Legendary Assassins of Medieval Japan - Ninja

Over the past days, we have shared stories of the mighty Genghis Khan and his ferocious Mongolian army, the brave and daunting Roman Legions and the menaces of the Colosseum, the Gladiators.

Today, we are going back to Asia and have a closer look at the warriors whom we adored much during our childhood, the Ninja.

Also known as a shinobi, Ninjas were the assassins and spies of feudal Japan. They are commonly depicted as being garbed from head to foot in black clothing, scaling walls and performing acrobatic feats of martial arts.

In reality, most ninja adopted less dramatic clothing to fulfill their missions. A ninja would dress up as a peasant or wandering priest, or even impersonate a samurai. The black costume stems from traditional Japanese theater, where black signifies invisibility.

That said, such an outfit would be ideal for night time stealth, so we may assume that ninja may well have worn their famous hooded apparel.

Ninjas were not recruited, anymore than samurai were. To be a ninja, one had to be born into one of the great ninja families. These families traced their origins back for centuries. Many were jizamurai families that had developed a great deal of skill in undercover operations and intelligence gathering.

The secluded mountainous provinces of Iga and Koga were among the famous places for their practice.

The head of a ninja family was known as a jonin. Training began early in life and was intensive in the extreme. Not only did a ninja have to be proficient in both armed and unarmed combat or ninjutsu, he had to have a good knowledge of basic survival techniques, climbing, social customs, reading, writing, the use of poisons and even knowledge of fortifications.

Ninjas also had to cultivate a disregard for pain, death and danger. A captured ninja could expect, at best, a swift and merciless execution. Many captured ninjas were tortured to death.

Ninja Equipment

Ninja equipment was tremendously varied. The ninja sword was similar to the katana but usually possessed a straighter blade. The ninja could use it to scale walls, by resting the point of the blade on the ground and using the guard as a footrest. The sword would be attached to the warriors leg by a rope or strip of cloth, so he could pull it up behind him once he was over the wall.

Other equipment included folding saws, used for sawing through the wooden cores of traditional Japanese houses, as well a variety of chisel-like tools designed for removing mortar from walls. Listening tubes of metal or wood were pressed against walls so the ninja could overhear conversation within.

Ropes with grappling hooks were standard ninja equipment, and some used folding bamboo ladders to aid them in their climbing.

Ninja in Warfare

Ninjas were hired by Daimyo or warlords. There is always a need for covert operations in warfare, and ninjas fulfilled this need. They were hated by the samurai, who fought openly, but their skills at trickery and deception were indispensable.

There were occasions when ninja fought in open battle, but then they were indistinguishable from samurai in terms of dress and wargear.

Intelligence gathering was the primary roles of ninja and they were adept at sneaking into castles, where they would mingle with the garrison. A ninja could operate in this way for weeks if needed and if necessary. Sometimes, they would open castle gates for the main attack force, or light fires and start killing randomly to panic the garrison.

Some ninja achieved great renown in their own lifetimes and were highly honored even by daimyo.

Ninjutsu is still practiced today, and features some of the nastiest strikes and holds imaginable, focusing on weak, vulnerable points of the anatomy and designed for instantly crippling or killing an adversary.

Sources

_{Warriors of Medieval Japan
Paula Daunt - Secrets of the NInja}

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