Antony Cummins - Modern Ninja Warfare: Ninja Tactics and Methods for the Modern Warrior

MODERN

NINJA

WARFARE

Ninja Tactics for the Modern Warrior

Antony Cummins

ABOUT TUTTLE

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Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

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Copyright 2019 Antony Cummins

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019938001

ISBN: 978-1-4629-2095-2

First edition

22 21 20 19 5 4 3 2 1 1905RR

Printed in China

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SAFETY NOTE

The techniques in this book can cause severe bodily injury and even death. The ability to do bodily damage and to killand to train others in techniques that may do soimposes grave responsibilities. The potentially lethal techniques in this book should never be used except for defensive purposes in the most extreme life-and-death situations. Knowledge of these techniques requires high levels of maturity and responsibility, and no one who lacks such maturity should be using this book at all.

The techniques in this book should be practiced only in consultation with a trained martial arts teacher who can provide advice about their safe and responsible use. The physical activities described in this book are strenuous and should not be attempted by anyone who is not in good physical health. The author and publisher disclaim responsibility for any harmful effects, on yourself or others, whether intended or unintended.

PREFACE

W hen my editor at Tuttle Publishing, Jon Steever, first approached me and asked if I would like to write a modern book on the shinobi, I was extremely hesitant. Often, such books move into fanciful directions, based on a very poor understanding of shinobi history. However, his letter contained the baited sentence you are at the top of our list to write this book. I realized that if I said no, then another book of super-ninja caliber would be added to the already vast stack in existence. Therefore, with reluctance at the start, I buckled down and set to work on finding the heart of a comparison between the old and the new. It is with great pleasure that I now have to thank Jon because this book was a pleasure to research. Also it has become a volume that will allow both the shinobi and modern Special Forces community to come together and appreciate the depth of the expertise found in both camps.

I truly hope that after reading this book that your understanding of the shinobi and modern Special Forces will have been expanded and that you will have found a new respect for their shadowy world that lies beyond the public view, either in days gone by or in the most dangerous places upon the earth today. I would also request for the covert operations community to join in friendship and to help preserve Japanese culture by taking an active interest in the ancient and wise ways of the shinobi and that you will allow me to ask for your support in keeping both Japanese and shinobi culture alive.

Antony Cummins
2019

Never was espionage carried out in such perfection as it was in Japan.

Lord Redesdale 19th century

AUTHORS NOTE:

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Y ou should be well aware of the dangers of both this books contents as well as the many ways the ninja are misunderstood. Therefore the following text will help you to form the proper mindset before you delve deeper.

Do Not Try This at Home

This book contains extremely dangerous and violent content. The author and the publisher both insist that nothing from this publication be used in real life situations and should be considered to be an overview of covert operations both historical and contemporary. Any instructional statements such as you should do this is simply a stylistic approach with the understanding that it represents a hypothetical situation directed towards a ninja of old or a Special Forces member of today. Special Forces and paramilitary members today already have their skillsets and much of the information in this book could be considered both illegal and immoral. Furthermore, we cannot turn back time. The ninja of old are long gone and their methods here are presented for the enjoyment of history lovers. It is with great seriousness that I say do not try this at home.

An Overview of Historical Ninja Research

For those readers who are not familiar with my work, I am an English author based in Britain and (at times) Japan. I have dedicated my life to the accurate understanding of Japanese military culture, especially the ninja. I am the project leader of a small group that is dedicated to the production of English translations of real and historical ninja scrolls. Our aim is to provide correct information and historical accuracy based on original ninja manuscripts and primary documents. To date, as a team we have translated and published many ninja manuals and books on ninja skillsas full translations, as historical investigation and as easily accessed illustrated guides to historical ninja. For more information on the books produced by the team (see ).