PMID: 20642255Jul 21, 2010Paper

Experimental studies on the wounding capacity of recently developed shuriken/throwing stars and their legal categorization--an interdisciplinary view

Archiv für Kriminologie
Mattias KettnerPeter Schmidt

Abstract

Shuriken/throwing stars are traditional Japanese weapons for close combat situations. They vary greatly in shape and mode of action. Due to their wounding capacity traditional shuriken made of steel were prohibited in Germany in the 1980's. In the present study three recently developed types of shuriken were examined to determine their wounding capacity. Type 1 was made of plastic, whereas type 2 was a so-called cyclone shuriken equipped with three knives protruding from a discoidal center due to centrifugal force during the flight. Type 3 consisted of three traditional metal shuriken with blunt edges and peaks produced for decorative purposes. Experiments using pig carcasses were carried out for types 1 and 2. An experiment using human skin was performed with type 3 shuriken. An experienced thrower performed throws from a distance of 1, 2, 3, and 4 m with the shuriken made of plastic. For the cyclone shuriken a distance of 4 m was chosen to ensure the unfolding of the shuriken during flight. Type 3 shuriken were tested using a distance of 2 m. Penetration depths of the shuriken made of plastic reached up to 8 mm in pig skin. The experiment with the cyclone shuriken revealed a penetration depth of up to 2.5 cm cutting through t...Continue Reading

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