striking; it’s also got the ability to have a rope attached so one can use rope techniques. To top it of the rope has a weight to add even more techniques to its arsenal. This one little tool can works form a short range all the way up to far range rope permitting.

Well it seems I was able to talk of both and I feel less stress.

Having faith in ones training trusting you can find answers in your practice.

Instead of being stressed I will act, I will act by creating more of what I wish to understand.

Best of luck

Historic Connection

Its was 12 hours before the forge was to be fired up for a 3 day forging fest. I needed something more to build. I have lists of items but I wanted to make this one! Yet this one was still an unknown.

As I continued going through my books of ninja tools I found inspiration with in Ninjutsu History and Traditions pg 171 I was almost to the end when I saw what I had seen many times, yet today was the day (well tomorrow in this case) that I would make these Wide Shuriken that I see Hatsumi Soke hold in so many pictures. In this picture they are spread in his hand as a Peacock spreads his feathers.

The Shuriken that I’m talking of are wide Bo-Shuriken. They are about an inch in width, around 8`` to 9`` inches in length and 1é8 in width. These measurements are taken from the picture as best as I can measure.

I sent off an e-mail to my steel guy for the steel I needed. That was the second add on e-mail I had sent that night to him.

I work with mild steel. Katana of the day had a carbon content of 7% carbon. I am told that mild steel is very close to that. I prefer to use steel as close as to what would have been used at the time to have a better look into the past.

Once I had them at the forge I took of the extra steel and sent them to turn red in the fire. Forging them was relatively easy, yet time consuming. Once the shape had been found I fired them up again and sent them for a rapid cool to maintain that wonderful shape.

Once they all had been formed and treated, it was off to the target tree. (Target tree is a dead tree that has much of its density left and half its former height) 6 foot range no problem. I moved to the next distance…didn’t go so well. I will need to give this tool more time.

I have put together a short video of these shuriken so people may gain a little insight to the bo-Shuriken for themselves. The distance that I used in the video is 6 feet. Once I understand the tool further I will up date the my next understanding of the tool.

For now I will end with a statement of my happiness with this tool. On the Historic connection that I feel with this tool proves it was the one tool I was looking for. My understanding of the tool has started with the creation, next step is use.

Well I best quit sitting here and get back to training,

Matthew Wright

What is the fate of this bread

I have been working on food that can be taken into the woods, easy to store, long lasting nutritious and that tastes good.

I have many answers yet I have yet to try, so I best not comment at this time.

Will asking this question I came across this “Bread” I thought others may find this just as interesting as I do.

I found some army food and in side this heavily armoured plastic bag I found bread.

I broke it in half to see what it looked like. It looked like bread, like sculpted bread, as if it were poured into a cast and let set. Scratch that, it didn’t look like bread.

It smelt of molasses, it tasted of molasses. Like gum that just wouldn’t stay together.

With in the packaging I found a packet that said “fresh Saver” I believe mine was broken.

At the end of a film on “fast Food” the gentleman contains some “fast food” items, to watch there disintegration. The fries looked normal long after they should have been dirt.

With in a show of “water holding thoughts”, 2 containers of rice; one had Positive words and the other negative words marked on there containers. In the end the container that had a positive word seemed to be lighter in colour as the other with the negative had grown dark and … well gross looking.

I want to see what happens to this bread, after a month, will it be pleasant or will it be gross?

I found a glass jar, took a part of the bread placed it in the jar than sealed up the jar.

I had a story told to me of a young child that had mold as a pet. They would feed it and talk to it. I thought that very weird. Now that I have done this, I think back to this story and I’m reminded how strange I once thought that idea. Yet here I am now doing that very thing. Change is a constant.

I will up date this next month so we can all enjoy this.

Matthew Wright

A Ninja in the present world

It’s the year 2009, I find myself living down town Toronto. I have a great apartment and wonderful women in my life. My master bedroom, is my armoury, the den attached is a small dojo for my practice. My living room is my office and my balcony is my wood shop. I teach Ninjutsu, and I study it relentlessly. I am obsessed with creating tools from my linage of martial practice. I live the life of a modern Ninja living in peace.

Yet with in my dream life I have a problem. I must choose a path and the path I must choose is against the laws of ninjutsu. I wish to create with in my laws of creation. I wish to do this full time. To create brings me peace and a better understanding of the world around me. I wish to make a living on sharing my art with those that see what I see. Here is the problem for them to see what I do, I need to be seen and I need the world to now that I am here.

I question to myself, is this in the laws of Ninjutsu to be seen? To have people know what I do. When the teaching leads to the idea of not being seen, or does it? I do know for certain that the teaching leads to enlightenment.

I cannot answer the question of if or if not I am a hypocrite. What I will do is walk my path and find my answers on the way. I will persevere with in my practice. I will continue making my tools. I will practice the basics of the art and I will study the words I have of Hatsumi. I will also add more tools into my understanding. I will share my findings in my study of tools of the past and I will share my thoughts of Ninpo.

With in my new tool, Blogging, I will talk of my experiences. I hope to gain form this is new contacts. I wish for people to view my web site, for those that can visit my Armoury. I will shine light on a part of Ninjutsu that I was not able to find, but had to experience. I hope my experiences will move some to experience for them self’s the art that is Ninjutsu.

Matthew Wright
www.ninedirections.com