Antony Cummins - Ninja Skills: The Authentic Ninja Training Manual

NINJA

Skills

NINJA

Skills

The Authentic Ninja
Training Manual

Antony
Cummins

One who acts on principles, that is what a ninja should be.

Bansenshkai, Fujibayashi-sensei, 1676

Contents

A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY

The term ninja is correctly interpreted as shinobi no mono (shinobi carries the connotation of hiding and mono means person). This is often contracted to shinobi. The skill of ninjutsu is correctly spoken as shinobi no jutsu, the arts of the shinobi. These are the terms used in the historical scrolls on which this book is based and so these are the terms used here.

Introduction

THE WORLD OF THE SHINOBI

Spanning a millennium, from the 9th to the 19th century, the age of the samurai was a glorious chapter in the chronicle of Japan. The samurai observed a refined and precise etiquette in all their activities, from the taking of tea to the taking of enemy heads. This emphasis on the right way of doing things continues to exert a powerful influence in modern Japanese culture.

Nestled within a samurai force, yet standing apart from it, lurked the shadowy shinobi, the infamous ninja agent. He was the commando, the spy, the betrayer. While standard samurai found lying and cheating repugnant, the shinobi were not bound by such scruples. They too followed an ethical code, but they considered duplicity to be acceptable as long as it was used in the service of their lord. The shinobi soldier would often integrate himself within the enemy, sharing in the rhythms of everyday life and steadily gaining their trust but all the while hiding a malign intent. He was a foul demon obeying the bidding of his gods, enabling the plans of his lord to bear fruit.

WHO WERE THE SHINOBI?

The shinobi were spy-commandos with multiple specialisms, all of which involved clandestine activity. These included espionage, counter-intelligence, surveillance, scouting, infiltration, propaganda, incendiary warfare and physical protection, as well as the capturing of any person targeted for arrest by the lord. An essential part of any Japanese military force, the shinobi were considered by many chroniclers as the eyes and ears of an army.

Image of a thief by Edoperiod artist, Hokusai.

Unlike the samurai, which was a specific social class, the shinobi was a paid military role that could be fulfilled by a soldier of any background. Many shinobi were from the samurai class, but others were simple ashigaru foot soldiers. Others still were itinerant monks, actors or tradesmen who might take on a temporary assignment. True shinobi owed their allegiance to a single lord, whether for the length of a short-term contract or across generations. Being a shinobi did not automatically confer any particular status; there were lower-grade shinobi as well as masters of the art (see lessons ).

The shinobi were first recorded in the 14th century. They are believed to have become particularly influential during the turbulent Sengoku period (1467c.1603), when Japan was in a near-constant state of civil war. They then fell into relative obscurity during the more stable Edo period (c.16031868), when the country was largely united under the Tokugawa shogunate. By the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when imperial rule returned in place of military government, the historical shinobi and samurai had died out.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Ninja Skills investigates the beliefs, tactics and practices of the Japanese shinobi. It draws directly from historical manuscripts, most of which date from the 17th century and were compiled by forward-thinking writers determined to record for future generations the experiences of shinobi who had served during the warring Sengoku period. The chief source for the 150 lessons contained within these pages is the 1676 manual the Bansenshkai, written by Fujibayashi Yasutake. This has been supplemented by quotations and variations from other important works of the period, including the Shninki by Natori Masazumi (Issui-sensei), the Ykan series by Chikamatsu Shigenori, and the Gunp Jiysh by Ogasawara Sakuun Katsuzo.

The lessons build on the original material to explain how, as a modern reader, you can interact with these skills. Commentaries expand upon each teaching, outlining the social, cultural and religious context and practical applications, in order to deepen your understanding of shinobi no jutsu. It is hoped that you will be able to incorporate some of the skills and insights into your own shinobi study. However, the world of the shinobi was very different from ours and some of the practices described are dangerous or illegal or both, and should not be emulated.

The teachings have been selected from all volumes of the Bansenshkai and represent a broad overview of the writing of Fujibayashi-sensei. If you wish to delve more deeply into the source material, the appendices at the back of this book go into further detail about the scrolls and the Chinese military classics on which some of them are based. You can also read an English translation of the full Bansenshkai in The Book of Ninja (Watkins, 2013).

The
Lessons

Fundamental Concepts

Lesson 1

THE PATH OF THE SHINOBI

In our country we use the ideogram shinobi as it has a deep meaning. Without realizing the meaning you will find it difficult to take even the first step on this path.

Bansenshkai, Fujibayashi-sensei, 1676

Those who wish to take the path of the shinobi must first understand the concepts represented by the shinobi ideogram. It carries the following essential meanings: perseverance, forbearance, endurance, secrecy and stealth. Through its use by agents engaged in espionage the ideogram has also come to have the connotations of spy, secret agent, thief and infiltrator.

In the Bansenshkai Fujibayashi-sensei explains that the shinobi ideogram comprises the characters for heart () and blade (), because to plunge themselves deep into the core of the enemy shinobi must forge their hearts into weapons that are hard and sharp like a blade.

A breakdown of the individual characters that make up the shinobi ideogram.

This is not a path for the weak. To venture into the dominion of the shinobi requires enormous self-control and a level of commitment and endurance that most people cannot attain.

What makes the path so difficult is that shinobi must be simultaneously loyal to their own clan and treacherous toward the enemy. They live within samurai society but remain in its shadow, forever close to the centre but always cast to the outside, as any betrayal could mean the downfall of a clan. Consequently, shinobi sit outside the lords light but close enough to feel its warmth. Unlike the average soldier, they do not benefit from the armys protection they do not march within the ranks or camp behind sturdy palisades. The shinobi venture out before all others, alone, and put themselves in danger deep inside the adversarys stronghold.