Many months ago, George (one of our newer dojo members), started producing some leather shuriken (throwing stars) for use during practice. Initially, they were nice and flew well, but it was obvious that something was missing. When they hit a wall or another hard surface, they would begin to fray. The leather shuriken continued to fly well, but in time, perhaps 50 impacts or 75 impacts, we guessed they would need to be reworked.

So, each week George kept bringing new modifications. We’d fling them about and after some testing give our thoughts on the design. Updating his original design morphed from plain leather to painted black to varnished tips – until they were a lethal weapon. Meaning, of course, that he’d gone a bit overboard. But George kept at it until they were just right.

It was really great watching George bring the new designs in each week, showing his pride in their development. Moreso, I’ve noticed the same passion that he had for refining his design, going into the refining of his training. Which says a lot for a guy who has a full life and works crazy hours. But I digress, his Leather Shuriken are some of the best I’ve seen (and I have seen many different kinds of training shuriken in my 25 Bujinkan years).

Take a peek: