![]() Some schools became especially famous such as the Iga and Koga schools. From the 15th century CE, ninjas were being trained in special camps which might involve entire villages. From childhood, a future ninja would learn to ride, swim, and handle weapons of all kinds. These became the famous ninja families and explain why certain localities established long traditions of producing the specialised warriors. The earliest approach to ninja training was taken by particular families of samurai warriors who passed on their skills from father or master ( sensei) to son. Illustrated manuals were written as guides for would-be practitioners, the most famous being the Bansen shukai, compiled by Fujibayashi Samuji in 1676 CE. By the Edo Period and the peace which followed from the Tokugawa domination of Japan, ninjas were no longer required in such numbers and so the formal martial art of ninjutsu developed to continue their traditions. The tactics of subterfuge, ambush and trickery, as well as their use of projectile weapons, meant that ninjas did not enjoy the high reputation that samurai warriors, perhaps not entirely fairly, acquired for being chivalrous and courageous. A ninja was supposed to stand whenever they heard the password and anyone left seated was thus exposed. ![]() In order to make sure ninjas within a group were who they should be passwords were used at random. Crafty leaders sometimes employed ninjas to infiltrate the ninja bands of the enemy. Ninjas were also used as forward scouts and to generally cause as much disruption as possible behind enemy lines during nighttime commando raids.īesides organised bands of ninjas, there were many freelance ninjas who offered their services to the highest bidder in the unsettled times of 15th and 16th century CE Japan. ![]() The real identity of successful ninjas was, of course, concealed to ensure their own safety and continued usefulness in future operations. For both, they employed disguises and learnt the art of deception. However, ninjas as military special forces had been in operation since the 15th century CE and the Warring States Period (aka Sengoku Jidai, 1467-1568 CE) when the factious infighting that beset Japan required reconnaissance, intelligence and spying in order to ascertain who exactly one's enemies were or might be in the near future.Ī ninja had two main roles: as an assassin & as a spy to gather intelligence.Ī ninja, then, had two main roles: as an assassin and as a spy to gather intelligence on enemy movements and plans. One of the 18 was the art of the ninja or ninjutsu, which developed during the Edo Period (1603-1868 CE). Besides the more familiar ones which are still practised today such as judo, jujutsu and kendo, there were those involving horsemanship and swimming. In medieval Japan, there were no fewer than 18 individual martial arts ( bugei or bujutsu). Employed from the 15th century CE onwards, ninjas, because of their lengthy secret training in specialised schools and mysterious anonymity, have acquired a perhaps exaggerated reputation for fantastic feats and weapons play, which makes them perfect characters for many modern comic books and computer games. ![]() These special forces were adept at disguise, deception, and assaulting enemy positions and strongholds, usually at night when they moved like shadows in their traditional dark clothing. Ninja (aka Shinobi) were the specialised assassins, saboteurs, and secret agents of medieval Japanese warfare who were highly-trained proponents of the martial arts, especially what later became known as ninjutsu or 'the art of the ninja'.
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