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Before
continuing, we would like you to know that there are many versions of how
Ninjutsu really begun. Sources from
this period are scarce, so we cannot know exactly what happened.
Nevertheless, all versions approach one single versio,n which more or
less regroups all of them. And that
is this version that we have presented to you here.
Ninjutsu is
a form of martial art formed by the ninjas more than 800 years ago, that
is, after 1330 AD. At that time,
the samurais ruled feudal Japan. They
were the noble warrior class, who owned lands and who were the masters of
ordinary people. The only person
who can give orders to the samurais were their lords called the shoguns.
The habitants were forced to obey every exigency of their masters and were punished by death if ever they did something against them. That is why some of them revolted and run away to the hostile regions of Iga and Koga.
There they lived for hundred of years and formed ninja families. As a counterculture to the samurais, they developed the art of ninjutsu. Some people say that they based themselves upon a famous Chinese military text, “The Art of war”, whose author was a general named Sun Tzu. Others say that they were highly influenced by the Shugenja, a group of people who lived in the same mountains as the ninjas.
They knew that they should be prepared to all eventualities to protect their families and way of life, so they developed ninjutsu by first understanding the basic laws of nature. They created a practically perfect form of martial art which allowed them to be recognized as the most extraordinary warriors of the world of the time.
The training of ninjas began since birth and extended over the whole lifetime of the person. They did not specialize in any particular arts but were all-rounders. Their training consisted of everything ranging from espionage to assassination. But they were also taught to reach spirituality so that their mind and body could work together perfectly as one whole. *
Gradually, over the centuries, the ninjas began to be feared by most people, even by the mighty samurais. They were often considered as outlaws and were executed mercilessly if discovered. But one must not be influenced by the bad reputation of the ninjas today. They were not in any way witches or wizards. They were only on a higher level than ordinary people.
The tasks that ninjas undertook were just as varied as animals in a zoo. They became terrorists, assassins for samurai lords, spies, security specialists and reconnaissance teams. They did jobs for samurai lords that samurais themselves were unable to do due to their code of honour, the bushido. The bushido consisted of guidelines for discipline, which the warrior class had to stick to.
Normal society often thought of the ninjas as cowards and ghastly. It disapproved of their tactics and attitudes. Even though it was frequently wrong, ninjas did succeed in many of their missions. But there were times that ninja clans were entirely destroyed.
Just as the samurais, the ninjas must have had a kind of structure. They were divided into clans or traditions. In the regions of Iga and Koga, there were easily seventy or eighty clans. Each clan has different martial techniques, aims and philosophies. But a ninja was always loyal and faithful to his clan as ninjas were always honest whether in contracts with the samurais or in their own missions. They couldn’t risk the lives of the rest of the clan in any way and were put to death by their own clans when necessary, if they were guilty. That is why ninjas were so secretive, at all times in a disguise or cover identity. They could not reveal any of the clan’s secrets. *
The samurai is bounded to his code of honour but the ninja did not have such a bond. He, of course, had rules to follow but they were not as strict as the bushido. If a samurai was captured, he was considered to have been disgraced and should kill himself, by ripping his stomach open with a small sword. On his side, ninjas could run away from fights if they felt they were unable to put up with it, unlike the samurais who always had to face their opponents.
As the ninjas became more popular, the stories on them also increased. People believed that ninjas had superhuman powers and came to fear them. But these rumours and superstitions were often spread and encouraged by the ninjas themselves. They knew that people were scared of everything beyond normal and they wanted to be feared so as to protect themselves more.
A ninja would use any method, strategy and ruse, whether fair or foul to guarantee peace and tranquility. Ninjas were not great warriors but their deep knowledge of nature and their excellent techniques and weapons made them worthier than samurais.
As time passed, ninjutsu was being more and more perfected and no one apart from the ninjas themselves knew its secrets. *
*………For more information on the ninjas’ training and skills, click here.
*………For more information about the ninjas’ clans’ structure, click here.
*………For information on ninjutsu’s more recent past and its present, click here.
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