Ninja (loosely translated as “shadow warrior”)- this was the name given to invisible scouts, specialists in secret murders, spies who left no traces of medieval spies. However, the exact translation is simpler and more succinct - “patient”, and the teaching they followed - ninjutsu - is translated as “the art of being patient”. Ninjas were known as masters of all types of weapons, brilliant fist fighters, experts in numerous poisons, and geniuses of camouflage, capable of hiding from enemies even in an open field.
Ninja, secret agents medieval Japan, were not samurai, but in the centuries-long clashes of the military nobility they played an important, sometimes decisive role. They sometimes did incredible things. So, on the morning of 1540, in one of the many rooms of the castle that belonged to the famous samurai Fugashi, the servants saw a terrible sight: the body of their master lay in a pool of blood on the tatami. Fugashi probably didn't even see his killers. The samurai's sensitive hearing was not disturbed by a single sound - he was killed while sleeping. Another thing was surprising: the guard soldiers lay right there, killed so quickly that they did not even have time to draw their swords. Some had no wounds on their bodies, but their glassy eyes were frozen in horror. The monstrous event was also striking in that all the doors were locked from the inside, and the castle itself was a fortress surrounded by high walls and a deep moat. At every door leading to Fugashi's chambers there were guards who did not notice a single stranger.
The very fact of murder in medieval Japan, torn apart by clan strife, was not surprising, but the nature of the successful attempt and its mystery gave rise to many rumors. They talked about ghost killers who lived in the dark basements of the castle and penetrated through the lattice loopholes into Fugashi's chambers, about the spirits of the dead, taking revenge on the samurai for their death. It was hard to believe that people could do something like this.
Almost two centuries after this event, the cortege of the samurai Shogumi was heading to the capital. The road went along the edge of the forest. The vanguard of the guard disappeared around the bend, followed by Shogumi. When the retinue made a turn, a truly mystical picture was revealed to her - two headless warriors were sitting on horses. The samurai himself disappeared, and his horse lifted its muzzle up in fear. Raising their gaze, the guards saw the body of their master hanging on the branch of a spruce tree leaning over the road. Who managed to deal with three strong warriors in a few seconds? The search for the killers in the forest yielded nothing.
Both mysterious murders have already been attributed to ninjas in our time.
It is assumed that ninjas and their art of acting secretly and unnoticed emerged from the craft of espionage developed in medieval Japan.
But there are claims that ninjutsu originated in Japan in the 6th century, shortly after the penetration of Buddhism from China and Korea. However, other researchers consider this a fiction, which is explained by the specifics of the East, where it is believed that the older the phenomenon, the more valuable it is. And since ninjutsu has survived so many centuries, this alone proves its value.
Already from the 6th-7th centuries in Japan, much was known that the ninja later adopted, for example: the production and use of poisons, fighting with improvised means. From Buddhism come special finger positions (mudra) and utterance of sounds (mantra) filled with mystical meaning. At the same time, the famous warrior monks appeared - yamabushi, who embodied the spirit of hermitage and wisdom. They traveled around Japan or lived in the mountains, engaged in self-education. The Yamabushi were excellent at all types of martial arts and often taught peasants fist fighting during periods of prohibition on the possession of bladed weapons.
With the strengthening of centralized power in the 7th-8th centuries, there was a demand for skilled spies and infiltrators. To satisfy him, the first ninjutsu school appeared near Kyoto, which belonged to the Hattori clan. Members of the school learned a lot from the yamabushi, but unlike the mountain hermit warriors, they actively used their knowledge to spy for their master. The very name “ninja” did not exist then, and those who are considered to be the founders of ninjutsu were very different from the mythologized characters. They were in the service of the master, worked for hire and did not think about what spirituality was.
By the beginning of the 12th century, a period of bloody civil strife began in Japan. The samurai took up martial arts with even greater zeal. Their practice mainly included spear arts (sojutsu), halberd fencing (naginata), archery (kodo), sword arts (kendo), horsemanship, and horse fighting (bajutsu). The spies who were attached to the warring clans adopted a lot from the military training of the samurai, but eliminated many ritual elements that did not have practical significance in battle. They used only what allowed them to quickly win and avoid danger. If the samurai could not violate the ritual, since he was in sight all the time, and in general it was about his honor and spirituality, then for spies, problems of morality, and especially honor, did not exist.
In addition, the weapon itself left its mark on the fighting technique. A real samurai katana sword was terribly expensive.
Naturally, the katana - “the soul of the samurai” - was inaccessible to the spy. Spies used small swords - lighter and more fragile. The art of wielding a katana was manifested in tachi-kaze - the number of sword swings. There should be as few of them as possible, and the best option It was considered to kill an opponent with one blow, barely taking the katana out of its sheath. The light ninja sword did not allow such crushing blows, but it could be rotated and fingered in the hand, which made the technique more varied and speedy. The experienced ninja rotated the sword with such speed that a protective barrier appeared in front of his body, blocking the path of arrows.
Any object in the hands of an experienced warrior turned into a weapon. A ninja disguised as a wandering monk could wield a heavy monastic staff. It was a complete surprise for the enemy when a sharp blade or a poisoned arrow flew out. Sometimes a hole was made in the staff, and a long chain was hidden there. Another, short stick was used not only for protection from blows, but also as a lever for breaking the victim’s limbs.
The characteristic weapons of the ninja were the kusarigama - a peasant sickle with a long chain attached to its handle; nunchaku (nunchaku) - a flail for threshing grain; tonfa - the handle of a manual grain mill. A special category was made up of small improvised objects - thin ones (for example, an ordinary needle). Tonkas also included throwing weapons - for example, shurikens (sharply sharpened multifaceted plates). Abandoned with an experienced hand, they hit the target at a distance of up to 25 meters. Shurikens could be poisoned; it was almost impossible to escape from them when they were thrown in a fan of 5-6 pieces.
To protect himself from pursuit, the ninja left sharp spikes behind him - tetsu-bishi. In the dimly lit enfilades of the castle, the guards inevitably ran into these small “mines,” and the ninja again disappeared uncaught and unrecognized.
Firearms were rarely used by infiltrators. The shot revealed the shooter. They used blow pipes with a set of poisoned needles, effective at close range and extremely unexpected for the victim. Poison was also part of the ninja's arsenal.
To capture a prisoner, the ninja usually used a thin, strong rope (Gasilo) with small weights at the ends. He threw it at his opponent’s feet, the weights spun around them by inertia, and he stumbled; jumping up, the ninja finally entangled the victim’s arms and legs, threading the rope under the groin and securing it with a loop around the neck. At the slightest attempt to free himself, the captive only pulled it in even more.
The internecine wars of the 12th century in Japan strengthened the role of hired bodyguards and espionage experts, and the subsequent period Japanese history- Kamakura (1185-1333) became the time of the emergence of many ninjutsu schools (there were from 25 to 70 on the island of Honshu alone). Each village allocated people to the squad of the samurai-feudal lord - spearmen, foot soldiers, servants. Some of them turned into lower-ranking samurai, called ashigaru (light-footed). They were the prototypes of those who later became known as ninjas.
Over time, they began to form clans. The fighters could be related by family ties. But above the closest kinship was the oath. She bound the clan with strict discipline, based on the subordination of the younger to the elders and observance of the rituals of samurai communication. Then a division into three categories appeared - geniuses, tyunin and zenin. The direct perpetrators of sabotage, murder, and espionage were the genin, and the tyunin developed the operations and led small groups. Zenin stood at the top of this hierarchy.
Ninja clans were often formed in villages - to defend their homeland from raids by bandits and daring wandering samurai. Fierce clashes often occurred between village ninjas and samurai. To avoid being recognized, commoners covered their faces with masks made of dark matter, leaving only their eyes open. Self-defense units were often hired to settle scores between samurai.
If a ninja was captured, the punishment for him was extremely cruel - he was boiled alive in boiling oil. The corpse was hung on the castle wall as a warning, and the samurai were proud big amount failed attempts on them. This spoke of their invulnerability and the fact that “spirits protect them.”
Adhering to extreme practicality, the ninja did not strive to defeat the enemy “by the rules,” as prescribed by the code of samurai honor - bushido. It was necessary to appear unexpectedly, strike with a stiletto or sword, add poison and disappear just as unexpectedly: “a ninja comes from the void and goes into the void, leaving no traces.” There were dozens of methods to implement this commandment. “Patient” knew how to penetrate through small cracks, for example, crawl under a fence, digging no more than 20x20 centimeters. Thanks to training that began in childhood, ninjas could make artificial dislocations in the shoulder, elbow, and hip joints without harm to themselves. This helped them, wriggling like a snake, to free themselves from tight bonds or pretend to be dead, lying in an unimaginable position.
The basis of the tactic was to present false as real. Avoiding an unexpected attack, the ninja, for example, lit a fire in his home, set the table, and spent the night in a secluded hut or dugout - personal safety above convenience. Ninjas were excellent pretenders in battle. Having received a blow, they pretended to writhe in pain. There was blood coming from the mouth, supposedly from the throat, but in fact sucked from the gums. The ninja fell, agonized, emitting death rattles. But as soon as the enemy approached, a blow from below followed with a knife or a shuriken flew into the throat.
The ninja tried to avoid direct confrontation, not expecting to be stronger than the samurai. In open duels, the samurai's sword was a death sentence for a spy. That is why it was necessary to “come from the void” and strike the decisive blow. Cases when it seemed that this was exactly what was happening were not uncommon, and in feudal Japan they believed in the existence of tengo - mystical creatures, half ravens, capable of disappearing in an instant, as if dissolving into thin air. In fact, the ninja achieved “invisibility”, acting, for example, under the cover of night, silently tracking down his prey.
Great attention was paid to the ability to camouflage and use the terrain. A ninja could swim along the river for hours, holding on to a log and merging with it; he could dig under a samurai house for weeks and saw down its stone floorboards. This is probably how the killers entered the castle of the Fugashi samurai.
Among the ninja there were many women called kunoichi. Their main weapons were beauty, resourcefulness and fanaticism. They could serve as geishas, maids, and do peasant work. Deprived of the opportunity to carry a sword, inferior to men in physical strength, they used hairpins and fans, with which they struck the enemy in the throat and face. If a samurai recognized a kunoichi, she was handed over to the guards to be scolded and only then killed. Therefore, ninja women, in a moment of danger, followed the ancient ritual of suicide. Unlike men, who cut their stomachs in an act of hara-kiri or seppuku, kunoichi performed jigai - a stab in the neck. As a rule, they did this in cold blood, in front of the enemy, showing complete contempt for death.
The schools where ninjas were trained were in secluded, inaccessible, strictly guarded places. Everything that was done in these schools was shrouded in a deep veil of secrecy.
In secret schools, ninjas were taught a huge variety of things. The main attention was paid to training strength, endurance and the ability to perfectly control one’s body, because the life of a ninja could subsequently depend on this. In addition, future agents mastered various methods of survival in extreme situations- in ice water or under water, during prolonged fasting, after receiving severe injuries. They also had to be able to quickly and quietly, in full equipment, overcome any obstacles - castle walls, abatis, stormy water streams, swamps, and penetrate the most impregnable enemy camp. Of no small importance for the successful activities of ninjas was mastery of the art of camouflage, because they often had to hide unexpectedly under a variety of guises and in a variety of vestments, covering their tracks. And then, the future secret agent, of course, was supposed to have impeccable command of all types of weapons that existed in Japan, and above all those that killed silently. The main “weapon” of the ninja was patience. There is a known case when a ninja snuck into a samurai’s castle and, attaching himself to the ceiling with special claws, waited for the samurai to enter the hall. However, the samurai did not come alone; there were guests with him who sat down to play Japanese checkers - Go.
The game lasted until late at night. The ninja hung from the ceiling for almost five hours, but he knew how to wait. When the guests finally left, the ninja completed his task.
Young people who underwent such many years of training became members of secret societies scattered throughout the country, in which no one knew each other. Cleverly disguising themselves, ninjas lived alone in cities and villages. They did not know the names of their leaders, nor where they lived, and had never even seen them. Such precautions ensured that no traitor or spy could infiltrate the organization.
How did ninjas receive and complete tasks? When a high-ranking samurai wanted to use the services of a ninja, he sent his servant to a designated place where, as he knew, the intermediary of a secret organization was located.
Such places, in particular, were the entertainment districts of large cities. As soon as the intermediary recognized a potential customer in a stranger wandering along the street, he approached and struck up a conversation. If the two made a deal, the intermediary would inform the other intermediary. He, in turn, passed on the order - again in a roundabout way - to the chief of the ninja of the district in which the customer’s task was to be completed. First, the ninja chief learned about all the details of the planned operation, and then gave the order to carry it out.
The ninja who received the order was completely left to his own devices. He carefully, taking into account every little detail, prepared for the upcoming task. He collected detailed information about everything that was relevant to his task: about the location of the future operation, the person he was supposed to kill, the layout of the castle, the protection of the military camp, the construction of defensive structures and much more. Then he selected suitable clothes, the necessary equipment and weapons, and, disguised as a monk, a wandering actor, a merchant, a peasant, or disguised as a woman, he set off on the road. On the way, he listened to all the conversations and tried to make the necessary contacts. Having reached his destination, the ninja began to observe people or objects of interest to him. To do this, he chose a suitable shelter, where he spent many hours without moving.
Having thus learned everything that was necessary, he began to develop a plan of action. Everything had to be weighed possible options and choose only one of them. For example, if a ninja received a task to kill a high-ranking samurai, then with the help different tricks or acrobatic stunts he had to get into his house. He usually attacked from an ambush - quietly, suddenly and treacherously, here all means were good. A ninja could kill a person sentenced to death by hitting him with the edge of his palm, strangling him, or stabbing him with a dagger. Sometimes the unfortunate were sent to the next world, for example, by pouring poison into their mouths while they were sleeping.
Thinking through his actions step by step, the ninja always provided for escape routes. Hiding from the scene of a crime, the “shadow warrior” could jump into a deep fortress moat (then he had to hide under water and breathe through a bamboo tube) or, armed with hooks and rope, jump from roof to roof or from one tree top to another - because and word spread that ninjas could fly.
To clear his way back, the ninja used various distracting means: for example, having prepared everything in advance, he set fire to the house of his victim. There was a commotion. While the household and servants ran for water, called for help, and tried to put out the fire, the killer left unnoticed.
The ninja was prepared for an unsuccessful outcome. If he fell into the hands of his opponents, he killed himself by stabbing himself with a dagger in the throat, or, if he did not have time to stab himself, he bit into a capsule with poison - he always prudently kept it behind his cheek during a dangerous operation.
The ninja had to master not only special weapons and techniques for carrying out secret operations, but also act with their weapons no worse than samurai. The fact is that ninjas often infiltrated into the service of the enemy and were among the samurai of this clan. And if their weapons differed in any way from the weapons of other samurai, then these spies would have had a bad time. In addition, ninjas, as a rule, had enough money to purchase a good sword, and they loved good weapons no less than samurai.
Video about Ninja.
Ninja weapons (photo above, description below).
A piercing weapon with a blade of round or multifaceted cross-section. The hook at the handle is designed to intercept enemy weapons
Throwing Knife
The sword is about half a meter long. The pommel of the handle is equipped with a needle, often poisoned. The needle could be retracted inside the hollow handle. The sword was worn on the back
A double-edged dagger with an additional blade, equipped with a long rope with a ring. Used as an impact weapon and also as a cat
Transformed from an agricultural sickle. It was often used as a dual weapon
Additionally equipped with a 2.5 meter long chain with a weight at the end
Japanese concealed throwing weapon (although sometimes used for striking). They are small blades made like everyday things: stars, needles, nails, knives, coins, and so on.
A metal ball with spikes that a ninja threw at the enemy’s feet
A miniature blowgun about half a meter long, it fired poisoned arrows - hari (above)
A bamboo blowgun that fired arrows shaped like a paper cone with a jagged, poisoned tip.
A battle fan that, when opened, revealed poisoned knitting needles. Sometimes the fan hid a miniature crossbow
- a shortened arrow with a heavier tip, reminiscent of a dart dart, but larger. Throwing arrows 10-15 centimeters long, the ninja carried several of them in a case fastened to his leg or forearm
A combat staff, inside of which a chain with weights was hidden
A hollow staff containing a hidden chain with a hook at the end.
A hollow pole with a rope and hook passed through it. Loops released through special holes allow the shino-bitsu to be used as a ladder.
Faktrum publishes very interesting selection facts about ninjas. Let's get to know them better!
1. Shinobi no mono
Photo source: Kulturologia.ruAccording to surviving documents, correct name is "sinobi no mono". The word "ninja" is a Chinese reading of a Japanese ideogram that became popular in the 20th century.
2. First mention of ninja
For the first time, the ninja became known from the military chronicle “Taiheiki,” written in 1375. It said that ninjas entered an enemy city at night and set buildings on fire.
3. The Golden Age of the Ninja
Ninjas flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries, when Japan was torn apart by internecine wars. After 1600, peace reigned in Japan, after which the decline of the ninja began.
4. "Bansenshukai"
There are very few records of ninjas during the era of wars, but after the onset of peace, they began to keep records of their skills. The most famous manual on ninjutsu is the so-called “Ninja Bible” or “Bansenshukai”, which was written in 1676. There are about 400 - 500 manuals on ninjutsu, many of which are still kept secret.
5. Special forces of the samurai army
Today, popular media often portrays samurai and ninja as sworn enemies. In fact, ninjas were something like modern-day special forces in the samurai army. Many samurai trained in ninjutsu.
6. Ninja "quinine"
Popular media also portrays ninjas as being from the peasant class. In truth, ninjas could come from any class, samurai or otherwise. Moreover, they were “quinine”, that is, they were outside the structure of society. Over time (after peace) ninjas were considered lower in status, however they still held a higher social position than most peasants.
7. Ninjutsu is a specialized form of hand-to-hand combat
It is generally accepted that ninjutsu is a form of hand-to-hand combat, a system of martial arts that is still taught throughout the world. However, the idea of the specialized form of hand-to-hand combat practiced by today's ninja was invented by a Japanese man in the 1950s and 1960s. This new fighting system was brought to America during the boom in ninja popularity in the 1980s and became one of the most popular misconceptions about ninjas.
8. Shurikens or shakens
Throwing stars (shuriken or shaken) do not have the slightest historical connection with ninjas. Throwing stars were a secret weapon used in many samurai schools. They only began to be associated with ninjas in the 20th century thanks to comic books and animated films.
9. Illustration of a fallacy
Ninjas are never shown without masks, but there is no mention of ninjas wearing masks. In fact, they should have covered their faces long sleeves when the enemy was nearby. When working in groups, they wore white headbands so they could see each other in the moonlight.
10. Ninjas blended into the crowd
A popular ninja look always includes a black bodysuit. In fact, in such a suit they would look just as appropriate as, for example, on the streets of modern Moscow. They wore traditional Japanese clothes.
11. Clothing for camouflage
Today, people believe that ninjas wore black clothes to help them hide in the dark. The Shoninki (The True Way of the Ninja), written in 1681, stated that ninjas should wear blue robes to blend in with the crowd, as this color was popular at the time. During night operations, they wore black clothes (on a moonless night) or white clothes (on a full moon).
12. Ninjas didn't use straight swords
The now famous "ninja-to" or straight-bladed, square-hilted ninja swords did exist in medieval Japan, as square handguards were made back then, but they only began to be attributed to ninjas in the 20th century. "Medieval special forces" used ordinary swords.
13. "Kudzi"
Ninjas are known for their spells, which they supposedly performed using hand gestures. This art was called "kuji" and it has nothing to do with ninja. Kuji originated in India and was later adopted by China and Japan. It is a series of gestures designed to ward off evil in certain situations or to ward off the evil eye.
14. Land mines, hand grenades, explosives, poisonous gas...
The image of a ninja using a smoke bomb is quite universal and common in modern world. Although medieval warriors did not have smoke bombs, they had hundreds of fire-related recipes: land mines, hand grenades, waterproof torches, varieties of Greek fire, fire arrows, explosives and poisonous gas.
15. Yin Ninja and Yang Ninja
This is half true. There were two groups of ninja: those who could be seen (yang ninja) and those whose identity always remained a secret (yin ninja).
16. Ninja - black magicians
In addition to the image of the ninja assassin, in old Japanese films one could often find the image of the ninja master, a warrior-mage who defeated enemies with cunning. Interestingly, ninja skills did contain a certain amount of ritual magic, from magical hairpins that supposedly provided invisibility to sacrificing dogs to gain the help of the gods. However, standard samurai skills also contained an element of magic. This was common for that time.
17. The art of covert operations
To be more precise, they were indeed often hired to kill a victim, but most ninja were trained in the arts of covert operations, propaganda, espionage, making and using explosives etc.
18. "Kill Bill"
Hattori Hanzo became famous thanks to the film Kill Bill. In fact, it was famous historical figure- Hattori Hanzo was a real samurai and trained ninjas. He became a famous general who received the nickname "Devil Hanzo". It was he who, at the head of a group of ninjas, contributed to Tokugawa becoming the shogun of Japan.
19. Hobbyists and enthusiasts
The first major boom in modern ninja popularity came in Japan in the early 1900s, when very little was known about these medieval spy-assassins. In the 1910s - 1970s, many books were written by amateurs and enthusiasts, which were simply replete with errors and falsifications. These errors were then translated into English during the ninja boom in popularity in the 1980s.
20. Ninja is a reason to laugh
The study of ninjas was a laughing matter in Japanese academic circles, and for many decades the study of their history was considered a whimsical fantasy. Serious research in Japan has only begun within the last 2–3 years.
21. Encrypted Ninja Scrolls
It is alleged that the ninja manuscripts were encrypted so that no outsider could read them. This misunderstanding arose due to the Japanese way of writing scrolls. Many Japanese scrolls simply listed lists of skill names without properly deciphering them. Although their true meanings have been lost, the texts have never been deciphered.
22. Hollywood myths
This is a Hollywood myth. There is no evidence that mission abandonment resulted in suicide. In fact, some manuals teach that it is better to abandon a mission than to rush things and cause problems.
23. Sleeper agents
It is believed that ninjas were much more powerful than ordinary warriors, but only certain ninjas who were trained in a special style of warfare were so. Many ninjas simply lived life in secret ordinary people in enemy provinces, carried out the usual daily activities or traveled to spread rumors. Recommended abilities for ninjas were: disease resistance, high intelligence, fast speech, and stupid appearance (because people tend to ignore those who look stupid).
24. There is no clan, no clan...
There are a number of people in Japan who claim to be masters of ninja schools that trace their lineage back to the times of the samurai. This issue is very controversial, since there is not a single proven fact that ninja families or clans have survived to this day.
25. Spy-saboteurs
While fictional ninjas have haunted people for the past 100 years, historical truth often turns out to be much more impressive and interesting. Ninjas were engaged in real espionage activities, carried out covert operations, worked behind enemy lines, were hidden surveillance agents, etc.
In books devoted to the art of ninjutsu, you can see descriptions of a huge number of types of cold combat ninja weapons - all kinds of swords, sickles, halberds, pipes, shuriken, etc.
But from a historical point of view, the specific melee weapons of the ninja, which were used only by the “warriors of the night,” were only a couple of dozen types of military items that were invisible and used secretly. The rest was used to the same extent by samurai and bandits.
Types of shinobi bladed weapons
Ninja sword (ninja - to, gatana) is a short curved sword with a metal handle, entangled in black strips of leather. Under the influence of militants, a large number of misconceptions have arisen about the ninja sword. The ninja-to was not straight, but slightly curved and was not carried on his back, as shown in the films. To avoid drawing attention to the assassin, there were no patterns, ornaments or jewels on the blade, scabbard and hilt. Often the scabbard of the sword (sai) was made longer than the blade and small things were placed in the empty space that could help the shinobi in difficult situation– shurikens, poisonous powders, documents.
Ashiko - sharp metal claws that were worn on the feet and helped with high speed climb trees and walls. They were also used as weapons - they could cause serious damage.
Shuko - like ashiko, was used for climbing trees and overcoming high fortifications.
Kakute is the weapon of a female ninja. It was a ring with pointed protrusions onto which poison was applied.
Kama is a combat weapon in the shape of a sickle, with a handle 45 cm long and a curved blade attached perpendicular to it. Often used as a dual weapon.
Kusari-gama is a kama to which a chain with a load at the other end was attached. With the help of a chain, the enemy's weapon was intercepted and the blade was thrown out at a distance of the length of the chain, followed by the return of the kama to the ninja's hands.
Kaginawa - cat on a rope or chain long length. Used to overcome walls.
Kiyoketsu-shoge is a rope with a knife tied at one end and a hoop-shaped handle at the other.
Naginata is a Japanese halberd with a fifteen-centimeter blade. The naginata was often worn by sohei warrior monks, and ninjas used it if they wanted to disguise themselves as them.
Neko-te - metal, sometimes poisoned, claws that were worn on the fingers. They were mainly used by female shinobi kunoichi to damage an opponent's eyes.
Sai is a Japanese trident, which is a sharp round or multifaceted sixty-centimeter rod with sharpened guards.
Shobo is a sharp metal rod that is attached to the middle finger using a special ring.
Shuriken - thin, sharpened metal plate, which was used mainly to stop the enemy. Sometimes poison was applied to the ends of the shuriken, but a ninja with a poisoned shuriken could inadvertently injure himself and die from his own poison.
Throwing arrows - pointed rods 10-15 cm long, were worn secretly in a special quiver on the hand.
Tessen is a fan with metal sharpened knitting needles. Often used as a small shield.
Fukiya, fukibari - a blowpipe 5-30 centimeters long. With its help, the ninja could shoot poisoned needles.
Ninja weapons video
The video lists the most interesting items from the Shinobi Arsenal.
Ninja. Many people know about them, and many people like them. Raised and trained in the complex art of ninjutsu from childhood, they fought with their main rivals - the samurai. Moving like shadows in the night, these brave warriors were hired at the highest price to do their dirty work, which samurai are not capable of.
But what if all this is completely untrue? What if the modern image of ancient ninjas was based entirely on 20th century comic books and fantasy literature?
Today we will reveal to you 25 exciting facts about real ninjas that existed in the past, and you will learn the whole truth about them. Read on and enjoy a more accurate and attractive portrayal of these Japanese warriors.
25. Ninjas weren't called "ninjas"
According to documents, ideograms for this word in the medieval period were correctly read as "sinobi no mono". The very word “ninja”, which means the same ideograms pronounced in Chinese reading, became popular already in the 20th century.
24. First mention of ninja
The first historical record of ninjas appeared in the military chronicle of Taiheiki, written around 1375. It says that one night ninjas were sent behind enemy lines to set fire to enemy structures.
23. Golden Age of Ninja
The heyday of the ninja occurred in the 15th-16th centuries, when Japan was engulfed in internecine wars. After 1600, when peace came to the country, the decline of the ninja began.
22. Historical records
There are negligible records of ninjas from the war period, and it was only after peace in the 1600s that some ninjas began writing manuals about their skills.
The most famous of them is the manual on the martial art of ninjutsu, which was a kind of ninja bible and was called “Bansenshukai”. It was written in 1676.
There are approximately 400-500 ninja manuals throughout Japan, many of which are still kept secret.
21. The enemies of the samurai were not ninjas
In popular media, ninjas and samurai are often portrayed as enemies. In fact, the term "ninja" often refers to warriors of any class in the samurai army, and the ninjas themselves were something of a special forces force when compared to modern army. Many samurai were trained in ninjutsu, a complex art mastered by ninjas, and their masters kept them close to them.
20. Ninjas weren't peasants
In popular media, ninjas are also portrayed as members of the peasant class. In fact, representatives of any class - both lower and upper class - could become ninjas.
It was only after 1600, when peace reigned in Japan, that the official position of ninja within the clan was demoted from samurai to a new social class called "doshin" - a low-ranking samurai, "half-samurai". As time went on, ninjas became lower in status, but they still held a higher social position compared to most peasants.
19. Ninjutsu is not a form of hand-to-hand combat
It is widely believed that ninjutsu is a type of hand-to-hand combat, a set of martial arts that is still taught all over the world.
However, the idea of a specialized form of hand-to-hand combat practiced by ninjas was conceived by a Japanese man during the 1950-60s. This new fighting system became popular in America during the 1980s ninja boom, becoming one of the most popular ninja misconceptions.
To date, not a single mention of such a form of martial art has been found in ancient manuscripts.
18. "Ninja Stars" 
Throwing "ninja stars" have virtually no historical connection with ninjas. Shuriken (this is the name of this concealed throwing weapon, made in the form various items: stars, coins, etc.) were a secret weapon in many samurai schools, and only in the 20th century they began to be associated with ninjas thanks to comics, films and anime.
17. Ninja mask
"You'll never see a ninja without a mask." In fact, there is not a single mention of ninjas wearing masks. Surprisingly, according to the ancient ninja manuals, they did not wear masks. When the enemy was close, they had to cover their faces with their long sleeves, and when the ninja worked in groups, they wore white headbands so that they could see each other in the moonlight.
16. Ninja costume
The popular image of a ninja cannot be imagined without the iconic costume. This is a misnomer, since the ninja "suit" seems to be a uniform only for residents of Western countries. It's actually just traditional Japanese clothing along with a mask.
Black japanese clothes can be compared to the black suit in modern London. Residents of medieval Japan could wear masks on the street to remain unrecognized. So such an image looks inappropriate and stands out only in the modern world.
15. Black or blue?
A popular argument today is that ninjas didn't wear black because then in the dark they wouldn't be able to see each other at all, which is why they actually wore blue clothes. This is a misconception that originated from a ninja manual called Shoninki (True Path of the Ninja), written in 1861.
It states that ninjas might wear blue to blend in with the crowd since it was a popular color, implying that ninjas would not stand out among the people in the city. They were also required to wear black on a moonless night and white on a full moon.
14. Ninja-to, or ninja sword
The famous "ninja-to" or traditional ninja sword is a straight-bladed sword with a square tsuba (guard). Modern ninjas most often have a straight blade, but the original swords were slightly curved.
Swords that were almost straight (they were curved only a few millimeters) existed in medieval Japan and had a square tsuba, but they began to be associated with ninjas only in the 20th century. Ninja manuals prescribed the use of ordinary swords.
13. Secret ninja gestures
Ninjas are known for their secret hand gestures. This special hand position technique called "kuji-kiri" has no real connection with the ninja.
The kuji-kiri technique, as it was called in Japan, has its roots in Taoism and Hinduism. It was brought from India to Japan by Buddhist monks, so many mistakenly perceive it as a method of causing damage.
In fact, it is a series of gestures that was used in meditation, during rituals and in Japanese martial arts. Again, they began to associate kuji-kiri with ninjas only in the 20th century.
12. Ninjas didn't use smoke bombs
The image of a ninja using a smoke bomb is a very common one. However, while completely erroneous, it is misleading.
The ninja manuals don't actually mention smoke bombs, but they do have hundreds of instructions for making "fire" weapons: landmines, hand grenades, waterproof torches, Greek fire, fire arrows, explosive shells, and poison gas.
11. Nobody knew who ninjas really were
This is a half-truth. Ninjas were divided into yang ninjas, who could be seen, and yin ninjas, invisible ninjas whose identity was always kept secret.
Since no one had ever seen a Yin Ninja, they could take part in missions without fear of being recognized by anyone. On the other hand, a group of ninja could be recruited openly: they moved with the army, they had their own barracks, they were relieved of duty during rest periods, and they were well known among their peers.
10. Ninjas are black sorcerers
Before the image of the ninja assassin, the image of the ninja sorcerer and warrior-caster was popular. In old Japanese movies, ninjas use magic to deceive their enemies.
Interestingly, among the skills and abilities of the ninja, there did exist a certain amount of ritual magic: from magical hairpins that make them invisible, to sacrificing a dog to receive God's help. However, ordinary samurai skills also contained elements of magic. This was common practice at that time.
9. Ninjas weren't killers
This is more of a semantic argument. Simply put, a ninja from the very early age were not taught the art of killing so that they could be hired by other clans.
Most ninjas were trained in covert operations, espionage skills, the ability to obtain information, penetrate behind enemy lines, handle explosives, and much more. Ninjas were hired as assassins only as a last resort. Ninja manuals rarely talk about this topic. Murder was not their main profile.
8. Hattori Hanzo - a real person
Hattori Hanzo became famous in the Kill Bill films (a master swordsmith who created the best Japanese swords in the world), but in reality he was a samurai and the head of a line of ninjas. He became famous commander, earning the nickname "Devil Hanzo" for his ferocity in battle.
He is believed to have written or inherited one of the oldest ninja manuscripts in existence.
7. Most of the false claims about ninjas appeared in the 20th century.
The era of the ninja ended at the end of the 19th century, when Japan embarked on the path of modernization. Although speculation and fantasies about ninjas existed even during the time of the ninja, the first big boom in the popularity of ninjas in Japan began in the very early 1900s, when not much was known about historical spies and intelligence officers.
Books about ninjas were popular between 1910 and 1970, and since many of them were written by amateurs and enthusiasts, they were full of erroneous statements and falsifications, which were later translated into English language.
6. The Scientific Study of Ninjas
The subject of ninjas was a laughing stock in Japanese academic circles, and for decades the study of their techniques and teachings was frowned upon as fanciful fantasy.
Dr. Stephen Turnbull of the University of Leeds (England) published several books on ninjas in the 1990s, but in a recent article he admitted that the research was flawed and he is now studying the topic in depth with the sole purpose of publishing the truth about ninjas.
Only over the last 2-3 years have serious research begun in Japan. Associate Professor Yuji Yamada leads a team of scientists from Mie Universit conducting research on ninjas.
5. Ninja manuscripts are encrypted
As stated, the ninja manuscripts were coded to remain secret. In fact, this is a misconception about the Japanese way of listing skills. Many scrolls in Japan, on various topics, are simply lists of skills.
For example, "Fox Mastery" or "Invisible Cloak Skill" were passed down from generation to generation without proper training, so over time their true meanings were lost, but they were never encrypted.
4. If the ninja fails the mission, he will commit suicide
In fact, this is just a Hollywood myth. There is no evidence that mission failure leads to suicide.
In fact, some manuals teach that it is better to fail a mission than to rush through it and create problems. It is better to wait for another, more suitable opportunity.
There is historical evidence that ninja could kill themselves and burn themselves alive if captured by the enemy - in order to hide their identity.
3. Superhuman strength
Ninjas are believed to have much greater physical strength than regular warriors, but in reality there were only a certain number of ninjas who trained and trained as special forces.
Many ninja led double lives, pretending to be ordinary residents in enemy provinces: they went about their daily routine, traded or traveled, which contributed to the spread of “necessary” rumors about them.
Ninjas had to be resistant to disease, have high intelligence, be able to talk quickly, and have a stupid appearance (because people ignore those who look stupid).
Fun fact: One ninja retired due to back pain.
2. Ninja no longer exists
In Japan there are people who call themselves school masters, whose origins go back to the times of the samurai. This issue is very controversial and sensitive. To date, all those who call themselves real ninjas have not provided any evidence to convince them that they are right.
This means that there are no real ninjas left. Although the world is still waiting for proof...
1. Real ninjas are much cooler than fictional ones
While fictional ninjas have captivated people's hearts for nearly 100 years, the historical truth that is emerging is far more impressive and interesting.
With the advent of historical ninja manuals now published on English language, their more realistic and unexpected image emerges. Now the ninja can be considered as part of the samurai war machine, each with a specific set of skills and abilities, having training in areas such as espionage, covert operations, solo work behind enemy lines, surveillance, explosives and demolition specialists, and psychological specialists.
This new and improved take on the Japanese ninja commands greater respect for the depth and complexity of samurai warfare.
There were incredible legends about ninjas in medieval Japan. They said that a ninja warrior is capable of flying, breathing under water, becoming invisible, and in general these are not people, but creatures of demons.
The entire life of any medieval ninja was surrounded by legends. In fact, all fantastic stories about ninjas were born in the superstitious minds of uneducated medieval Japanese. The ninja, in turn, supported their supernatural reputation in every possible way, which gave them huge advantage in battle.
The history of the appearance of ninjas in Japan
The first mentions of an art similar to ninjutsu can be found in ancient Indian treatises. It was from there, together with Buddhism, that this art was brought by the Yamabushi hermit monks. Mountain monks were a rather specific caste. They mastered weapons perfectly and were unsurpassed healers and sages. It was from them that young ninjas were trained, to whom the yamabushi passed on some of their fantastic knowledge for that time.
The history of ninjas begins around the 6th century, but the last professional ninja clans were destroyed in the 17th century. More than a thousand years of ninja history has left an indelible mark on Japanese history, although the secrets of the ninja (a small part of them) were revealed only at the end of the 20th century, by the last patriarch of ninjutsu, Masaaki Hatsumi.
Ninja clans were widely scattered throughout Japan, most often masquerading as an ordinary peasant village. Even neighboring villages did not know about ninjas, since they were outcasts, and every person in medieval Japan considered it his duty to destroy these “demons.” That is why all ninjas on missions used masks, and hopeless situation they were obliged to disfigure their face beyond recognition so as not to betray the clan.
The harsh education of a ninja from birth
Despite the abundance of films about ninjas, where a stern hero learns all the intricacies over several years and crushes his enemies like straw, the best ninjas were those who were born into the clan.
A ninja master had to study throughout his life, so before becoming a ninja, children went through a rigorous school of training that began at birth. All children born into the clan were automatically considered ninjas. The cradle with the newborn was hung near the wall and constantly rocked so that it would hit it. The child subconsciously tried to group, and such a skill was fixed in him at the level of instinct.
Children under eight years of age were taught to endure any pain. Some stories about ninjas say that children were suspended by their hands from great heights, teaching them to overcome feelings of fear and developing endurance. After the age of eight, children began to be trained as real ninja warriors, until this age they had to be able to do the following:
- To endure any pain and take any blows without a groan;
- Read, write and know the secret alphabet, which was different in each ninja clan;
- Imitate the sounds of any animals and birds, which was often used to give signals;
- It's great to climb trees (some were even forced to live there for weeks);
- It is good to throw stones and any objects;
- To endure any bad weather without complaint (for which they were forced to sit in cold water for hours);
- It’s great to see in the dark (this was achieved through many days of training in dark caves and a special diet containing large amounts of vitamin A);
- Swim in water like a fish and be able to hold your breath for a long time under water. In addition, the ninja had to be able to conduct underwater combat both with weapons and with bare hands;
- Turning your joints in any direction (which had a significant effect with age, although ninjas rarely lived to old age).
In addition, children used military weapons as toys, and used any available objects as ninja weapons. By the age of eight, the child had such strength, endurance and flexibility that he could easily outshine any modern professional athlete. Trees, stones and rocks were used as sports equipment.
Training an adult warrior or how to become a ninja
Starting from the age of 15, young ninjas (whose fighting qualities already exceeded the training of a medieval warrior many times over) went to the mountains to learn the ancient art of monks - yamabushi. They served as the prototype for bearded elders in films about ninjas. Although from the history of the Yamabushi one can understand that they were real warriors who brutally dealt with their enemies.
Here, students studied basic psychological training skills, learned how to make medicines, poisons, and learned secret techniques of non-contact combat.
Ninjas knew the secret of disguise perfectly. Even very attentive warriors could not recognize the best actors. Today the ninja was a fat merchant, and tomorrow he was an exhausted beggar. Moreover, it was the role of a beggar tramp that required the ninja to completely get used to the role. The combat ninja looked like an old man dying of hunger. The best masters reincarnations took poisons, which outwardly made the body weak and the face covered with wrinkles.
In general, the quality of transforming into a powerless person was quite widely used by medieval spies. In battle, the ninja often pretended to be overwhelmed by his opponent's superior fighting skills and fought with an air of doom. The enemy would lose his guard and begin to casually swing his weapon, after which he would receive a lightning strike from the “demoralized” ninja.
If the enemy did not succumb to such tricks, the ninja could pretend to be mortally wounded and fall to the ground in convulsions, spitting out blood. The enemy approached and immediately received a fatal blow.
Physical capabilities of ninjas and their “supernatural” abilities
The average ninja could cover about a hundred kilometers a day, now this seems incredible, since even the best modern athlete is not capable of such feats. With bare hands they broke bones and knocked down doors, and their dexterity was simply incredible. The ninja, who often used huge claws as weapons, spent part of his life on a tree, and during operations he wore a specific ninja mask, which turned him into a terrible demon. It was a rare resident of medieval Japan who dared to engage in combat with a demon that silently appeared behind him.
The magical abilities of the ninja are explained quite simply:
- The ability to become invisible is associated with the use of smoke bombs. The explosion of such a grenade was accompanied by a sheaf of sparks and a bright flash, which distracted attention, and a smoke veil, using which the ninja disappeared unnoticed;
- The ninja could escape even without a smoke bomb if there was water nearby. Having dived there unnoticed, a warrior could breathe for hours through a reed tube or a hollow sword sheath;
- Ninjas knew how to run on water only because they prepared each operation in advance. Special flat stones were placed under the water, the location of which the ninja remembered and then easily jumped on them, creating the illusion of walking on water;
- Legends said that no shackles could hold a werewolf-ninja, as he would still break free. This technology for releasing ropes was known not only to ninjas. It lies in the fact that when tying you need to tense the muscles as much as possible, then after they relax the bonds will not be too tight. The ninja's flexibility helped him in his release;
- Ninjas owe their ability to walk on walls and ceilings to training in the forest, when they jumped on trees and the use of special brackets with which they could secure themselves on the ceiling. A trained ninja could hang motionless on the ceiling for days, waiting for a victim.
The ability to endure pain greatly helped the ninja when falling into a bear trap. If time allowed, he could calmly free his leg and, having stopped the bleeding, escape. With a lack of time, the ninja cut off their leg and, jumping on the surviving one, tried to escape.
Ninja Clothing and Disguise
We all know that ninjas wore a black suit, and the “good” ninja wore a white suit. In fact, this myth was very far from reality. Most often, ninjas disguised themselves as traders, travelers or beggars, because a person in black clothes will be visible everywhere, since the completely black color is very rare in nature. The famous ninja night uniform was dark brown or dark blue. For battle there was a red uniform that hid wounds and blood. The suit had many pockets for various devices and hidden weapons.
The costume was always accompanied by a ninja mask, which was made from a two-meter piece of fabric. She was soaked special composition, which could serve to stop bleeding and disinfect wounds. In addition, drinking water could be filtered through the mask and used as a rope.
Specialization of various ninja clans
Despite the fact that all ninjas are considered unsurpassed warriors, each clan specialized in its own “trick”:
- The Fuma clan was excellent at carrying out sabotage and terrorist operations. They can also be called the medieval analogue of the Marine Corps. They swam beautifully and pierced the bottoms of enemy ships underwater;
- The Gekku clan knew very well the technique of hitting points on the enemy's body, using fingers that were trained so that they acted like steel rods;
- The ninja of the Koppo clan was fluent in fighting techniques, which is now called koppo-jutsu (one of the styles of hand-to-hand combat in the art of ninpo);
- The Hattori clan was excellent at yari-jutsu (the art of fighting with spears);
- The Koga clan's ninja specialized in the use of explosives;
- And the Iga clan was famous for its inventors. They invented many specific ninja weapons.
All ninjas had skills that allowed them to sneak into a room, kill the enemy and escape unnoticed. However, specific clan secrets were kept very jealously.
Secrets of the Jumon language
The Jumon language consists of 9 spell syllables, by pronouncing which ninjas could change their state and achieve supernatural results. This language included 9 spells and the corresponding number of finger figures.
Modern science has been able to prove that the jumon language could influence the brain. This is what explained the supernatural abilities of the ninja. Previously it was considered dark magic.
The Yamabushi monks taught the ninja that each finger is connected to energy channels and by putting them in various combinations, one can achieve the use hidden reserves body.
In addition, each clan had its own secret language. This was necessary for the transfer of secret information. The language changed frequently as codes became known to rival clans.
Ninja weapons and houses
Despite the fact that the ninja's house was no different from the peasant's, inside it was full of various surprises. There were:
- Labyrinths;
- Underground floors, of which there could be several;
- Secret passages, doors and passages;
- Various traps and traps.
In addition, a primitive hang glider was often kept in the attic, which created the illusion that ninjas were turning into birds.
If the ninja's house was full of traps, then it is easy to imagine the huge number of different weapons that the ninja used. All weapons could be divided into four large groups:
- Melee weapon. This group included both ordinary weapons of warriors and peasants, and specific models of ninja weapons. For example, a sword-cane is a seemingly ordinary staff that would be appropriate for any peasant or passerby;
- Throwing weapons. This group includes various shurikens, bows, blowpipes and firearms. In addition, there were hidden weapons that were disguised as items of clothing. For example, a peasant hat might have a hidden blade under the brim. The spring released the blade and the throw of the hat easily cut the opponent's throat;
- Agricultural implements in in capable hands ninjas defeated enemies no worse than swords and spears. The main advantage of using it was the element of surprise, since the peasants of medieval Japan were quite peace-loving (all their energy was spent on getting food and hard work). The peasant's sickle often turned out to be a kusarikama - a combat sickle with a weight on a long chain;
- Poisons in medieval Japan were used by everyone, from peasants to feudal lords, but ninjas turned out to be real experts in this matter. Often they bought poisons from them. The secrets of their preparation were kept secret; each clan knew how to prepare its own versions of the poison. In addition to fast-acting ones, there were poisons that slowly and quietly killed their victims. The most powerful poisons were those prepared from the entrails of animals.
It was the poisons that gave shurikens their deadly properties. One scratch was enough for the victim to die in agony. In addition, ninjas often used poisonous steel thorns, which they threw at the feet of their pursuers or scattered in front of their homes.
Female ninja kunoichi are sophisticated killers
The use of girls as ninjas was widely practiced by ninja clans. The girls could distract the guards, then the ninja warrior could easily enter the home of his victim. In addition, the ninja girls themselves were skilled killers. Even when they were forced to undress before being brought to the master, a knitting needle in the hair or a ring with a poisonous spike was enough to destroy the victim.
Most often, in everyday life, female ninjas were geishas, who were highly respected in medieval Japanese society. Fake geishas knew all the intricacies of this craft and were included in all noble houses. They knew how to carry on small talk on any topic, played musical instruments and danced. In addition, they knew a lot about cooking and masterfully used cosmetics.
After undergoing training at a geisha school, kunoichi were trained in ninja techniques (if they were born into a ninja clan, then they were already professional killers). The training of ninja girls focused on the use of various improvised means and the use of poisons.
Many great commanders and rulers of medieval Japan died in the sweet embrace of kunoichi. It was not for nothing that the old and experienced samurai taught young warriors that if they want to be safe from a woman from the ninja clan, they should be faithful to their wife.
Ninja legends
Ninjas who have earned the title of legend existed throughout the entire era of the ninja:
- The first ninja legend was Otomo no Saijin, who disguised himself in different guises and served as a spy for his master, Prince Shotoku Taishi. Some believe that he was a metsuke (policeman), but his surveillance methods allow him to be considered one of the first ninjas;
- Takoya, who lived in the 7th century, was closer to the term "ninja". His specialty was terrorist attacks. Having penetrated the enemy's location, he started a fire, immediately after which the emperor's troops struck the enemy;
- Unifune Jinnai, a very short ninja, became famous for being able to penetrate the feudal lord's palace through the sewers, and waited in cesspool the owner of the castle for several days. Whenever anyone went there, he dived headlong into the sewage. Having waited for the owner of the castle, he killed him with a spear and disappeared through the sewer.
There are ancient chronicles dating back to the 9th century that tell how the first traditional ninja clan was born. It was founded by a certain Daitsuke, with the help of the Yamabushi mountain monks. It was there that it was created new type warrior spies who know how to win at any cost and are deprived of the traditional honor of a samurai. To win, ninja warriors did not hesitate to use a whole arsenal of “ungentlemanly” blows, spitting with poisoned needles and similar “dirty” techniques.
The main thing for the ninja was victory, which gave the clan the opportunity to live and develop. Sacrificing one's life for the clan was considered a matter of honor. Many ninja warriors, whose names have not been preserved, gave their lives for the good of their family.
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I am interested in martial arts with weapons and historical fencing. I write about weapons and military equipment because it is interesting and familiar to me. I often learn a lot of new things and want to share these facts with people who are interested in military topics.
