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Gerald Okamura is My Co-Pilot
29 Nov 2020

Gerald Okamura is My Co-Pilot

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 0

The advent of the 80s ninja craze saw all sorts of established martial artists from the 1970s transition from various arts to the explosively profitable and high profile modern ninjutsu of both dojo and screen — Sho Kosugi and Mike … Continued

Gerald Okamura, The Killer Elite, The Octagon
REVIEW: The Cannon Film Guide
10 Aug 2020

REVIEW: The Cannon Film Guide

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV, 2 - Books and Manga | 0

If there’s one speck of light in the dark months of the pandemic shutdown, it’s been some great quarantine reading for fans of Cannon Films, and that continues with Austin Trunick‘s The Cannon Film Guide Volume 1: 1980—1984. After an … Continued

Cannon Films, Sam Firstenberg, Sho Kosugi
TIMELINE UPDATE: How Ninja Conquered the World
15 Jun 2020

TIMELINE UPDATE: How Ninja Conquered the World

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 7 - Ninja Miscelany | 0

Years in the compiling, months in layout, and updated a few times now via feedback from fans around the globe — VN‘s now famed timeline has been updated again with some corrections, additions and newly discovered goodies. From the 1960s … Continued

Talking 60s Shinobi
22 May 2020

Talking 60s Shinobi

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 7 - Ninja Miscelany | 0

Tony Stella is an astounding painter whose brush work beckons to a previous era of movie poster glory. He’s also a must-genre film buff with a decades-ling passion for 1960s ninja films, and there’s a genuine exuberance in every word … Continued

podcasts, Tony Stella
Revelations on the silent-era ninja boom from an unlikely source
6 May 2020

Revelations on the silent-era ninja boom from an unlikely source

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV, 2 - Books and Manga | 0

We’ve recently been blessed with the book Carnal Curses, Disfigured Dreams by Japanese cinema researcher Kigami Jigoku Kobayashi, and it inadvertently provided some jaw-dropping insight into the depth and breadth of ninja movies going back to the 1910s and how … Continued

Carnal Curses Disfigured Dreams, Silent Film, yokai
Life stories of the Cannon-eers
17 Apr 2020

Life stories of the Cannon-eers

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV, 2 - Books and Manga | 0

As we enter a second month of shutdowns and quarantines (if we live in one of the smart spots of the world, that is) one’s ‘to-be-read’ book stack is probably dwindling. So it’s a great time to check out the … Continued

Cannon Films, REVENGE OF THE NINJA, Sam Firstenberg, Steve Lambert
“Only a ninja can kill a ninja” and COVID19 is a virus, so…
11 Apr 2020

“Only a ninja can kill a ninja” and COVID19 is a virus, so…

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 7 - Ninja Miscelany | 0

If you’re reading this, COVID-19… the ‘Rona… has affected your life. You’re cooped up inside. You’re not changing clothes as often as you should, but who cares. You’re exhausting your to-be-read stacks and streaming queues. Frantically cleaning up the background … Continued

Shintaro in color
24 Feb 2020

Shintaro in color

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV, 4 - Collectibles | 0

The Samurai was Japan’s first major ninja export to the English-speaking world, bringing the adventures of invincible sword-slinging detective Shintaro and his shinobi-sidekick Tonbei the Mist to millions of fervent fans in Australia in the mid-1960s and generations of followers … Continued

menko, menko cards, Shintaro, The Samurai, Tonbei
Some 1985 Ninja Apparel
28 Jan 2020

Some 1985 Ninja Apparel

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 5 - Art and Advertising, 6 - History and Martial Arts | 0

Some of the most concise and enduring memories of those of us who lived through the 1980s ninja craze are mail order ads. By the middle of the decade, mail order ninja suits, weapons, posters and books nearly crowded the … Continued

Happy Holidays, and plans for the new year…
23 Dec 2019

Happy Holidays, and plans for the new year…

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 7 - Ninja Miscelany | 0

Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. Look for more from VN in one way or another in 2020. I’ve been absent on the new post front for a few months with real life in the way, but … Continued

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Welcome to VINTAGE NINJA — dedicated to old ninja movies from Japan’s 60s boom to the 80s American exploitation craze and beyond, with a ton of vintage toys, comics, and sharp pointy stuff thrown in for good measure.

Read the Definitive History:

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  • 1 – Film and TV
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  • 4 – Collectibles
  • 5 – Art and Advertising
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  • 7 – Ninja Miscelany
  • 8 – News & Notes

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