KAGEMARU board game
I have no idea what this game was (some sort of sliding-type deal from a kids’ magazine, with punch-out tokens) but man is the character art laced throughout the board amazing or what?
Tiki mugs? Planters? You be the judge…
From eBay to dirt malls, swap meets and yard sales coast to coast, you see these 5-8″ ceramic vessels sold as both “Tiki mugs” (from joints like Benihana) and “bamboo planters” quite a bit. Not sure which description is accurate? … Continued
Swift, Silent and… CHEESY!
Thanks to Roy Ware of the awesome Black Sun blog for sending me this: Yes, shinobi cheezy-poofs! Getting my ass down to Little Tokyo grocers right f’n now! Meanwhile, check out Roy’s great feature on Gekko Kamen up right now, … Continued
Hanzo Socks!
My pal Lili Chin is the bomb! She bought these for me on a recent vacation to Japan. Obviously “inspired by” Sonny Chiba’s Hattori Hanzo in Kage no Gundan. I was shocked when these actually fit my gaijin yeti feet. … Continued
Remco VHS art – 1986
The much-missed masters of cheap toy lines Remco released a He-Man-sized line of martial arts action figures from 1984-86 called Secret of the Ninja. Three sets were done in ’86 that included VHS tapes to ‘play along to’ – and … Continued
A salt with a deadly pepper
Shinobi salt and pepper shakers via Patina:
Hoods on eBay
VN’s attracted a lot of fans worldwide, and I get all sorts of compliments on the site from very happy readers. Despite all that love, none of you seem especially concerned that I do NOT own an antique armored Japanese … Continued
Shinobi-based ‘Sugoroku’ game
Have owned this “sugoroku” illustrated game board for years but am finally discovering the actual nature of it. Essentially a Japanese version of Chutes and Ladders, these thin paper game boards have been produced for centuries in one form or … Continued
Henshin menkos
Scored a few more menko cards, these feature some surprisingly ON-model art and photo collage work.