Ninjas
What is a ninja? A true ninja is not just someone who wears black, drops down from the ceiling and slices everything into pieces with their throwing stars! Ninjas have been around since at least the 14th century, when war in Japan called for espionage and assassination, which were activities Samurai would not perform because they were forbidden to by Bushido, the Samurai Code. Ninjas were called on to be spies, assassins and specialist warriors, both for and against the enemy. Ninjas may seem old-fashioned, but the principles and techniques remain valuable for anyone who wants to learn from the ninja ways to spy. A ninja isn't all about "whoa I'm a ninja" like most people think. Being a ninja is truly hard work.
A ninja or shinobi was a agent or warrior of Japan
specializing in unusual (and sometimes just plain weird) arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain
situations. The ninja, using secret methods of war, were different than the samurai, who had strict rules about honor and combat.
In his Buke Myōmokushō, military historian Hanawa Hokinoichi writes of
the ninja:
"They travelled in disguise to other territories to judge the situation of the enemy, they would inveigle their way into the midst of the enemy to discover gaps, and enter enemy castles to set them on fire, and carried out assassinations, arriving in secret."
The origin of the ninja is difficult to determine, but it can be guessed to be around the 14th century. But the ancestors of the Ninja may have existed as early as the Heian and early Kamakura eras. Few written records exist to tell about the activities of the ninja. The word shinobi did not exist to describe a ninja-like agent until the 15th century. In the unrest of the Sengoku period (15th - 17th centuries), mercenaries and spies for hire arose out of the Iga and Kōga regions of Japan, and it is from these clans that much of later information regarding the ninja is inferred. Following the unification of Japan, the ninja descended again into obscurity.
The mysterious nature of the ninja has long captured popular imagination in Japan, and later the rest of the world. Ninjas appear constantly in folklore and legend, and as a result it is often difficult to separate historical fact from myth. Some legendary abilities include invisibility, walking on water, and control over natural elements. Sometimes ninjas would put poles under the water of a castle they were escaping, so that they would appear as if they were walking on water, when they were only stepping on poles.
A ninja or shinobi was a agent or warrior of Japan
specializing in unusual (and sometimes just plain weird) arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain
situations. The ninja, using secret methods of war, were different than the samurai, who had strict rules about honor and combat.
In his Buke Myōmokushō, military historian Hanawa Hokinoichi writes of
the ninja:
"They travelled in disguise to other territories to judge the situation of the enemy, they would inveigle their way into the midst of the enemy to discover gaps, and enter enemy castles to set them on fire, and carried out assassinations, arriving in secret."
The origin of the ninja is difficult to determine, but it can be guessed to be around the 14th century. But the ancestors of the Ninja may have existed as early as the Heian and early Kamakura eras. Few written records exist to tell about the activities of the ninja. The word shinobi did not exist to describe a ninja-like agent until the 15th century. In the unrest of the Sengoku period (15th - 17th centuries), mercenaries and spies for hire arose out of the Iga and Kōga regions of Japan, and it is from these clans that much of later information regarding the ninja is inferred. Following the unification of Japan, the ninja descended again into obscurity.
The mysterious nature of the ninja has long captured popular imagination in Japan, and later the rest of the world. Ninjas appear constantly in folklore and legend, and as a result it is often difficult to separate historical fact from myth. Some legendary abilities include invisibility, walking on water, and control over natural elements. Sometimes ninjas would put poles under the water of a castle they were escaping, so that they would appear as if they were walking on water, when they were only stepping on poles.
Silent Assassins
Ninjas were sometimes known as "silent assassins". They were often hired to kill, or murder people for pay. Ninjas were spoken of in fear, as they moved as silently as shadows and before you knew it, they were gone.
It is heard that some ninjas had a tattoo on the back of their throat as a permanent mark of a silent assassin. "Once a ninja, always a ninja" may have been a popular saying.
But Ninjas were also good people, for example: Hattori Hanzo. He saved many people's lives and was a brave and courageous warrior.
It is heard that some ninjas had a tattoo on the back of their throat as a permanent mark of a silent assassin. "Once a ninja, always a ninja" may have been a popular saying.
But Ninjas were also good people, for example: Hattori Hanzo. He saved many people's lives and was a brave and courageous warrior.
