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Ninja (忍者) are agents of espionage and assassination of the feudal era in Japan .
Etymology
Ninja is Sino-Japanese compound derived from the two kanji (Japanese characters of Chinese origin) used to write shinobi-no-mono (忍の者), one of the native Japanese words for people who practice ninjutsu (sometimes transliterated as ninjitsu). Ninja and shinobi-no-mono, along with shinobi, another variant, became popular in the post-World War II phonetically with the kanji 志能備, has been traced as far back as Japan's Asuka period, when Prince Shotoku is alleged to have employed one of his retainers as a ninja.
The underlying connotation of shinobi (忍, pronounced nin in Sino-Japanese compounds) is "to do quietly" or "to do so as not to be perceived by others" and—by extension—"to forebear," hence its association with stealth and invisibility. Mono (者, likewise pronounced sha or ja) means "person." The nin of ninjutsu is the same as that in ninja, whereas jutsu (術) means skill or art, so ninjutsu means "the skill of going unperceived" or "the art of stealth"; hence, ninja and shinobi-no-mono (as well as shinobi) may be translated as "one skilled in the art of stealth." Similarly, the pre-war word ninjutsu-zukai means "one who uses the art of remaining unperceived."
Historical period of origin
The ninja's original use of guerilla tactics against better armed enemy samurai and their eventual use as hired spies does not mean that they were limited to espionage and undercover work, that is simply where their actions most drastically differed from the more accepted tactics of samurai. Their weapons and tactics were partially derived from the need to conceal or defend themselves quickly from Samurai, which can be seen from the similarities between many of their weapons and various sickles and threshing tools used at the time.
Ninja as a group first began to be written about in 15th century feudal Japan as martial organizations predominately in the regions of Iga and Koga of central Japan, though the practice of guerilla warfare and undercover espionage operations goes back much further. At this time the conflicts between the clans of daimyo that controlled small regions of land had established guerilla warfare and assassination as a valuable alternative to frontal assault. Since the samurai code Bushido forbade such tactics as dishonorable, a daimyo could not expect his own troops to perform the tasks required, and thus had to buy or broker the assistance of ninja to perform selective strikes, espionage, assassination, and infiltration of enemy strongholds (Turnbull 2003).
There are a few of people and groups of people regarded as having been potential historical ninja from approximately the same time period.
Stephen K. Hayes, an American recognized as an instructor of ninjutsu by the 34th Grandmaster of Tokugare Ninjutsu, says that the ninja were a "manifestation of a unique set of cultural, economic, religious and social pressures".
Though typically classified as assassins, many of the ninja were warriors in all senses. In Hayes's book, Mystic Arts of the Ninja, Hattori Hanzo, one of the most legendary ninja, is depicted in armor similar to that of a Samurai. Hayes also says that those who ended up recording the history of the ninja were typically those within positions of power in the military dictatorships, and that students of history should realize that the history of the ninja was kept by observers writing about events as seen from the outside.
Historical organization
Early in their history, ninja groups would have been small and structured around families and villages, later developing a more martial hierarchy that was able to mesh more closely with that of samurai and the daimyo.
While ninja are often depicted as male, and nearly all military and related professions were typically limited exclusively to males, females were supposedly ninja as well. A female ninja may be called kunoichi (くノ一); the characters are derived from the strokes that make up the kanji for woman (女). They were sometimes depicted as prostitutes who learned the secrets of an enemy by seduction; though it's just as likely they were employed as household servants, putting them in a position to overhear potentially valuable information. In either case, there is no historical support for the modern image of female ninja assassins, and they were more likely employed as spies and couriers.
As a martial organization, ninja would have had many rules, and keeping secret the ninja's clan and the daimyo who gave them their orders would have been one of the most important ones.
For modern hierarchy in ninjutsu, see: Ninjutsu
Modern Organization in Fiction
In modern fiction, a ninja family or clan is often said to be headed by a jōnin (上忍), literally "high ninja". Under jōnin would be several chūnin (中忍, "middle ninja"). Under chūnin would be several genin (下忍, "low ninja"). Upon receiving a mission from daimyō, the jōnin would use the chūnin to select necessary personnel from among the genin.
Stories say that leaving a ninja clan without authorization and with no intention of returning is a severe crime as a result of the knowledge that any fugitive ninja would know about their group. The fugitive would be called nukenin (抜け忍) and his clan members might be ordered to bring him back, dead or alive.
Historical garb
There is no evidence that historical ninja limited themselves to all-black suits. Instead it is more likely that they often wore the same armor or clothing as samurai or japanese peasants.
The stereotype of ninja continually wearing distinctive black outfits (shinobi shozoku) comes from the Kabuki theater. Prop handlers would dress in black and move props around on the stage. The audience would obviously see the prop handlers but would pretend they were invisible. Building on that willing suspension of disbelief, ninja also came to be portrayed in the theatre as wearing similar all black suits. This either implied to the audience that the ninja were also invisible, or simply made the audience unable to distinguish a ninja from the many prop handlers until the ninja distinguished himself from the others in the play by attacking. The most successful ninja took advantage of this culturally-specific context to assassinate members of the audience.
Another fact that suggests the absence of any standard ninja outfit or easily identifiable weaponry is that if caught or seen any recognizable weapons or clothing would have marked them as enemies, which would have resulted in capture, torture, and probably execution. Good ninja would have sought to avoid recognition, capture, and death. Thus, these spies and assassins were far more likely to be disguised as samurai, priests, or peasants rather than as ninja. Depending upon the circumstances, dark green, brown or dark blue outfits would have been more likely to have been used to camouflage with their surroundings, whereas wearing black from head to toe would only have been truly useful when avoiding all light sources completely. However, the garb of the most successful ninja can only be guessed at, as the undetectable remain undocumented.
Disguises were selected on the basis of their unobtrusiveness in a given environment. Some ninjas were said to have disguised themselves as Fuke monks and used the traditional flute of the zen sect, the Shakuhachi, as a powerful blunt weapon. Many government agents and ninja disguised themselves as komusō, since one could travel about in complete anonymity and gather information. There were even short pieces that were supposed to be played by one komusō greeting another. These suizen melodies tended to be very difficult to outsiders of the sect. If the second komusō did not respond, the first would know that the other was probably a spy. One known tool used by ninja is irogome (literally, "colored rice"). Irogome was uncooked rice seeds colored in five or six different colors: red, black, white, yellow, blue, and sometimes brown. They would be placed on the ground or handed to a ninja from a ninja. Each combination carried certain meanings like "all clear" or "an enemy check point is ahead".
Ninja boots (jika-tabi), like much of the rest of japanese footwear from the time, have a split-toe design that improves gripping and wall/rope climbing. They are soft enough to be virtually silent.
Modern costume
The actual head covering suggested by sōke Masaaki Hatsumi (in his book The Way of the Ninja: Secret Techniques) is called the 'Way of the Three Cloths'. It involves the tying of three cloths, each three foot in length, around the head in such a way as to make the mask flexible in configuration but securely bound.
Beginning in the 1980s, children and adolescents would improvise a 'ninja mask' with a dark-colored t-shirt. By turning the t-shirt inside out, placing the neck-hole over the eyes, and tying the sleeves behind the head, the identity of the wearer is disguised. In recent times, instructions for this process have been found on the internet.
Associated equipment
The assassination, espionage, and infiltration tasks of the ninja led to the development of specialized technology in concealable weapons and infiltration tools.
Tools and weapons
Ninja are said to have made use of weapons that could be easily concealed or disguised as common tools, the bo, and handclaws (shuko, neko-te tekagi) probably being the most famous, except for the amazing shuriken (throwing stars), popularized by comic book mail order advertisements. Kunai (a gardening tool) were also a popular weapon as they could be hidden easily or carried if the ninja was disguised as a gardener. It was the equivalent of a utility knife, often used to pry or cut rather than fight. The makibishi (tetsu-bishi), a type of caltrop made of iron spikes, is also famous. It could be thrown on the ground to injure a pursuer's feet or thrown out on an enemy's escape path so that the targets could be cut down or shot down with bows and arrows while they looked for another escape route, but it could also be covered with poison so the victim would die slowly.
In popular folklore, ninja also used special short swords called ninja-ken (or ninja-tō see below for explanation), or "shinobigatana" (Note the avoidance of the term 'ninja', but inclusion of the term shinobi, a synonym). Ninja-ken are smaller than katana but larger than wakizashi. The ninja-to was often more of a utilitarian tool than a weapon, not having the complex heat treatment of a usual weapon. Another version of the ninja sword was the shikoro ken (saw sword). The shikoro ken was said to be used to gain entry into buildings, and could also have a double use by cutting (or slashing in this case) opponents.
Specialized weapons and tactics
Ninja also employed a variety of weapons and tricks using gunpowder. Smoke bombs and firecrackers were widely used to aid an escape or create a diversion for an attack. They used timed fuses to delay explosions. Ōzutsu (cannons) they constructed could be used to launch fiery sparks as well as projectiles at a target. Small "bombs" called metsubushi (目潰し, "eye closers") were filled with sand and sometimes metal dust. This sand would be carried in bamboo segments or in hollowed eggs and thrown at someone, the shell would crack, and the assailant blinded. Even land mines were constructed that used a mechanical fuse or a lit, oil-soaked string. Secrets of making desirable mixes of gunpowder were strictly guarded in many ninja clans. Other forms of trickery were said to be used for escaping and combat. Ashiaro are wooden pads attached to the ninja's tabi (thick socks with a separate "toe" for bigger toe; used with sandals). The ashiaro would be carved to look like an animal's paw, or a child's foot, allowing the ninja to leave tracks that most likely would not be tracked. Also a small ring worn on a ninja's finger called a shobo would be used for hand-to-hand combat. The shobo (or as known in many styles of ninjutsu, the shabo) would have a small notch of wood used to hit assailant's pressure points for sharp pain to sometimes cause temporary paralysis. A suntetsu is very similar to a shobo. It could be a small oval shaped piece of wood affixed to the finger by a small strap. The suntetsu would be held against a finger (mostly middle) on the palm-side and when the hand was thrusted at an opponent, the longer piece of wood would be used to hit the pressure points.
Ninja are attributted with originating the style ninjutsu, which has similarities with jujutsu and kenjutsu. Ninjutsu (or Ninpo) closely resembles jujutsu, in that it uses the enemy's momentum and force against him, and in its usage of joint manipulation and leveages against the wrist, knee, shoulder, etc. There is very little blocking in most styles of ninjutsu, with the emphasis relying on evasionary movements. Such a technique might include simply dropping underneath a punch and striking the groin.
Historical myths about ninja
There are many myths and legends concerning ninja. Their special abilities are also often exaggerated, among them becoming invisible, multiplying themselves, turning into animals, jumping over buildings, the ability to fly, stick to the walls and foresee the future. These myths were caused by the secretive nature of ninja, and confusion with Tengu and yamabushi. The myths of these abilities would have been reinforced by the actions of ninja during their operations, such as calling forth from nearby a previously unseen ninja ally upon being discovered, which could eventually have led to stories of multiplication abilities. Ninja encouraged rumors that made people believe they had magical powers to increase their advantage of fear and surprise in the event of discovery or combat.
At least one ninja was recorded to have faked his own death to later create the illusion that he had risen from the dead and was thus unable to be killed.
Ninpō (忍法) refers to various skills used by ninja, but mostly supernatural and fictional. Ninja are said to have actively encouraged such superstitions about their abilities to inspire fear in their enemies.
In modern fiction
Main article: Ninja in popular cultureNinja appear in both Japanese and Western fiction. Depictions range from realistic to the fantastically exaggerated
Western popular culture generally depicts ninja as supremely well-trained martial artists and assassins, clad in head-to-toe black or dark blue suits, using many kinds of exotic equipment and skills to accomplish their missions. Western fascination with the ninja bloomed in the 1980s, especially in the United States. The idea of a Westerner being granted entry to the secret ranks of the ninja has long been a subject of particular fascination for Western writers. For example, The Ninja (1980) series of thriller books by Eric Van Lustbader features a half-Japanese, half-Caucasian character who received ninjutsu training in his youth. The Japanese rhythm and blues band, Thee Michelle Elephant, wanted to release a three hours, five disc fictional concept album devoted to popular Sunday morning ninja fighting themed anime show, Aknito and Mr. Saito. The album was scrapped after the show was suddenly cancelled in 1997. However, Mr. Saito (Aknito's mentor) was given his own show on TV Asahi (the fourth biggest cable network in Japan) and proved to be a big success. Despite being disbanded, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant provides voices for Mr. Saito's new students: Anrito, Deeku, Snarfasu, and Rivayama.
Many ninja spoofs pit them against pirates and ask which would win in a Pirates versus Ninjas fight. Modern ninja are also often (paradoxically) depicted as both expendable redshirts (when they attack in large numbers) and as nearly invulnerable opponents (when one or a small groups attack). A good example of this paradox in action can be found in the American Ninja and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, where the protagonists (ninja) easily defeat waves of incompetent enemy ninja on multiple occasions, only to have far more trouble when facing the more competent lone ninja. This also led to the satirical Inverse Ninja Law. In response to this, the NHPO (Ninja Honor Protection Organization) was created in late 2005 to protect the image of the ninja, primarily by requesting that video games, movies, and comic books stop using ninja as disposable characters.
In books
The Japanese novelist, Ryotaro Shiba wrote a novel and a collection of short stories, based on ninja, called Fukuro no Shiro and Saigo no Igamono. Both were made into successful movies.
In movies
Ninja-based films and books became a popular culture craze in Japan during the 1950s and early 1960s. As a result, a TV series called The Samurai was created in 1962 to cash in on the fad. Although only seen in Japan and a few other countries, the series was notable for its screening in Australia in 1964-65, as it was the first Japanese TV show ever broadcast there. The Samurai rapidly became one of the most popular programs ever screened on Australian TV, gaining a large audience among pre-teen children; its success even led to star Ose Koichi and a troupe of performers touring there in a specially-produced show in 1966. The series introduced the ninja concept to Australian audiences and the ninja soon became a cult favourite, with children dressing up as ninjas and making their own toy ninja weapons, notably the shuriken or "throwing stars". Several American ninja movies starring Sho Kosugi were released in the 1980s as well. Kosugi is to be in the upcoming movie The Return of the Ninja, which is to be released in 2006. Sam Firstenberg's American Ninja, a low budget movie released in 1985, was undoubtely the most successful film in the genre produced by an American company, Cannon. Former model Michael Dudikoff, who played the lead character Joe Armstrong, was dubbed as "the James Dean of the Ninja movies". The story depicts the adventures of an amnesiac soldier who discovers he had received ninja training when was a child. Eventually, he uses his skills against a drug lord in the Philippines. The movie proved to be a smash hit, and spawned four sequels: American Ninja 2: The Confrontation, American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt (Dudikoff was replaced by David Bradley here), American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (Dudikoff and Bradley are paired together in this one), and the straight-to-video American Ninja 5 (a spin-off aimed at children). The first two American Ninja are regarded as cult classics.
Perhaps the first cinematic mixing of two martial arts 'worlds' occurs in the Hong Kong movie Ninja in the Dragon's Den, in which a young Ninja flees to China - both to evade the revenge of the clan he's betrayed and to seek one of the men he believes responsible for his father's death - and encounters a young Kung fu fighter in combat.
In the early 90s there were two ninja movies about three young boys who come to live with their grandfather. While there, he teaches them ninjutsu; later, they get into a mess of trouble, and must use their skills to extricate themselves. The first was simply titled 3 Ninjas. Its sequel was 3 Ninjas Kick Back.
In TV
The Master was a ninja action-adventure TV series which aired in 1984 on NBC. The show starred Lee Van Cleef as John Peter McAllister, an aged American veteran and ninja master who returns to the United States in search of a daughter he didn't know he had. The show also featured Timothy Van Patten as Max Keller, his young short-tempered pupil, and Sho Kosugi as Okasa, McAllister's former pupil, who has sworn to kill his former master for abandoning the ninja code. The short-lived series only lasted 13 episodes.
When G.I. Joe, a traditional American series of military action figures, was relaunched in the 1980s, the collection included a few ninja characters, such as Snake-Eyes, a Vietnam war veteran who had studied the ninja arts after the death of his family, and Storm Shadow, a member of a clandestine ninja clan. The massive popularity of the ninja characters completely overtook the more conventional army characters, and creator Larry Hama was pressured by Hasbro to create more ninja for the series.
Two seasons of Power Rangers had ninja-based powers and zords: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3, and Power Rangers Ninja Storm, respectively based on the two Super Sentai series' Ninja Sentai Kakuranger and Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger.
The smash hit animé series, Naruto, is the most famous ninja-themed animé worldwide. It is the story of a young boy who is training to be the top ninja of his village, the Hokage, and to finally receive recognition. To do this, Naruto must rise through the ranks of genin, chuunin, and jounin, and complete many trying missions. Based on the manga by Kishimoto Masashi, the series touches every aspect of ninja, including the weaponry, as well as the use of special techniques and strange powers combined with martial arts. Naruto is currently around episode 200 and the manga currently has about 36 volumes. There are also 3 movies, and the show is not letting up any time soon. The franchise has spawned many video games, gadgets, toys, toy weapons, and more.
Yet another animé series, Basilisk, utilizes the mythology and such behind the ninja, giving them strange powers and jutsus to carry out missions. In this show, there are two rival ninja clans who have been coexisting soley because of a peace treaty. Two ninja, one from each clan, were to marry. They had hoped this would allow the clans to make peace among the members, but when the treaty was expired, a new proposal was put foreward. The names of 10 elite ninja from each clan were put on a hit list for the other clan. The first clan to kill all 10 people are the supreme clan. The two lovers must now face the reality of the war and come to grips that both of their names are on the lists.
In video games
In fighting games, ninja are typically quick to strike but lack power and defense.
One of the most successful games ever on the Commodore 64 computer was The Last Ninja, developed by System3. In the Nintendo Entertainment System games titled Ninja Gaiden, the player takes the role of Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja whose clan has been savagely murdered. Ryu is also a character in the Dead or Alive fighting games that feature multiple ninja characters.
Sega's Shinobi, Shadow Dancer and Revenge of Shinobi were popular video games of the 1980s featuring the ninja Joe Musashi. In keeping with the idea of magical ninja powers, Musashi could perform a smart bomb attack using magic in the former two games and could use other forms of magic in the latter.
Mortal Kombat, one of the most popular fighting games ever created, included several ninja-like characters with supernatural powers which seem to have been exaggerated from ninjutsu-related techniques or literature. In a similar game series called Soul Calibur, there is a character named Taki which can use a skill that gamers call the ninja cannon where Taki jumps high into the air then lands a distance away, an obvious exaggeration of ninjutsu.
In the RPG Final Fantasy III (Famicom), near the end of the game is possible to get two new jobs, one being the Ninja ("The supreme Warrior") and the other being the Sage ("The supreme spellcaster"). The FF3 Ninja was able to equip any kind of weapon, offensive item or armor (except the Rusty Armor), and also had the best attributes such as speed, stamina, life and others. An exaggeration about the Ninja's power in the game is the power shuriken (Throwing star), portrayed as the strongest piece of weapon in all the game (About twice stronger as Excalibur and Ragnarok combined), and considered a must against the final boss, who has lots of hit points. However, those are scarce and rare to find, and a secret npc sells them for 65000 gold each, making it the most expensive weapon in the game and probabily one of the most relatively-expensive ammunitions ever seen in a game. A noticeable quirk when using the throwing stars is the amount that one can throw. One can equip up to two throwing stars, one in each hand, and they disappear after use. However, when "using them," it's possible to throw several stars at a time (up to 99, using Haste, or having reached a high level) at the cost of just one or two stars. It can be a simple hardware limitation or, less probably, another exaggeration of Ninja powers. However, this is supported by the fact that only a ninja in the game can wield a shuriken, and the fact that they are sold at a high price by a sage implies that the throwing stars are magical.
In the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI it is possible to get a new job as a Ninja. With this job you get more magic (known as Ninjutsu in game) and the ability to wield dual weapons. Also, in the Final Fantasy video games and movies, a character named Yuffie is a shuriken-wielding kunoichi.
There are various fighting games based off of the Naruto television series. This show is an entirely ninja-themed anime, so all of the characters in the game are able to use martial arts, traditional ninja weaponry, and special techniques that are common in ninja mythology.
Tenchu is a popular stealth-game series involving ninja. Although it incorporates sword-fighting as part of the game, the most important aspect is stealth, or sneaking around and getting rid of enemies silently.
In the game James Bond 007: Nightfire, the evil Phoenix Corporation uses ninjas as assasins. In one mission, "Double Cross," the player must fight a ninja who has just killed a traitor in Phoenix. In another mission, numerous ninjas lunge at the player in a space shuttle launch silo. In the game, Rodrigo is the most skilled ninja in the world.
On the Web
There have been innumerable popular websites dealing with ninja, the two with the largest following: Ninja Burger (which was made into an RPG, card game and book), and Ask A Ninja, (which features weekly podcasts themed at asking ninja-based questions). There has also been a recent movement on the world wide web to celebrate International Creep Like a Ninja Day on December 5th
References
Hatsumi, Masaaki (1981). Ninjutsu: History and Tradition. Unique Publications. ISBN 0-86568-027-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
Turnbull, Stephen (2003). Ninja AD 1460-1650. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-525-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
External links
Revealing the Heart of Asian Cinema
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