A Ninja without Throwing...

[Kensagaku]

To use your own chess metaphor:

Chess is a game of strategy, using every one of the pieces to its greatest advantage in order to win, in order to defeat the foe. Sometimes pieces must be sacrificed to set yourself up in a better position so that you may win more easily by removing obstacles in your way.

The FFXI community has chosen to sacrifice throwing in order to remove the obstacles of a lower DPS as well as cost/scarcity of shuriken, and further increase their overall damage, making themselves more efficient and setting themselves up to defeat their foes reasonably and without the risk of losing in return that slowing themselves via shuriken would bring.

In other words, you're welcome to throw your stars, even shout a good dattebayo or two if you're really feeling froggy (summon a frog too, it's ninja-esque!), but in the end, it's about the equivalent of attempting to get win a game of chess with nothing but a pawn.

You lose. Checkmate. Go smash that watermelon and pretend it's the posters here on the forums, it'll help you vent.

Edit: The tags sum this thread up soooo well.