Kunoichi - 9 + 1

Female ninja

Women played a very important roll in the ninja clans of the past. Known as Kunoichi, the female
ninja could often use their own femininity to get very close to the enemy. Using psychological warfare
and mind manipulation as weapons, the kunoichi could get in close enough to poison the victim
without leaving a trace. Kunoichi were trained in a variety of weapons, similar to the ninja, but
because of the different situations they would face, some smaller close range weapons were used more
often. Weapons like blinding powders, poisons, daggers, rope and even the fan were often carried
because they could be used at close range and would be easy to transport without notice.
Imagine a young woman crying, and how it would make you feel. You'd probably want to try to help
her, and maybe even offer her some assistance. This is just one example of how the kunoichi could
trick someone into walking right into a trap, a very powerful weapon.
BRIEF HISTORY
Throughout the Ninjas long history, female Ninja have been employed. In most cases these were very
unique strong-willed women who proved themselves worthy by donning the Ninja garb and fighting
for their families and beliefs. However, these women were a rare breed and were not common. That all
changed in the late 1500s when the warlord Moritoki Mochizuki was killed in the battle of
Kawanakajima in 1561. His widow, Lady Chiyome Mochizuki, was left in the care of the Daimyo
Shingen Takeda, who was the uncle of her late husband. Under Takedas leadership, she accepted the
task of creating and overseeing an underground network of female Ninja. Takedas plan was to have
fully trained female operatives who could act as subversive agents used to gather information and
deliver coded messages to his allies.
Lady Chiyome set up her operation in the village of Nazu in the Shinshu region and began her search
for potential candidates for training. Her greatest resource was young women who were recently
orphaned, the victims of the civil war that engulfed the entire country. She also drew from a pool of
girls who were lost or abandoned. These young women were indebted to her for saving them from a
horrible life on the streets, and Lady Chiyome never let them forget that fact. The girls were taught all
the skills of a Miko (shine attendant) who served at the Shinto shrines all across the land. This allowed
them to travel virtually anywhere without suspicion. Along with this religious knowledge, the girls
were also taught to become highly efficient information gatherers, seductresses, messengers and when
necessary...assassins. As far as physical training, the Kunoichi arts were more focused on one-on-one
combat over large scale battlefield tactics. The Kunoichis unarmed fighting skills were very similar to
her male-counterparts, except they were adapted to fit her size and strength. However, this is where the
similarities ended. Instead of armor, the Kunoichi was protected by an illusion of weakness. Instead of
a long sword, the Kunoichi was armed with an arsenal of lethal weapons that were easily hidden from
sight or did not appear to be weapons at all. Instead of hiding in shadows, the Kunoichi was able to
move freely within villages, towns, castles and temples.
Over time, these female Ninja set up an extensive network that served Takeda well. He was always
well informed of all activities, putting him one step ahead of his opponents at all times. In many cases,
his Kunoichi would spread rumors to cause confusion and dissension, or on rare occasions, they would
assassinate by use of poison or surprise attack.
KUNOICHIJUTSU TODAY
Kunoichi-jutsu revolves around the art of deception. These warrior-women base their training on
surprise tactics and hidden weapons. A Kunoichi never wastes time or energy in combative situations.
Their unarmed fighting and weaponry skills make use of strategically placed vital attacks that are
designed to incapacitate their opponents very quickly. Ever-vigilant, the Kunoichi is never a victim.
Although she may appear weak and helpless, it is a ruse. In reality, the Kunoichi uses her outward
appearance and conditioned emotional responses to manipulate those who would cause her harm.
The Kunoichis fighting skills are taught in a series of Nature-based responses involving Full moon

Kunoichi Person with 9 Talents

Object 1

Object 2

Women were called ninja kunoichi which in translation means a person with 9 talents. Kunoichi have
occupied a very important role in the ninja families or clans of old Japan.
Contrary to popular belief, their training and training were different. More attention is devoted to
masking, use of poisons and the benefits of their gender. Although trained in close combat, they are
only allowed to apply the knowledge when they were caught. Usually, in order to mask themselves into
geisha, entertainers, soothsayers, concubines in order to come closer to the enemy, and it would be
poisoned, or disguised as maids in the house would have offered many opportunities for eavesdropping.
His arms would be hidden, for example, poisonous and thin needles into her hair, knives in the sleeves.
They were aware that it was what the environment can be used as a weapon. For example, learned how
to put a hidden blade in its range, or to take advantage of an umbrella as a temporary shield. Combat
tactics kunoichi was focused to use small melee weapons and use. Further development in Yagen
(pharmacy and making poisons, herbs, drugs), Kayaku jutsu (use of fire and explosive in), Bo Ryaku
(strategy), Inton jutsu (escape, concealment, camouflage), Shinobi iri (methods of concealment), Tanto
jutsu (use dagger techniques) Shuriken jutsu (throwing blades and missiles).Their training is not much
attention paid to working with large weapons such as swords and the like.
Specific weapons kunoichi were needles that were put into the hair to hold it up, and the pins are most
often dipped into the poison that was often immediately after a deadly bite. Somebody then, the claws
that were put on the fingers, and previously dipped in poisons and where the notch of the victim, and
then yawara that when you put the cover looks like a ring.
In addition to physical and mental training women passed the ninja training in psychology, intuition,
sexual manipulation, and the art of seduction in order to more easily control enemies. And so they
taught dancing, singing and playing, tea ceremony, for ease of concealing the true identity.
Women are often confided ninja tasks any male ninja couldnt do. Because women have a tremendous
psychological advantage and always will be less likely to doubt it, but the man when it comes to
espionage or ordered the killing.
In ancient Japan, it is said that there is no so well guarded fortress which could not be entered by a
Kunoichi.
Today, very few women and girls engaged in martial arts because there is conventional wisdom when
dealing with them losing the femininity. This is misleading at least when it comes to ninjutsu skills
where women and girls learn to overcome an opponent with minimal power and energy with maximum
efficiency in the neutralization of attackers. While men have more power women are more agile, fluid.
Kunoichi is the term for a female ninja, or practitioner of Ninpo. The term is thought to derive from the
names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for woman (, onna); said in
the order they are written: ku () - no () - ichi (). In Japanese, the 'ku' is written in hirigana, 'no' in
katakana and 'ichi' in kanji - add the three together, as in the image below, and you get the Japanese
word (in kanji) for woman.
Another proposed derivation is from the character ( "n" : talent) with Japanese numbers "ku"

() for "nine", and "ichi" () for "one", meaning "nine talents in one person", though no creditable
source lists these "nine talents".
The training of the kunoichi was different from the male ninja. Their training focused more on disguise,
poisons, and using their gender as an advantage. They were trained in close combat and this knowledge
was to their benefit if they were caught. Some of their disguises were as geishas, prostitutes,
fortunetellers, servants and so on, in order to get very close to the enemy, or to use this intimacy to
obtain information.
Kunoichi could hide their weapons in their disguise. Those weapons were: small blades up their
sleeves, or in their belts, even in musical instruments or in sex toys, poisons pins in their hair, or long
nails used for raking, blinding powders, ropes and fans could be hidden and used at close range. There
were also trained in more psychological warfare and mind manipulation. They could play on the
emotions of the enemy with highly trained skills of intuition.
Modern day kunoichi fulfill the same roles as men, playing parts in security, law enforcement, private
investigation (where they can still use various disguises and means unique to the gender).
In Bujinkan, the women train and study the same skills and techniques as the men. The emphasis is on
effectiveness as power and strength is not a factor. This can be an advantage in learning the
effortlessness of a technique, not being able to fall back on muscular strength. In real life situations, the
combination of power and strength to the effortlessness of a technique can be formidable.