Happy “National Ninja Day” Japan!
Feb 22 is an upstart shinobi-themed holiday in Japan, especially in Iga and Koga. You can read all about on Kotaku: “Ninja Day Is An Actual Holiday in Japan”
Swordgirl promo cards from THREE TIDES
Birthday gift to myself at the beginning of the month — this astounding 8″ sofubi statue done in the style of wooden Netsuke charms, called “Sushi Dokuro.” I know… right!?!?!? “Sushi Dokuro” was designed/sculpted by Osaka tattoo artist Mitomo Horihiro. … Continued
And we’re BACK!
Some lingering structural issues made it un-safe for me to post anything new on the site for way longer than anticipated, but all of our behind-the-scenes problems are seemingly fixed! There’s a nice new navigation feature now fully functioning, too. … Continued
Pardon our dust…
After five years and a recent back-end security breach scare, we had to make some wholesale changes to VN, many of which will be ongoing in the shadows for the next month or so. BUT, you’ll have full access to … Continued
Man, there sure is a lot of ninja crap out there…
Is it just me, or is there more and more generic-design ninja merch out there than ever before? This stuff is clogging the shelves of every Little Tokyo and/or Chinatown tourist trap, airport gift shop, cart and blanket vendor around subways, dollar … Continued
34 ninja can’t be wrong
SEVENTEEN NINJA (JUSHICHININ NO NINJA, 1963) is the typical 60’s Japanese boom film in that: 1.) It’s GREAT. 2.) It’s noir-as-hell — painted in gorgeous chiaroscuro cinematography. 3.) It’s also noir-as-hell because (from the gospel of James Ellroy) pretty much everybody in it is fucked. And… … Continued
Crude weapons from ENTER
Scored this odd publicity still, which is not in the usual press kits I’ve found from Enter the Ninja. It’s kind of a dingy, soft pic that may have been left on the cutting room floor somewhere. But while the quality is … Continued
An open call for KOSUGI KICKS!
It is THE single most recognizable icon of the 80s ninja craze, practically a logo for the ninja boom in and of itself — and one that has endured for decades. It is THE KOSUGI KICK! Shot in a Hollywood studio … Continued
My day at the Marxist ninja cartoon marathon…
Dateline: Hollywood, CA — 9-14-2014 It’s not often I talk ninja cartoons with college educators, but today was the exception. Jonathan M. Hall, a Japanese film scholar from Pomona College screened three episodes of Shirato Sanpei shinobi TV treasures at the … Continued
Some crazy rare vinyl on eBay right now!
You people are lucky as hell that I’m kinda broke right now, cuz for once I’m actually sharing some gems I stumbled across on Evil-Bay… Check out this sofubi of what the seller describes as a “monster ninja” (I read … Continued