Naruto
Kunai

A ninja accessory commonly seen in the manga/anime "Naruto."

A Kunai is an ancient kind of trowel, originated during the Tensho Era in Japan. The kunai was normally wrought of iron, not steel, cheaply forged and unpolished. The size of most kunai ranged from 20 cm to 60 cm, with the average at 40 cm. The kunai was used by common folk as multi-purpose gardening tools and by workers of stone and masonry.

The kunai is not a knife, but something more akin to a wrecking bar. The blade was soft iron and unsharpened because the edges were used to smash plaster and wood, to dig holes and to pry. Normally only the tip would have been sharpened. The uses to which a kunai was put would have destroyed any heat-treated and sharpened tool like a knife. Kunai normally had a leaf-shaped blade and a handle with a ring on the pommel for attaching a rope. This would allow the kunai's handle to be wrapped to act as a grip, or when used as a weapon; to be strapped to a stick as an expedient spear, to be tied to the body for concealment, or to use as an anchor or piton.

Contrary to popular belief, they were not designed as throwing weapons, though they can be thrown and cause damage. Instead, they are a thrusting and stabbing tool. Many ninja weapons were merely adapted farming tools, not unlike those used by Xiaolin (Shaolin) monks in China. Since Kunai were cheaply produced farming tools of a decent size and weight, and could be easily sharpened, they were readily available to be converted into simple weapons.

As with the shuriken and ninjutsu, the exaggeration persistent in ninja myths played a large role in creating the current pop culture image of kunai. However, the ninja could also thrust the point into a tree and use it as a handhold. The reason the kunai had loops at the bottom was also so they could attach two of them together and use two at a time.


I started with a piece of wood and carved and sanded it down to shape the blade. I primed and painted the blade satin black.

Not shown is a little dowel rod on the end so it will plug into the handle.
With a wooden O-ring I drilled a hole on one side so it will attach to the handle by the way of a screw. I primed and painted the O-ring satin black.
The handle is a plastic rod. On one end is an opening for the blade part to connect to and on the opposite end is a small screw glued into place.

With some flat shoe laces (as you can see I have a variety) I will wrap the handle of the Kunai after it is glued together to give it a covering.

At each end or tip of the shoe lace I will glue it into place on the handle. I will also add spots of glue as I wrap the handle.

You can see here I was looking for shoe laces to use. The Kunai is not yet glued together.

I then attached all three pieces together.

- IMAGE GOT CORRUPTED AND WILL NOT BE DISPLAYED -

The Kunai is finished. Yes I just could have just purchased a real one but this Kunai can be used for a costume.