In Search of the Niinja (2 page)

We are concerned with two main time periods. The Sengoku period – translated as the ‘period of the Warring States’ – which began in the mid-fifteenth century, followed by the Edo or ‘peace period’, which began in 1603 and ended in 1868. In short and unsurprisingly, the Warring States period was an age of bloodshed, where ninjutsu (also
shinobi no jutsu
) was at its height, whilst the Edo saw the steady decline of the ninja skills but at the same time an increase in the recording of ninjutsu.

In the mid-twentieth century a Japanese enthusiast (and mayor of Iga) named Okuse described a ninja hierarchy, which in his work consisted of three levels:
Jo-nin
,
Chu-nin
and
Ge-nin
, or high, middle and low level ninja;
this is incorrect. In truth, a person’s social class was dictated by many factors but skill in the arts of the ninja had no bearing on social or political standing.
Jo
,
Chu
and
Ge
describe a ninja’s level of skill, high, middle and low, but historically they never referred to his social position. Examples include:
Jozu no
ninja (good ninja);
Joko no
ninja (skilful ninja);
Chukichi no
ninja
(ninja of middle level skills);
Yo-nin
(ordinary ninja); and
In-nin no jozu
(a skilful performer of night-time infiltration skills). This mistranslation by the enthusiast Okuse has affected academic work, such as that of Professor S. Turnbull and the popular author Steven K. Hayes, which has led to a widespread misunderstanding. The misprision is seen in immensely popular television shows such as the Japanese anime
Naruto
and the cult Japanese film
Shinobi no mono
.

The explosion of the ‘ninja martial art’ phenomenon has muddied the historical waters more than anything else. From around the mid-twentieth century a small selection of individuals arrived on the ninja scene, claiming to be heirs to full ninja lineages and shinobi schools. A few of these individuals have gone further and promoted the idea that ninjutsu contains a specialised form of hand-to-hand combat skills that were used solely by the ninja and were kept secret for hundreds of years, including from their samurai ‘opponents’. This ‘specialised combat system’ is not only without basis but also goes against the grain of Japanese history and how ninjutsu was used in war. No ninja lineage claimant has ever supplied any form of historical record or documentation that predates the 1950s to help solidify the claim and in Japan, no one is considered a true heir of ninjutsu with certainty. The popularity of this new martial art took the world by storm in the mid 1980s and has gained a considerable following since. No form of ninja martial art exists that has come down through any recognised school of Japanese warfare and it must be considered purely as a modern invention.

The modern idea of a suit worn by the ninja is historically incorrect, though it does have some details right. Modern ninja suits are based on traditional Japanese clothing. A ninja would, of course wear contemporary garb, cut in the same way as the ‘ninja suits’ that are on the market. Also, the ninja would have had access to masks, which were were worn (especially by husbands visiting brothels!) and there are even historical records of the ninja dressing in black, mainly on a night without moonlight. So the image of a ninja all in black and masked is one that was historically recorded. However, it appears to be more correctly identified as the image of
Nusubito,
or thieves, who were active in the period of peace and who wished to hide their identity. This concept of the ‘Nusubito thief’ is intermingled with the history of the ninja and the two have become one in modern understanding. During the Sengoku period of Japan, when ninja
s
were truly active, this image of the black masked ninja is without foundation, there is no record from this time of any such garb. Why bother to wear a mask when anyone sneaking around at night in time of war was automatically considered to be the enemy? Ninja manuals seldom talk of covering the face and in fact describe groups of ninja wearing white head bands during night raids, so that they could identify each other in the dark.

Lastly, ninja manuals; during the Sengoku period, few ninja manuals were written and fewer survived and it is only with the adoption of peace that the recording of ninjutsu begins to take place. Throughout this book you will find references to a selection of shinobi scrolls and other literature. The four major sources for ninjutsu at present and their authors – in date order – are these:
1

•
    The
Shinobi Hiden
(commonly known as the
Ninpiden
) by Hattori (Yasunaga) Hanzo and various authors. Dated 1560 with only a few transcripts surviving and the original lost.

•
    The
Gunpo Jiyoshu
by Ogasawara Saku’un Katsuzo,
c
.1612, of which three inner scrolls are dedicated to the arts of the ninja.

•
    The
Bansenshukai
by Fujibayashi Yasutake, dated 1676, of which various transcriptions exist; considered by most to be the premier ninja manual in existence.

•
    The
Shoninki
by Natori Masazumi
(sometimes Masatake), dated 1681, of which various transcripts exist.

It is advisable to familiarise yourself with this list, as many references within this book are to these four manuals or name their authors as a source. All quotations are attributed to the relevant scroll.

Notes

1
      The
Gunpo Jiyoshu
and the
Shinobi Hiden
have been translated into English under the name
The Secret Traditions of the Shinobi;
the
Shoninki
manual has been published in
True Path of the Ninja
.

Shinobi are also called Suppa or Rappa. These are people who hide themselves and infiltrate an enemy position and observe and listen to the status of the enemy and then bring this information back to their allies. For these shinobi, there are various teachings and they are called; the ‘tradition for a moonlit night’, the ‘tradition for a night with a hazy moon’ and the ‘tradition for a moonless night’. In the area of Koshu they were called Suppa and in Bando (Kanto) they were known as Rappa. These days they are known as
Iga no mono
or
Koka no mono
and they are well trained in the arts of the shinobi.

The writings of Arisawa Nagasada, 1689

T
o discover the historical truth behind the ninja, one must negotiate a network of dead ends, fabrications (both historical and modern), geographical differences, varying terminology and an evolution of skills which change with the political climate.

Often the word ninja comes with two main suffixes, ‘ninja assassins’ and ‘ninja spies’ both of which have a claim to correctness, yet fall short of the reality. Ninja were used as assassins, but evidence for this is scant and represents a minor part of their role. Ninja were spies; secret agents have existed throughout history and yet ninja remain the most enigmatic and most complex. In truth, the terms ‘assassin’ and ‘spy’ do not do the ninja justice, nor do they describe fully the arts of
shinobi no jutsu,
the way of the
ninja.

A ninja or
shinobi no mono
is a person with a specific set of skills and the term has no connection to their level of ability. Also, the term
shinobi
can be used for a person who is undertaking any form of stealthy mission, even if they have not been trained in any arts. However, it is considered that most shinobi no mono were at least trained to some level in the ways of the ninja. These skills include the arts of spying and working as an undercover agent, the ability to scout in extreme proximity to the enemy – scouting inside enemy castles and defensive positions or even temporarily acting as a member of an enemy force to gain information before returning to one’s own side. A ninja was also a person involved in the making and the use of explosives in a clandestine military capacity, including arson, and who could use the skills of breaking and entering to gain entrance to a fortified household in order to steal. He would gather information through eavesdropping, would take documentation and valuables and on occasion would murder the residents and set fire to the buildings. A shinobi was a person who acted as a guide in no-man’s-land for attacking units, normally under the cover of darkness. Alongside this, they acted as messengers and utilised secret codes via horns, drums, symbols and the written word to transfer information. In short, the ninja was a spy-scout-arsonist-thief-killer.
2

The following is from the 1656
Bukyo Zensho
military manual and outlines the requirements and uses of the ninja.

Those who should be chosen as Ninja
3

1    Those who look stupid but are resourceful and talented in speech or are witty.

2    Those who are capable and act quickly and who are stout [and can endure]. Also those who do not succumb to illness.

3    Those who are brave and open-minded and those who know much about certain districts and people all over the country, with the addition of being eloquent.

Items you should be aware of in order not to allow a spy or Shinobi to infiltrate your position

1    Strictly guard the gates and checkpoints and arrange for signal fires and signal flags and also ‘dual section’ tallies,
4
identifying marks and passwords.

2    Examine merchant travellers or travelling monks who are training or collecting for their home temple.

3    If any of your allies have relatives within the enemy, they should declare this immediately.

4    If you receive an offer [from one of the enemy] to spy for you, then you should report this immediately.

5    Understand the difference between truth and untruth.
5

6    If the enemy offer reconciliation and they say they are sincere, then be careful not to be deceived by them.

7    Do your best to defend against double agents.

Of Shinobi Scouts

Shinobi
6
– Scouts have people called shinobi who go to and come from the enemy provinces and they acquire information. There are traditions and skills exclusive to them and they spy on and ascertain the status of the enemy.

Tasks Assigned to the Shinobi

1    To take advantage of enemy gaps, in reference to both information and [the enemy] position.

2    Getting through doors.

3    Body warming device (Donohi) and ignition tools.

4    Signal fires and passwords.

5    The art of quickly changing appearance.

6    Tools used to climb fences, stone walls, earth walls or to cross over rivers.

7    The carrying of various tools.

8    To hide that which is hidden and to display that which should be shown.
7

9    Attaining [a certain] mindset.

Two major categories of ninja begin to emerge through historical analysis. The categories are not distinguished grammatically.

Firstly, a ninja can be a man or woman with no training whatsoever, who is simply exploited for their innate abilities, even if only minor. For example, a man with a good memory may be used as a shinobi to go forward into an area and gather a mental record, simply because he has the ability to recall information. Or a man who has knowledge of a local area (
Kyodo
) may be called on to act as a ninja
and go into that area and gain information. This untrained individual is considered a shinobi by the tacticians of medieval Japan and is not what we would consider a ninja from our modern prospective.

The second category is the archetypal ninja figure, that is a man trained in the arts first outlined above (to any skill level) and who is used as required by a general. Documentation is often vague in distinguishing between these two. The only way to identify each is to understand the context of each historical reference.

Therefore, remember that at times we may be considering a relatively incompetent person, sent out at the whim of the lord, but at other times, the ninja are a group of individuals who were highly trained specialists, who took part in actions that have made them the legends they are today; creeping into castles, passing armed guards as they slip through the shadows, leaving a trail of destruction or silence behind them. Before we can investigate their skills, we have to understand where they came from.

Notes

2
      The word ‘killer’ is used here to avoid the connotations of ‘assassin’. A shinobi was not a trained assassin, his role was information gatherer in the main and if opportunity presented itself or it was required, they were used as assassins. However, the evidence often points to the destruction of whole families and their homes as opposed to single targets. On the rare occasion, direct assassination does appear in historical documentation, such as the
Bansenshukai
.

3
      It is important to note here that the term
shinobi
as a military function has been recorded since the fourteenth century, whilst the word
shinobi no mono
or ninja
is first found here in this document, making the first recorded use (to date) 1656. However, the term
shinobi no mono
with the radical ‘no’ does appear as early as 1639. There is no difference between the jobs or connotations between shinobi
and
shinobi no mono
. Also, it must be understood that more and more documentation is being found and examined and only time will tell if this remains the earliest record.