Origins of the 80’s “Ninja-To”
UPDATED! We had some great response to this post last month, and since then another major find, so I’ve chosen to update and refine it a bit, and repost it as the start of a series of features on the … Continued
Ninja miscellany to close out February…
No major theme today, but I wanted to throw some notes out there before a busy weekend. I’ll start with a rather strange score from LA’s Chinatown: Found this statue/plaque/display thing at a shop in the Dynasty Market complex, which … Continued
Ninja costume shops in Japan
Got a request for info on Japanese ninja wear outside the usual off-the-rack martial arts gear that’s pretty much stuck in the 80’s mail order mold. So here’s a few shops and their offerings. Should be noted that all this … Continued
300!?!? Wow…
Holy cats… this is POST #300 on Vintage Ninja! I seem to celebrate every milestone with a return to one of the photos that got me so jazzed on old ninja movies, I just had to start some sort of … Continued
The remarkable Kunoichi art of GETABO
Dig around the CG art community haven Deviant Art for a while and you come accross some serious talent! These digitally-painted sword girls are from Japanese artist GETABO Hagiwara. He’s a sword instructor as well, and it shows in the authenticity … Continued
KAIKETSU KUROZUKIN in film
Kaiketsu Kurozukin (The Black Hood) is one of Japan’s most enduring hooded hero properties, with cinematic origins in the silent era and a retooling about once a decade since. We did a brief overview of the property a while back here, with … Continued
REVENGE OF THE NINJA soundtrack album
The Revenge of the Ninja OST is one of the finest pieces of action movie synth released in the 80s, if not the best. Nothing will inspire your fog-shrouded weapons chest power-up montage like the soaring Asian-y keyboards of prolific … Continued
Thanks Lili!
Awesome gift illo from my friend Lili Chin! She and her FWAK! Animation partner Eddie Mort did ones for me a few years back as well…
The Budo Zodiac
As today is my birthday… Found this print ad ran in a 1981 issue of Black Belt magazine, a neato blend of Chinese zodiac and Japanese martial arts. The artist did his or her homework, too! 1969 — that makes … Continued
Hachiman from THUNDERCATS
The interwebs were abuzz this week with the first image of a hip new version of the beloved 80’s cartoon ThunderCats. I was never much of a fan myself, but back in the days when martial arts-related action figures were … Continued