Ninjas: Historical Facts

[Guest Daisho2004]

Good Link to check out about Ninjas:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nin..._and_image

The history of the Ninja is hard to trace. This is because there were few, if any records kept of its existence. Most of what is known about the ninja is taken from stories that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Nonuse ("the art of stealth") was first introduced to Japan in 522 A.D. as a religion practiced by priests. These priests were not violent people, they were "mystics" who gathered and shared information for the ruling classes. The ninja as we know them were not introduced until later.

It wasn't until 645 A.D. that the priests perfected their fighting skills and made use of their knowledge of nonuse. This was because they found themselves being harassed by the central government and found in necessary to protect themselves.

In 794-1192 A.D. the new civilization flourished and with it, a new class of wealthy, privileged families. These families fought with one another in attempts to make or destroy emperors. The need for spies, informants and now assassins grew as these families dueled for power. They were suspicious and jealous of one another and would resort to any means necessary to eliminate any possible threats. Therefore, the practitioners of nonuse were in great demand. With this, the ninja was born.

Ninja Facts:

Magic: Kuji-in

Kuji-in is the spiritual and mental strength the ninja possessed in the form of hand signs. These hand signs were believed to be able to channel energy. The hand signs were taken from the practices of the early Buddhists.

The Kuji-in was used to build confidence and strength in the ninja. It was also believed to enhance the senses of danger and foresee death for the ninja.

In Kuji-in the thumb represents the source of power (Ku), and the fingers represent the four elemental manifestations. They are Chi (earth - solids), Sui (water - liquids), Ka (fire - combustion) and Fu (wind - gases).

There are 81 hand symbols, total, but there are 9 primary ones: Rin, Hei, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, and Zen. Each symbol invokes different strengths and abilities in a trained ninja. Rin brings strength to the mind and body; Hei generates psychic power in order to mask one's presence; Toh enables the ninja to reach a balance between the solid and liquid states of the body, which leads to a greater harmony with the universe; Sha is used to heal oneself or another; Kai gives complete control over the body's functions, enabling one to slow the heart rate, endure extreme heat and cold, etc. Jin increases the mind's telepathic powers, giving a highly trained Ninja the ability to read the character of another; Retsu gives telekinetic powers, enabling a ninja to stun an opponent with a shout or touch. Zai extends the harmony gained by merging with the universe. Zen brings enlightenment and understanding. These symbols take an entire lifetime to truly master.

Kunoichi:

Women played a very important roll in the ninja clans of the past. Known as Kunoichi, the female ninja could often use their own femininity to get very close to the enemy. Using psychological warfare and mind manipulation as weapons, the kunoichi could get in close enough to poison the victim without leaving a trace.

Kunoichi were trained in a variety of weapons, similar to the ninja, but because of the different situations they would face some smaller close range weapons were used more often. Weapons like blinding powders, poisons, daggers, rope and even the fan were often carried because they could be used at close range and would be easy to transport without notice. Imagine a young woman crying, and how it would make you feel. You'd probably want to try to help her, and maybe even offer her some assistance. This is just one example of how the kunoichi could trick someone into walking right into a trap, a very powerful weapon.

The clothing worn by the kunoichi depended on the situation, maybe it called for no clothes, who knows?

Knowledge:

The Ninja devised an ingenious method of telling time by using a cat's eyes. Since a cat has such sensitive eyes, they adjust frequently as the sun passes through the sky. This picture illustrates how the Ninja used this knowledge to approximate time:

The Ninja, like sailors, used the stars to navigate at night but they also discovered 2 other ways of determining direction. One is through the use of a tree stump. If the Ninja came across the stump of a tree, he simply looked at the growth rings to tell which direction was North. The rings become narrower and closer together as they approach North and wider and further apart as they approach South.

Another, more accurate way, of determining direction was by the use of the sun and 3 sticks. This method accurately determines True North. The Ninja found a fairly clear area that wasn't overgrow with trees or bushes, etc. then he found a stick that was about a foot long and 2 twigs whose length didn't matter. The Ninja drove the foot long stick into the ground and observed the shadow cast by it and then placed one of the twigs on the ground, at the end of the shadow. He then waited about 15 minutes for the shadow to move and placed the other twig at the end of the shadow's new location. The Ninja then placed his right foot on the first twig and his second foot on the second twig and the Ninja was now facing True North.

Even the Ninja had to rest from time to time and one of the best places to hide was in the tops of the trees. Since Ninja wore an exceptionally long sash, he was able to climb to the thick, upper branches of a tree and then tie his sash from limb to limb in a "spider web" type pattern, creating a serviceable hammock to rest in and to watch for approaching enemies.

Since the Ninja had to survive in nature, they became trained naturalists capable of distinguishing edible, medicinal and poisonous plants, trapping, preparing and cooking animals, building shelter, finding water, and making fire.

A few methods of finding water were by studying the insects in an area. For example, if there was a high concentration of ants or crickets, he knew there was water nearby. Another way of finding water was by recognizing the kinds of plants that live near water. If the Ninja found any of those plants, he knew water was near.

Box of Crickets

Another tool used by the ninja was a simple box of crickets. They would carry with them a small box of crickets to cover up any small sounds made by the ninja as he quietly advances on his target. The noise made by the crickets was not uncommon, so they samurai thought nothing of hearing them..

NINJA POISONS:

The ninja were very knowledgeable about poisons. Poisoning a victim was as effective as stabbing them, but with very little mess or chance of failure. Once the poison was ingested by the victim it was already to late. The poisons were mostly organic based, but some were taken from animals.

One method was to take the fungi poison out of the blowfish or puffer fish. This poison is very strong and can kill in small doses. Another animal based poison was the bufo marinus. The bufo marinus is a large toad with an extremely toxic poison behind its eyes. This poison was often used on darts, arrows and spear tips.

Spiders and scorpions were also used. Not always just the poison extracted from them, but sometimes it was just as easy to slip a couple of scorpions in the bed of the victim.

One of the organic poisons used was made from common fruit. Cyanide was extracted from a variety of sources, such as apple seeds, plum seeds, cherries seeds and many more. It was readily available to the ninja and was used often.

Tomato and rhubarb leaves also held a poison. Eating the leaves cause cardiac problems, ultimately resulting in cardiac arrest.

The amanita phalloides is a deadly mushroom. The poison in the mushroom was 10 times more powerful than that of cyanide. Eating the mushroom was certain death, and it was easy to slip a piece of the mushroom in almost any meal.

The poison could be used in various ways, depending on the situation. For example, if the ninja could slip it into the victims food while its being prepared. Without knowing what kind of danger he was in, the victim would eat the food infested with the poison. Not all the poisons used by the ninja were fatal, some of them were used to merely paralyze or cause blindness. It was not always necessary to kill.

Another thing the ninja did was dip their weapons, such as the shuriken or their sword, in the poison. This was so when it punctured the skin of their target, the fast acting poison would take its course, causing much more devastating than the blade itself.

Guidelines for stealth walking

Excerpt from "The Mystic Arts of the Ninja" by Stephen K. Hayes

Maintain balance control by allowing your body weight to sink and be carried by deeply flexed knees.

Remember to breathe along with your movement. Unconsciously holding your breath can unknowingly produce unneeded muscle tension, and could result in gasping release of breathe if you are startled or accidentally unbalanced.

Stay alert to the entire scene. Do not become so engrossed in watching your feet that you do not notice other people an elements entering the surroundings.

Use all joints for movement, emphasizing fluidity through the engagement of the ankles, knees, and hips for stepping. Avoid the lazy and dangerous habit of stiffening knees and swinging the entire leg from the hip.

Maintain your weight and balance on your grounded leg while you move the other leg into position to bear the weight. When absolute silence is a must, avoid distributing your weight over both legs at the same time.

If practical, allow your hands to float lightly in front of and beside your torso, one arm higher and one arm lower, to detect possible obstructions before your committed body weight encounters them.

Pause and hold your position if you feel that you have accidentally caused too much noise. Listen for signs that you were heard, such as the movement of others or the immediate silencing of background noise following your slip. Sink a little lower on your knees to physically relax that could normally jump into your body with alarm. Take a deep breathe and release it slowly to further relax. Continue your pause for as long as you feel is necessary to regain composure and allow possible listeners to decide they did not hear anything after all.

Be as patient as possible. If speed of travel is not important, take as much time as you can. Impatience and the resultant hasty movement that it encourages are the greatest dangers to the person who must move silently without detection.

Keep your movement appropriate to your surroundings. Do not go to greater lengths than necessary to conceal your movement, while at the same being aware of what others entering the area may see if they cannot hear. Total silence may not be needed when moving through wooded or densely populated areas where scattered noise is a natural part of the environment. Also be aware that low profile crawling or sliding may be the only way to move silently without being seen in some locations.

Clothing:

The ninja uniform was called a shinobi shozoko. It was typically one of three colors. Black was used for night missions when being seen would mean certain death. White was used for winter missions so they could easily blend in with the snow. The other color used was a green kind of camouflage pattern so they could blend in with the forest surroundings.

Besides the typical ninja uniform, the ninja would use any type of clothing that would get them closer to the mission goal. Sometimes the ninja dressed up as priests, peasants or even samurai. Whatever the mission required, they did.

When dressed fully in the shinobi shozoko, the ninja's flesh was completely hidden, all except for a small slit around the eyes and his hands. The tabi boots had a slit in between the big toe and the second toe. The reason for the split was to make it easier for climbing ropes and scaling walls.

The shinobi shozoko had many pockets all through it, inside and out. This was for storing all the small tools and weapons he needed, such as poison, shuriken, knives and so on. The ninja also carried a small, primitive, first aid kit, filled with potions and solutions.

[Guest Ninja Sinai]

Excellent read.

Thanks for posting Daisho2004!

[Guest Daisho2004]

Here is another good link: some common misconceptions about ninja by Nate Ledbetter of Samurai Archives:

www.geocities.com/klances...Ninja.html

Main points in the article:

Quote:Common Myth #1: "Ninjas" wore black night uniforms and skulked around in the dark.

Think about it--like no one's going to look at you and guess what you're doing if you go around in a night suit at noontime? Idiocy. Night uniforms were typically blue, anyways--if you care to verify, visit the Iga-Ueno "Ninja" Museum at Iga-Ueno Castle, in Mie Prefecture. Black outlines you on a dark night. It makes you MORE visible, since the sky isn't black, it's blue. Dark blue is much more effective. And of course, just because you wear a night outfit to avoid being seen, doesn't make you a "Ninja" (thieves are also often depicted in similar attire in Japanese theater/paintings), but I think that should be obvious enough that I don't have to say it.

The black "uniform" comes from the Edo stage theater. Prop assistants and others who are supposed to be "unseen" in Kabuki, Bunraku, etc., wear all black uniforms to signify their "invisible" role. When Edo-period playwrights struggled on how to show their "invisible" assassin characters, they hit upon clothing them like the stagehands. The audience of the time KNEW that the character was "invisible", and understood the point. The common image carried over into film, unfortunately, and modern audiences frankly aren't as in tune with the conventions of the theater.

What DID "Ninja" wear? Anything that wouldn't attract attention. Peasant, traveling priest, low-level samurai, merchant--all these were perfect disguises for walking around the countryside, gathering information for your lord. The 3 "N" characters in the Kurosawa film "Kagemusha" are dressed like 2 peasants and a traveling priest--they're actually spies for Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Common Misconception #2: "Ninja" were dishonorable, and used underhanded techniques that samurai would never use, and "Ninja" were a separate, lower class from samurai.

Um, no. Especially pre-Edo, samurai would use whatever techniques/tactics they could to win and survive. Spying, assassination, etc. were just part of the game. Even the Edo period paragon of virtue and loyalty, the 47 Ronin (or 47 loyal retainers of Ako), were a CLASSIC example of supposedly "N" tactics--everything from faking death and dishonor to surprise night attacks, it's all there.

As to being "separate" from samurai, that's bull too. The two most famous "Ninja" in history, Hattori Hanzo and Yagyuu Jubei, were both samurai. Hattori Hanzo, "Devil Hanzo", was Tokugawa Ieyasu's chief of clandestine operations, and was noted for being from Iga, a hotbed of "Ninja" activity. He ran Ieyasu's spying campaigns, and possibly more. As a senior retainer, he held the rank of Hatamoto--now, one couldn't be a hatamoto without being a samurai--so how could he be a samurai if a "Ninja" couldn't be one?

Yagyuu Jubei, of the famous Yagyuu clan (also from Iga, and masters of the afore-mentioned Iga-Ueno Castle) is also famous as a "Ninja". The Yagyuu were from Iga, were well known practitioners of clandestine arts, and were appointed hatamoto and kenjutsu instructors to the Tokugawa Shoguns. Most of the legends around Jubei stem from when he was "dismissed" for several years from the Shogun's service, only to be recalled later. This prompted speculation that he was off conducting missions under cover. No one knows, but again--a "Ninja" who was obviously, and undeniably, a samurai.

Now, does this mean that all "Ninja" or people who conducted "Ninja" activities were samurai? By no means. If Lord Date's wife's maid is passing what she overhears Date saying about his plans in his sleep to an agent of mine, she's most definitely conducting shinobi activity. Does it mean she's trained to kill 37 ways with a chopstick? No.

Common Myth #3: "Ninja" used straight swords, different from samurai swords.

No, no, no, and no. Remember what I said above about the black pajamas? This was another way to tell the bad guy (in black, straight sword) from the good guy. These things DIDN'T exist. And you don't see them in Japanese "Ninja" films. It's pure Hollywood.

Common Myth #4: There are "Modern" "Ninja"

These people are typically martial artists--nothing against them, but they aren't historians. It's really easy to fake some scroll. Generally these people couldn't produce historical accuracy if their lives depended on it. I read one of his books just to see what he was talking about, and it's clear that he simply doesn't know. Any Japanese 2nd grader could have pointed out GAPING holes in his historical "facts", but because Westerners get mesmerized by tales of invisible warriors and walking on water, he's considered an "expert". When it comes to learning about Asia, people in the West are stupid. (The same, sadly, holds true in reverse.)

A corollary to this is that Manga, Anime, Movies, Books (Fiction books, like Shogun) are *NOT* historical sources. "My sensei told me so" likewise does not make it fact.

Posted by "Wave Tossed"

[daisho2004]

I thought I give this a reposting since we do have a lot more newer members on here.

[venoms5]

Great stuff daisho! I have some material on Ninja. Is it true that the Kunoichi would intentionally infect themselves with venereal diseases to weaken an enemy invader or some clan they were payed to wipe out? Also, I understand the Kunoichi had there own method for suicide-- Jaiga(?), but instead of disembowelment, they would stab themselves in the throat with a small dagger. Also, I read that the Kunoichi were not held in high regard and if they disobeyed or failed they were ordered to kill themselves on the spot. Is this true? Forgive me if this is mentioned somewhere in the thread I didn't see it and thought I'd ask. Thanks for re-posting as I'd not seen it before.

[bamboo spear]

It depends on how "ninjutsu" is defined. Ninpo arts taught today tend to rely on kuden rather than densho, which is the problem historians have with it. But some of these arts are listed in the Bugei Ryuha Daijiten and are generally accepted as Koryu arts. Gikan ryu is koppojutsu but is considered ninpo by some. Gyokko ryu is the backbone of the Iga/Momochi ninja arts, but it is, for the most part, taijutsu and mutodori. The most "ninja" art, Togakure ryu, has been a strictly orally-transmitted art, but there is a gaping hole in it's lineage because the existence of one person can't be proved.

So, I'm not saying that we have functioning ninja today, but genuine ninja arts are absolutely being transmitted.