Ninja

For some reason, "ninja" have become prevalent in today's movies, television programs, video games, and other forms of entertainment. The characters presented by these media, however, show a grossly distorted image of the actual ninja that lived in Japan many years ago. In fact, not even the contemporaries of the ninja understood them, as shown by the shortage of primary accounts dealing with the ninja.

The ninja practiced the philosophy of ninjitsu, which translates to "the art of stealth". Ninjitsu was influenced by many factors, including the Shinto religion, military teachings imported from China, and certain sects of Buddhism. The development of ninjitsu actually took several centuries, and the word itself was not applied to the philosophy until some time after it had formed.

Fighting throughout Japan increased during the Kamakura Period, but meanwhile the ninja had retreated off into the mountains, where they trained their bodies and spirits in rigurous ninjitsu training. It was around this time that the services of the ninja began to be sought after by warlords looking for an advantage over their enemies. A handful of ninja were hired to act as spies or as assassins, roles where their "art of stealth" would come in very handy.

Spies and Assassins

Out of the 70-80 ninja clans in Japan, only a comparative handful of individuals ever sold their services to the warlords, but these mostly nameless rogues helped to shape the history of Japan. As the number of assassinated lords increased, "ninja-phobia" spread across the land. The fear grew into a sort of hysteria. All unexplainable events became attributed to ninja activity. In the tales told by some, the ninja wielded magical powers; by mere finger gestures, they could summon a surge of mystical engery. Perhaps more credibly, there were also reports that they were masters of weaponry and explosives. For less subtle ninja, seduction was used as a tool. Female ninja lured their victims into dropping their defenses, at which point they killed them. There is one reported incident of a young male ninja using similar tactics against a homosexual abbot in order to steal a rare manuscript.