Ninja Tools - A Thing Of The Past Or A Teacher For The Present

From the old Japanese movies we used to see on TV when I was young to more recent

movies like The Last Samurai, the world has had a long fascination with Ninja. Often portrayed as the seedy underside of Japanese military politics, the Ninja were mastering black-ops techniques still used by modern covert agencies today.

They had a code of honor and came from established lineages, not at all different from their Samurai counterparts, and just as the Samurai, they served their lords, had their causes, and fought with styles taught in their own schools. To this day in Japan, there are families who may have hung up their masks and black clothing, yet still maintain the culture and traditions of their Ninja ancestors. There are even "Ninja Houses," that showcase ninja culture and traditions for visitors, and display their vast array of tools.

As it was illegal in ancient Japan for anyone but the Samurai to carry most weapons, the Ninja had to craft their weapons to look like common items, like clothing and tools. These Ninja tools might take the shape of a sandal or lantern, but woven into the seams were blades, explosives, secret compartments, and even covert means of transportation.

Take, for instance, the combination of the "tsugi bune" and "shinobi kai." The tsugi bune was a type of collapsible boat that could be carried in sections, and the shinobi kai was a oar that could be disassembled like a pool que and made to look like a fan. A team of Ninja could carry these items in the day completely unnoticed, wait until nightfall to meet, reassemble to boat and oars, and row out together on an assignment.

These and other Ninja tools made it possible for the men and women who used them to live in plain sight, as seemingly harmless peasants, monks, or merchants, only to enable them to spring into immediate action when called upon by their clan or their lord. Many of these tools, like the throwing star and the nunchaku, made popular again by decades worth of martial arts films, are readily available and as useful today as they were five hundred years ago. For the more ambitious, books like the Secret Guide to Making XXX are also available.

Whatever one's interest in Ninja, as a part of ancient history or a modern reality, the tools of the Ninja provide a fascinating look as well as compelling possibilities.

by: Art Gib

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