August 10, 2011

Made it to Dallas & Ft. Worth TX fine. Second bus hd no ac/wi-fi so I was incommunicado for the remainder of the day. Due to the number of things I had to get done today I didn't get the article on the Iga region done. I will try to get it done later this week, aka, Thursday or Friday.

Dallas Skyline

Ft. Worth Skyline

August 9, 2011

On my way from New Orleans to Ft. Worth today on Greyhound. I'm going to see my Mom. I haven't seen her in 5 years. Wow! I hope to be back in New Orleans Saturday if all goes according to plan.

Will post the article on the Iga Region (now Western Mie Prefecture) tomorrow to match the Koga one from yesterday.

Got the Shinobi Outfitters 忍用品店 store up over at Zazzle. We have some unique merchandise as well as the only Official Budo Ryu Ninjutsu Dojo merchandise anywhere including densho binders.

http://www.zazzle.com/shinobi_outfitters

August 8, 2011

The Koga region of japan is well known for the ninja who came from there. It lies in what is now Shiga prefecture. It is a mountainous region surrounding Biwa Lake. The boundaries may have changed somewhat since the days of Feudal Japan but the region has changed less than you might think.

Though there are records going back as far as the Tenkyo era regarding the families there and some of the possible origins of ninjutsu in the region, it wasn't really until the end of the Nambuko era (1330's) that remnants of the Northern & Southern Imperial Courts fled, many to the Koga region and founded the actual Koga Ryu itself which eventually grew to 53 families. There are still many shrines, temples, castles and other structures that remain from the heyday of the ninja.

Shoro Enryakuji Temple

Daitsuji Temple

Hikone Castle

Hyakusai Temple Garden

Koga Ninja House

Some of the many famopus Shinobi family names from this region are Shinpi Ryu, Taira ryu, Isshu Ryu, Taro Ryu, kuriya Ryu, Tomo Ryu, Tatara Ryu, Otomo Ryu, Hiryu Ryu, Fujiwara Ryu, Sasaki Ryu, Byaku Ryu and Sugawara Ryu.

Anyone wishing to see many of these great places are encouraged to check out the tour I recommended in yesterday's blog which I will re-link again: http://www.dragonflytours-japan.com/ninjatour.html

August 7, 2011

Found a wicked cool Ninja tour of Japan. Not cheap mind you but 11 days and you get to see Koga & Iga regions, ninja houses, ninja museums, ninja shrines, castles and ride on the bullet train. Check it out here http://www.dragonflytours-japan.com/ninjatour.html 

Tomorrow I will have an article on the Koga/Koka Region of Japan (what is now Shiga Prefecture).

August 6, 2011

A friend's hira shuriken collection. Hira shuriken were made from commonly available farm, carpentry & construction tools such as nail removers, scrapers, washers & prying tools.

August 5, 2011

Got the Shinobi Gear(tm) section of the website done. Now you can buy Shinobi Gear(tm) products for less than retail. We're offering 10% off retail with a minimum $100 order. To place an order just click an item, download the spreadsheet, fill it out and email it to the address at the bottom. We'll take care of the rest. If you can't work the spreadsheet, just email shinobioutfitters@hotmail.com or call us 508.244.0769

Should be getting my Kendo Bogu in today from NH. It's going to be for sale, only $500. It's lightly used, less than 6 months, does not smell. Includes men, do, tare, kote x2, and deluxe carry bag. Original list price $750, w/o the bag, bag normally lists for another $100. This is a NICE bogu, not a cheap starter set. Fits a 5'10-6'2" person 150-200lbs. Message shinobioutfitters@hotmail.com if you are interested. If you are in the New Orleans area you can pick-up in person.

August 4 2011

Trying to get details for getting from LA to TX, back to LA then to KS worked out. What a PITA. I will be needing to find a new metal cutter once I get there. Having my stuff cut & shipped from my old place in WA isn't going to work out in the long run.

I will be trying to sell my VERY nice Kendo Bogu starting next week once it arrives from my old place in NH. I will only be asking $500 it cost me close to $1000 with the bag. It's only been used for a few months and it doesn't smell. I maintained it VERY well.

With the new blog, I will be reposting some old info so it's more readily accessible here. The old blog archive can still be found here.

New item this week at http://www.shinobioutfitters.com is our Yumi Style Bow. Made from linen-backed red oak, 76" long, 30-35lb draw @ 32". Comes with 3 x 44" turkey-fletched arrows only $125.00 + $12.99 shipping in the USA. International shipping is extra.