Meeting: #15 Subject: Ninjutsu Date: 8-22-97
The basic ideas behind the development of ninjutsu came to Japan from China. In Chinese military classics such as the Sonshi (Sun-tzu in Chinese), there are descriptions of methods of espionage. The Sun-tzu may have been brought to Japan as early as the sixth century AD.
Prince Regent Shotoku was a wise and benevolent ruler. But he is regarded as the first Japanese ruler to use spies. He used them to determine the facts in civil cases and to improve his means of judgment in deciding these cases and then to invesfigate and gather intelligence about enemies, to harass them, and to lessen their military ability. By the time if the rise to power of the professional warrior class in the 12th century, all successful military commanders employed specialists in ninjutsu.
In each ninjutsu "school" are three classes of ninja. At the top level is the jonin, the boss. He is assisted by the chunin, a small group of middle-ranking ninja whose duties included that of go-betweens of connecting links between the jonin and the lowest level of ninja, genin. It is the genin and their exploits that make the ninja famous. A warlord who wishes to lure a ninja must find means of contacting the chunin to convey his request to the jonin.
Because of all the complicated connections with the hiring and the use of ninja, genin ninja are always suspicious of all people, jonin, chunin, and lord alike, including the people within their own group. Ordinary townsfolk considered the ninja as social outcasts and wamors looked down upon them as traitorous cowards. As a pariah class and regarded as something less than human, ninja who were captured by warriors looked down upon them as traitorous cowards. As a pariah class and regarded as something less than human, ninja who were captured by warriors usually suffered a horrible death. They might be boiled alive, in oil, or have the skin peeled from their bodies. It is common practice that the ninja kill himself when capture was imminent.
A ninja sometimes operates under a disguise. They would imitate a merchant, priest, farmer, etc. When operatmg without disguise the ninja wore a special costume (the familiar image of a Japanese ninja) called shinobi shozoku. It consists of a jacket, trousers, hood or scarf or both, and special shoes. The jacket and trousers contained numerous pockets which concealed many assorted objects that were necessary to the mission. Certain objects were always carried by every ninja, but special equipment was chosen in accordance with the nature of the mission. It was not unusual for a ninja to have the tools he needed to force entry, tools needed to scale a wall, a snorkel needed to go under water, smoke and incendiary bombs, flares, flotation device to carry heavy loads across water, a collection of mice, lizards, or weasels to distract people, emergency food and water supplies, medicines and poisons, and a variety of weapons. What was important about the ninja's costume and gear was that it was all lightweight, portable, and designed so that it could be carried or worn without hindrance.
The ninja had to be the master of as many weapons as he could possibly expect to use. Some could use up to as many as 20 different weapons with expert skill. One of the most useful weapons to the ninja was the shuriken. Since each ninja designed his own particular type there are countless patterns of these small hand-held throwing blades. Maximum effective range of the shuriken was limited to about thirty feet. A ninja usually carried nine of them; nine being considered a lucky number among them.
One of the legendary ninja was called Sarutobi Sasuke. Sarutobi, whose name meant "monkey jump," was famous for his monkey-like acrobatic skills and ferocious hand to hand fighting ability. Sarutobi was able to perform feats of running, jumping, and climbing normally possible by monkeys. One aspect of Sanitobi was important. It was the quality loyalty and utter determination to serve his master.
Hattori Hanzo, a famous jonin ninja, was an expert with the spear. The rule by which Hatton insured the success of all his operations was, "To deceive your enemy, first deceive your own side." There are accounts of Hattori appearing to betray his own side. His tactic of using feign betrayer known only to his shogun.
Oda Nobunaga and Uesugi Kenshin were enemies. Both were powerful and leaders of politically opposite causes. Ninja formed important portions for each leader's security. Oda dispatched Ukifune Jinnai, a ninja who stood about three feet tall, to assassinate Uesugi. In his training, Ukifune had lived in a large earthenware jar, preparing himself for action in small spaces. After making entry onto Uesugi's residence, he hid himself where Uesugi eventually must go... the lavatory. Later, Uesugi squatted in his daily habit, and the dwarf thrust the spear upward through *cough*, withdrew the spear, then burrowed into the fecal matter to escape detection by Uesugi's ninja. Ukifune breathed through a tube inches below the surface of the lavatory pit. When the activity around the lavatory had ceased, Ukifune made his way back to his master to report his glorious deed.