Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique (21 page)

The collected skills of the shinobi written in around 1612 by Ogasawara Saku’un, translated in
Secret Traditions of the Shinobi.

The Gorin no Sho

The famous treatise on swordsmanship by Miyamoto Musashi in the 1600s, it is often translated as the
Book of Five Rings
—the title should be understood as “the universal writing.”

The writings of Yagyu Munenori

In the first half of the 1600s, Yagyu Munenori wrote on the way of the sword and his family tradition, published as the
Life Giving Sword
. A further work that is heavily connected to the above man and to Zen are the writings published in English as the
Unfettered Mind
.

Heiho Hidensho

A martial arts manual with some military study, attributed to Yamamoto Kanusuke but most likely written by a later student in or around the mid 1600s, published as
Secrets of the Japanese Art of Warfare
.

The Zohyo Monogatari and the Musha Monogatari

Two manuals, one written to train foot soldiers and the other written to collect heroic stories of the past, both from the mid 1600s and published as
Samurai War Stories
.

The Bansenshukai

Written in 1676 by Fujibayashi Yasutake, it is considered
the
comprehensive text on ninjutsu published as the
Book of Ninja,
with further writings under the title
Book of Samurai
.

The Shoninki

Written in 1681 by Natori Sanjuro Masazumi who was a prolific writer and chronicler of ancient Japanese ways, the
Shoninki
is one of the secret shinobi documents of Natori-Ryu, a school of military tactics and branch school of Kusunoki-Ryu and is published as
True Path of the Ninja
.

The writings of Yamaga Soko

Yamaga Soko was a prolific writer on multiple subjects. While he produced a colossal manual on military warfare, translators have concentrated on his philosophical stance; five of his texts are published in
Samurai Wisdom
.

The Yojokun

A samurai doctor, Kaibara Ekiken wrote in the second half of the 1600s; his work was devoted to health and healthy living, published as the
Yojokun
.

The Hagakure

Written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo around 1716, the
Hagakure
is a record of sayings and teachings, partly published as
Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
.

The shinobi scrolls of Chikamatsu Shigenori

In 1719 a samurai called Chikamatsu Shigenori recorded the shinobi teachings of both Iga and Koka—places famous for shinobi no jutsu—in the hope of keeping the secrets alive for future generations, published as
Iga and Koka Ninja Skills
.

The writings of Issai Chozanshi

In the first half of the 1700s Issai Chozanshi wrote a collection of narratives on the art of swordsmanship and Zen in a supernatural setting, published as
The Demon’s Sermon on the Martial Arts
.

In addition to the above, the book
Ideals of the Samurai
and
Training the Samurai
Mind
both have collections of samurai works within them.

This list of literature concludes the first half of this book that has painted the basic picture of the samurai. The image of the holy-warrior sword-saint with a devotion to death and honor should now be replaced with a more realistic and brutal image of the professional soldier-warrior, a man of principles that were shaped by the barbaric times of medieval warfare yet tightly wrapped up in educated philosophy and ritual. The samurai was an independent warrior, armed and prepared for battle, ready to be called upon in times of war. They may have changed sides, acted in deception or have been loyal for generations, but above all they were real humans with all the complexities that accompany human society and affairs—making the story of the samurai a complex and human one. While there are ample truths found in the righteous image of the samurai, there is also the other side of the coin, the art of deception and the way of the shinobi.

*
This statement is an overview of the samurai class as a whole. In fact there were some fine examples of military samurai who studied the arts of war deeply and it is in this age that the samurai war arts were recorded for posterity. However, these individuals are a reflection of the Warring States Period and do not reflect the reality of the samurai as a whole in the period of peace.

*
Terminology varies in each province. The term “Gunposha” is used in different ways and can be a tactician, but can also be military personnel. Here it is considered to mean tactician because there are no others found in the list. However, Natori Sanjuro Masazumi in his writings states that even in his lifetime—which was at the same time that this manual was written—people were recording these terms incorrectly, which may be the case here.

*
The number shifts as the seasons change and each hour can change in length. 120 minutes is the average.

*
The author of the
Bansenshukai
named Fujibayashi never states the name of his school and only uses “To-Ryu” (“our school”); therefore I have simply named it after his family, but the school name may have been different.

*
Shachi
—a mythical carp with the head of a lion and the body of a fish and auspicious protectors of well-being. Pairs are traditionally used to decorate the roof ridges of Japanese castles.

*
This last section has been heavily edited.

*
A common word used in praying in Buddhism meaning “I sincerely believe” or “Save us.”

†
Usually pronounced “Marishiten.”

‡
A ritualistic phrase used in Japanese magic, also used in the
Shoninki
ninja manual.

Part III

THE SHINOBI

Concerning Shinobi no Mono

Concerning how to utilize shinobi no mono—although it is not definite as to where you should send them, the first place should be enemy territory or the enemy’s camp. They should infiltrate such places to observe and to provide information on their defenses and to burn down the enemy position. Also, they should report the advantages and disadvantages of the topography around the enemy camp and while you and the enemy are confronting each other. Shinobi should infiltrate and listen to glean information on if the enemy are preparing for battle or if they are commencing a night attack—these are the things that they should report back. When your allies are going to give a night attack, shinobi should guide these forces with torches and when the allies retreat, shinobi stay close by and identify if there are enemy forces in hiding, waiting to attack—this is also what shinobi report. Furthermore, shinobi should work as liaison officers between ambushes and guards and pass information between them. On the day before a battle, shinobi should go out in the early evening as distance scouts or they should close in on the sleeping quarters and observe the area—these are the skills of the shinobi.

Someone who is righteous and has the above skills is called a
Yoto
ヨトウ
, it is essential to spare him from regular duties [and less important tasks] and you should grant him a fief. Even if you have only one Yoto [in command] it will result in you gaining more advanced shinobi and also, if you have young and inexperienced [shinobi], they will become efficient and excellent at their task. Therefore, those who are only competent at shinobi skills are called shinobi no mono and excellent practitioners are titled with the term,
Yoto-mono
ヨトウ者
, but some people call them
Kumi-gashira
—“group captains.” In the “language used by shinobi” this
Yoto
與頭
is classed as the head of a shinobi no mono group; however, you must understand that it is not the same as
Yato
夜盗
—that is, they are not night thieves.

Concerning the outfit
装束
used by this captain at night—if his master gives him the appropriate outfit, [then he] should have one prepared for himself immediately.

The Iike Gunki Military Manual

Hopefully, by now the image of the samurai in popular culture has been fully taken away. A more realistic, yet colorful, representation has been put in its place. This image shown now should be of a samurai leaving the castle area, or their farmland home; or fortified manor house in the rural areas of his province. The call to battle has been given and the clans are on the march. Following the horns of war, coming together to form an army, the samurai came out of the hills, the plains, and from the towns. Some old feuds will erupt and new alliances will be forged. One thing is for sure; the blood of the enemy is on the horizon and heads will be taken. For a few of these samurai and ashigaru troops, there is a further level to contemplate: these few are the shinobi who will fight a different type of war.

As was shown earlier, the ratio of one to every two hundred men is a fair approximation for those who
officially
hold the position of shinobi within an army. However, the number of shinobi-trained personnel unofficially listed in the army is unknown. It can be assured that some of the “standard” samurai in the force have performed as shinobi, though they are not recorded in army listings. The knowledge that they did in fact possess shinobi skills is now lost. Both of the aforementioned official and unofficial shinobi-trained men can be divided into various subsections.

Military and Civilian Roles

The first of these divides is a modern divide. By that I mean the shinobi themselves did not identify such a partition. It does not exist as a label in historical documentation. However analysis leads to a clear divide. Two terms have been picked to show this theoretical split,
military
and
civilian
. Samurai are not technically within the realm of military at all times, so to clarify the use of these two, consider the terms as:

1.
Military
—to mean when samurai are actively on military campaign, a call to war has been given and orders for war have been issued and the army has taken form.

2.
Civilian
—covers samurai who are not at war and are either at home or traveling on personal business or for pleasure in a time of peace.

Shinobi information often takes the side of either of these above and while they are never fully divided, a theme can be identified in most cases. Both modes have a shared but broad goal, the defeat of the enemy through deceptive arts, but can be identified in the two following lists:

Military:

♦
The establishment of spy networks

♦
The gathering of large scale information from multiple agents

♦
The personal profiling of key members of the enemy

♦
To secure influence

♦
Topographical information about enemy territory

♦
The search for converted spy candidates

♦
The planting of long-term agents

♦
The distribution of disinformation and propaganda

♦
To gather information from clandestine operations

♦
To take the role of captains of night attack squads

♦
To act as guides through enemy territory

♦
The infiltration of enemy castles and battle camps

♦
To commit arson

♦
The assassination of military targets (with no personal motive)

♦
Destruction of enemy supplies

♦
Signaling and secret messages

♦
To be used as incineration and explosive experts

♦
Ritual and divine “magic” to enhance performance in stealth or to hinder the enemy

♦
Defense against all of the above

Civilian:

♦
The infiltration of domestic dwellings for personal reasons that are not theft

♦
For domestic use against people of their own province with the authorization of the lord

♦
To perform skills that allow the discovery of a personal enemy

♦
Collective shinobi skills that aid in the assassination of an enemy on a mission of personal revenge

♦
To gain an advantage in an upcoming combat

♦
For personal defense while at home

♦
For personal defense while traveling

♦
To defend against thieves

♦
To hide from an enemy after a personal kill has been made

♦
To hide if being pursued for other reasons