There are many myths and legends about Japanese ninjas. Today they are considered a clan of killers who were brought up by special in secret ways and fought with their eternal rivals, the samurai. But modern look Ancient Ninja is based on 20th century comics and fantasy literature. In our roundup of little-known facts about real history ninja.

1. Shinobi no mono

According to surviving documents, correct name is "shinobi no mono". The word "ninja" is a Chinese reading of a Japanese ideogram that became popular in the 20th century.

2. The first mention of the ninja

For the first time about the ninja became known from the military chronicle "Taiheiki", written in 1375. It was told that the ninja penetrated the enemy city at night and set fire to the buildings.

3. The golden age of the ninja

The ninja flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries as Japan was being torn apart. internecine wars. After 1600, peace reigned in Japan, after which the decline of the ninja began.

4. Bansenshukai

There are very few records of ninja during the era of war, but after the coming of peace, they began to keep records of their skills. The most famous ninjutsu manual is the so-called Ninja Bible or Bansenshukai, which was written in 1676. There are about 400 - 500 ninjutsu manuals, many of which are still kept secret.

5. Special forces of the samurai army

Today, popular media often depict samurai and ninja sworn enemies. In fact, the ninja were something of a modern-day special forces in the samurai army. Many samurai trained in ninjutsu.

6. Ninja "quinine"

Popular remedies mass media also depict ninja as coming from peasant class. In truth, ninja could come from any class, samurai or otherwise. Moreover, they were "quinine", that is, they were outside the structure of society. Over time (after the onset of peace), the ninja began to be considered lower in status, but they still occupied a higher social status than most peasants.

7. Ninjutsu - a specialized form of hand-to-hand combat

It is generally accepted that ninjutsu is a form of hand-to-hand combat, a system of martial arts that is still taught throughout the world. However, the idea of ​​a specialized form of hand-to-hand combat practiced by today's ninja was invented by a certain Japanese in the 1950s and 1960s. This new combat system was brought to America during the ninja boom in the 1980s and became one of the most popular misconceptions about the ninja.

8. Shurikens or Shakens

Throwing stars (shurikens or shakens) do not have the slightest historical connection with ninja. Throwing stars were a secret weapon used in many samurai schools. They began to be associated with ninja only in the 20th century thanks to comics and animated films.

9. Illustration of delusion

Ninjas are never depicted without masks, however, there is not the slightest mention of ninjas wearing masks. In fact, they had to cover their faces with long sleeves when the enemy was close by. When working in groups, they wore white armbands so they could see each other in the moonlight.

10. Ninjas blend in with the crowd

The popular ninja look necessarily includes a black skin-tight suit. In fact, in such a suit they would look just as appropriate as, for example, on the streets of modern Moscow. They wore traditional Japanese clothing.

11. Camouflage clothing

Today, people believe that ninjas wore black clothes to make it easier for them to hide in the dark. In Shoninki ( Real way ninja), written in 1681, said that ninjas should wear clothes of blue color to blend in with the crowd as this color was popular at the time. During night operations, they wore black clothes (on a moonless night) or white clothes (on a full moon).

12 Ninjas Didn't Use Straight Swords

The "ninja-to" or square-hilted ninja swords famous today did exist in medieval Japan, as square handguards were then made, but they began to be attributed to ninja only in the 20th century. "Medieval Special Forces" used ordinary swords.

13. "Kuji"

Ninjas are known for their spells, which they supposedly cast with hand gestures. This art was called "kuji" and it has nothing to do with ninja. Kuji originated in India and was later adopted in China and Japan. It is a series of gestures designed to ward off evil in certain situations or to ward off the evil eye.

14. Land mines, hand grenades, explosives, poisonous gas...

The image of a ninja using a smoke bomb is quite universal and common in modern world. Although medieval warriors did not have smoke bombs, they did have hundreds of fire-related recipes: land mines, hand grenades, waterproof torches, varieties of Greek fire, fire arrows, explosives, and poisonous gas.

15. Yin Ninja and Yang Ninja

This is half true. There were two groups of ninja: those who could be seen (yang ninja) and those whose identity was always a mystery (yin ninja).

16. Nija - black magicians

In addition to the image of the ninja assassin in old Japanese films, one could often find the image of a ninja master, a warrior-mage who defeated enemies with cunning. Interestingly, ninja skills did contain a certain amount of ritual magic, from magical hairpins that supposedly provide invisibility to sacrificing dogs to get the gods' help. However, the standard skills of the samurai also contained an element of magic. It was common for that time.

17. The art of covert operations

To be more precise, they were indeed often hired to kill the victim, but most ninja were trained in the art of covert operations, propaganda, espionage, making and using explosives etc.

18. "Kill Bill"

Hattori Hanzo became famous thanks to the movie Kill Bill. In fact, it was a famous historical figure - Hattori Hanzo was a real samurai and trained ninja. He became a famous general who earned the nickname "Devil Hanzo". It was he who, at the head of a group of ninjas, contributed to the fact that Tokugawa became the shogun of Japan.

19. Hobbyists and enthusiasts

The first major boom in the modern popularity of the ninja came in Japan in the early 1900s, when very little was known about these medieval assassin spies. In the 1910s - 1970s, many books were written by amateurs and enthusiasts, which were simply replete with errors and falsifications. These errors were then translated into English during the ninja's boom in popularity in the 1980s.

20. Ninjas are laughable

The study of the ninja has been a source of laughter in Japanese scientific circles, and for many decades the study of their history was considered a bizarre fantasy. Serious research in Japan began only during the last 2-3 years.

21. Encrypted Ninja Scrolls

It is claimed that the ninja manuscripts were encrypted so that no outsider could read them. This misunderstanding arose from the Japanese way of writing scrolls. Many Japanese scrolls simply list the names of the skills without proper spelling. Although their true meanings have been lost, the texts have never been deciphered.

22. Hollywood myths

This is a Hollywood myth. There is no evidence that abandoning a mission led to suicide. In fact, some manuals teach that it's better to abandon a mission than to rush things and cause problems.

23. Sleeper Agents

It is believed that ninja were much more powerful than ordinary warriors, but only certain ninja who were trained were so. special style waging war. Many ninjas just lived their lives in secret. ordinary people in enemy provinces, carried on normal daily activities, or traveled to spread rumors. The recommended abilities for a ninja were: disease resistance, high intelligence, fast speech and silly appearance(because people usually ignore those who look stupid).

24. There is no clan or clan...

There are a number of people in Japan who claim to be masters of ninja schools that trace their lineage back to the time of the samurai. This issue is very controversial, since there is not a single proven fact that ninja clans or clans have survived so far.

25. Spies-saboteurs

While fictional ninjas have haunted people for the past 100 years, the historical truth is often much more impressive and interesting. Ninjas were engaged in real espionage activities, carried out covert operations, worked behind enemy lines, were covert surveillance agents, etc.

Japan is a country with a special culture, which is quite difficult for Europeans to understand. One of the incredible pages of Japanese history - who not only defended their home and family, but mutilated their enemies beyond recognition.

Sourced from list25.com

In books devoted to the art of ninjutsu, one can see descriptions of a huge number of types of cold ninja combat weapons - all kinds of swords, sickles, halberds, pipes, shurikens, etc.

But from a historical point of view, the specific melee ninja weapons that were used only by the "warriors of the night" were only a couple of dozen types of military items that were invisible and were used covertly. The rest was equally used by samurai and bandits.

Types of edged shinobi weapons

Ninja sword (ninja - to, gatana) - a short curved sword with a metal handle, entangled with black stripes of leather. About the ninja sword under the influence of militants has developed a large number of delusions. Ninja-to was not straight, but slightly curved and did not rush behind his back, as shown in the films. To avoid drawing attention to the hired killer, the blade, scabbard and hilt were missing patterns, ornaments and jewelry. Often the scabbard of the sword (say) was made longer than the blade and in empty space they put small things that could help shinobi in a difficult situation - shurikens, poison powders, documents.

Ashiko - sharp metal claws that were worn on the feet and helped to climb trees and walls at high speed. They were also used as weapons - they could cause heavy damage.

Shuko - like ashiko, it was used for climbing trees and overcoming high fortifications.

Kakuta is the female ninja's weapon. It was a ring with pointed protrusions on which poison was applied.

Kama - military weapon in the form of a sickle, with a handle 45 cm long and a curved blade fixed perpendicular to it. Often used as a pair of weapons.

Kusari-gama - kama, to which a chain with a load on the other end was attached. With the help of the chain, the enemy’s weapon was intercepted and the blade was thrown out to a distance of the length of the chain, followed by the return of the kama to the hands of the ninja.

Kaginawa - a cat on a rope or chain great length. Used to overcome walls.

Kiyoketsu shoge is a rope with a knife tied at one end and a hoop-shaped handle at the other.

Naginata - Japanese halberd with a fifteen-centimeter blade. The naginata was often worn by sohei warrior monks, and was used by ninja if they wanted to disguise themselves as them.

Some - metal, sometimes poisoned claws that were worn on the fingers. Mostly used by women - shinobi kunoichi to damage the eyes of an opponent.

Sai is a Japanese trident, which is a sharp round or multifaceted sixty-centimeter rod with sharpened guards.

Shobo - a sharp metal rod that was attached to the middle finger with a special ring.

Shuriken is a thin sharpened metal plate that was used mainly to stop the enemy. Sometimes poison was applied to the ends of the shuriken, but a ninja with a poisoned shuriken could inadvertently injure himself and die from his own poison.

Throwing arrows - pointed rods 10-15 cm long, were worn secretly in a special quiver on the arm.

Tessen - a fan with sharpened metal knitting needles. Often used as a small shield.

Fukiya, fukibari - wind pipe 5-30 centimeters long. With it, the ninja could shoot poisoned needles.

Ninja weapon video

The video lists the most interesting items from the shinobi arsenal.

Ninja (jap. 忍者 - hiding; one who hides< 忍ぶ «синобу» — скрывать(ся), прятать(ся); терпеть, переносить + の者 «моно» — суффикс людей и профессий) другое название синоби (忍び кратко < 忍びの者 «синоби-но моно») — разведчик-диверсант, шпион, лазутчик и наёмный убийца в средневековой Японии.

According to legends, ninjas were brave, trained people who had been trained since childhood in a very complex art ninjutsu, which included a lot of skills. The ninja had to first of all extract necessary information, as well as to wield any object as a weapon (the basis is weapon training and the principle of similarity of use), defend against any weapon (including bare hands), suddenly appear and hide unnoticed, know local medicine, herbal medicine and acupuncture. They could stay under water for a long time, breathing through a straw, climb rocks, navigate the terrain, train their hearing, visual memory, it is better to see in the dark, to possess subtle sense of smell and much more.

The initiation was carried out, as in samurai families, at the age of 15. Then the boys and girls moved on to the study of Zen Buddhism and Hsien Taoism. There is an assumption that the origin of the ninja is connected with the yamabushi.

Politically the ninja were out of the system feudal relations, they had their own structure. Moreover, they were "quinine" - outside the structure of society, did not have their own recognized place in it, but could take any, although even a peasant, a merchant had his place. The ancient ninja were scattered throughout the country, but their main focus was the forest surroundings of Kyoto and mountainous areas Iga and Coca. Sometimes ninja clans were replenished with samurai who had lost their patrons (the so-called ronin). The very use of the term "clan" is incorrect, since it implies the obligatory existence of kinship ties, which was far from always the case. By the 17th century There were 70 ninja clans. The most powerful schools were Iga-ryu and Koka-ryu. The formation of the ninja class went in parallel with the formation of the samurai class, but since the latter, by virtue of their power, became the ruling class, the ninja took the place of an extensive spy network. Moreover - "nin" (another reading of "shinobi") means "secret", they could not act with sheer force. The very nature of ninjutsu did not allow this. However, the "demons of the night", as they were called, terrified samurai and princes. At the same time, the ninja almost never killed the peasants, as they could always help them. Also, killing wasn't the main profile of a ninja. Their vocation was espionage and sabotage. The guise of a merchant, a circus acrobat, a peasant - they all helped to covertly move around the country, and other people of the same kind created extras, allowing you to remain hidden, remaining in sight.

Ninja enter the historical arena in the 10th century, their heyday falls on 1460-1600, the era of the warring provinces and the unification of Japan; very widely used by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the confrontation with the contender for the post of military ruler Toyotomi Hideyori and his mother Asai Yodogimi, which lasted about 15 years. In 1603, the first Tokugawa shogun, quite logically judging that the ninja organization could be used against him by daimyo dissatisfied with the outcome of the war, provoked the two largest ninja clans, Koka and Iga, into confrontation. As a result, by 1604, few remained of the ninja society, who later swore allegiance personally to the shogun. In addition, due to the end of feudal wars and the establishment of internal peace with the Tokugawa shogunate, ninja disappear from the political arena due to lack of demand.

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Amazing Ninja Legends From History

Ninja: These silent, inconspicuous spies and assassins from Japan's Sengoku period have captured the imagination of people all over the world. Many of them have been romanticized and idealized, but we should not forget that in certain period time, ninjas did exist. Due to the rather secretive nature of the ninja, very little official data has been preserved about them, and many of them are shrouded in myths and legends. Although we will try to cover "really existing" ninja in this list, the question of whether some of them were real ninja or not remains debatable and in some cases quite difficult to deal with. full confidence tell if they really existed.

10. Yazaemon Kido (Kido Yazaemon)

Yazaemon Kido was a ninja from Iga Province, born around 1539. In all likelihood, he was proficient with the Tanegashima arquebus, a type of matchlock rifle. Based on the fact that the arquebus was his weapon of choice, it can be assumed that Yazaemon was a master of explosives and specialized in teppo-jutsu (teppo-jutsu), a subcategory of katon no jutsu (katon-nojutsu), or methods of firing. Contrary to popular belief, firearms such as the arquebus were the favorite weapon of the ninja and were in fact regularly used by them in their assassination attempts.

However, Yazaemon became famous precisely because he attempted to assassinate the political and military leader Oda Nobunaga in 1579. It was an assassination attempt, which, despite the fact that it ended in failure, was still remarkable enough to be recorded in the Iranki, a historical document that tells the story of the ninja of the province of Iga. During the assassination attempt, Yazaemon and two other ninja shot Nobunaga while he was inspecting the aftermath of his invasion. They missed, but in the end, they managed to kill seven people from his escort.

9. Kirigakure Saizo

Kirigakure Saizo is best known as the inspiration for a fictional ninja: Kirigakure Saizo, the second-in-command of a group of ninja known as the Sanada Ten Braves, where he was under rival and friend Sarutobi Sasuke. As for the actual Kirigakure from history, according to historical records, a ninja from Iga Province named "Kirigakure Saizo" (the name is believed to be an alias used by a man named Kirigakure Shikaemon) once attempted to assassinate a military man and politician Toyotomi Hideyoshi, thrusting a spear through the floor, right under Hideyoshi.

The assassination attempt failed, and Kirigakure was left alive on the condition that he swear allegiance to the Toyotomi clan. In fact, there are some sources suggesting that Saizo was a "sloppy ninja" who was just spying on Hideyoshi when he was caught. However, as a result of being caught, he ended up foiling an actual assassination attempt on Hideyoshi by double agent Yusuke Takiguchi. This was the real reason why he was allowed to live on the condition that he swear allegiance to Hideyoshi.

8. Tomo Sukesada

Tomo Sukesada was a jonin (ninja master) of Koga, and also the head of the tradition of the Tomo-ryu school (Tomo Ryu). In 1562, Tokugawa Ieyasu, working for Oda Nobunaga, destroyed the remnants of the Imagawa clan after their defeat at the Battle of Okehazama two years earlier. Unwilling to surrender without a fight, representatives of the Imagawa clan, under the command of General Imagawa named Udono Nagamochi, dug in at Kaminogou Castle, located in an exceptionally strategic location, over a cliff.

The capture of the castle seemed rather difficult for Tokugawa Ieyasu, especially since the Imagawa had taken several members of his family hostage. Therefore, Ieyasu hired 80 Koga ninja, led by Sukesada, to sneak into the Imagawa castle. Working alongside Hattori Hanzo, Sukesada and 80 Koga ninja he led sneaked into the castle, set fire to the towers, and killed 200 of the garrison, including the general. This event is described in detail in the fudoki about Mikawa Province (Mikawa Go Fudoki).

7. Fujibayashi Nagato

According to legend, Fujibayashi Nagato was one of the three greatest Jonin Iga, along with Momochi Sandayu and Hattori Hanzo. He was also one of the leaders of the Iga ninja, along with Momochi Sandayu. Other than that, not much is known about him. In 1581, Oda Nobunaga launched a furious attack on Iga Province, which became known as the Tensho Iga War. As a result of this attack, the Iga and Koga ninja clans were almost completely exterminated. The surviving ninja had to go into the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Nagato was killed during the attack.

However, despite how little we know about his life, Nagato actually left behind important legacy: His descendants eventually collected the knowledge of Ninjutsu he left behind and created a Ninjutsu manual called the Bansenshukai. The Bansenshukai is a multi-volume collection of "secrets" and ninja techniques written by the Fujibayashi family. Most of The information we have about the ninja today was obtained from this compendium.

6. Chiyome Mochizuki (Mochizuki Chiyome)

Chiyome Mochizuki is quite possibly the most widely known kunoichi (female ninja) of all. She was an aristocratic wife of the samurai warlord Mochizuki Nobumasa, and was rumored to be from the Koga ninja family. At some point during the 16th century, her husband was at war, and Chiyome was left in the care of her husband's uncle, the famous daimyō Takeda Shingen. Shingen summoned Chiyome and gave her the task of recruiting women and starting to train them to form an underground network of spies.

Chiyome set up headquarters in the village of Nazu in the Shinshu region and recruited about 300 young women, who were mostly orphans, former prostitutes, and victims of the war. While the majority local residents Thought that Chiyome ran an unofficial orphanage for injured girls, Chiyome actually trained them to become part of her complex spy ring. Trained in the use of disguises such as miko (Shinto shrine priestess), prostitute, or geisha for espionage or assassination purposes, Chiyome's network of kunoichi served the Shingen for many years, until his mysterious death in 1573.

5. Ishikawa Goemon

Despite the fact that the ninja Iga and Koga did not want to accept him into their ranks, no list of real ninja would be complete without the mention of Ishikawa Goemon. Born in 1558, Ishikawa Goemon was an outcast who stole from the rich and gave to the poor - he was the Japanese version of Robin Hood. Despite the lack of actual confirmation of these data, according to legend, Goemon was originally a genin (genin) (ninja apprentice) Iga, and before he became a nukenin (fugitive ninja), he trained him as Sandaya Mochizuki (Sandayu Mochizuki).

He became the leader of a group of bandits in the Kansai region and constantly robbed rich feudal lords, clerics and merchants and shared this wealth with the oppressed peasants. He was presumably caught after a failed assassination attempt on Toyotomi Hideyoshi and publicly boiled alive in 1594. The legend tells how he kept his little son overhead standing in boiling water, although there are contradictory stories to a friend about whether his son survived or not.

4. Momochi Sandayu

Ishikawa Goemon from the previous point was supposedly a student of Momochi Sandai before he became a nukenin. Momochi Sandayu was one of the founders of Iga Ryu Ninjutsu, and is considered one of the three greatest Iga jonin, along with Hattori Hanzō and Fujibayashi Nagato. Sandai's real name was Momchi Tanbe Yasumitsu, although according to some sources they were different people. Moreover, there are a number of sources suggesting that Sandaiu and Fujibayashi Nagato were in fact the same person.

However, regardless of who Momochi really was, it is believed that he was killed in 1581 when Oda Nobunaga attacked Iga Province during the Tenshō Iga War, which resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Iga and Koga ninja. One of the ways Sandayu acted was to keep three different houses, with three different wives and families. When the situation became unfavorable for him, he simply moved into one of the other two houses and assumed a different identity.

3. Fuma Kotaro

The Fuma clan is unique among ninja in that it formed independently of Iga and Koga and served the Hojo clan of samurai in Odawara. Jonin Fuma Kotaro was the leader of the family in the fifth generation, and also the most famous of them. At that time, the Fuma clan was a gang of 200 rappa (saboteurs) working as robbers, pirates and thieves for the Hojo samurai clan. In 1580, Takeda Shingen's son Katsuyori attacked the Hojo at Odawara Castle.

During the night, Kotaro and his men secretly infiltrated the Takeda camp and caused so much division and chaos that the Takeda men began to kill each other in a commotion. In 1590, the Hojo were defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Fuma became ordinary bandits. A popular (though most likely fictional) story is that in 1596, Kotaro killed Hattori Hanzō, but was then betrayed by a former Takeda ninja named Kosaka Jinnai, and finally beheaded by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 year.

2. Kato Danzo

Kato Danzō was in many ways the ninja who popularized the notion that ninjas had supernatural powers. Danzō was an illusionist who was believed by many to be a true sorcerer. His stunts included swallowing a bull in front of a crowd, causing seeds to instantly sprout and bloom the moment they were thrown into the ground, and even flying, earning him the nickname Toby Kato (Flying Kato). To date, researchers believe that he must have been a master of hypnosis, although there is no way to be sure.

In any case, Kato's reputation eventually caught the attention of Uesugi Kenshin, who decided to test the ninja's abilities. He suggested to Danzō that he steal the highly valued naginata (long sword) from one of his retainers named Naoe Kanetsugu. Danzō not only successfully infiltrated the heavily guarded castle and stole the naginata, but also took the girl who worked as a maid in the castle with him. Impressed with his skills, Kenshin offered Danzō a job, but Danzō eventually fell out of favor, either because Kanetsugu was plotting against him, or perhaps because he was starting to arouse Kenshin's suspicions. Danzō eventually went over to Kenshin's opponent, Takeda Shingen, but this decision proved fatal when Shingen suspected him of being double agent and ordered him to be killed. Danzō was beheaded in 1569.

1. Hattori Hanzo

Hattori Hanzo is arguably the most famous ninja of all time. He was a vassal and samurai in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and was the main driving force, thanks to which Ieyasu became the shogun (shogun) and the ruler of all Japan. Hanzo, who grew up in the province of Iga, first showed himself in battle in the 1570s. His most famous moment occurred in 1582: When Oda Nobunaga was killed following the betrayal of one of his vassals, Akechi Mitsuhide, Tokugawa Ieyasu suddenly found himself in a very dangerous position in the immediate vicinity of Mitsuhide. To facilitate Ieyasu's rapid passage through Iga Province to his safe Mikawa Province, Hanzo gathered his fellow Iga ninjas, as well as their former rivals from the Koga clan, to escort Ieyasu to safety.

There are also some sources that indicate that Hanzo helped rescue the captured Ieyasu family. A skilled spear fighter and excellent strategist, Hadzō served the Tokugawa lineage faithfully throughout his life. Under his leadership, the Iga ninja became the palace guard of the Tokugawa shogunate at Edo Castle, and eventually became a secret agency of the shogunate called the Oniwabanshu. After Hanzō's death in 1596, his successor took on the name "Hattori Hanzō" and the practice became a tradition for Iga ninja leaders and perpetuated the myth that Hattori Hanzō was immortal.
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About ninja in medieval Japan went incredible legends. It was said that a ninja warrior is able to fly, breathe underwater, become invisible, and in general they are not people, but creatures of demons.

The whole life of any medieval ninja was surrounded by legends. In fact, all fantastic ninja stories were born in the superstitious minds of uneducated medieval Japanese. The ninja, in turn, maintained their supernatural reputation in every possible way, which gave them a huge advantage in battle.

The history of the appearance of ninja in Japan

The first mention of an art similar to ninjutsu can be found in ancient Indian treatises. It was from there, along with Buddhism, given art was brought by yamabushi hermit monks. Mountain monks were a rather specific caste. They perfectly mastered weapons, were unsurpassed healers and sages. It was from them that young ninjas were trained, to whom the yamabushi passed on part of their fantastic knowledge for that time.

The history of the ninja begins around the 6th century, but the last professional ninja clans were destroyed in the 17th century. More than a thousand years of ninja history has left an indelible mark on Japanese history, although the secrets of the ninja (a small part of them) were only revealed at the end of the 20th century, last patriarch Ninjutsu Masaaki Hatsumi.

Ninja clans were widely scattered throughout Japan, most often they disguised themselves as an ordinary peasant village. Even the neighboring villages did not know about the ninja, since they were outcasts, and every person in medieval Japan considered it his duty to destroy these "demons". That is why all the ninja on the mission used masks, and in a hopeless situation they had to disfigure their faces beyond recognition so as not to betray the clan.

The harsh upbringing of a ninja from birth

Despite the abundance of films about ninjas, where a harsh hero learns all the tricks in a few years and crushes enemies like straw, those who were born in the clan became the best ninjas.

A master ninja had to learn throughout his life, so before becoming a ninja, children went through a harsh school of training that began from birth. All children born into the clan were automatically considered ninja. The cradle with the newborn was hung near the wall and constantly swung so that it hit against it. The child subconsciously tried to group, and such a skill was fixed in him at the level of instinct.

Children under the age of eight were taught to endure any pain. Some ninja stories tell that children were hung by the arms at great heights, teaching them to overcome fear and develop endurance. After the age of eight, children began to be trained as real ninja warriors, until this age they had to be able to do the following:

1. Endure any pain and take any blows without a groan;
2. Read, write and know the secret alphabet, which was different in every ninja clan;
3. Imitate the sounds of any animals and birds, which was often used to give signals;
4. Great to climb trees (some were even forced to live there for weeks);
5. It is good to throw stones and any objects;
6. Meekly endure any bad weather (for which they were forced to sit for hours in cold water);
7. It is great to see in the dark (this was achieved by many days of training in dark caves and a special diet containing a large amount of vitamin A);
8. Swim in the water like a fish and be able to hold your breath underwater for a long time. In addition, the ninja had to be able to conduct underwater combat both with weapons and with his bare hands;
9. To twist their joints in any direction (which greatly affected with age, although the ninja rarely lived to old age).

In addition, children used military weapons as toys, and used any available items as ninja weapons. By the age of eight, the child had such strength, endurance and flexibility that he could easily outdo any modern professional athlete in the belt. Trees, stones and rocks were used as sports equipment.

Training an adult warrior or how to become a ninja

Starting from the age of 15, young ninjas (whose fighting qualities have already exceeded training many times over) medieval warrior) went to the mountains - to comprehend ancient art monks - yamabushi. It was they who served as the prototype of bearded elders in films about ninja. Although from the history of yamabushi it can be understood that they were real warriors who brutally dealt with their enemies.

Here, students studied the basic skills of psychological training, learned how to make medicines, poisons and studied secret techniques non-contact combat.

The secret of ninja disguise was well known. Even very attentive warriors could not recognize the best actors. Today the ninja was a fat merchant, and tomorrow he was an exhausted beggar. Moreover, it was the role of a beggar tramp that required the ninja to fully get used to the role. The combat ninja looked like a starving old man. The best masters reincarnations took poisons, which outwardly made the body weak, and the face covered with wrinkles.

In general, the quality of transforming into a powerless was widely used medieval spies. In combat, the ninja would often pretend to be overwhelmed by the opponent's superior combat skills and fight with an air of doom. The enemy lost his vigilance and began to carelessly brandish his weapon, after which he received a lightning strike from the "demoralized" ninja.

If the enemy did not succumb to such tricks, the ninja could pretend to be mortally wounded and fall to the ground in convulsions, spitting out blood. The enemy approached and immediately received a mortal blow.

The physical abilities of the ninja and their "supernatural" abilities

The average ninja could cover about a hundred kilometers a day, now it seems incredible, since even the best modern athlete is not capable of such feats. With bare hands they broke bones and knocked down doors, and their dexterity was simply incredible. The ninja, who often used huge claws as a weapon, spent part of his life on a tree, and during the operation he wore a specific ninja mask that turned him into a terrible demon. rare inhabitant medieval Japan, dared to fight with the demon that silently appeared behind him.

The magical abilities of the ninja are explained quite simply:

1. The ability to become invisible is associated with the use of smoke bombs. The explosion of such a grenade was accompanied by a sheaf of sparks and a bright flash that distracted attention, and a pall of smoke, using which the ninja quietly disappeared;
2. The ninja could escape even without a smoke bomb if there was water nearby. Having quietly dived there, the warrior could breathe for hours through a tube of reeds or a hollow scabbard of a sword;
3. Ninjas were able to run on water only because they prepared each operation in advance. Special flat stones were placed under the water, the location of which the ninja memorized and then easily jumped over them, creating the illusion of walking on water;
4. Legends said that a werewolf ninja could not be held by any bonds, since he would still be released. Not only ninjas knew this rope release technology. It lies in the fact that when binding, you need to strain the muscles as much as possible, then after they are relaxed, the fetters will not be strongly tightened. The ninja's flexibility aided him in his release;
5. The ability to walk on walls and ceilings owes ninjas to training in the forest, when they jumped through trees and the use of special brackets with which they could gain a foothold on the ceiling. A trained ninja could hang motionless on the ceiling for days, waiting for a victim.

The ability to endure pain helped the ninja a lot when they fell into a bear trap. If time allowed, he could coolly release his leg and, stopping the bleeding, hide. With a lack of time, the ninja cut off their own leg and, jumping on the survivor, tried to hide.

Ninja clothing and disguise

We all know that ninjas wore black suits, and the "good" ninja wore white suits. In fact, this myth was very far from reality. Most often, ninja disguised themselves as merchants, travelers or beggars, because a person in black clothes will be noticeable everywhere, since completely black color in nature is very rare. The famous ninja night uniform was dark brown or dark blue. For combat, there was a red uniform that hid wounds and blood. The suit had many pockets for various gadgets and concealed weapons.

The costume was accompanied by a ninja mask, which was made from a two-meter piece of fabric. It was impregnated with a special composition that could serve to stop the blood and disinfect wounds. In addition, drinking water could be filtered through the mask and used as a rope.

Specialization of various ninja clans

Despite the fact that all ninja are considered unsurpassed warriors, each clan specialized in its own "trick":

1. The Fuma clan was excellent at sabotage and terrorist operations. They can also be called a medieval analogue marines. They swam perfectly and pierced the bottoms of enemy ships under water;
2. The Gekku clan knew perfectly well the technique of striking points on the body of the enemy, using fingers that were trained so that they acted like steel bars;
3. The ninja of the Koppo clan perfectly mastered the techniques of fighting, which is now called koppo-jutsu (one of the styles of hand-to-hand combat in the art of ninpo);
4. The Hattori clan was excellent at yari-jutsu (the art of fighting with spears);
5. The ninja of the Koga clan specialized in the use of explosives;
6. And the Iga clan was famous for its inventors. Many specific ninja weapons were invented by them.

All ninjas possessed skills that allowed them to stealthily enter the premises, kill the enemy and escape unnoticed. However, the specific secrets of the clans were kept very jealously.

Secrets of the Jumon language

The Jumon language is 9 spell syllables, by uttering which the ninja could change their state and achieve supernatural results. This language included 9 spells and the corresponding number of finger figures.

Modern science has been able to prove that the Jumon language could influence the brain. This is what explained supernatural abilities ninja. It used to be considered dark magic.

The yamabushi monks taught the ninja that each finger is associated with energy channels and by putting them in various combinations, one can achieve the use hidden reserves organism.

In addition, each clan had its own secret language. This was necessary for the transfer of classified information. The language changed frequently as codes became known to rival clans.

Weapons and ninja houses

Despite the fact that the ninja's house outwardly did not differ from the peasant's, inside it was full of various surprises. There were:

• Labyrinths;
• Underground floors, which could be several;
• Secret passages, doors and passages;
• Various traps and traps.

In addition, a primitive hang glider was often kept in the attic, which created the illusion that ninjas turn into birds.

If the ninja's house was full of traps, then it's easy to imagine the huge number of different weapons used by the ninja. All weapons could be divided into four large groups:

1. Melee weapon. AT this group included both the usual weapons of warriors and peasants, as well as specific models of ninja weapons. For example, a sword-cane is a seemingly ordinary staff, which is appropriate for any peasant or passer-by;
2. Throwing weapon. This group includes various shurikens, bows, wind pipes and firearms. In addition, there was a hidden weapon that was disguised as elements of clothing. For example, a peasant hat could have a hidden blade under the brim. The spring released the blade and the throw of the hat easily cut the opponent's throat;
3. Agricultural implements in the skillful hands of the ninja smashed enemies no worse than swords and spears. The main advantage of using it was the element of surprise, since the peasants of medieval Japan were quite peaceful (all their energy was spent on getting food and hard work). The peasant sickle often turned out to be a kusarikama - a combat sickle with a weight on a long chain;
4. Poisons in medieval Japan were used by everyone from peasants to feudal lords, but ninjas turned out to be real experts in this matter. Often it was from them that they bought poisons. The secrets of their preparation were kept secret, each clan knew how to prepare their own versions of the poison. In addition to fast-acting, there were poisons that slowly and imperceptibly killed their prey. The most powerful were poisons prepared from the entrails of animals.

It was the poisons that endowed shurikens with deadly properties. One scratch was enough for the victim to die in agony. In addition, ninjas often used poisonous steel thorns, which they threw at the feet of their pursuers or scattered in front of their dwellings.

Female ninja kunoichi are sophisticated assassins

The use of girls as ninjas was widely practiced by ninja clans. The girls could distract the guards, then the ninja warrior entered the dwelling of his victim without any problems. In addition, the ninja girls themselves were skilled assassins. Even when they were forced to undress before being brought to their master, a knitting needle in their hair or a ring with a poisonous spike was enough to destroy the victim.

Most often, in everyday life, female ninja were geisha, who were highly respected in medieval Japanese society. False geisha knew all the intricacies of this craft and were admitted to all noble houses. They knew how to keep up small talk on any topic, played on musical instruments and danced. In addition, they knew a lot about cooking and skillfully used cosmetics.

After undergoing training at a geisha school, kunoichi were trained in ninja techniques (if they were born in a ninja clan, then they were already professional assassins). The training of ninja girls focused on the use of various improvised means and the use of poisons.

Many great commanders and rulers of medieval Japan died in the sweet embrace of kunoichi. No wonder the old and experienced samurai taught young warriors that if they want to be safe from a woman from the ninja clan, they should be faithful to their wife.

ninja legends

The ninjas who have earned the title of legend have existed throughout the ninja era:

1. The first ninja legend was Otomo no Saijin, who dressed up in different guises and served as a spy for his master, Prince Shotoku Taishi. Some believe that he was a metsuke (policeman), but his surveillance methods allow him to be ranked among the first ninja;
2. Takoya, who lived in the 7th century, was closer to the term "ninja". His specialty was terrorist attacks. Having penetrated into the location of the enemy, he set a fire, immediately after that the emperor's troops struck at the enemy;
3. Unifune Jinnai - ninja is very vertically challenged, became famous for being able to enter the palace of the feudal lord through the sewers, and waited in the cesspool of the owner of the castle for several days. When someone went there, he dived headlong into the sewage. After waiting for the owner of the castle, he killed him with a spear and disappeared through the sewers.

There are ancient chronicles dating back to the 9th century, which say how the first ninja clan was born in its traditional view. It was founded by a certain Daisuke, with the help of mountain monks yamabushi. It was there that it was created new type spy warriors who know how to win at any cost and are deprived of the traditional honor of a samurai. To win, ninja warriors did not hesitate to use a whole arsenal of "not gentlemanly" blows, spitting with poisoned needles, and similar "dirty" tricks.

The main thing for the ninja was victory, which gave the clan the opportunity to live and develop. It was considered a matter of honor to sacrifice one's life for the clan. Many ninja warriors, whose names have not been preserved, gave their lives for the good of their kind.

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I am fond of martial arts with weapons, historical fencing. I write about weapons military equipment because it is interesting and familiar to me. I often learn a lot of new things and want to share these facts with people who are not indifferent to military topics.