A Brief History Of The Ninja

The history of Japan is a rich, colorful tapestry filled with legendary figures that

we laud and celebrate even today, many generations later, in the United States. For centuries, the whole of Japan was ruled through a feudal system that relied on military might to keep order.

Among those martial leaders were the great shoguns, and beneath them, the samurai. The samurai may be among the most memorable of all the military forces in the history of the world, as they were distinguished by the way of the Bushido--their equivalent to the code of chivalry. We therefore regard them as men of honor, dignity, and patriotism.

But perhaps even more fascinating to us than the samurai are the ever-elusive ninjas (called in Japanese the "shinobi") that represent mystery, secrecy, and a quiet, lethal power. The growing fascination with the ninja has been evident through many recent blockbuster films, including the new take on the character of Batman.

History of the ninja class of fighters is a bit difficult to trace. While Japanese mythology suggests that all ninjas are descendants of a spirit or demon that is half human, half crow, historians tend to believe that they arose as a new "denomination," or specialization within the legions of samurai.

This may have begun as early as the seventh century A.D., but they were not distinguished as a separate group until the 1300's A.D. Just like mercenaries have been in the past, they became critical during ongoing military conflicts, particularly during the 1300 and 1400's.

Both sides would typically employ their own collective force of ninjas, and they frequently acted as both spies and assassins.

The collective strategies and techniques used by ninjas are referred to as ninjutsu. Each properly trained ninja learned, among other things: karate; special bodily skills like flexibility and endurance; staff and spear fighting; stealth; problem solving and strategizing; and manipulation of the elements around them.

They were also able to disguise themselves through their use of agricultural tools as weaponry, or they traveled in the guise of a shaman with only a flute in hand. These flutes could easily be used to blow darts, which is a common technique we see portrayed in contemporary films and literature.

Ninja tools also included sai--special lightweight, thin daggers--nun chucks, and throwing stars, which most of us are fairly familiar with.

Once the violent conflicts in Japan died down in the seventeenth century, the need for the ninja's special skills faded. But in recent years, the highly specialized skills of the ninja have begun to be celebrated once again.

by: Art Gib

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