Chokuda-hō
直打法
Literally: direct throwing method
Also known as: Jiki-daho
Direct throw of a bo-shuriken at short range, in which the point turns only a quarter turn after release.
Quick Facts
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Over-rotation of the point and missing the target, which the thrower prevents by pressing on the back of the shuriken at release.
About
Chokuda-ho (直打法), the direct throwing method, throws a bo-shuriken so that the point turns exactly a quarter turn after release. The shuriken is held point up, and at the moment of release the thrower presses on its back end to damp the rotation. A Japanese source on note.com calls the method the foundation of the shuriken art; the English Wikipedia gives the same characters under the reading jiki-daho. According to the same Japanese source, shurikenjutsu of the Edo period followed a rule: up to 9 shaku, about 2.7 m, use the direct method, beyond that the half-turn method (hantendaho, 反転打法). The rule reflects the properties of shuriken 7 to 8 sun long, that is 21 to 24 cm. The half-turn method differs from the direct one by a 270° rotation with the point initially facing the wrist, and the source describes it as easier to learn. The English Wikipedia counts the direct method as typically Japanese, in contrast to the rotational han-ten and kai-ten methods that came from China. Bo-shuriken are generally thrown in straight flight, with a half or a full rotation, vertically, horizontally or diagonally. We have not been able to document which school the term belongs to exclusively.