Ninja, also known as shinobi were the assassins and spies of feudal Japan. They are commonly depicted as being garbed from head to foot in black clothing, scaling walls with and performing acrobatic feats of martial arts.
Japanese history shows that the concept of the ninja warriors developed as a counter-offensive to the samurai warriors in feudal Japan.
The ninja warriors first set themselves aside as an elite fighting class of assassins, spies and warriors in the 7th century. They enhanced their fighting skills and their art of stealth between 600-900 CE.
When the Tang Dynasty in China fell in 907 CE, the country fell into a fifty year decline of culture. Chaos reigned across China. Several Tang generals defected to Japan. Chinese warrior-monks also fled to Japan with their knowledge of new medicines, fighting techniques, and battle tactics. The Japanese warrior-monks and the early ninja clans eagerly learned and adapted the new skills to their own use.
Ninjutsu developed as a counter-culture of Chinese, Japanese, and Asian native guerilla tactics. An ex-samurai warrior named Diasuke Togakure lost his lands and his samurai title in a regional war. Disillusioned and depressed, he wandered through the mountains of southwest Honshu in 1162 when he met a wanderer from China. Kain Doshi was a Chinese warrior-monk.
After extensive discussions, Daisuke renounced his samurai Bushido code and the two worked together in developing a new guerilla warfare theory called ninjutsu. They organized the first ninju ryu or school which they called the Togakureryu.
This samurai code of Bushido emphasized honor and loyalty above everything else. A samurai going into battle would select his worthy opponent and challenge him; then the warrior would recite his family pedigree before he attacked. All this was very honorable and noble, but entirely unnecessary in getting the job done. The early ninja training rejected the Bushido code of conduct because it simply was not practical.
Ninjutsu is nothing if not efficient and effective. If an unknown technique proved to be effective, the ninja warrior adopted and used it.
Eight methods of warfare, as well as the use of unconventional weapons, comprised the ninja curriculum. The techniques included body skills, karate, spear fighting, staff fighting, blade-throwing, the use of fire and water, fortification, strategy and concealment.
Most of the weapons were modified from farm tools such as sickles, wood cutting saws, pruning shears, pitchforks and hoes. This was practical both in fighting and in concealing their identity if caught. Any working farmer might carry these tools.
The ninja did have medium length swords, war pikes and staves, and knowledge of the martial arts. Ninjas did not use throwing stars, but they did invent the specialized shuko, an iron hand-crampon used in climbing.
The most unusual weapon was the musical flute. The traveling ninjas disguised themselves as musical, mystical bards. A ninja entertained the crowds and paid for his meals with music and stories, and his innocent-looking flute doubled as a blow-dart tube or a club.
Another weapon in the ninja's toolkit was poison. They carried a variety of poisons to apply to the tips of their blow darts or to add to food.
Ninja were hired by warlords (daimyo). There is always a need for clandestine operations in warfare, and the ninja fulfilled this need. They were detested by the samurai, who fought openly, but their skills at subterfuge were indispensable. There were occasions when ninja fought in open battle, but then they were indistinguishable from samurai in terms of dress and wargear.
The primary role of ninja was intelligence gathering. They were adept at sneaking into castles, where they would mingle with the garrison. A ninja could operate in this way for weeks if necessary. Sometimes, they would open castle gates for the main attack force, or light fires and start killing randomly to panic the garrison.
The period between the 14th and 17th centuries was the highlight of ninja history. The fury of war blazed across Japan, and mercenary ninjas hired out to the highest bidders.
Ninja history is permeated with folklore and myth and accurate historical records do not exist. As a result, no one knows just how much of the ninja tale is true.
