The Ninja warrior strikes up the black clad silent killer in my boyish imagination. And, according to much historical documentation, this was basically true although the origins of the ninja are mostly unknown.
The definition of the ninja by way of breaking down the word itself would mean the art of silence or going without being perceived. It can also mean the art of ninjutsu; a form of martial arts.
The ninja was skilled in many talents to include assassination, martial arts, espionage and many other deadly arts. These were not guys or gals that you would want to tick off.
The ninja were not strictly involved with espionage. This is just some of the more noted aspects of their existence. They were also renowned for being expert with quick kill weapons; which were used against the deadly samurai.
The quick kill weapons came in many forms from knives, to sword and also sickle. The ninja would use weapons that were very menacing but could be deployed quickly and easily with as little effort and detection as possible.
I can imagine several types of knives that would be favored by the ninja should he exist today and have access to our superior manufactured knife makers. Let me give you a few of my picks and then we’ll continue the story.
Ok, where were we? The ninja was looked down upon in the early part of history as a dark killer or assassin. However, many leaders, Daimyos and Shoguns were in fact ninjas. They kept quiet their dark skills as not to bring shame to themselves.
In early Japanese history, it was believed that ninja groups were formed in villages and small towns to protect them from robbers and criminals. It was not until later that the ninja hierarchy actually developed.
It was also believed that many ninjas were women. They were skilled in the art of seduction and silent killing to be able to extract information from the enemy and silently dispose of them. That’s certainly not fair in my humble opinion.
Ninjas developed larger martial organizations that were under the authority of a Daimyo. These ninja organizations were kept very quiet and the ninjas within never spoke of their existence. These organizations took part in many silent espionage type missions and tasks.
The ninja is a very interesting warrior. I wonder if they still exist today. I am curious if ninjas exist in Japan operating silently under political, military and private wealthy leaders. I am certain they do as I’m sure that we have something very similar right here in the United States.
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