Ninja Swords

The Ninja sword, Nin-to or Ninjato is a straight-bladed sword very similar in respect to the katana. (Samurai Sword) Ninja swords however were usually inferior to the Samurai swords as the Ninja sword was made with inferior steel and knowledge as the Ninja were not a recognized social class in Japan and had little money to hire a skilled smith. Ninja swords were used differently than the Samurai and were made more as a tool than a weapon of art. Ninja swords were made shorter than the katana but had many more uses. The scabbard for instance was made longer than the sword, about 3 to 4 inches longer. At the end of the scabbard there was a hidden compartment that was used to hide small weapons such as spikes, daggers or small amounts of poisons. Another use the sword had was that it could act as a small step by jamming the blade into the ground, the ninja could use the hand-guard as a step to get that extra height needed to scale a wall. Because the blade was not very sharp, the ninja could also use it as a hammer by holding onto the blade (carefully) and hitting with the handle. Also it was common thing with ninja swords to have the tip of the scabbard come off so it could be used as a snorkel.