The Book of Ninja: The Bansenshukai - Japan's Premier Ninja Manual

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Kumawaka (the 16th century): a suppa (ninja) who served Obu Toramasa (1504– 1565), a vassal of Takeda Shingen. [142]

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The title ninja has sometimes been attributed retrospectively to the semi-legendary 4th-century prince Yamato Takeru. [20] In the Kojiki, the young Yamato Takeru disguised himself as a charming maiden and assassinated two chiefs of the Kumaso people. [21] However, these records take place at a very early stage of Japanese history, and they are unlikely to be connected to the shinobi of later accounts. The first recorded use of espionage was under the employment of Prince Shōtoku in the 6th century. [22] Such tactics were considered unsavory even in early times, when, according to the 10th-century Shōmonki, the boy spy Hasetsukabe no Koharumaru was killed for spying against the insurgent Taira no Masakado. [23] Later, the 14th-century war chronicle Taiheiki contained many references to shinobi [20] and credited the destruction of a castle by fire to an unnamed but "highly skilled shinobi". [24] Early history This book is ideal for learning about the fighting tactics of Ninja’s and as the title suggests, it’s all illustrated too. Sometimes, descriptions are helpful but without visual aids, it can be difficult to try and learn purely by reading. Because of this, The Illustrated Ninja Handbook has you covered. This book is ideal for beginners too as it covers a lot of the basics and is quite basic in its approach. It is basically a step-by-step guide on how to incorporate Ninjutsu into a fighting scenario. Takagi, Ichinosuke; Gomi, Tomohide; Ōno, Susumu (1962), Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei: Man'yōshū Volume 4, Iwanami Shoten, ISBN 4-00-060007-9

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Born in the post-civil war era of Japan, a ninja known as Fujibayashi collected and combined information from the ninja clans of Iga – regarded to be the homeland of the ninja – and compiled it into an authoritative book. Known as the Bansenshukai,this book has now been translated into English by the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team, which is headed by the authors Antony Cummins and Yoshie Minami. Okuse, Heishichirō. (1967). Ninjutsu: sono rekishi to ninja. Tokyo: Jinbutsu Ōraisha. OCLC 22727254. Tanuki-gakure: The practice of climbing a tree and camouflaging oneself within the foliage. Falls under "wood techniques" ( mokuton-no-jutsu). [90]

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Many famous people in Japanese history have been associated or identified as ninja, but their status as ninja are difficult to prove and may be the product of later imagination. Rumors surrounding famous warriors, such as Kusunoki Masashige or Minamoto no Yoshitsune sometimes describe them as ninja, but there is little evidence for these claims. In battle, the ninja were also used to cause confusion amongst the enemy. [75] A degree of psychological warfare in the capturing of enemy banners can be seen illustrated in the Ōu Eikei Gunki, composed between the 16th and 17th centuries: The warlord Oda Nobunaga's notorious reputation led to several attempts on his life. In 1571, a Kōga ninja and sharpshooter by the name of Sugitani Zenjubō was hired to assassinate Nobunaga. Using two arquebuses, he fired two consecutive shots at Nobunaga, but was unable to inflict mortal injury through Nobunaga's armor. [69] Sugitani managed to escape, but was caught four years later and put to death by torture. [69] In 1573, Manabe Rokurō, a vassal of daimyō Hatano Hideharu, attempted to infiltrate Azuchi Castle and assassinate the sleeping Nobunaga. However, this also ended in failure, and Manabe was forced to commit suicide, after which his body was openly displayed in public. [69] According to a document, the Iranki, when Nobunaga was inspecting Iga province—which his army had devastated—a group of three ninja shot at him with large-caliber firearms. The shots flew wide of Nobunaga, however, and instead killed seven of his surrounding companions. [70] Shinobi-monomi were people used in secret ways, and their duties were to go into the mountains and disguise themselves as firewood gatherers to discover and acquire the news about an enemy's territory... they were particularly expert at travelling in disguise. [31] A komusō monk is one of many possible disguises.

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With the fall of Hara Castle, the Shimabara Rebellion came to an end, and Christianity in Japan was forced underground. [45] These written accounts are the last mention of ninja in war. [46] Edo period In 2020, the 45-year-old Genichi Mitsuhashi was the first student to graduate from the master course of ninja studies at Mie University. For 2 years he studied historical records and the traditions of the martial art. Similar to the original ninja, by day he was a farmer and grew vegetables while he did ninja studies and trained martial arts in the afternoon. [60] Green, Thomas A. (2001), Martial arts of the world: an encyclopedia, Volume 2: Ninjutsu, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-57607-150-2

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A mountain ascetic ( yamabushi) attire facilitated travel, as they were common and could travel freely between political boundaries. The loose robes of Buddhist priests also allowed concealed weapons, such as the tantō. [92] Minstrel or sarugaku outfits could have allowed the ninja to spy in enemy buildings without rousing suspicion. Disguises as a komusō, a mendicant monk known for playing the shakuhachi, were also effective, as the large "basket" hats traditionally worn by them concealed the head completely. [93] Equipment a b Axelrod, Alan (2015). Mercenaries: A Guide to Private Armies and Private Military Companies. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. ISBN 978-1-4833-6467-4. Wada Koremasa (1536–1571): a powerful Kōka samurai ninja who in 1568 allied with the Ashikaga shogunate and Oda Nobunaga, at which point he relocated to Settsu Province. Modern schools that claim to train ninjutsu arose from the 1970s, including that of Masaaki Hatsumi ( Bujinkan), Stephen K. Hayes ( To-Shin Do), and Jinichi Kawakami (Banke Shinobinoden). The lineage and authenticity of these schools are a matter of controversy.There was a retainer of the family of Kawai Aki-no-kami of Iga, of pre-eminent skill in shinobi, and consequently for generations the name of people from Iga became established. Another tradition grew in Kōga. [30] Along with common weapons, a large assortment of miscellaneous arms were associated with the ninja. Some examples include poison, [94] makibishi ( caltrops), [123] shikomizue ( cane swords), [124] land mines, [125] fukiya ( blowguns), poisoned darts, acid-spurting tubes, and firearms. [105] The happō, a small eggshell filled with metsubushi (blinding powder), was also used to facilitate escape. [126] Legendary abilities Fūma Kotarō (d. 1603): a ninja rumored to have killed Hattori Hanzō, with whom he was supposedly rivals. The fictional weapon Fūma shuriken is named after him.

The Book of Ninja by Antony Cummins, Yoshie Minami The Book of Ninja by Antony Cummins, Yoshie Minami

Satake et al. 2003, p.108; the Man'yōgana used for " shinobi " is 志乃備, its meaning and characters are unrelated to the later mercenary shinobi. a b c Zoughari, Kacem (2010). Ninja: Ancient Shadow Warriors of Japan (The Secret History of Ninjutsu). North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing. pp. 47. ISBN 978-0-8048-3927-3. Nawa, Yumio. (1972). Hisshō no heihō ninjutsu no kenkyū: gendai o ikinuku michi. Tokyo: Nichibō Shuppansha. OCLC 122985441. Howell, Anthony (1999), The analysis of performance art: a guide to its theory and practice, Routledge, ISBN 978-90-5755-085-0 Later in history, the Kōga ninja would become regarded as agents of the Tokugawa bakufu, at a time when the bakufu used the ninja in an intelligence network to monitor regional daimyōs as well as the Imperial court. [27] Sabotage

Hitsuke: The practice of distracting guards by starting a fire away from the ninja's planned point of entry. Falls under "fire techniques" ( katon-no-jutsu). [90]