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Books of the 60s Japanese ninja boom
3 Sep 2016

Books of the 60s Japanese ninja boom

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga | 0

Charles Vincent Gruzanski was a travelled student and teacher of Japanese martial arts, including modern ninjutsu. His son Robert maintains an invaluable website as a memorial to his father’s accomplishments and passions. His scans of 1960s Japanese ninja articles and … Continued

Animated credits – FURAI NINPOCHO (1965)
20 Aug 2016

Animated credits – FURAI NINPOCHO (1965)

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV, 5 - Art and Advertising | 0

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOV 2009 — With the new animated adventure Kubo and the Two Strings in theaters this weekend, thought we’d take a look at some other animation. I absolutely adore 60’s animated movie credits, and these somewhat DePatie-esque panels from the … Continued

Furai Ninpocho
Rare 1986 trash fetches big money 30 years later
24 Jul 2016

Rare 1986 trash fetches big money 30 years later

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 3 - Toys and Merch | 0

The collectors market for failed lines, knock-offs and forgotten oddities from 1980s toy shelves never seems to grow cold. These super rare offshoots of the Mel Appel “Weird Ball” mutations recently erupted on eBay. If that slanty, cross-eyed, buck-toothed head-shakingly … Continued

"None Chuck", Mel Appel Enterprises
VN REVISITED: Torawakamaru
13 Jul 2016

VN REVISITED: Torawakamaru

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

Originally published in December of 2009 — Revised with name correction thanks to Ichi Ban The 1957 Toei FX romp Ninjutsu Gozen-Jiai (aka Torawakamaru, the Koga Ninja) is the perfect example of the pre-60’s craze kid’s ninja film: mischievous wizard hero, evil sorcerer, … Continued

Ninjutsu Gozen-Jiai, Torawakamaru
It’s that time of year again…
1 Jul 2016

It’s that time of year again…

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

Yes, it’s the 4th of July again, so that means its time to take a look back at AMERICAN NINJA! There’s no better way to celebrate the birth of the USA than by appreciating a low-budget exploitation flick based on a Japanese martial … Continued

AMERICAN NINJA
Double Rip-Off!
18 Jun 2016

Double Rip-Off!

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV, 5 - Art and Advertising | 0

A reader recently sent me a fragment of an image found on tumblr, looking for an ID. At the time I couldn’t identify which particular variant of which particular Godfrey Ho film under which particular alternate title this would have … Continued

Death Code Ninja, Godfrey Ho
SEVEN YEARS!
6 Jun 2016

SEVEN YEARS!

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV, 8 - News & Notes | 0

Another birthday for VN. Seven years ago today we published our first post, featuring press stills from Akai Kageboshi (The Red Shadow). It’s been a great ride so far, here’s to you all our readers and fans, and may we … Continued

AKAI KAGEBOSHI
Sweet 17!
27 May 2016

Sweet 17!

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV, 5 - Art and Advertising | 0

I’d like to wholeheartedly thank you all for NOT running up the auction price of the poster for Seventeen Ninja (Jushichinin no Ninja, 1963) recently listed on eBay from the excellent dealer Movie Poster Japan. It was very kind of you … Continued

Seventeen Ninja
“THE NINJA” vs. “THE NINJA: The Movie”
17 Apr 2016

“THE NINJA” vs. “THE NINJA: The Movie”

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

20+ weeks on The New York Times‘ Best Seller list, millions of copies in print, five sequels and enduring publication on all modern electronic platforms… Eric Van Lustbader‘s vanguard novel The Ninja turns 36 years old this month. It was easily the … Continued

Eric Van Lustbader, John Carpenter, Nicholas Linnear, THE NINJA novel
From readers and around the web…
3 Apr 2016

From readers and around the web…

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

We’re hard at work on a major feature on Eric Van Lustbader‘s novel The Ninja, and it’s ill-fated film development, slated for later this month, but in the meantime, here’s all sorts of shinobi-centric goodness: VN reader Brian had a … 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:

50+ Japanese ninja movies reviewed

Categories

  • 1 – Film and TV
  • 2 – Books and Manga
  • 3 – Toys and Merch
  • 4 – Collectibles
  • 5 – Art and Advertising
  • 6 – History and Martial Arts
  • 7 – Ninja Miscelany
  • 8 – News & Notes

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