News: Metal Gear Solid: Rising detailed
First info direct from the Konami conference. Kojima Productions has revealed the first gameplay and story details of Metal Gear Solid: Rising at Konami's E3 press conference. The game will be set between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4, and show how protagonist Raiden changed from his first appearance in MGS2: Sons of Liberty to be the cybernetic samurai ninja seen in Hideo Kojima's ...

The Nunchaku Use by the Ninja

Ninja were highly trained warriors of feudal Japan. Ninjas executed covert and dangerous missions, such as assassinations and espionage. They were well-known for their precision, skill, and use of weapons. Ninja weapons were typically weapons that would be easily carried and concealed, allowing the ninja to stealthily target and attack an opponenet. A long-standing belief is that nunchkua were first used to thresh rice or soybeans.

A popular weapon for participants of ninja training today is the nunchuka. Ninja nunchuka are two sticks connected by a rope or chain. It is possible that the first nunchuka were used in the rice and soybean fields of ancient Asia. Used as a thresher, the nunchuka could have been used to separate the grain and husk of rice and soybeans. The original nunchuka and those used in later years as weapons were made of wood, and the two sticks were connected by a horse hair rope. The wooden sticks were covered in mud for several years. This hardened the wood and prevented the wood from rotting.

Today, ninja nunchuka are made from a variety of materials, including wood, metal, fiberglass and plastic. The connecting cord is can be made of nylon, rope, or a metal chain. The sticks of these ninja weapons can have a cross-section that is round or octagonal. The octagonal-shaped sticks can cause greater injury to an opponent than the round-shaped sticks. Both sticks are usually of the same length. The parts of the nunchaku are comprised of the these parts:

Gedan tsukagashira - The handle that is closest to the rope.

Ushiro tsukagashira - The handle that is furthest from the rope.

Moto - This is the center of the handle.

Himo - Chain or rope Connecting the handles.

Ninja nunchuka need to be the proper length for the user. The nunchuka sticks should be the length of the user's forearm. When the cord of the ninja nunchuka is laid across the palm of the user's hand, the two sticks should hang comfortably from the hand and be in a position that is perpendicular to the floor. It is essential that these ninja weapons are balanced. The cheaper ninja nunchuka that are available today may not be properly balanced. Precise balance of the ninja nunchuka allows the user to perform more fluid moves. Advanced nunchuka movements are not possible with improperly balanced nunchuka. The gripping of the nunchaku took on many styles from close to the chain increasing control. To closer to the ends of the nunchakus to increase distance and striking power.

Ninjas were known to employ fighting and stealth techniques that allowed them to be within a close range of the opponent. The Ninja nunchuka can be concealed by the user and then quickly taken out and used for the attack. The average length of nunchuka is twelve inches. Mini nunchuka, or mini chucks, are about eight inches in length and be concealed more easily than the typical nunchuka. Both the twelve inch ninja nunchuka and the mini chucks can be used to strike an opponent from many different angles.

About the Author

Troy Macraft
The MMA Zone

Weapons of the Ninja