Ninja and Ninjutsu

The Stealth Techniques of the Japanese Martial Art of Espionage and Invisibility

Steven Klamm

Smashword Edition

Copyright 2013 Steven Klamm

Cover by Steven Klamm

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Table of Contents

Ninja and Ninjutsu

History of Ninjutsu

Skills, Techniques and Weapons

Do Ninjas Really Practice Magic?

Organizational Structure of a Ninja Clan

Meditation

Full Lotus Position

Beating the Heavenly Drum

Opening the Heavenly Pillar

Bringing the Energy to the Palms

Physical Exercises

Full Body Workout

Aural Workout

Visual Workout

Arm Strengthening

Strengthening the Fingers

Jump Training

Fighting Techniques

Kagi-nawa (Hook Rope)

Mantoh (Gardening Shears)

Tekagi (Metal Claw Used for Gathering Grass)

Nicho-gama (Farmer’s Sickle)

Chigirigi (Blind Man’s Staff)

References

Ninja and Ninjutsu

Ninjutsu (known in English as the “techniques of stealth” or the “arts of invisibility”) is the Japanese martial art of espionage. Practitioners are trained primarily to infiltrate enemy territory to find out about and report on troops, artillery, provisions and fortifications. The scope of training was eventually expanded to include a means of actively altering the course of battles, including arson, assassination and seizure and/or destruction of weapons and supplies. Although practitioners are popularly referred to as “ninjas,” the following terms are also used to collectively describe them: shinobi (spy), onmitsu (secret agent), rappa (wild wave), suppa (transparent wave), toppa (attacking wave), kasa (grass), monomi (seer ofthings) and nokizaru (monkey under the eaves).

Despite historical evidence that suggest the presence of ninja-like activities in earlier times, it is generally believed that ninjutsu emerged in the Sengoku period (late 15th-16th centuries). Warfare was prevalent during this era, hence, there was a need for a formal fighting style. Schools teaching ninjutsu (ryuha) were eventually established, systematizing its techniques in the process. Fujita Seiko (1936) claimed that there were 71 different ryuha, the most popular of which was the following: the Iga-ryu, Koga-ryu and Kishu-ryu. It is believed that the 69 other ryuha were derived from these three.

When peace was restored in Japan during the Tokugawa Era (1600-1867), the ninjutsu was rendered virtually useless. Its practice was reduced to a form of martial arts and some ninjas were recruited by the Tokugawa bakufu for surveillance and police purposes. Because of the secretive nature of their activities, ninjas were portrayed in Tokugawa-era art, drama and literature as superhuman beings that could disappear at will, leap effortlessly over walls or sneak undetected into a castle.

That image continues to capture the imagination of people today. In the decades shortly before World War II, ninjas were popularized both in fiction and in the films of directors like Makino Shozo. In the 1960s, the Shinobi no mono (“Ninja: Band of Assassins”) film series, starring Ichikawa Raizo, triggered an international fascination with ninjas and ninjutsu. Ninjutsu therefore became a central theme in action novels and films set in various locations worldwide. It has also lost its Japanese character—American children and even cartoon character turtles have been cast as ninjas. Indeed, the ninja is now one of the most popular icons of both Japanese and contemporary global culture.

History of Ninjutsu

Legends about ninjutsu’s origins abound in ryuha texts, but scholars have dismissed these as being highly inaccurate. It is more likely that espionage techniques for the purposes of warfare were developed in the 7th and 8th centuries—and they were most probably patterned after Sun Tzu’s military classic, The Art of War. Prince Shotoku’s defeat of the Mononobe in 587 was attributed largely to espionage (he is believed to be the first Japanese ruler to benefit from the services of a shinobi). Others claim that the yamabushi (mountain ascetics), followers of a Shinto-Buddhist sect that emphasizes mountain worship (shugendo), were the pioneers of ninjutsu. Overall, early accounts of ninja activities remain unproven.

The need for spies and unconventional fighting strategies intensified during medieval times, as war became endemic and weaponry became increasingly sophisticated. For instance, Kusunoki Masashige, an early 14th century Japanese warlord, is believed to have won battles mainly through ninja-like activities. He allegedly hired Iga ninja to slip into Kyoto to learn about the city’s military situation. In addition, he defended his fortress by placing lifelike dolls on the battlements to make the number of his troops appear larger. Masashige’s excellent guerilla skills led later ryuha to claim a connection with him.

Japan plunged further into conflict after the Onin War (1467-1477). Consequently, many daimyo (regional warlords) regularly hired ninjas as spies in order to expand their territories. Although ninjutsu was openly taught and spread around the country, samurai clans residing in Iga and Koga (present-day Mie and ShigaPrefectures, respectively) were the ones that developed most of its techniques. By the end of the 15th century, there were believed to be 53 ninja houses in Iga and two in Koga. These houses were dominated by the Hattori clan and its two branches, the Fujibayashi and Momochi.

Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin and Hojo Ujiyasu are just some of the daimyo who employed ninja for the purposes of surveillance. In the Battle of Magari in Omi province in 1487, Rokaku Takayori defeated the invading Ashikaga bakufu army by hiring ninja to burn down the latter’s headquarters. Activities like this made ninja very indispensable to the daimyo. Knowledge of ninjutsu further spread among the daimyo after Oda Nobunaga destroyed the Iga and Koga territories in 1581—many of the ninjas residing in these regions fled to Daimyo in eastern Japan.

Among the daimyo that used ninja, Tokugawa Ieyasu, first shogun of the Tokugawa bakufu created in 1603, is the most well-known. His family’s connection with ninja spanned two generations, beginning with his grandfather, Matsudaira Kiyoyasu, who employed hundreds of Iga ninja, which were led by Hattori Hanzo Yasunaga. In 1852, Ieyasu escaped an assassination attempt with the help of a group of ninja led by Hattori Hanzo Masanari. When he became shogun, Ieyasu appointed Hanzo as leader of the Iga and Koga ninja were tasked with spying on possible opponents of the bakufu. The Tokugawa relied heavily on the help of ninjas at the major engagements of Sekigahara, the sieges of OsakaCastle and the Shimabara Rebellion. Soon after, Iga and Koga ninja were officially absorbed into the regime’s police and surveillance organizations.

Skills, Techniques and Weapons

Ninja families flourished throughout Japan from the 13th to the 17th centuries. Each clan had its own set of standards that must be met if one wished to become a ninja agent. Some families emphasized physical abilities. Some emphasized mental alertness. Other families placed a premium on political connections. All true ninja, however, must be proficient in the following areas regardless of family affiliation:

Ki-ai (Personal harmony with the total scheme of things) – The ninja is an enlightened individual who is in full control of himself. He is very much aware of his strengths and weaknesses and knows how to use these against his opponent. He knows when to attack and when to retreat.

Tai-jutsu (Body skills) – The ninja is an expert in unarmed combat (strikes, throws, locks and escapes). His fighting style makes use primarily of natural movements (leaping, tumbling, climbing, silent movement, etc.) and knowledge of the human body’s weak points.

Ken-po (Sword method) – The ninja’s primary weapon was a short, straight-blade sword. This type of sword was used for close-range fighting.

Yari-jutsu (Spear or lance fighting) – The ninja used a spear (a two- or three- edged blade mounted at the end of a two- or three-meter pole) for medium-range fighting. This type of spear, however, was rarely thrown. Rather, it was thrust directly between the pieces of samurai armor.

Shuriken-jutsu (Throwing blades) – The ninja uses small, concealed blades to take down a single, long-range target (the blades are thrown at the target’s hands or face). A shuriken is either straight or multi-pointed and can accurately hit a target as far as nine meters away.

Ka-jutsu (Use of fire and explosives) – The ninja uses smoke and explosives to create diversions, force evacuations and to take down walls and doors. Buildings in ancient Japan were made from wood, paper and rice straw, rendering fire the ninja’s most potent weapon. Many ninja were adept at making their own explosives from natural ingredients, while several ninja clans had their own chemists that mass-produced explosives for their use.

Yu gei (Traditional cultural arts) – The ninja is proficient in the entertainment arts popular in ancient Japan, such as painting, the tea ceremony, flower arranging, playing musical instruments, telling jokes and stories and performing Japanese dances. Knowledge of these arts will help the ninja play the part of an identity that he has assumed for espionage purposes.

Kyo Mon (Practical education) – A ninja gains knowledge of past generations through word-of-mouth teaching and instructional experiences. The said type of knowledge is composed largely of working common sense or “awareness.” Since the ninja is usually exposed to new and unfamiliar surroundings and experiences in his operations, he has to have a means of handling any situation that comes his way.

Unlike the samurai, the ninja does not adhere to a rigid code of honor and propriety. Instead of viewing things as right and wrong, good and bad, fair and unfair, the philosophy of ninjutsu classifies things as in and yo—positive and negative manifestations such as darkness and light, heaven and earth, male and female. A thing or situation’s value was based solely on its connection with other manifestations that have the same value. For instance, if commanding thousands of soldiers to attack enemy territory was regarded as a positive facet of warfare, clandestinely obtaining the battle codes or kidnapping the enemy commander himself was considered a negative balance in war activity. What was “duplicity” for the enemy was a “tactic” for the ninja.

People who do not understand the nature of ninjutsu will be quick to judge its philosophy as unscrupulous. What such people fail to realize is that ninjutsu focuses more on the result itself rather than on how it was attained. This is not without reason—the covertness of the ninja’s operations requires them to be very resourceful. For them to be able to accomplish their mission in secret, their actions must not be restricted by rules and norms.

Do Ninjas Really Practice Magic?

Contrary to popular belief, ninjas do not practice magic. What an ordinary observer may consider as “magic” is actually just a ninja’s sleigh-of-hand trick. Ninjutsu’s “magic tricks” are based on the following principles:

Angle method – An object is held in such a manner that it appears invisible to the unobservant eye. A ninja’s uppercut, for instance, appears invisible because it slides up the enemy’s chest—the enemy cannot see this attack unless he looks down his nose.

Blinding method – It is not true that ninjas could vanish at will. What they actually do is that they throw something at the enemy’s face that could make him flinch or blink (sand, stones, ashes, etc.). As soon as the enemy flinches or blinks, the ninja either attacks or escapes.

Misdirection method – During combat, a ninja confuses the enemy by launching two simultaneous attacks. One attack was intended to confuse the enemy and the other attack was meant to hurt or kill him.

Scarf method – Ninjas have an escape tactic called Ametori-No-jitsu. The ninja either stuffs his uniform with straw or suspends it in such a manner that the enemy would be fooled into thinking that he was standing in one place. But what the enemy does not know was that he had already escaped.

Mind method – The ninja manipulates an enemy by playing on the latter’s emotions.

Organizational Structure of a Ninja Clan

Membership in a ninja clan was determined solely by birth. The positions of an agent or officer in a family were given only to the progeny of the ninja themselves. The clan was headed by a jonin (director or commander-in-chief). The jonin was tasked with deciding who his ninja should support. In nearly all ninja families, the jonin’s true identity was kept secret from ordinary agents and operatives. Aside from being a security measure, doing so also assured impartiality in all of the jonin’s decisions. If the jonin’s real identity is unknown, then his decisions would not be affected by his relations with other clan members and concerns about personal safety. Only the direct descendants of the ninja clan’s founder can become jonin. From an early age, the children of the jonin were trained in directing the operations of a ninja clan, from spearheading illegal activity to viewing the world in a philosophical manner. When these children grow up, one of them would succeed as leader.

The chunin (executive officers) are the group of middlemen serving directly under the jonin. They are responsible mainly for executing the jonin’s orders. In addition, they averted dangerous breaches in the jonin’s security by maintaining his anonymity and preventing double-crosses. The chunin must be adept in carrying out orders and has an intimate knowledge of the faculties of all of the ninja operatives at his disposal. The chunin is therefore trained in modern and alternative fighting methods, as well as personnel motivation and time and logistics management.

At the bottom of the ninja clan’s organizational structure were the genin operatives (ninja field agents)—the ones responsible for getting the actual work done. Genin operatives are men and women possessing various fighting and surveillance abilities. A genin’s training begins at an early age, usually in the form of jumping, sprinting and balancing exercises that were disguised as children’s games. Once they reached adolescence, the children were taught combat techniques and weapons, as well as certain mental processes that would improve the body’s physical performance. In the early adult years, the young genin are taught surveillance skills to prepare them to become full-fledged ninjas.

The genin’s fighting attire was slack and made of rough black, gray or blue fabric. The said attire was composed of the following: trousers which were tied onto the body; a jacket with protective sleeves that covered the arms and hands; split-toed, sock-like shoes that provided quiet footing; a long scarf that was worn as a combination hood and mask; and several hidden pockets that could conceal weapons or pieces of armor.

Meditation

Ninjas meditate in order to sharpen their minds. A sharp mind gives the ninja better perception and psychological insight. Better perception and psychological insight, in turn, allows the ninja to come up with appropriate responses to danger and conflict. Meditation also allows the ninja to look back on his past mistakes and discern what should be done in the future.

Full Lotus Position

This position calms the mind and heals the body by releasing stress.

Sit in a Full Lotus Pose (right foot sole on top of the left thigh, left foot sole on top of the right shin and the right thigh).

Relax your shoulders and straighten your back.

Close your eyes and temporarily forget about your worries.

Clench your fists and place them on your knees, with the palm facing upwards.

Take three deep breaths, counting from 3 to 1 in your mind with each breath you take.

After taking the third breath, swallow and place the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.

Click your teeth together 36 times. Do this calmly and at a steady pace.

Beating the Heavenly Drum

This invigorates the brain, prevents deafness and helps attain longevity.

Interlock your fingers and place them at the back of your head. Make sure that your thumbs are placed below your ears, your fingers are touching the base of your skull and your palms are covering your ears.

Gently apply pressure with your palms.

Relax your shoulders.

Breathe slowly, deeply and silently nine times.

Continue to rest your hands on the back of your head. Beat your index fingers against the base of your skull (at the level of your ears) 24 times.

Opening the Heavenly Pillar

This is a chiropractic turning exercise that stimulates and exercises the neck and upper spinal cord.

Open your hands and place them on your thighs.

Turn your upper body from the waist, twisting to the left then to the right 48 times.

Bringing the Energy to the Palms

This will strengthen the kidneys, improve posture and increase vitality.

Place your left palm over your right palm. Rub in a circular manner from left to right 24 times.

Place your right palm over your left palm and repeat.

Place your palms on you back (just above your kidneys).

Rotate both hands vigorously on your back 24 times.

Hold your hands over your kidneys for a few minutes.

Rest your hands on your thighs and close your eyes.

Physical Exercises

Physical exercises keep a ninja’s body fit and strong. Given the strenuous nature of his operations, a ninja cannot have a body that jiggles when he walks or collapses when he runs. Below are some exercises that ninjas engage in, as well as the steps on how they are done:

Full Body Workout

Assume the push-up position with your fists clenched.

From the push-up position, push yourself off the ground with your toes. Keep yourself off the ground with only your clenched fists supporting you.

Aural Workout

It is extremely important for a ninja to have a keen sense of hearing. Espionage, after all, involves listening in on other people’s conversations. Ninjas improve their hearing skills by focusing on the sound of a needle being dropped on a whetstone. As their hearing sharpened, they dropped the needle at a farther distance.

Visual Workout

Ninjutsu has some special techniques to sharpen a ninja’s eyesight. One was to look intently at a candle’s flame for a long time. Another was to walk back and forth between a dark room and a lit one—doing so helped the ninja’s eyes adjust rapidly to sudden changes in light.

Arm Strengthening

A ninja’s arms and hands are two of his most important weapons. Without his arms and hands, a ninja cannot even dress himself, much less fight, climb or wield a sword. Needless to say, they must be kept in perfect condition. Ninjas strengthen their arms and hands by hanging from a tree branch for as long as they could.

Strengthening the Fingers

Extend your arms and open your hands at the same time.

Bend the first and second joints of each of your fingers.

Clench your fingers into a tight fist. Repeat this exercise several times to strengthen your fingers and your hand’s grip.

Jump Training

This exercise trains the ninja to jump agilely—a skill necessary for evading an assailant.

Dig a shallow hole (about 3 cm. deep) and stand in it.

Jump out of the hole without bending your knees. Repeat the exercise while gradually making the hole deeper.

Fighting Techniques

Although ninjutsu is well-known for stealth, it does not mean that ninjas have no knowledge of fighting techniques. There are some instances in which it is impossible for a ninja to operate stealthily—he may have to take down several armed guards to be able to break into or escape a venue.

What makes ninjutsu’s fighting techniques different from those of other martial arts is that the former uses tools at hand (rope, shears, farming equipment, etc.) as weapons. Because ninjas are heavily involved in espionage, they cannot afford to blow their disguise by carrying incriminating weapons. Hence, they must be able to turn anything into a weapon.

Kagi-nawa (Hook Rope)

Using your left hand, hold a bundle of rope to block your opponent’s attack.

Using your right hand, simultaneously punch your opponent’s stomach and drive the hook into his clothes and flesh.

Strangle your opponent by twisting the rope to the left. At the same time, pin his right arm firmly against your body.

While twisting your opponent’s arm, move behind him and tie his arm behind him. Any attempts of your opponent to move will only dig the hook deeper into his wound.

Mantoh (Gardening Shears)

Lunge at your opponent while gripping tightly on the shears.

Open the shears’ blades. Hold them horizontally to block your opponent’s attack.

Twist the shears to make your opponent lose his balance.

Once your opponent is caught off-balance, hold the shears’ blades around his neck. You can then proceed to slit his throat with them.

Tekagi (Metal Claw Used for Gathering Grass)

Put the tekagi on.

Upon seeing your opponent, hide your tekagi hand in your clothes.

Use your free hand to block the swing of his sword.

Maul your opponent’s sword arm with the tekagi. Doing so will force him to drop his sword.

Finish off your opponent by stabbing his neck or face.

Nicho-gama (Farmer’s Sickle)

1. Use the left-hand sickle to block the swinging sword.

2. Hit your opponent’s sword hand with the right-hand sickle.

3. Twist your body upwards to make your opponent drop his sword.

4. Quickly move behind your opponent so that you can slit his throat with the sickles.

Chigirigi (Blind Man’s Staff)

Pretend to be a blind man with a chigirigi.

Use your chigirigi to block your opponent’s sword attack.

When your opponent tries to attack you again, block his sword with the chain hidden inside the chigirigi.

Flip your opponent over with your foot and push him to the ground with your chigirigi.

As soon as your opponent hits the ground, get his short sword and stab him to death.

References

Cahill, J., & Itoh, M. (Eds.). (2002). Secrets of the Ninja: Their Training, Tools and

Techniques. Tokyo, Japan: DH Publishing Inc.

Hayes, S.K. (1980). Ninja: Spirit of the Shadow Warrior. Burbank, California: Ohara

Publications, Incorporated.

Hurst, G.C. III. (2001). Ninjutsu. In T.A. Green (Ed.), Martial Arts of the World: An

Encyclopedia (Vol. 1, pp. 355-361). Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc.

Kim, A. (2000). Ninja Mind Control. Lake Alfred, Florida. DOJO Press. (Original work

published 1984).

Kim, A. (2000). Secrets of the Ninja. Lake Alfred, Florida: DOJO Press. (Original work

published 1981).

Seiko, F. (1936). Ninjutsu Hiroku (The Secret Records of Ninjutsu). Tokyo, Japan:

Chiyoda Shoin.

About the Author

Steven Klamm is a Kentucky based businessman and traveller, who once made a vow that he would write books about everything he finds amusing or strange in this world. After a long journey he finally came to the point that he started to follow up on that vow.

More about Steven Klamm on his website: http://www.stevenklamm.com

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