It is a common myth that the Ninja and Samurai were similar warriors and that both fought the same way but the fact of the matter is that they were very different in their way of fighting and in the swords they used. The Samurai swords were the best that the current sword making technology could produce and were made of the best steel by a select group of blacksmiths who were experts at making them. The Samurai sword was a potent weapon that could cut through armor and sever limbs with a single blow and were available only to the Samurai and not the Ninja who were socially inferior and also unable to afford them.
Anyway, the Ninja did not need the Samurai swords they were not suitable for the Ninja way of fighting. At 24 inches in length, the Ninja sword was considerably shorter than the Samurai one which was usually between 30 to 36 inches long; Ninja swords were also made form a lower quality steel. The extra length of the Samurai sword was of no use to the Ninja who used their swords to stab and not slash and cut like the Samurai.
The shorter length of the Ninja sword made it easier to use as a stabbing weapon and since little slashing or cutting was done with it, it was the sharpness of the tip of the weapon that was important, not the fineness of the long cutting edge this meant that there was no need to use the expensive high quality steel of the Samurai sword. The Ninja were mountain people who were socially inferior and much poorer than the prosperous Samurai class, but whether their use of a simpler and cheaper sword was a result of economic necessity or grew from a need for a unique sword that fit their way of fighting is still open to question. The fact remains that although technically inferior to the Samurai sword, the Ninja sword was a very deadly weapon that was used to great effect in the distinctive guerilla style of fighting the Ninja were famous for the samurai sword would have been totally unsuitable for this.
There are many legends and stories associated with the Ninja sword and one of the most well known of these is that the scabbards were longer than the swords and the extra length was used to conceal daggers and other weapons. It is also said that the Ninja would ram their swords into the ground and use the handle as a step to help them jump over obstacles. One of the most interesting stories is that of scabbards where the end was removable so that it could be used as a snorkel when the Ninja needed to remain hidden below the water. Whatever may be the truth to these and other tales, the fact remains that in the Ninja’s hands, his short sword was a very effective and deadly weapon.