Skip to Main Content
Vintage Ninja Vintage Ninja

The Master

I can finally enjoy THE MASTER
12 Mar 2018

I can finally enjoy THE MASTER

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

Back in 1984, at least for this teenage ninja-maniac, four words began a turning point for the ninja craze: “Hi, I’m Max Keller.” Timothy Van Patten‘s intro to each episode of The Master has since become iconic for me. His … Continued

Lee Van Cleef, Sho Kosugi, The Master
THE LAST NINJA is the last piece of the puzzle…
22 Jan 2018

THE LAST NINJA is the last piece of the puzzle…

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

What’s part Die Hard, part Kung-Fu, part Batman and obscure as hell for no logical reason? It is the 1983 made-for-TV predecessor to The Master, arguably one of if not the best 80’s American ninja craze films made, but virtually un-recognized, … Continued

Anthony Spinner, Ed Spielman, Mike Stone, The Last Ninja, The Master
Kosugi and Van Cleef in Japan
20 Feb 2017

Kosugi and Van Cleef in Japan

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

One of the great head-scratchers of the 80s American ninja boom was the NBC TV series The Master, created by Michael Sloan but driven by the one-man craze-catalyst that was Sho Kosugi. On one hand its very existence spoke to the … Continued

Lee Van Cleef, Sho Kosugi, The Master
30 Nov 2013

Things you can buy ME for Christmas – Part 1

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

Most sites give you all sorts of gift giving ideas this time of year, but I’m turning the tables and putting it all on YOU! Here’s something I’d really enjoy as a gift from one of you folks, original TV … Continued

Lee Van Cleef, The Master
16 Mar 2010

Eyes that melt, eyes that kill!

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

Via a nifty article on mind control gimmicks in 80’s TV at the Dinner With Max Jenke blog: What about the supreme hamster? (Thanks to Dave Buscemi)

Kosugi, The Master
7 Sep 2009

Before “The Master”…

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 5

…there was The Last Ninja. Michael Beck, perhaps known best as Swan from The Warriors, was hot on the heels of action masterpieces Warlords of the 21st Century and Megaforce when he made the ahead-of-its-time TV pilot about a lone … Continued

Kosugi, The Master

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:

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

Pages

  • About us
  • Contact
  • Some Commonly Used Terms
  • Welcome…

Tags

80s martial arts supply ads Akakage AMERICAN NINJA CASTLE OF OWLS Enter the Ninja Five Element Ninjas Generic toys Hattori Hanzo Henry Sanada HENSHIN NINJA ARASHI Hiroki Matsukata Jiraiya Jubei Yagyu Kagemaru kaiju kamui Kosugi kurozukin Lion Maru Maki Fuyukichi Masaaki Hatsumi menko cards Mitsuteru Yokoyama Monsters and Masks 2009 Monsters and Masks 2010 Monsters and Masks 2011 Monster vs. Ninja Month Raizo Ichikawa Red Shadow REVENGE OF THE NINJA Ryutaro Otomo Samurai Spy Sarutobi Sasuke Shaw Bros. Shinobi no Mono Shirato Sanpei Sho Kosugi Thai press kits The Samurai toad magic tokusatsu Tonbei VHS art vintage magazines vintage photos

©2020 Vintage Ninja/Keith J. Rainville