ninjato

English

Modern depiction of ninja with ninjato. Edo wonderland, Japan.

Alternative forms

• ninjatō, ninja-to

Etymology

From Japanese 忍者刀 (ninjatō), in turn a compound of 忍者 (ninja) + 刀 (tō, “sword, knife”).

Noun

ninjato (plural ninjatos)

1. A straight-bladed short sword, commonly appearing in works of fiction as a weapon of the shinobi in feudal Japan.
   • 1988, Joseph Rosenberger, Hell Wind in Burma, →ISBN, page 78:

     His fingers relaxed around the hilt of the ninja-to, and the sword dropped to the ground. So did he, a moment later.

Synonyms

• ninja sword
• ninjaken (忍者剣)
• shinobigatana (忍刀)

Anagrams

• Jotnian