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FREE SAMURAI AND NINJA: THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE JAPANESE WARRIOR MYTH THAT SHATTERS THE BUSHIDO MYSTIQUE PDF Antony Cummins | 128 pages | 16 Jun 2015 | Tuttle Shokai Inc | 9784805313343 | English | Kanagawa, Japan Ninja History - Are Ninjas Real & Do They Still Exist Today? Everything we know seems uncertain and is further tainted by pop culture. What if what we know about ninja history were just myths of ignorant feudal commoners, passed from generation to generation? Why is it difficult to prove that ninja existed? The ninja were supposedly involved in espionage, assassinations and sabotage. They were the historical equivalent of intelligence operatives, assassins, and special forces. Therefore, records of them would have been well-guarded or destroyed. Face it… No shinobi is going to reveal their techniques and strategies when their job and victory demands secrecy. Yet, this makes proving their existence and modus operandi difficult. After Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique, it would be ridiculous to believe any extraordinary claim without any proof. Because of the lack of information, tall tales about ninja arose. Ninja themselves supposedly encouraged these exaggerations to strike fear in their enemies. With folktales and romanticised pop culture stereotypes in the mix, separating fact from fiction becomes a challenge. These reasons make ninja and ninjutsu a difficult topic to research. These sources that discuss espionage techniques, tactics and mindset are the: Bansenshukai aka. Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique ShukaiNinpiden aka. After all, anyone, from any time period, can write a book and claim themselves to be descendants of the ninja. The three widely accepted sources were written by people who were highly regarded in society back then. They were also part of the bushi-class. Not to forget, these texts were cross-analysed with other historical documents before being accepted as reliable sources of ninja history. It has been verified, registered and recognised by two reputable Koryu organisations that rigorously examine scrolls for unbroken historical lineage. Within this sword school is an oral tradition that teaches Ninjutsu, with focus on defence against detailed Ninjutsu techniques. The Shomonki aka Shoumonkicompiled around AD, was probably the earliest source that makes references to the ninja. Another war chronicle in the 14th century, the Taiheikihas even more references to the ninja. Though this source is known for its dramatizations, it is still widely accepted as mostly accurate. So, are ninjas real? The sources of evidence above prove with reasonable certainty that they existed. Moving on. The ninja were spies and mercenaries in Japan, who were trained in the covert art of Ninjutsu, to fulfil the function of espionage and subterfuge. While this distinction technically means anyone could be a ninja, the majority of sources indicate that ninja came from the samurai class. As mentioned, ninja came mainly from the samurai class. Despite Japan being a highly patriarchal society, there were female ninjas commonly known as kunoichi. Of all of Japan, two places are rich in ninja history: Iga and Koga respectively known as Mie and Shiga prefecture today. Based on the Bansenshukai, where the rest of Japan had military governors, each Iga and Koga clans was self-governed and had their own castle estate. The ninja — as a trained force in a structured system — was agreed by most historians to have come to exist in the 15th century, the Sengoku aka. The Art Of War was simply a popular treatise that influenced military strategy in Asia. Those military strategies and what developed later on in China entered Japan. But back Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique, these monks fulfilled the roles of intellectuals, philosophers and doctors. Since they travelled around often, they absorbed knowledge and cultures from where they Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique, unlike commoners. There was no internet back then to transmit information. These sources of knowledge in military strategy mainly espionagemedicinal knowledge and temperament of the people who absorbed them would play a part in forming Ninjutsu during the Sengoku period. The ancestors of the ninja were said to be Tengu, supernatural beings of the mountain. And, the Tengu were often associated with the yamabushi. This suggests that the yamabushi had some influence on the birth of ninja. It is noted that at least one yamabushi, Sessai Choro, was known to be a military advisor during the Sengoku period. The first recorded use of espionage and subterfuge in Japan was in the 6th century by Prince Shotoku, who acted as regent. The Warring States period was a time of great political unrest and violence in Japan. Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique gist of what happened has to do with the shogunate losing control and feudal lords vying for power and territory. Ninjutsu developed because of the need for unconventional warfare. Naturally, the shinobi became highly sought after. With the use of unconventional tactics, the enemy was defeated by seemingly supernatural factors and a force that numbered 15 times smaller than the enemy troops. This was, to the best of my knowledge, among the first known use of professional ninja in Japanese history. Iga and Koga were the largest strongholds of professional ninja, and their mountainous terrain made it difficult for the enemy to launch attacks successfully. Many of these ninjas would be sheltered and employed by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun who ushered a period of peace for roughly years. Oda Nobunaga nearly united Japan after more than a century into Sengoku but committed seppuku ritual suicide after being betrayed by a trusted general. Toyotomi Hideyoshi took over and finally unified Japan. Tokugawa Ieyasu came through as victor during the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. Ninja and espionage played a significant roles in the mentioned battle and many others. Note: The year when the Warring States period ends has been debated by scholars. Some consider it to be, and For this article, I adopted as the end. It corresponds to the establishment of the Tokugawa government. The other feudal domains were governed by lords who were related by blood, allies and even defeated lords. To prevent any feudal domain from usurping power, there were strong measures taken by the Tokugawa Bakufu. Though the emperor was at the top of all feudal classes, he was merely a figurehead with no real power. To the best of my knowledge, the last use of ninja for their actual role of espionage and subterfuge was during the Shimbara rebellion in They would work in the inner gardens of the feudal lord residences to observe the ongoings of every person. There is some debate as to whether the Oniwaban were considered ninja but their supervisors definitely were. After the Edo period, there is no evidence that ninja existed as a profession. The modernisation during the Meiji period, the collapse of feudalism, and military advancements made the ninja obsolete. While possible that existing ninja joined the modernised military or police force, the same conclusion remains — ninjutsu is no longer practised for its intended use. Recall that the ninja profession is dependent on the structure of feudalism and constant warfare. While all of them are outstanding individuals who have contributed to the promotion of Japan and the martial arts, their Ninjutsu lineages has not been satisfactorily verified. The same thing can be said about all existing Ninjutsu schools today. No Ninjutsu school at present-day, derived or otherwise, falls under Koryu bujutsu. This is a topic that is covered here. There is, however, an exception mentioned earlier that has been verified sufficiently — Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto-Ryu. But to call it true ninjutsu would be a stretch as Katori Shinto-Ryu is predominantly a sword art, and the Ninjutsu taught is defensive. After all, the techniques and tactics they use are similar to ninjutsu. Nearly all pre-modern cultures have spies and saboteurs. For example, Chinese spies appeared in history before the ninja and did something similar to Ninjutsu. Does this make them ninja? They could very well be Persian spies, samurai, Spartans and Vikings. An evolution of ninja and other pre-modern spies? Also, the practice of ninjutsu as a distinct ryuha has not been proven to survive to this day. There are certainly modern Ninjutsu schools operating, but proving an unbroken lineage satisfactorily remains an issue. While the modern military may have taken over the role of the ninja, they do NOT qualify under the proper definition of shinobi. If you are training in a modern Ninjutsu schoolplease continue doing so. Just because a martial art cannot be proven to have historical links beyond the Meiji era, does not make what you are doing any less effective, legitimate or impressive. Note: To the best of my ability and time constraints, I have cross-referenced research from various experts to piece together a fairly accurate history of the ninja. Accessed March 04, Cummins, Antony. Hillsborough, Romulus. Kornicki, Peter F. Religion in Japan: Arrows to Heaven and Earth. New York: Cambridge UP, Natori, Masazumi. Yoda, Hiroko, and Matt Alt. Ninja Attack! Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, Samurai and Ninja : Antony Cummins : Account Options Sign in. Top charts. New arrivals. The myths of the noble Samurai and the sinister Ninja are filled with romantic fantasy and fallacy. Samurai and Ninja expert Antony Cummins shatters the myths and exposes the true nature of these very real—and very lethal—medieval Japanese warriors. The Samurai and Ninja were, in fact, brutal killing machines trained in torture and soaked in machismo.

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