Fs _ THEIR TRAINING, TOOLS, AND mis DH Publishing Inc.THEIR TRAINING, TOOLS,AND TECHNIQUESABUNAI! DANGER! ‘Some of the skis, techniques, and weapons described in this book are dangerous and should NOT be tied at home or anywhere else. Please DO NOT harm yourself or anyone else by trying the moves it took decades for skilled professionals to master. By all means, meditate and enjoy as muuch fof as your doctor feels is reasonable, But please DO NOT ambush your iriends or start ‘hurling shuriken around, If you want to learn more about ninjtsu or martial arts, we suggest you ‘contact @ scheol or dojo in your area, Neither DH Publishing nor any of its contributors accecpts responsibilty for damage or injury incurred attempting techniques described in this book. SECRETS OF THE NINJA “Taxcand illustrations © 2082 by eocor bok, Al Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retieval system, cr transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, phoucapying, recording. or thervise without the written consent ofthe publisher. Published by DH Publishing Inc, ‘Address:2.3-3F Kanda Jimboeho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo TOL-OOSE Japan ww hp-online.corn ‘pocampal cam imnrint of EL Pulihing Inc, 0-9723124-6-3 LIBRARY UF CONGRESS CATALUG NUMBER 2002113861 Printed in Chim, Printed by C&C Offset Printing Co, Lia Producers: Koichi Okamoto, Hiroshi Yokoi Designer: Iehie Takahashi Eleors: Jennifer Cahill, Michie Koh “Translator; Clive Vitor France EEsitorial Assistants: Takako Aeyama, Tomokazu Nagai, Tomoko Sakashita, Yuki Wado, Shinichire Nakano Phiggrapher: Hadsioshi Shimazaki lusiator: Kazumi Watanabe: Special thanks to: Iga Sect Ninja Association "Kurondi,” ‘eno City Tourist Association, Ninja Museum of the Ega SectCONTENTS INTRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS - THE BASICS BACK IN BLUE: THE UNIFORM - THE TOOLBOX -- TALKING THE TALK: CODES AND SIGNS- THE NINJA WORKOUT- WALK LIKE A NINJA-~ THE elas MEDITATION-- Ener tom taeeoe NINJUTSU: FIGHTING, HIDING, AND MAKING A GETAWAY - AT HOME AND AWAY NINJA IN THE HOUSE: LIFESTYLES OF THE DEADLY AND INVISIBLE- 76 THE NINJA DIET: +--+ 82 ASSASSIN WELLNESS----- 84 TRIGKS OF THE TRADE «----------0-s0- eer 86 90 A FACE IN THE CROWD WORDS OF WISDOM THE WAY -~ fs THE NAME OF THE NINJA:I'd tke to think that not only has my work with the iga Ninja Sact Association, Kurondo, found a wide audi ence, but it has given me 2 deeper understanding of ‘the ninja world. But I must admit that much of what | know of ninjutsu, the an of the ninja, has come from meeting vinichi Kawakami, vrho's known as the “last ninja." Kawakami is the 21st Bando of the Koka Ninja Sect, and even today he follows the practices passed down to him through the many generations. These include @ daily five-hour regimen of mental and physical exercises, and a strict ninja diet, which has at Its core the soybean curd, tofu. H's with hirn In mind that | want to teach the world what it reaily meant to be a ninja. To do this, | organize ninja shows and workshops for Kurondo, and in the course of my work have toured Singapore, China and Australia. On these travels | have often been asked such questions as, “What dan are ninja?" it seems that outside Japan, the way of the ninja is thought to be a form of martial art, something like karate or judo. But ninja have no dan of level, and there are, unfortunately, no black or brown belts. What | hope to do in this introduction is. to illustrate the many facets of the ninja tradition. Although the actual beginnings of ninjutsu have been last in time, let's try and begin at the roots. The carliest records we have can be found in the 6th cen- tury text, Ninjutsu Hisho Ogi-den, which describes a man known a3 Otemeno Hosori. Ho is believed to have served the legendary figure Shotoku Taishi, Who was said to possess, among other talents, the ability t6 hear and answer questions simultaneously from ton different people. itis thought thal the ninja Otomone Hoseri in fact found out the questions beforehand and prepared the answers for his "gift ed master “The ninja would have to wait almost another 1,000 years before they gained the notoriety that they have today. In the 15th century, Japan was thrown into turbulence when military factions across the country Tose up against the emperor, ushering In nearly @ ‘century of wars that eame te be known as the ork of Warring States, ‘Although the tenets of ninjutsu changed little over the centuries, the ninja's work varied considerably depending en the period. To clearly understand the breadth of these assignments, we must look at the Warring States era. It was then that the practices of hinjutsis became clearly defined, and when the ninja, ‘as a distinct force alongside troops in the field, were most active. Each daimya, or feudal lord, retained @ unit of 40 to $0 ninja, although in some cases the number reached as high as 200. According to the task at hand, the required number of men would be called up and sent out before battle to infiltrate enemy lines, spread false rumors, and establish links with possibie turn-coats. When fighting broke aut, the ninja took to arson, setting ablaze the enemy's castles and fortifications. if a castle stubbomly resisted this onslaught, they would burrow under- neath and then charge in to wreak havoc. On these escapades, they worked mostly in groups, risking their lives in daredevil feats which we'd associate today with elite units like the Green Berets. Their work was on a coniract basis, and although the money was good, when the battle was over they retumed to their quiet village lives, raising families and tending the fields. With the onset of the Edo ert, peace was finally restored. Not surprisingly, this cessation of host ties wasn't particularly welcomed by the ninja -- con- stant war was a lucrative source of income. Ta sur- vive, many became spies for the Bakufis govemment or bodyguards to the country's daimyo, an image that persists in TV dramas and movies to this day. But Japan was changing, and the ninja still had their part to play, As firearms became commonplace, Sun-toting ninja squads ware established. WhenWithout Sound, Without Smell, Without Name - The Great Ninja in the Shadows of History Commodore Perry arrived in 1859, the ninla were Sent in to pry Inside his ship, Records of what they found survive today. The ninja, though a part of the samurai, were in the lowest class, In the warrior Glass, whore name meant overything, the ninja were Jeoked down upon a5 "those without sound, without ‘smell, without name." As this snub suggests, the finja, whose secret activities were instrumental in hanging the course of Japanese history, would remain forever in the shadows, ‘The start of the Mo era (1868) Is said to mark the ‘dawn ef Japan's modem period, The new gover- ‘mont tumed its attention to the military, creating & ‘rational army to counter the rising European powers Jn Asia. Not surprisingly, ita officer ranks were staffed mostly by former samursi, who despised the fina for thelr spying and diny work, Unimately, the ‘ninja lost their place in society. Finding lite ta hola thom to the cities, the ninja melted back into the countryside, returning to their villages where many became involved in local police work. Those who had mastered the use of gunpowder now put their skills to use making fireworks, while others with knowledge of medicine became doctors and jphar= macists. Porhaps you have heard of the */ga Sect" or "Koka Sect." These are the names of schools in nin- (jutsu. As 'm a student of the iga Sect, much of what {have introduced here is iga ninjutsu. However, the Koka Sect is equally weil known, both sects having been active during the Warring States era. New ects, stich as Nakagawa, Negoro and Hojo, only began to appear during the Edo ra, vihen the ninja followed their daimyo masters into the Japanese hin terland. The roots of Iga and Koka are basically the seme, but 5 the ninja disappeared, each chose to preserve different parts of niniutsu. Infitrating enemy lines and spying was one thing, but no ninja story would be complete without rien By Hiromitsu Kuroi F tioning Aunoichi, the fomals ninja, The name itself deserves an explanation. "Ku." in Japanese, means "nine," and “ichi* means *one." According to ancient Chinese texts, female spies were known as "kuichi,’ the "ku" in this case indicating the nine orifices ~ eyes, nostrils, mouth, etc -- of the body. Women have one extra, thus, when they were Drought inte service this became "kunoichi" The ninja werked in the shadows, often with the support of Kumaichi, Her job, white not always obvious, was vital, As maids working in kitchens at enamy castles, they could col- lect valuable information that would enable their ninja brothers to gain access. They could act as Guides letting the ninja into the castle and leaging tham to their prey. And, when necessary, they could ut thelr sexual charms to use in the gathering of mtetigenea, And what about ninjutsu itself? Ast have explained, in the course.of their work, the ninja gam- bled with their ives. But ft meant little to their mas ters if they didn't return alive, Because of this, the emphasis in ninjutsy was not on fighting, But sur- vival The risks were mostly calculated -- to kill their wictin, finja would choose poison over armed com- at whore possible. Constant training of the body and ming, eating well, maintaining gaod health, understanding hygiene, and having = thorough. knowledge of medicinal plants; these were the pres cepts of minjutsu. When | consider how convenient acience and technology have made our lives today, 1 can't help but also fool wo have lost a certain under- Standing of essential human abilities. The ninja strove not only for physical wellbeing, but for mental strength and an intellectust understanding of sur- vival. Although there is much in ninjutsu that is physi= cally dangerous, there Is also much that, given the stressful society we live in, we could learn trom.ee teeth on theay Loewe jm) VeI THE BASICS A few things a ninja needs before heading over the palace walls.When we think of the ninja stalking their victim at night, we imagine them dressed all in black, In fact, dark blue was the first colar of choice. In the bright moonlight, black stands out like a sore thumb. Other colors in the ninja Wardrobe included brown and gray, whieh thay would don according to the brightness of the moon. They also kept a set of reversible clothes, which allowed tor an immediate disguise if ‘spotted by the enemy.0 crm ine, whieh Kyahan | hese have o! each eg, fn welch theey Trey Tsui Laige pl Wsed for beth fighting and carving spas wali Torinoko Smoke Bomb Gunpowder was wraooed wth a lee gunpeweer OT @ inder wit eight hoes slong ‘Strung FirecrackersTetsu-bishi Iron Makibishi Ore type of “Makbicn, Tris one ic a ergo iron pyramid. ‘Tennen-bishi Nature Makibishi “This hard seed wes used as le, the pointed carts being qute share, Not ont light to cerry Has also fee, ¢ esture which made It ponder f the nine we ‘Shinobi-kumade Grass Rake rlanaly used io gather grass, this Simple scrum was an ean fool. With a rope attached, A was used tn sode roots and walla, or 63 2 weapon, Tetsu-bishi Iron Makibishi ‘This mavtshv has two sheep, Vopomted laces on ametal br Kakushu Iron Block Ln brass hruchtes, his was hk ia the hand end used 10 bhaagaon en ‘opponent, it could also defond ‘sganst sword attacks. Tetsu-biehi Iron Makibishi This makbish se sharp, four pointed tatrapod, \Wnan dropped, cre point wil arays stick up. ‘Shuriken Throwing Star * Makbsch a thy weapon ike thumbtocks, “The moet famous ofthe ninis weapons. Altogether eral Peat ene there are ten types, Inclucing the tow-poinied nkateamen ieee = ‘shiho-shuriken” the eight-commered “happo= retreat to sow down pursuers starr aha tebe aturbin ° Myo,Maru-kagi Round Key Anather Aen fee mung sn Tekka-kagi Iron Claws A mut-purpoge retrumert: in bette It coud be used aa defenas aganet a OFS, andl when acaing wall t could be attached to the fang lt four spike crangon Karakurl-kagl Trick Key Shaped lke.a figure 7." wea used for huge locks: testovenouses with rick mortar wal. Kagi-nawa Hook Rope Ikari-kagi Grappling Hook Jkt The the crapping Nook, ths was used cimb Tid 1 he endo arp, hs lal anchor weld De own cts Was or ano img ub and gating down (oe SOA baTNED Ge RGiie: i MinTe 2Uchi-kagl Prying Hook al fo help the tpopen doors Kasugal Cramp Used to make foots in wale and big trate ty dang te poime in vert aly. It could alsa bs used for stuck sing coor. Feld in both hanes, tne nook was chun into = 2 cimb, I-could seo be usec ‘Teubo-girl Forked Pick ‘eis tern was baled 1o be used to ‘ul rounet helo im uals; when a eke i incerted in the hole at the end, the Be can be moved around in a cecle ike compass, Maki-hashigo Roll-up Ladder The pointed op part ofthe priable pul was thrown over a wal ach rest Cram ip te a bucket ora wa ‘Shikoro Mini-Saw A double-edged saw blade thet couc be used to cat through hedges or the bers of a cal. The rina hada choee of sal, median or ierge. Kiri Pick ‘Smaler than the One on the mare, thie easy-to conceal blade was used to cut holes Saku Lock Pick = WT ‘Atoolfor pidurg ake.Missho-ire Secret Document Holder Made t0 look tke the sheath of ara ead a pipe In which secret docu Kayaku-ire Gunpowder Holder nese! orn the ener. Used 10 cary a 3 ‘bag beside i bolved to Pui Hoguchi Tinder Box cos. was needed Seoi-bukuro Shoulder Bag t bag of stong Search Light mi Tenohira-taimatsu n wh Hand-held Torch eae cei ae es “This compact nand esping the candle unight al arty angi. amce shin, keeping W alght evn in __ Or @. . . ? . . * . . - ' . . : t + . 7 . . . ee Tebacco-ire Tobacco Pouch Noroshizutsu Flare Arhancy deve used Kunal Spade pro th Anand, portable shovél far digging your way in or out. sat on fir -nom| Folding Chisel | that Could 66 fled uo and the tap of the bsrrivoo pipe above the aur an breathe thi it ke a snot © My,Ba cd In the cloak and daggar world that the ninja inhabited, telling friend from foe cauld mean the difference between life and death. This is where passwords came into play, instrumental at such times as delivering secret documents or contacting allies behind enemy fines. The wards they used — motifs from nature, poetic associations, antonyms -- they borrowed from the ver- nacular, modifying them on a daily basis to avoid detection. Such passwords included word associations in nature: “Japanese in Engish English Yama— Mori Mountain—Forest Hi—Tsuki Sun—Moon Hana— Mi Flower — Fruit Umi—Shio Sea— Salt Tani— Mizu Valley —Waier Hi—Kemuri Fire —Smoke Yama—Kawa Mountain — River = «Japanese in English English k= Yuki— Fuji Snow— Mt. Fuji Hana —Yoshino Flower —Yoshino (a region for flowers) Kemuri —Asama Smoke —Mt. Asama (e volcano) eee es Hagi —Miyashirono Bush Clover—Miyashirono jencther fewer region) Mine,Secret messages were conveyed with the use of elaborate codes that would be overlooked by anyone but the recipi- ent. The ninja's ploys included rice grains dyed different colors (gost mai), knotted rope(yuinawa-moj), and, letters that only their alligs could under- stand. Goshiki-mai Five-Color Rice Rico grate were dyed pi, yell, rec, black oF purple and arranged i ciflereni combinations Dates. ite this teoriaue he nes co make coer 100 erent cones, Shinobi-iroha Ninja Alphabet oaKamiyo-mojiEver see a flabby ninja? Didn't think so. This regimen kept them in fighting condition,oh Pn cee ee es Oe Oe eerrvR a ar iY LT y eas NITEInu-bashiri Dog Walk ©. Miva,Shin-s Deep Grassy Rabb! 7 WW) x Ag3 Li dL CCE PME Murrieta ley riety] enemies and living to tell about it.la bee w et. Th danger jing. Te ov hardships, ed a form of meditation method of autosug- gestion called Kuji G bal themThis technique was developed from the hand exercises of Kuy! Goshin= ‘ou to increase the ninja's power. It was practiced with a sword or, when no sword was available, with the left hand. He would begin by shouting "Ah!" while swinging his sword down in a vertical motion. This would be followed by "Kil" as his sword cut through the air in a horizon- ‘tal swing. With this introduction over, he would continue swinging his sword vertically then horizontally as he recited the rest of the mantra "Sal Ta! Ka! Ha! Wal Ya! El" femora just ike for hanting, “Bo Fae Gri Yu fie KURE AR”WINTe, ©Kanawa Fignting co |Manto steas ie is Mantoh sx: J nine Dades ercund he Wie, ©oe MT |, MTA, ©© AO Je,Shakujow waning scx j He etal point at the to ‘opponent's hit ar fngara, Pull b ou then atab your snd grab Nis werdVIA MTKusari-gamatremaic) | Ball and Ghain et his nace wenile he's temperariy binded, pummet hir fo letoek the sword ext are hand, then and through the loon to ‘figure "20" on is back. @ afs hand with your kowe to make Miae From behind, necoge over his if west and pul 9 result should resemble & number "1 BH “Yani his ight abou up over Fis shoo,Mutoh-dori sare nances J When sure 0 your at arc Ie Heading. forward snd grab ine hr wth toth nanos, wr fogs around his sem ane In this positon, hokd his ames with your lags, snatch the 1c, and tty ho daaFukiya ziow Poe ehShuriken in combat, a distance of three or four meters puts the swordsman at a clear disadvantage. This Is the time to braak out the shuriken, From cross-shaped weapons to spikes, these ‘lying weapons come in different shapes and ‘sizog, and can be thrown from a standing, eit- ting or lying position. ym the right hand fg the loft and le pula back, eld high, The left hand! ig nett cut jeapon Is trvown toni to guage the dislance of the rok, Put a w toe the exter nena,