Poll: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "NINJA SWORD"!

[warprincenataku]

A Ninjato and a Katana are not the same thing. They are shaped differently and have different lengths. The Ninjato is shorter and usually of cheaper quality, it is basically a tool and nothing more. A katana is a finely crafted work of art used for combat and held in high esteem of samurai and it's other practicioners.

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

Its called language obtuseness and adaptation, perhaps i should call each type of spoon a dessert spoon or a soup spoon or ladle spoon every time i refer to one. You probably don't know what an Estoc,Cudgel or Chakam are but I'm not going to chastise you for looking them up.

 

[IronicBeet]

You remind me of when I used to play SSBM with my friend, and he'd get pissed when I called the ray gun a laser pistol.

 

[Outright Villainy]

I wouldn't say either, because I wouldn't associate ninjas with swords. Not that it really matters, "ninja sword" is easily recognisable as ninjato for those that know what it is, and identifies it as a specific sword that ninjas use for those that don't.

So pragmatically speaking, ninja sword is better than ninjato.
Because we don't live in feudal japan.

 

[captaincabbage]

I don't see what the big deal is with calling it a ninjato or ninja sword. They're the same thing, some people just don't know the correct terminology.

It's the exact same as calling a gladius a 'gladiator sword' or a katana a 'samurai sword'.

As for shurikins, same deal.

 

[gjendemsjo]

I agree, though it doesn't piss me off that much. But if people know what it's called, then call it that.

 

[TheRobotandtheBeast]

sharp pieces of steel, bam.

 

[Veylon]

Maybe they are not refering to Ninjato, but another type of sword that ninjas use. In a way, isnt any sword a ninja uses therefore a ninja sword. And If every sword is a ninja sword,then they are no longer ninja swords. Theyre just swords.

You're assuming that the set of swords that ninjas use is identical to the set of all swords, which is not the case.

 

[Whitenail]

Really, does it matter that much? I know they're technically called katanas and shurikens respectively but come on, ninja swords and throwing stars sound so much cooler.

 

[NuclearPenguin]

Not everyone knows their actual name and alot of people I know just have trouble prenouncing Katana or Shuriken.

Also, Soul Calibur 4 disagrees with you.
Check out the weapon names

 

[Viik]

So?

European swords are a science unto themselves. I've got a shitload of books detailing the evolution of bladed weaponry from Carolingian times to the Napoleonic wars; do I throw a mother fucking hissy fit when somebody calls an épée batarde simply a "longsword", or when people mistake a schiavona for a rapier because both have basket hilts?

Chill the fuck out.

Not everybody needs to be an expert on everything.

This.
And take into account that even experts on Japan history has a little knowledge about Ninjas and what they used. Polularization by a western movies of 80's don't make them any special to oriental culture nor to the development of their civilization. Who cares how they are called if everybodu understands that reference, and it's reference to movies crap, not a real things.

 

[Superior Mind]

Since you're not saying that a Ninja Sword and a Ninjato are different things per se I'm wondering what your point is. Are you saying that every item in existance only has one correct name? Are you saying that nouns should not be translated into any other language but that of their origin? Are you saying that descriptive terms should never be used under penalty of death? Are you just boasting about your knowledge of this part of japanese culture and looking for a way in which your knowledge of ninja weapons can elevate you above us, the common mortal who dare use the term "throwing star"?

Look; words are not concrete. A Ninja Sword is exactly the same thing as a Ninjato. A Throwing Star is the same thing as a Shuriken. The terms are recognisable as meaning the item they are meant to and there is no problem. Getting yourself concerned with these pedantics is exactly as pointless as me noting that you incorrectly used a comma after the word "sword" in your original post.

But hey, if you still want to use it as a validation of your own superiority, (yes, I am aware that I say this as some twat who calls himself Superior Mind,) then more power to you.

 

[CouchCommando]

I watched waaay too many bad ninja movies back in the 80s, so yeah I guess you could classify me as one of those dumb arses that says samurai sword and ninja star lol. Gotta admit never really thought about it that much.

 

[Ravek]

Well, see it as this: Referring to your computer as "that machine", instead of a computer, because it is a machine.

In context, I regularly refer to my machine as 'my machine', as in "I don't know what you're doing wrong; it works on my machine" and "I just got the parts for my new machine this morning".

Your analogy sucked anyway. Calling the sword that ninjas use a 'ninja sword' is comparable to calling a computer a 'computing machine'. A perfectly accurate term.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

I wouldn't use a Ninjato. I prefer the Katana after all, if we're allowed to leave Japan, the Gladius from Anicent Rome isn't a half bad blade either.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I'd draw a comparison with my mother and her telling me the colours are not right on the computer. She means 'the monitor screen' but as she's not 'into computers', she hasn't learned all the right terms.

Except that at least 'ninja sword' accurately describes a sword used by a ninja. I can understand it'd be irritable, but unless you want historical japanese weaponry placed on the international school curriculum and taught to everyone, you're probably going to have to put up with 'ninja sword' for a sword that's being used by a ninja.

I imagine there's a proper term for 'police baton' too, but it's a baton being used by a police officer, so it works. (In fact I'm sure it's based on an old japanese weapon, my mate had a ton of that stuff and had two of them things, and he wasn't a big fan of COPS, heh.)

 

[Captain Pirate]

I call it a Ninja Sword/Throwing Star.
So what? I didn't know what name it was, and I rarely use it in conversation anyway.
I usually just say 'sword' but on (very) rare occasions I say Ninja Sword.
Sometimes I say Shuriken instead of Throwing Star, but who honestly gives a shit.

Communication is about getting what your saying across to another person, and I bet most people would understand 'Ninja Sword' as a sword which is used by Ninjas, over 'Ninjato'.

 

[Random berk]

I think in many situations a ninjato would be a better sword than a katana. The katana might have better reach, and has ridiculous cutting power, but the ninjato can be drawn much quicker, and one on one, that could be enough to decide the outcome of a duel.

@maddawgIAJI The gladius is an iconic weapon, but it really had to be used in combination with a scutum or hoplon. It was too small to use effectively by itself.

 

[pffh]

Well do you know the difference between a sabre, rapier, foil or épée? Or do you call all of those swords sabres or rapiers or maybe just swords?

Ninja sword gets the point across (besides it's not like real ninjas used swords, they couldn't afford them) an so does throwing star and it does so much better then some japanese name that most people wouldn't know.

 

[Macgyvercas]

I hate it when people say "throwing star". In fact, I have been known to yell at people over that. Seriously, is it that hard to say "shuriken"? I don't get as pissed when people say "ninja sword" but it still annoys me.

Me personally I've used both sets of words, except Ninjato, I always thought it was a Katana.

Katana is what samurai use. They also had a smaller blade called a wakizashi. Together, these weapons were referred to as daishô (literally, "long short").