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Ninja Warrior
Jul 26, 2010 Diane Evans

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According to Japanese mythology, the ninja was a demon that
was half man and half crow. Warriors respected the ninja as an
assassin and a spy.

Ninja Warrior - ironcrosshunter

Japanese history shows

that the concept of the
ninja warriors developed
as a counter-offensive to
the samurai warriors in
feudal Japan.

Rise of the Ninja

The ninja warriors first

set themselves aside as
an elite fighting class of
assassins, spies and
warriors in the 7th
century. They enhanced
their fighting skills and
their art of stealth
between 600-900 CE.

When the Tang Dynasty

in China fell in 907 CE,
the country fell into a
fifty year decline of
culture. Chaos reigned
across China. Several
Tang generals defected to
Japan. Chinese
warrior-monks also fled
to Japan with their
knowledge of new
medicines, fighting
techniques, and battle
tactics. The Japanese
warrior-monks and the
early ninja clans eagerly
learned and adapted the
new skills to their own
use.

The Samurai and

the Monk
Ninjutsu developed as a
counter-culture of
Chinese, Japanese, and
Asian native guerilla
tactics. An ex-samurai
warrior named Diasuke
Togakure lost his lands
and his samurai title in a
regional war.
Disillusioned and
depressed, he wandered
through the mountains of
southwest Honshu in

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1162 when he met a wanderer from China. Kain Doshi was a Chinese warrior-monk.

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After extensive discussions, Daisuke renounced his samurai Bushido code and the two
worked together in developing a new guerilla warfare theory called ninjutsu. They organized
the first ninju ryu or school which they called the Togakureryu.
Bushido and Ninja Philosophy
This samurai code of Bushido emphasized honor and loyalty above everything else. A
samurai going into battle would select his worthy opponent and challenge him; then the
warrior would recite his family pedigree before he attacked. All this was very honorable and
noble, but entirely unnecessary in getting the job done. The early ninja training rejected the
Bushido code of conduct because it simply was not practical.
Ninjutsu is nothing if not efficient and effective. If an unknown technique proved to be
effective, the ninja warrior adopted and used it.

more in se asian history Read on

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Rain Stars in Ninja Assassin - Film Review
Ninja

Ninja Techniques
Eight methods of warfare, as well as the use of unconventional weapons, comprised the ninja
curriculum. The techniques included body skills, karate, spear fighting, staff fighting, blade-
throwing, the use of fire and water, fortification, strategy and concealment.

Most of the weapons were modified from farm tools such as sickles, wood cutting saws,
pruning shears, pitchforks and hoes. This was practical both in fighting and in concealing their
identity if caught. Any working farmer might carry these tools.

The ninja did have medium length swords, war pikes and staves, and knowledge of the
martial arts. Ninjas did not use throwing stars, but they did invent the specialized shuko, an
iron hand-crampon used in climbing.

The most unusual weapon was the musical flute. The traveling ninjas disguised themselves as
musical, mystical bards. A ninja entertained the crowds and paid for his meals with music and
stories, and his innocent-looking flute doubled as a blow-dart tube or a club.

Another weapon in the ninja's toolkit was poison. They carried a variety of poisons to apply
to the tips of their blow darts or to add to food.

Ninja History

The period between the 14th and 17th centuries was the highlight of ninja history. The fury of
war blazed across Japan, and mercenary ninjas hired out to the highest bidders.

Ninja history is permeated with folklore and myth and accurate historical records do not
exist. As a result, no one knows just how much of the ninja tale is true.

Source: The Ninja, Ancient Shadow Warriors of Japan by Kacem Zoughari Page; Tuttle
Publishing (April, 2010)

Copyright Diane Evans. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

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East Asian History

Indian History
Japanese History
Korean History
South Asian History

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