So, where do ninja stars fit in? While ninjas were around as early as the 12th century and more prevalent in the 15th century, the earliest “ninja star” (or shuriken) seemed to have appeared during the 17th century. Meanwhile, Samurais seemed to prefer a more upfront attack. Just as popular culture has portrayed them, ninjas were quick, quiet and, above all else, sneaky. Strictly speaking, the Samurai caste believes that ninjas’ sometimes unscrupulous way of performing their duties made them less “honorable” than the Samurai. While many kids might use the words “ninja” and “Samurai” interchangeably, it’s worth noting that they’re actually very different. Ninjas were top secret agents and mercenaries whose first appearance came about in feudal Japan.
Some several centuries after the origami boom, Japan saw the rise of ninjas (or shinobi). At the time, paper was still so hard to find and so expensive that origami was only used for special, often religious ceremonies. The origami tradition has been part of Japanese culture since 500 A.D., after Chinese paper finally made its way to Japan. Origami literally comes from two Japanese words: “Oru,” which means “to fold,” and “kami,” which means paper. It makes sense, too, as both origami and ninjas are a major part of Japanese culture. Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the most fun and popular origami creations kids want to make are ninja stars.
