Our knowledge of the ancient Japanese ninja warriors is based mainly on literary works, films and comics, in which there is a lot of conflicting information. With the real facts about the ninja that will make you wonder, we will be introduced to this post.

shinobi no mono

According to surviving documents, the correct name is "shinobi no mono". The word "ninja" is a Chinese reading of a Japanese ideogram that became popular in the 20th century.

First mention of ninja

For the first time, the ninja became known from the Taiheiki military chronicle, written in 1375. It was told that the ninja penetrated the enemy city at night and set fire to the buildings.

golden age of the ninja

The ninja flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries as Japan was torn apart by internecine wars. After 1600, peace reigned in Japan, after which the decline of the ninja began.

"Bansenshukai"

There are very few records of ninja during the era of war, but after the coming of peace, they began to keep records of their skills. The most famous ninjutsu manual is the so-called Ninja Bible or Bansenshukai, which was written in 1676. There are about 400 - 500 ninjutsu manuals, many of which are still kept secret.



Special forces of the samurai army

Today, popular media often portray samurai and ninja as sworn enemies. In fact, the ninja were something of a modern-day special forces in the samurai army. Many samurai trained in ninjutsu.

Ninja "quinine"

The popular media also portray the ninja as being of peasant origin. In truth, ninja could come from any class, samurai or otherwise. Moreover, they were "quinine", that is, they were outside the structure of society. Over time (after the onset of peace), the ninja began to be considered lower in status, but they still occupied a higher social position than most peasants.

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 ​​a specialized form of hand-to-hand combat practiced by today's ninja was invented by a certain Japanese in the 1950s and 1960s. This new fighting system was brought to America during the ninja boom in the 1980s and became one of the most popular misconceptions about the ninja.

Shurikens or Shakens

Throwing stars (shurikens or shakens) do not have the slightest historical connection with the ninja. Throwing stars were a secret weapon used in many samurai schools. They began to be associated with ninja only in the 20th century thanks to comics and animated films.

Delusion illustration

Ninjas are never depicted without masks, however, there is not the slightest mention of ninjas wearing masks. In fact, they had to cover their faces with long sleeves when the enemy was close by. When working in groups, they wore white armbands so they could see each other in the moonlight.

Ninjas blend in with the crowd

The popular ninja look necessarily includes a black skin-tight suit. 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 clothing.

Camouflage clothing

Today, people believe that ninjas wore black clothes to make it easier for them to hide in the dark. The Shoninki (The True Way of the Ninja), written in 1681, stated that ninjas should wear blue to blend in with the crowd, as that color was popular at the time. During night operations, they wore black clothes (on a moonless night) or white clothes (on a full moon).

Ninjas didn't use straight swords

The "ninja-to" or square-hilted ninja swords that are famous today did exist in medieval Japan, as square handguards were then made, but they began to be attributed to ninja only in the 20th century. "Medieval special forces" used ordinary swords.

"Kuji"

Ninjas are known for their spells, which they supposedly cast with hand gestures. This art was called "kuji" and it has nothing to do with ninja. Kuji originated in India and was later adopted in China and Japan. It is a series of gestures designed to ward off evil in certain situations or to ward off the evil eye.

Land mines, hand grenades, explosives, poisonous gas...

The image of a ninja using a smoke bomb is quite universal and common in the modern world. Although medieval warriors did not have smoke bombs, they had hundreds of recipes related to fire: land mines, hand grenades, waterproof torches, varieties of Greek fire, fire arrows, explosives and poisonous gas.

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 was always a mystery (yin ninja).

Nija - black magicians

In addition to the image of the ninja assassin in old Japanese films, one could often find the image of a 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 provide invisibility to sacrificing dogs to get the gods' help. However, the standard skills of the samurai also contained an element of magic. It was common for that time.

The art of covert operations

To be more precise, they were indeed often hired to kill the victim, but most ninja were trained in the art of covert operations, propaganda, espionage, the manufacture and use of explosives, etc.

"Kill Bill"

Hattori Hanzo became famous thanks to the movie Kill Bill. In fact, it was a famous historical figure - Hattori Hanzo was a real samurai and trained ninja. He became a famous general who earned the nickname "Devil Hanzo". It was he who, at the head of a group of ninjas, contributed to the fact that Tokugawa became the shogun of Japan.

Hobbyists and enthusiasts

The first major boom in the modern popularity of the ninja came in Japan in the early 1900s, when very little was known about these medieval assassin spies. 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's boom in popularity in the 1980s.

Ninjas are laughable

The study of the ninja has been a source of laughter in Japanese scientific circles, and for many decades the study of their history was considered a bizarre fantasy. Serious research in Japan began only during the last 2–3 years.

Encrypted Ninja Scrolls

It is claimed that the ninja manuscripts were encrypted so that no outsider could read them. This misunderstanding arose from the Japanese way of writing scrolls. Many Japanese scrolls simply list the names of the skills without proper spelling. Although their true meanings have been lost, the texts have never been deciphered.

Hollywood myths

This is a Hollywood myth. There is no evidence that abandoning a mission led to suicide. In fact, some manuals teach that it's better to abandon a mission than to rush things and cause problems.

Sleeper agents

It is believed that ninja were much more powerful than ordinary warriors, but only certain ninja who were trained in a special style of warfare were so. Many ninja simply lived in secret the lives of ordinary people in enemy provinces, carried on normal daily activities, or traveled to spread rumors. The recommended abilities for a ninja were: disease resistance, high intelligence, quick speech, and silly appearance (because people tend to ignore those who look silly).

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 time of the samurai. This issue is very controversial, since there is not a single proven fact that ninja clans or clans have survived so far.

Spies-saboteurs

While fictional ninjas have haunted people for the past 100 years, the historical truth is often much more impressive and interesting. Ninjas were engaged in real espionage activities, carried out covert operations, worked behind enemy lines, were covert surveillance agents, etc.

Greetings, fans of Japan. What do you know about the mysterious Japanese ninjas? Our imagination draws the image of a nimble man in a black suit, who knows how to fight well, run fast, climb walls and ceilings, then masterfully disappear into the fog. We got this image of the Japanese superman from films and legends. And who were they really? Today my story is about who the ninja are, the history of their origin, the essence of their work and the qualities necessary to fall into this category of special people.

The essence of the concept

I want to note that the concept of "ninja" in medieval Japan simply did not exist. They called such people “shinobi no mono”. How did they transform into ninjas? Let's try together to understand the names in more detail and understand who these mysterious ninjas are.

The word "ninja" contains two hieroglyphs 忍者 （にんじゃ）:

  • "nin" 忍 - "shinobi" means "to hide, hide, do everything in secret"
  • "ja" 者 - “mono” means “person”

In fact, this is a well-hidden person who does his business in secret. In short, a spy, a scout, an infiltrator. Let's not forget that part of the work of these guys was assassinations. We conclude that "ninjas" are highly skilled spies with an additional specialization of a killer. They were outlaws, killing and spying for or for an idea. This closed caste had its own code of honor.

How did they appear

The history of the origin of the caste of Japanese secret agents goes back to the end of the 6th century, when the first mention of spies is recorded. A certain Otomo no Saijin, being a link between the aristocrats and the common people, was in fact a secret confidant, feudal lord Shotoku Taishi. His task was to appear in the city in the clothes of a commoner, eavesdrop, peep and report everything to his employer.

Another well-known medieval spy - Takoya, a servant of one of the emperors, is already more like a ninja. He masterfully arranged various sabotage, arson and murders.

As a powerful and terrible clan, the ninja warriors appeared during the period of the 9th-10th centuries. According to one of the legends, warrior monks Ken Dosi became its basis.

Historical documents confirm that the very first place of training that prepares professional ninja was the Iga school. The founders were Buddhist monks, who were quite militant. Being persecuted by the state, they went to where they improved their skills. The monks were called "yamabushi" (mountain warriors), they were reputed to be healers, dexterous warriors, experts in the art of espionage and trained those who wanted to become real scouts. Yambushi have developed unique techniques to discover the unique capabilities of the human body.

In Japan, they believe that ninjas could turn into demons, fly over tall walls and were invulnerable. According to legend, the monks were intensely engaged in meditation, teaching these skills to future ninjas. Entering a trance, the warriors were reincarnated as a dragon or a demon, an altered consciousness helped them to do incredible things.

Medieval assassins mastered the art of killing slowly, with a light touch. The ninja touched the enemy's body and after a certain time, he died mysteriously. Scientists suggest that simple blows were applied to certain vulnerable points of the human body, and therefore death occurred. But how the killers could push her back for a while, no one knows so far.

Who and how could become a ninja

Let's talk about how to become a real ninja. All Japanese youths did not dream of this without exception. But they became trained scouts by birthright and rarely by choice. Any Japanese boy born into a family that belonged to the clan was to become their successor. The training of the baby began from the first days of life.

With the help of fairly hard games and exercises, children were taught dexterity, endurance, trained a quick reaction, developed the vestibular apparatus, carried out a strengthening massage and learned to swim. When the child was able to walk, run and stay on the water on his own, training began in climbing trees and walls, high jumps, and extreme horseback riding.

Particular attention was paid to training in unarmed combat and hardening of the child's body, a real spy must be able to spend a long time in the scorching sun or sit in icy water for hours. Future spies developed such ninja qualities as mindfulness, visual memory, instant reaction, brought up sharpness of feelings, trained hearing sensitivity, smell and touch.

Future scouts, in addition to physical development, received special education. They learned to read, write, translate,

The best spies had to be able to determine the age and gender of a sleeping person by the breath of a sleeping person, to understand the distance of the enemy by the whistle of an arrow, and to name his type by the ringing of a weapon. They had to skillfully master the skills of acting in order to easily change disguises and skillfully imitate their death.

Professional scouts communicated with each other using special codes: rice grains left along the roads, special music, paper messages written in colorless ink.

Hitmen also needed a great ability to quickly appear and disappear. To do this, I had to work out incredible tricks for hours, with throwing homemade grenades. The ninja were masters of disguise, which is why they seemed to appear out of nowhere. Secret scouts used many different tricks to make people seem almost like demons. And they succeeded quite well. They were afraid of them, legends were told about them.

Japanese culture has given the world many unusual and curious phenomena. I will try to tell you about some of them. We will continue the conversation about the mysterious ninja warriors another time. For today I say goodbye. Thank you for reading my notes and sharing them with your friends on social networks!

Ninja. Many people know about them, and many people like them. Brought up and trained from childhood in the complex art of ninjutsu, they fought with their main rivals - the samurai. Moving like a shadow 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 it's all completely false? What if the modern image of the ancient ninja was entirely based on comics and 20th century fantasy literature?

Today we will reveal to you 25 fascinating 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 engaging portrayal of these Japanese warriors.

25. Ninjas weren't called "ninjas"

According to the documents, the ideograms for this word in the medieval period were correctly read as “shinobi no mono”. The very word “ninja”, which means the same ideograms pronounced in Chinese reading, became popular already in the 20th century.

24. The first mention of a ninja


The first historical record of the ninja appeared in the Taiheiki military chronicle, written around 1375. It says that one night, ninjas were sent behind enemy lines to set fire to enemy structures.

23. The golden age of the ninja


The heyday of the ninja came 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 is a negligible record of ninja made during the wars, and it wasn't until after the coming of peace in the 1600s that some ninja began to write manuals about their skills and abilities.

The most famous of them is the ninjutsu martial art manual, which was a kind of ninja bible and was called the Bansenshukai. It was written in 1676.

There are between 400 and 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 ninja themselves were something of a special forces when compared to the modern army. Many samurai were trained in ninjutsu, the complex art that ninja mastered, and were kept close by their masters.

20. Ninjas weren't peasants


In popular media, ninjas are also portrayed as peasants. In fact, ninja could become representatives of any class - both lower and upper class.

Only after 1600, when peace reigned in Japan, the official position of the ninja within the clan was reduced from samurai to a new social class called “doshin” (doshin) - a low-ranking samurai, “half-samurai”. As time passed, the ninja became lower in status, but they still held a higher social position than most peasants.

19. Ninjutsu is not a type 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 around the world.

However, the idea of ​​a specialized form of hand-to-hand combat practiced by the ninja was conceived by a Japanese during the 1950s-60s. This new combat 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 little to no historical connection to the ninja. Shurikens (this is the name of this concealed throwing weapon, made in the form of various objects: stars, coins, etc.) were secret weapons in many samurai schools, and only in the 20th century they became associated with ninja thanks to comics, films and anime.

17. Ninja mask


"You will never see a ninja without a mask." In fact, there is not a single mention of ninja wearing masks. Surprisingly, according to ancient ninja manuals, they didn't 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 put white headbands on their heads so that they could see each other in the moonlight.

16. Ninja suit

The popular image of the ninja is impossible to imagine without the iconic costume. This is an erroneous name, since the ninja "suit" seems to be uniform only to residents of Western countries. It's actually just traditional Japanese clothing along with a mask.

Black Japanese clothes can be compared to a black suit in modern London. Residents of medieval Japan could wear masks on the street in order to remain unrecognized. So such an image looks inappropriate and eye-catching only in the modern world.

15. Black or blue?


A popular argument today is that ninjas didn't wear black because then they wouldn't be able to see each other at all in the dark, so they actually wore blue clothes. This is a misconception that comes from a ninja manual called Shoninki (True Path of the Ninja) written in 1861.

It states that ninjas can wear blue to blend in with the crowd, as the color was popular, implying that ninjas would not stand out among the people in the city. They were also ordered 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 ninja-to most often have a straight blade, but the original swords were slightly curved.

Swords that were almost straight (they were only a few millimeters curved) existed in medieval Japan and had a square tsuba, but they began to be associated with ninja only in the 20th century. Ninja manuals prescribed the use of conventional swords.

13. Secret ninja gestures

Ninjas are known for their secret hand gestures. This particular hand positioning technique called "kuji-kiri" has no real connection to the ninja.

The kuji-kiri technique, as it was called in Japan, has its roots in Taoism and Hinduism. From India, it was brought to Japan by Buddhist monks, so many mistakenly perceive it as a method of inducing damage.

In fact, this is a series of gestures used in meditation, during rituals and in Japanese martial arts. Associating kuji-kiri with ninja, again, began only in the 20th century.

12 Ninjas Didn't Use Smoke Bombs


The image of a ninja using a smoke bomb is very common. However, being completely erroneous, it is misleading.

The ninja manuals don't actually mention smoke bombs, but they do have hundreds of instructions for building "fire" weapons: land mines, hand grenades, waterproof torches, Greek fire, fire arrows, explosive projectiles, and poison gas.

11 Nobody Knew Who The Ninja Really Were


This is half true. Ninja were divided into yang ninja, who could be seen, and yin ninja, invisible ninja, whose identity was always kept secret.

Since no one had ever seen the Yin-ninja, they could take part in missions without fear of being recognized by anyone. On the other hand, a group of ninjas could be hired in the open: they moved with the army, they had their own barracks, they were relieved of duties during a halt, 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, the spellcasting warrior, was popular. In old Japanese movies, ninjas use magic to trick their enemies.

Interestingly, among the skills and abilities of the ninja, there really was a certain amount of ritual magic: from magic hairpins that make them invisible, to sacrificing a dog to receive God's help. However, ordinary samurai skills also contained elements of magic. At the time, this was commonplace.

9 Ninjas Were Not Assassins


It's more of a semantic argument. Simply put, ninjas weren't taught the art of killing from a very early age so they could be hired by other clans.

Most ninja 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 (Hattori Hanzo) - a real person

Hattori Hanzo became famous in the Kill Bill movies (a master gunsmith who created the best Japanese swords in the world), but in reality he was a samurai and the head of a ninja clan. He became a famous general, 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 Ninja False Claims Came 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 fantasy about the ninja existed even during the time of the ninja, the first big boom in the popularity of the ninja in Japan began in the very early 1900s, when not much was known about historical spies and intelligence officers.

Ninja books were also 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, in the 1980s, during the ninja boom, were translated into English language.

6. Scientific study of ninja

The topic of the ninja has been a laughing matter in Japanese academic circles, and for decades, the study of their techniques and teachings has been frowned upon as a bizarre fantasy.

Dr. Stephen Turnbull of the University of Leeds (England) published several books about ninja in the 1990s, however, in a recent article, he admitted that the research was erroneous, and now he studies this topic thoroughly with the sole purpose of publishing the truth. about ninja.

Only in the last 2-3 years have serious research begun in Japan. Associate Professor Yuji Yamada leads a research team at Mie Universit dedicated to the ninja.

5. Ninja manuscripts are coded


As has been said, the ninja manuscripts were coded in order to remain secret. Actually, 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 skill” 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 a ninja fails a mission, he will commit suicide.


In fact, it's just a Hollywood myth. There is no evidence that mission error leads to suicide.

In fact, some manuals teach that it's 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 ninjas could kill themselves and burn themselves alive if they were captured by the enemy - to hide their identity.

3. Superhuman strength


It is believed that ninja have much more physical strength than ordinary warriors, but in fact there were only a certain number of ninja who were trained and trained in special forces.
Many ninja led a double life, pretending to be ordinary residents in the provinces of the enemy: they were engaged in daily routine activities, trading or traveling, which contributed to the spread of “necessary” rumors about them.

The ninja had to be disease resistant, have high intelligence, be able to talk quickly, and look stupid (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 masters of the ninja schools, whose origins date back to the days of the samurai. This issue is very controversial and delicate. 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 is not a single real ninja left. While the world is still waiting for proof...

1. Real ninjas are much cooler than fictional ones.


While fictional ninjas have been roiling people's hearts for nearly 100 years, the emerging historical truth is far more impressive and interesting.

With the advent of historical ninja manuals, which are now being published in English, a more realistic and unexpected image of them is emerging. Ninja can now be seen as part of the samurai war machine, each with a specific set of skills and abilities, trained in areas such as espionage, undercover operations, solo activity behind enemy lines, surveillance, explosives and demolition specialists, psychologists.

This new and improved take on the Japanese ninja is more respected for the depth and complexity of samurai warfare.

Reading time: 7 min

The world of secret societies has always been filled with myths and legends. It is understandable - the right reputation often solves much more scuffle. But few people are able to compete with the ninja. They run on the water, sleep on the ceiling, and the most advanced right now are sitting under your table, waiting for the right moment to ... I won’t say. So scary. figured out the history of who the ninja are.

They always have “stars”, their faces are covered with black masks, only the cruel eyes of the best assassins and spies are visible. But was it really so? Where did the ninja come from - or "shinobi", "hiding"? What did they eat? What did the rest of the time after the sudden murders do?

Jin'ichi Kawakami - 21 soke (head of the family) of the Ban House from Koga Prefecture, founder of the Society for the Study and Practice of the Shinobi Tradition of the Ban Family, and manager of the Iga Ninja Museum - laughs and says: "You don't make a living being a ninja."

What are they reading with this material today?

Brawler Hermits

From the point of view of anthropology, the emergence of ninja is not much different from the emergence of such a phenomenon as the Cossack Sich, and the development of ninjutsu as a martial art is very similar to capoeira, which runaway slaves created to fight their former masters.

In the Japanese version, it all started with yamabushi. Shinto, "the way of the gods", considers the mountains to be a sacred place where gods-kami and ancestral spirits live. It's not very polite to disturb them if you're a mere mortal. Another thing is mountain hermits who own Buddhist and Taoist magic. In combination - a convenient way to deliver prayers. Would you like to ask God for something? The last yamabushi leaves before sunset, have time to retell him your appeal.

But it was not safe in the mountains: the robbers did not differ in special respect for either the gods or the hermits. So the monks had to get together and learn how to fight. They spied something in China, they invented something themselves, they simply invented something.

Naturally, the existence of powerful mountain warriors did not go unnoticed, and those wishing to learn martial arts were drawn to them. And, gradually, someone came to the conclusion that this can make a living, if you change into inconspicuous clothes and be patient.

Spies and spies

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Amigasa
(straw hat)

One version says that the ninja appeared at the same time as the samurai. The feudal lords read Sun Tzu's treatises on espionage and decided to acquire their own intelligence, which does not need to be based on moral principles. Because honor is honor, and business is business. In fact, the profession of scout-saboteur-killer was created. Shinobi were not considered criminals, they pursued political motives.

According to another version, no one created the ninja, they appeared on their own in the form of a "family business". Entire clans within which elite warriors were brought up. A person from the street could not get into this school, he had to be born a member of the family in order to become a shinobi.

Most likely, it was both. What is known for sure: the ninja did not have gender prejudices. When the noblewoman-poetes Mochizuke Chiyome was widowed, the uncle of her samurai husband, the head of the Takeda clan, suggested that the girl create a female ninja school. Orphans, prostitutes and refugees were recruited there in order to be introduced into the structures of rival clans. Of course, kunoichi - female ninja - were trained differently: they relied on charm and knowledge of poisons.

What are they reading with this material today?

Dawn and oblivion

The ninja felt especially at ease during the period of the feudal wars of the Sengoku Jidai. It began in the middle of the 15th century and lasted 150 years. The shogunate began to surrender, the feudal lords took advantage of the moment to eliminate injustice towards themselves. Some lacked land, some lacked power. At times like these, assassins are in high demand, so shinobi prospered.

The mountain fortresses of the two largest schools - Iga and Koga - were considered the most impregnable structures in the country. In total, there were about 70 ninja clans. Their influence grew. Which, of course, did not please the ambitious samurai, who planned to return the shogunate under their strict guidance.

The feudal lords realized that the new estate interfered with their plans. And they launched a real war against the ninja: from attempts (quite successful) to quarrel the largest clans to full-scale battles.

Shutterstock photo

Ironically, however, it was the future shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu who received the fleeing ninja. And he used them against his opponents in order to establish a puppet government in the regions according to the blood principle. In a sense, he seated his relatives in key positions. So the ninja, in fact, sacrificed themselves to the coming Edo period - the era of peace and development.

Next was the oniwaban, the secret service of the Tokugawa shogunate, which lasted until the mid-19th century. Combat saboteurs became court spies spying on citizens. In the new period - the Meiji Restoration - the ninja were completely considered obsolete and forgot about them for a long hundred years.

Think, dress, eat like a ninja!

Ninja, in fact, were and remain slightly modified Buddhists. They believed that absolute harmony and security could not be achieved. And every action violates the natural balance and causes an equal reaction in strength. Only by understanding the true cause of the intervention, it is possible to minimize its consequences. If it’s quite simple: think about what you are doing, and what will happen to you for it, and try to breathe more evenly.

Three blocks of ninja skills

Ninjutsu is based on three main blocks of skills. The first of these is working with the environment and equipment. Shinobi learns to read tracks, move covertly, overcome obstacles and deceive the enemy. The second block is the fight itself, both the art of the body (tai-jutsu) and the possession of weapons (bu-jutsu). And finally, the third block is the most difficult. Psycho-training Nimpo-mikke helps the ninja to mobilize the internal resources of the body with the help of consciousness.

Do not miss

Warrior Equipment

Equipment is a separate issue. In movies and cartoons, there is no nuclear warhead under tight-fitting suits. You can see the standard equipment of a real ninja in the infographic. We will focus on interesting points.

For example, shinobi mastered the “nekome-jutsu” technique, which allowed them to answer the question “what time is it” in cat pupils - the higher the sun, the narrower they are. This seems ridiculous until you remember how important it is for a warrior to correctly determine the time and how often wristwatches came across in medieval Japan.

But the famous poisoned hairpins are not a myth, kunoichi used them with might and main, they were called kanzashi. To find out what they were talking about in the next room, the shinobi took out a listening tube - saote hikigane. And they recorded everything in a pencil case-yatate. To transmit the encryption, multi-colored grains of rice were worn. And finally, the headshot. Do you know how the ninja hid the noise from their movements at night? They put crickets in their pockets.

To carry such a bunch of useful gadgets and flutter across the rooftops, you need to keep fit, so the ninjas were on a diet: millet, dark bran rice, fruits and vegetables. Many of them were vegetarians. Not because animals were so loved, the considerations were more utilitarian: disguise includes getting rid of unnecessary odors.

Yes, about clothes. Who has already prepared a black hoodie with a slit for the eyes, throw it away. Ninjas knew how to mas-ki-ro-vat-sya. And that means no black skinny suits, unless you're going to a party where everyone is dressed like that. Shinobi clothes corresponded to the area, setting, weather, time of year and day. What does white clothes mean in winter and dark blue on a full moon.

Famous ninjas and their superpowers

Mochizuke Chiyome, the founder of the kunoichi, could spin in a series of pirouettes so that she took off and hovered in the air.

Shimotsuge Kizaru, nicknamed the "tree monkey", also knew how to fly, having previously jumped well. This skill he passed on to Shimotsuga Kozaru, his son, the "little monkey".

Hatchisuka Tenzō of the Iga clan to retreat could dig an entire tunnel while his opponents crowded around the hole in the ground and shrugged their hands in bewilderment.

There is also a well-known story about a nameless ninja who sat in a cesspool, waiting for a future victim, and finished it off with a well-aimed spit with a poisoned dart in the nearest naked place. However, the same is said about the Assassins.

James Bond

How are Roald Dahl, Sean Connery, and the ninja renaissance in the 20th century connected? In 1967, the author of Fantastic Mr. Fox and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory wrote the screenplay for the fifth James Bond film.

Unknown people abduct US and USSR spaceships. A nuclear war is about to break out between the superpowers. And only a British superspy can save the world. And since the action takes place in Japan, Japanese spies, that is, ninjas, come to the aid of the English spy.

By the way, this word got into the Oxford Dictionary, and then to all of us, three years earlier, in 1964, when Ian Fleming published the original novel, which differed from the film adaptation in gloominess and more love for trifles.

But the true popularity of the ninja came in the 80s. The massive relocation of oriental actors and martial artists to Los Angeles affected. Literally in every second action movie, clever and bloodthirsty mercenaries appeared. There were so many shinobi that even the “ninjutsu conservation law” appeared - the more ninja in the frame, the easier it will be for the main character to deal with them.

The worst thing is to run into one ninja, it may well turn out that he is the protagonist, and you are an accidental victim. And, of course, you can’t forget the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, thanks to which most children and adults generally learned about who shinobi are.

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Not killers, just people with normal jobs

There are practically no ninja left in the modern world. I mean, spies, saboteurs and masters of non-standard combat exist, but they cannot boast of origins from medieval legends. There are thousands of ninjutsu schools that don't match koryu. This is such a list of martial arts that existed before the Meiju Restoration, in which all the rules are spelled out.

"Ninjas were not ordinary assassins, as shown in the movies", says Jin'ichi Kawakami. He is one of the last ninja, as they say, with a pedigree. It comes from the ancient Ban house of Koga Prefecture, the same place where the impregnable fortress of the Koga clan was located.

He has been studying all the traditions of ancient art since the age of six. Now his goal is to save them. The master is quite ironic about the "water-walking" and "sky-flying" ninjas. "They are just people", he is sure. And this means that it is impossible to work as a ninja 24 hours a day if you are a man or a woman in the clan. "They also had day jobs, he smiles, you had to feed yourself, murders didn't happen all that often."

They appeared out of nowhere. And they disappeared into nowhere. They were worshiped and hated. It was believed that a mortal could not defeat them. Because they are demons. Demons of the night.


Fear settled in the fortress. The servants hid in their closets, afraid to once again show themselves to the eyes of their masters. Everyone was talking quietly, as if afraid to frighten off that unknown force that had made its way into the fortress. The governor of the province was lying in bed, soaked with blood. No one dared to approach the dead man; afraid to even look at him.

The guards were perplexed - the fortress was impregnable: the walls are high, the corridors are full of soldiers, and the whole courtyard is occupied by soldiers. Not a single living soul could enter here. But someone did it anyway. Who?

The servants whispered softly among themselves: there was a flash of blinding light, and two guards on the North Tower were found dead; there were no wounds, only the lips turned blue and the eyes bulged as if at the last moment they saw all the horrors of the world. The samurai suspected treason, but could not figure out where to look for it. Who was at the Viceroy's for a late supper? Warlord. Yes, there were two more geishas from the nearest teahouse, but they were at the governor's almost every night. The geishas left before midnight - the owner was still alive. Unexplained death. And none of them could know that there were not two geishas that night, but three. And meanwhile, the old woman, the mistress of the tea-shop, counted the huge amount received at night, and was silent. Silence was costly. His price is life. Time likes to reveal the past, but so far it tells very little about the most unusual warriors of the Land of the Rising Sun - about the mysterious clans of professional spies and assassins, about the legendary ninjas. There are almost no written sources that shed light on their life. According to legend, they passed down their secrets in scrolls, and if the master did not find a worthy successor, the scroll was destroyed. Shadow warriors have always remained a mystery, the embodiment of a different, dark world. Mikke temples and secret teachings, the cult of the mountains and the worship of darkness. The amazing abilities of the ninja to walk on fire, swim in icy water, control the weather, read the mind of the enemy and stop time were usually attributed to dark forces. In the eyes of the samurai, the ninja were worthy of hatred and contempt. But all these feelings were generated by one thing - the fear that the "dark people" inspired in everyone in Japan - and superstitious commoners, and brave samurai, and sovereign princes.

Shinobi mono - a person who penetrates secretly

Surprisingly, in Japanese medieval chronicles there is no such thing as a ninja! The word "ninja" appeared only in the last century. It consists of two hieroglyphs: Nin (shinobi) means to endure, hide and do something in secret; Jia (mono) is a person. Those whom we now call ninja were called shinobi no mono in Japan - a secretly penetrating person. It was a very accurate name, because the main occupation (and the meaning of life) of the ninja was high-class professional espionage and masterly execution of contract killings.

Trap for Sarutobi

The official mention of the first professional spy in the history of the Land of the Rising Sun comes at the end of the 6th century. His name was Otomo no Saijin, and he served Prince Shotoku Taishi, one of Japan's greatest figures. Saijin was a kind of link between the people and the aristocracy. Changing clothes, he went outside the walls of the palace in the form of a commoner, looked and listened, listened and looked. He knew everything: who stole what, who killed whom, and, most importantly, who was dissatisfied with government policy. Saijin was the ears and eyes of the prince, for which he was awarded the honorary title of Shinobi (spy). This is where Shinobi-jutsu came from. True, some historians are inclined to think that Saijin was not a spy, but an ordinary policeman. However, this is not confirmed by the sources.

The second famous spy was a certain Takoya, who served Emperor Temmu in the 7th century. This servant was closer to the modern concept of "ninja" than Saijin. His task was sabotage. Making his way behind enemy lines at night, Takoya set fires. While the enemy ran around the camp in a panic, the emperor's troops delivered an unexpected blow. Both Saijin and Takoya may have been the forerunners of a powerful society of assassins and spies; the clan itself appeared in the 9th-10th centuries. In Iga, in the Ninjutsu Museum, a fragment of the chronicle of the 9th century of the ancient Togakura family is kept. In one of the battles, a representative of this family, a certain Daisuke, was defeated, and his possessions were captured. What was left for him to do? Only run to the mountains to save your life. And so he did. Hiding in the mountains, Daisuke not only survived, but also began to gather strength for revenge. Militant monks Ken Dosi became his teachers. On the bare slopes of the province of Iga, Daitsuke stubbornly mastered the ancient art of completely subordinating the body to the dictates of the will and mind. According to the chronicle, he created a new type of warrior, moving easily, like the wind, inconspicuous for enemies; a warrior who knows how to win without a fight! Since then, many legends have been told about shadow warriors. Some of them were recorded in historical sources. Moreover, a thorough comparative analysis carried out by the researchers showed that much of these legends may well correspond to real facts. History mentions the legendary Sarutobi, who was one of the best ninja. Sarutobi lived in trees; all day long he swayed and hung on them, developing his dexterity. Nobody wanted to engage in hand-to-hand combat with him. Yet one day he was defeated. Spying on a powerful shogun, Sarutobi tried to sneak into his palace, but was spotted by sentries. This did not upset him at all, for he more than once easily escaped his pursuers. But this time, luck turned against him. Jumping down from the wall that surrounded the palace, he fell right into a bear trap. One leg was firmly stuck in the trap. This could confuse anyone, but not an experienced shinobi. Sarutobi cut off his own leg, stopped the bleeding, and tried to run by jumping on one leg! And yet he did not manage to go far - the loss of blood was huge and he began to lose consciousness. Realizing that he could not escape and soon the samurai would overtake him, Sarutobi managed to fulfill the last duty of a ninja - he cut off his face ...

But more often than not, ninjas emerged victorious even from the most hopeless situations. According to one of the legends, an experienced shinobi was ordered to kill his "colleague" Juzo. This was quite possible, because ninjas from rival clans did not spare each other (these guys had no corporate solidarity at all). Shinobi did not kill the "colleague"; live Juzo cost more. The captive was delivered alive to the shogun-customer, and he, as a sign of respect, graciously allowed the poor fellow to commit suicide. For hara-kiri, Juzo chose a short, blunt knife. Having plunged the knife into the stomach up to the hilt, the dying man sprawled on the floor. His breathing stopped and all his clothes were soaked with blood. The corpse was thrown into a moat near the castle. And this is exactly what you shouldn't have done. The shogun paid for his mistake immediately - that very night his castle was on fire! The arsonist was none other than a dead man who had cut his stomach open a couple of hours ago. The answer was simple - the cunning Juzo simply tucked a rat into his belt in advance, and then skillfully ripped open the belly not of himself, but of the unfortunate animal.

By the way, hundreds of such ninja tricks were known. And they not only knew, but also knew how to masterfully perform.

Yamabushi. Eagles are born only in the mountains

Historical documents clearly point to the first school of scouts - it was the so-called Iga school. It was founded by wandering monks who preached Buddhism. The authorities, and especially the official Shinto priests, persecuted these ascetic hermits. They moved far into the mountains and there they received everyone who was ready to share their faith and hard journey with them. Over time, these white monks became known as yamabushi (mountain warriors), and it was they who became the first teachers at the Iga school. Yamabushi were engaged in quackery and enjoyed great respect among the population; they successfully treated many diseases, saved crops, could predict the weather and, as ordinary peasants believed, protect from evil spirits. The main goal of the yamabushi was to find the drink of immortality. The chronicles are silent about whether they succeeded or not, but for three centuries of persecution, mountain warriors have developed their own special art of murder and espionage. Yamabushi taught future ninja many military tricks, among which the most famous is the defense of nine syllables. It was she who turned the ninja into demons and invulnerable warriors. Here sits one of the "mountain warriors". Rhythmically swaying, he makes monotonous sounds, then louder, then quieter. The fingers are folded into strange shapes. At all times, the art of Shugendo saved him from his persecutors. For 30 years he studied the language of nature, slept in the snow and talked with demons. The warrior stood up and leaned his whole body against the rock. His hands and feet, like the roots of trees, entered the rock. The head looked like a mossy boulder. Now this is not a person, but only stones destroyed by wind and time. Past, a stone's throw from the cliff, the pursuers run. A lot, about two dozen. Their eyes carefully look around - nothing, no one ... Yamabushi owned a special technique that revealed the amazing abilities of the human body. They knew that if you bite the tip of your tongue rhythmically in a special way, you can completely get rid of thirst. They knew that if you simultaneously rhythmically press the index fingers of both hands on special points located on the outside of the calf (closer to the knee), you can overcome the most terrible fear. They knew that if with the tip of the thumb of the right hand to press in the rhythm of the pulse on a point located on the pad between the first and second phalanx of the little finger of the left hand, then in a few minutes you can remove the fatigue that has accumulated over two sleepless nights or a day of hard hiking along mountain trails. . They knew that when a person pronounces certain combinations of sounds, they cause a resonance in the larynx, which has a powerful effect on the subconscious. Some sounds give a person courage, others make him restless, others help him enter a trance. They knew a lot. The mysterious technique of nine syllables helped the yamabushi and their ninja students to use the hidden reserves of the human body, so much so that everyone around was amazed. According to many sources, shinobi did amazing things. They could reach speeds of over 70 km / h, jump over 3-meter walls, and even stop their own hearts for a while.

The most mysterious Japanese monastic order - yamabushi - brought rituals and rituals to the ninja world, allowing them to master almost supernatural power. The shadow warriors have remained faithful disciples of the yamabushi for centuries. Yamabushi taught the ninja such secrets that now, after many centuries, science is unable to explain many of them (although some of them still managed to unravel). The monks transmitted their secrets only orally. One of the most amazing secrets of yamabushi was the method of protection with nine syllables, kuji no ho (Kuji Gosin Ho) - nine steps of power. Every ninja owned it. The defense included 9 spells (jumon), 9 finger configurations corresponding to them, and 9 stages of concentration of consciousness. When pronouncing jumon, it was necessary to fold the fingers and concentrate the mind. For the ninja, it was a surefire way to gain energy for their supernatural actions (like jumping over a three-meter fence or becoming elusive).

jumon

Modern science already knows: various combinations of sounds create a resonance in the larynx that affects the brain. Moreover, scientists have confirmed that the appearance of different feelings in people depends on the frequency of vibration: joy, anxiety, etc. So one of the first explanations for the amazing abilities of the ninja was found. Before that, their ability to instantly change mood and suppress feelings of fear remained a mystery. Everything was attributed to dark magic. Usually the spell (jumon) was pronounced 108 times. It had to come from the heart, respond in it like an echo, and fill the body and fingers with vibration. Yamabushi taught the ninja that the configuration of the fingers (mudra) affects the entire energy of the body. Each finger, like each hand, has its own energy. Some figures could calm the mind. Others gave strength and helped in critical situations. When folding hands and fingers into certain shapes, one can control the energy flows both entering and leaving the body. This helps to concentrate the mind and use the hidden reserves of the body. One of the soothing mudras of Jumon should sound like “rin-hei-to-sha-kai-retsu-zai-zen”.

The concentration of consciousness through meditation helped the ninja to get used to various images, for example, a lion, a demon, a giant. It was the trance that changed the consciousness of the warriors and allowed miracles to be performed. There is nothing supernatural in this. Psychiatrists and physiologists confirm: a person in a state of altered consciousness changes even physically - the so-called hidden reserves of the body wake up in him. Sometimes this can be observed even at the everyday level, for example, strong fear makes a person develop such a speed that he would never have achieved in a calm state. Rage also gives a person additional physical strength.

Another thing is that it is very difficult for an ordinary person to drive himself into a trance “on command”. Try lying peacefully on the couch, arouse such rage in yourself to crush the glass with your hands and not feel pain. Ninjas, on the other hand, were able to artificially introduce themselves into different states and awaken unprecedented physical powers in themselves. Today, experts are sure that ninjas used self-hypnosis. Moreover, self-hypnosis is based on the so-called "anchor" technique, in which three anchors are simultaneously involved: kinesthetic (finger plexus), auditory (sound resonance) and visual (visual image). All this served as a trigger for entering a combat trance.

The practical results of the "protection of nine syllables" were colossal - in combination with grueling training, it allowed the ninja to develop tremendous speed, see in the dark and break through stone walls with a blow of the hand.

Death Touch. The Art of Slow Death

This terrible art of the ninja masterfully mastered. A light touch on the enemy's body - and after a while he suddenly died. Could die immediately. He could have died even a year later. But death was inevitable. The effect of a deadly touch was not caused by a blow at all - there was a release of energy to a certain point of the body, the energy of the body was disturbed. The art of slow death is the most mysterious part of the teachings of yamabushi. Any ninja who would have revealed this secret to mere mortals had to be killed, and his soul was doomed to eternal damnation.

The technique of hitting the most vulnerable points of the body was the foundation of the training of the warriors of the night. Most of all, the ninja Ikeoosaki succeeded in it. Each of their blows, hitting vital points, led to death. Science is not yet able to explain the mysterious "art of slow death". However, even orthodox medicine today recognizes that through individual points on the body it is possible to influence the internal organs of a person. And Chinese medicine has been successfully using "spot treatment" for centuries. Most likely, the ninja used a similar technique. In the art of slow death, the most amazing thing is how the ninja managed to "postpone" death.

Here we can assume the following. Perhaps the touch of a ninja did not “kill” a person so much as disrupted the coordinated work of the body; something like this you can turn off a powerful and complex motor by throwing an ordinary nut into it. And after a physiological failure, a person died from his own diseases, depending on the predispositions of the body.

Childhood

All the kids of the clan immediately after birth were awarded the honorary title of ninja. Child's career, i.e. promotion from genin to chuunin depended solely on his personal qualities. From the first days of birth, a long journey of learning began. The cradle with the baby, when rocking, hit the walls. The push forced him to instinctively shrink - this was the first grouping. A one-year-old child already knew how to deftly walk on a log (later he was taught to move on a rope). Until the age of two, reaction training was the main thing. The kids were given a special massage using strong painful blows and pinches - so the future warriors got used to the pain. Later, the body was “treated” with a faceted stick for getting used to.

Serious training began after eight years. Until this age, children learned to read, write, imitate the sounds made by animals and birds, throw stones, climb trees. The children of the clan had no choice. From childhood, they played with real weapons, moreover, they were taught to turn everything that came into their hands into weapons. They were taught to endure the cold, walking in bad weather without clothes and sitting for hours in cold water. Trees and thorny bushes served as jumping trainers. Hanging little ninjas by their hands to a great height for more than an hour (!) They were instilled with endurance. Night vision was developed by many weeks of training in dark caves and a special diet of foods with a high content of vitamin A. By the way, the sensitivity of the ninja's eyes was fantastic. In pitch darkness, they could even read.

Some of the exercises were particularly cruel. So, for example, to develop dexterity, it was necessary to jump over a strong vine covered with sharp thorns. Each touch to the vine immediately tore the skin and caused severe bleeding. From infancy, children were taught to swim. In the water, they were like fish: they could silently travel long distances, fight in and under water, with and without weapons. Every year the exercises became more and more difficult, cruel and painful. The little ninja could turn his foot or hand in any direction - exercises for free dismemberment and supernatural mobility of the joints began as early as the age of four. These were very painful exercises, but it was they who saved the lives of warriors more than once - by freely twisting the foot and hand, the ninja easily freed themselves from the strongest fetters. Push-ups, pull-ups, weight lifting - everything was so mundane that any child brought up in a ninja clan could easily bypass the modern athlete. At 10 years old, a ninja child could easily run over 20 km a day. His speed was tested in very original ways, for example, a straw hat, pressed against the runner's chest while running by an oncoming air flow, should not have fallen. Or around the neck of the ninja they tied a strip of cloth about 10 meters long, freely falling to the ground. The speed was considered normal when a ten-meter strip of fabric fluttered in the wind on the run and did not touch the ground!

What children were taught seems incredible to modern man: by the sound of a stone thrown from the wall, they should have been able to calculate the depth of the ditch and the water level with an accuracy of up to a meter! The breath of the sleepers should suggest their number, gender, and even age; the sound of a weapon is its appearance; arrow whistle - the distance to the enemy. They learned to feel the enemy with the back of their head - it is impossible to explain how "telepathic contact" was established with the enemy sitting in ambush. But adult warriors could indeed deliver and deflect blows without turning around. Their intuition always preceded reason. “The body itself knows how to move if we leave it alone,” the great mentors taught.