Recently Hollywood has jumped back on the ninja train and began making movies based on the ninja and it mysterious culture. One such movie just released was a movie called, Ninja . With this new movie taking off in popularity we thought to write a basic article on the ninja while also focusing on the basics of training and the religion aspect called ninjitsu.
The ninja cult originated and is based on the romance linked with the lives of spies and assassins in historical Japan. Legend says that in the 4th century a prince, Yamato Takeru disguised as a beautiful maiden assassinated two chieftains of the Kumaso tribe.
A group of ninja is known as a clan. In the pre modern ancient Iga Province there were two well known clans the Iga and the Koga. Within this geographic region common villagers were engaged and asked to take on the ways if ninjitsu. It was an ideal place for such activities because the region was remote, inaccessible and encircled by mountains.
The Koga and the Iga clans where unlike many other clans from these regions who were engaged as mercenary spies. The Iga and Koga clans trained ninjas who were experts in a specific area if war and combat. These two clans were hired by the daimyo.
The daimyos were powerful warlords in ancient times who ruled over the major parts of the country from their huge inherited land property. In the late 16th century Oda Nobunaga, aggressively conquered nearly a third of the other daimyos and after invading Iga province exterminated the organized ninja clans. The survivors fled and were scattered. In some places they were made most welcome for obvious reasons. Many took shelter in the Kii Mountains.
In the 14th century there is reference to a highly skilled ninja or shinobi who was credited to have eliminated a castle by fire. From the 15th century onwards spies were officially trained and the word shinobi defined a secretive group of spies. The strategy was taken up by the Chinese military also.
In the 15th century ninjas were hired for purposes of raiding and raiding. They were terrorists and arsonists par excellence. In contrast the samurai of Japan fought open duels. But during troubled times of Sengoku period there was great demand for ninjas and less importance was given to respectability.
In 1560 after the Battle of Okehazama, the warlord Oda Nobunaga emerged as the all powerful and begin emplying a clan of ninjas from the Koja clan numbering around 80. They stealthily entered a castle of the enemy and set its towers ablaze while killing the castellan or the governor of the castle. This clan became very well know and feared as they where relentless in their killings.
The ninjas became spies’, experts in ambush attacks and spreading agitations. There were families of ninjas who formed big guilds each having its own territory. Within them there was ranking with the jonin being the upper man, the chunin being the middle man and the assistants being jonin. The lowest was the lower man or genin. The latter were recruited from the lower ranks and sent out to the forefront of trouble.
Author Resource:
Troy Macraft is in charge of Content Operations for The MMA Zone To view Ninja Swords and other ninja items click on the link.
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