Portrait of a Ninja

A few days ago, a classmate who often sat next to me in one of my classes made an interesting comment. "You are like a ninja! You disappear from the class when the lesson ends and then reappear again just before the next one starts!?"

While I was amused to be likened to a ninja just for my ability to move around quickly between class intervals, the comments also got me curious about ninjas. Coincidentally, one of my Japanese teachers, though not a ninja, lives in Shiga Prefecture where one of the two major clans of ninjas was based in the old days. So from my Japanese teacher, I learnt a little more about ninjas.

What did ninjas do?

Ninjas first appeared in the Kamakura period (1192 - 1333) and operated until the close of the Edo period (1603 - 1868). In general terms, they were employed by feudal lords to gather intelligence about enemies, spread rumours and carry out assassinations.

Two major clans near Kyoto

Two major clans of ninjas operated during those days, namely, the Iga clan and the Koga clan. The Iga clan was known for their exceptional military art and individual assignments while the Koga clan excelled in intelligence gathering and group operations. The historical ninja bases were not far from Kyoto. The Iga clan was based in Mie Prefecture south of Kyoto, while the Koga clan was based in Shiga Prefecture east of Kyoto. 

Popular myths

When we talk about ninjas, the usual images that come to mind are agile masked Japanese men who scaled walls, flew over roofs, threw darts and disappeared in a puff of smoke.   So how accurate are these popular depictions of ninjas? An interesting article in one of my Japanese textbooks debunked some of the popular myths about ninjas.

What were the darts for?

Many of us might have strong impressions of ninjas fighting off their enemies with darts. However, rather than saying that ninjas engaged in open combat in that way, it was probably more accurate to say that the rule of thumb for ninjas was to first find a way to escape.  Darts were used more as a distraction so as to give them more time to escape the situation rather than as weapons.

Ninja skills and psywar

Ninjas were not just good at martial arts. There were also two other types of skills important to ninja training. The first type was skills related to conversations while the second type was related to causing confusion to the enemies. These skills were very much like psychological warfare, and involved influencing the emotions and manipulating the minds of people to obtain information.  They could be considered as secret agents as well as terrorists.

Ninja fashion

And finally, just a little trivia about ninja fashion.  When they had to go about their assignments, ninjas usually wore a disguise, pretending to be travellers or merchants, and even as women. Quite different from the popular image of black clothes and masks that we often see in the media.

Ninjas in Kyoto?

While ninjas are typically associated with Shiga and Mie which boast a few ninja attractions such as the ninja training village in Shiga as well as the museum and the ninja-themed trains in Mie, there is a place in Kyoto that is pretty popular with ninja fans as well as tourists. It is the ninja restaurant in Shijo.

I am sorry if you thought this post is about my encounter with a ninja. I wish I could find the time to visit all these ninja-related places. With the amount of homework to deal with daily, even the skills of a ninja wouldn't be any helpful I think.