Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique (29 page)

The following is a translation of the two above-mentioned scrolls, while both are stored as a single document. The first scroll is not shinobi arts but basic military code, but has been inserted here to keep it in its correct historical place. It has great importance due to its connection with the Siege of Osaka. The second manual is the Hattori shinobi scroll from a school called Doson-Ryu. The first scroll,
Gunpo,
has been given a simplistic translation to iron out any of the confusing aspects, for the main focus is the second text. The first manual is concerned with the Siege of Osaka in 1614.

The First Scroll:

軍法

Gunpo

Military ways

Once that all is fixed and arranged between the vanguard, the close retainers to the commander and the right and left flanks—keep your position firm and secure, even if you find your position undesirable.

When taking up position in an open space and there are buildings in that area, do not move to take a stand within the buildings.

The vanguard and the first and second troops should be designated at the end [before the battle].

When determining the order of the troops [front or rear], even if there is a dispute to decide which troop should be the vanguard, the second troop and other formations must be fixed steady and proper order must be given throughout the army.

The entourage troops to the lord or those in the right and left flank should not advance to achieve distinction without the direct order of the lord.

Supplementary:

If group captains give commands, follow what they have ordered after discussing the points in full.

Do not mix in the positions of troops from other provinces [who are stationed within the same army]—if you have to go to such a place then only leave after informing your group captain.

Supplementary:

If someone is opposed to soldiers from another troop, deal with the one from your own troop, without investigating who is right or wrong.

Concerning fights that erupt within your own men—make sure to punish both parties involved.

If a horse is released, or a bird or animal comes out around the position, do not raise your voice or become confused.

Do not allow a horse to bolt when in a battlefield camp.

If the roadways are bad, do not call out and interrupt a
Kudashiuma
(horse messenger) [which has been sent from the lord to the battlefront].

Hachiman Daibosatsu will punish those who violate the above points.

Written on the tenth day of the tenth month of Keicho 19 (1614).

By Harutaka
玄隆
^*

The Second Scroll:

服部道尊一流ﾉ忍之法

Hattori Doson Ichi-Ryu no Shinobi No Ho

Hattori Doson’s direct line and school of shinobi ways

♦
Know the two concepts of
Insei
陰盛
(yin and prosperous), and
Yokyo
陽 虚
(yo and insubstantial)—this is an oral tradition.

♦
Shinobi no mono
竊盗ノモノ
should be between the ages of 23 and 35 and [this type of shinobi] are called shinobi-ashigaru—“shinobi foot-soldiers.” Great generals supervise and utilize them accordingly—this is an oral tradition.

♦
There are also shinobi of disguise
變形ノシノビ
and shinobi of speech
言 語ノシノビ
and these people are from 47–48 to around 60 years old. These shinobi
シノビ
infiltrate the enemy province and record the topography to see how steep or not or how impregnable a difficult place is. Also, they obtain the manners and customs of the enemy and of the enemy lord’s ways. They also observe the entertainment used in enemy provinces and they approach “men of lesiure”
^*
to obtain information on whether the province, town or village in question is strong or weak. [For this type of shinobi] you should choose people who are quick-witted and intelligent to perform this task—this is an oral tradition.

♦
Knowing the different points to keep in mind concerning animals and birds during both the nighttime and the daytime—this is an oral tradition.

♦
The art of knowing the distance on a road by night—this is an oral tradition.

♦
Important points about the
haraita
“abdomen plate”—this is an oral tradition.
^†

♦
The art of the two types of fire—this is an oral tradition.

♦
The art of “asking the earth”
地ニ問フ事
—this is an oral tradition.

♦
Knowing the different points to keep in mind concerning insects during both the nighttime and the daytime—this is an oral tradition.

♦
The art of knowing if the topography of an area is beneficial or hazardous to your allies—this is an oral tradition.

♦
The two different mindsets you should have for shinobi infiltration, depending on if it is an enemy castle or a military camp—this is an oral tradition.

♦
You should be aware that your object cannot be fulfilled without knowing the routes [around the provinces]—this is an oral tradition.

♦
The art of ignition—this is an oral tradition.

♦
Fire according to the four seasons—this is an oral tradition.

♦
The two types of kagimono—this is an oral tradition.

♦
There are various ways to prepare throwing torches and powder torches and there are a myriad of versions in the world—this is an oral tradition.

♦
The art of the
Taratara-bi
—“dripping fire”—this is an oral tradition.

♦
Points you should keep in mind to make contacts within the enemy force—this is an oral tradition.

♦
Mindsets shinobi should have, for night and daytime—this is an oral tradition.

♦
You should mix in with the enemy to know if they are strong or weak, as well as to record their passwords and identifying marks—this is an oral tradition.

Other than the above set of skills, shinobi
シノビ
also perform the tasks of guards; and kamari ambush troops. In addition to this they also patrol the area around an army on the march, around a castle, and around a military camp. Furthermore, they defend against other shinobi
忍ビ
and thieves when a lord is taking lodgings during a journey. The details of these skills are written in another manual. Therefore they will not be explained here.

Written on the twenty-eighth day of the third month.

Postscript

The above twenty points are the ways of shinobi, I am now writing to present them to you.

There are details to teach for each point, but I, the writer, am too old to write them all down. I feel hesitant to ask someone to do it in my stead. Therefore, I have written things in the above manner. Furthermore, although it does not seem to be so common, [the lord] heard of me and thought it would be helpful for the younger people and had me serve in the service of our clan [lord]. I wonder if this was helpful.

I have three ways of the shinobi path fully transmitted to me, two of which include many gadgets from ko-ryu—
old schools
. These are to be constructed. There are a lot of tools [in these latter schools] and there are many things that are not explained in detail. A person (or people) from Doson-Ryu [unintelligible text] accompanied the lord when the lord returned [from battle] to our province and reported [to the lord] in detail.

The man named Doson lived as late as into the reign of Lord Nobunaga. The above person (or people) said there was no other shinobi as good as Doson, anywhere within Iga. After the battle of Sekigahara, Lord Gongen (Tokugawa Ieyasu) formally instructed Yamaoka Doami to retain the descendants of Doson. Doami received the order but Doami informed the lord that there were no descendants of Doson remaining—this I heard from a reliable source.

At the time of the rebellion of Shimabara, the person (those people) offered service to Sir Ogasawara Iki-no-kami as good shinobi
シノビノ上手
and he considered it was a good offer and discreetly suggested [their service] to Sir Izu and Sir Sanai about sending the said samurai to infiltrate the castle [as shinobi] and burn the huts down, but [in the end] this was not to be allowed. One of Sir Iki-no-kami’s retainers, whose name is Asa… [from here the remaining three lines of the text are unintelligible].

Points of interest found within the above text:

Some of the ideograms used in the text are of great importance in the history of the shinobi. They designate different forms of the term shinobi. They show that the ideograms
竊盗
represent stealing into areas, commando, or thief-style infiltration. The spying forms, in this case, come under the now famous ideogram
忍
; others have also been included in the body of the text.

Concerning “dripping fire”—“Tara-tara” is a Japanese onomatopoeia, a word that represents a sound. In this case it is the sound of fluid dripping at speed before it begins to pour, like that of a fast dripping tap not fully on nor off. The addition of
hi
火
(or
bi
) makes this a “fast dripping fire,” most likely a fire that drips down a structure.

The Shoka no Hyojo—Shinobi Extracts

The same samurai who wrote the
Gunpo Jiyoshu
manual of c. 1612–19, Ogasawara Saku’un, authors this manual. The Shoka no Hyojo is the follow-up to the previous work and part of a trilogy of manuals. This writing post-dates the Gunpo Jiyoshu but is still of an exceedingly impressive date, being somewhere in the first two decades of the 1600s. When dealing with shinobi manuals, the rule of thumb is that the closer to the date 1603, the more reliable the information. While other manuals of later times are considered mainly correct, the following information is, without a doubt, transmitted by a samurai fighting during the Sengoku Period, and one who has witnessed Warring States Period shinobi.

外聞きに可遣人之事

Togiki ni Tsukawasu Beki Hito no Koto

The people who should be sent for the job of togiki

An old samurai said:

“
Togiki
is so named because those who undertake this task ‘listen to external issues.’ Therefore, the job of togiki includes listening to discover the enemy status and situation by moving around the guardhouses. He listens finding gaps in their night patrols, or by stealing in close to the enemy. Also it can be safely said that those who go to an enemy province to conduct military tactics are also called togiki. They investigate and observe the enemy province, their behavior and manners. Although shinobi no mono know this task very well, there are important things that need to be understood when conducting military tactics. These things are difficult to achieve unless [the togiki scout] is a brave samurai who comprehends tactics. In addition to the above, the task of togiki is to judge and return with information on the geography of the enemy province. He is to judge if rumors [concerning] the enemy are suspicious [and false or not] and report if anything is suspicious within their boundaries. This appointment [of togiki] cannot be done in full by someone who is without wisdom or good memory; they also need to have good wit and excellent speech.”

関所の番別而念可入事

Sekisho no Ban Besshite Nen wo Irurubeki Koto

Those who guard check points should be extremely cautious

An old samurai said:

“Those who guard checkpoints should not be weak of mind in any way. If someone suspicious comes through, they should be stopped and thoroughly checked. Those who do the job of shinobi and togiki are people of wit and thus are excellent at deceiving people. From ancient times it has been known that those who are from Iga and Koka have mastered this path and that they have various methods of deception. This [warning concerning shinobi and togiki] is important for all those who take up the position of guard, but more so at checkpoints, because many people go to-and-fro and because of this they need to take more care in their duties.”

外聞きをたより謀略之事

Tokigi wo Tayori Boryaku no Koto

Using togiki to create deeper tactics

In one province there was a togiki who was captured. One of the capturing retainers said to the togiki: “We are going to spare your life, this puts you in our debt, therefore when we send our own shinobi to investigate your province we will have them communicate in secret with you and you are to give them aid. Also, you yourself should periodically return to us and report. Lastly, do not inform those in your home province of this when you return.”

When the togiki returned to his home province he informed his lord-commander of this, to which the lord-commander was greatly pleased. In response this togiki was sent back periodically to the where he
falsely
reported on his own side and of his lord’s behavior and [tried to] deceive [the enemy] with such a connection. [But the enemy who had captured him knew that he was lying and] in this way the [true] plans were known to the enemy [and they could see the truth] with the clarity of a reflection in a mirror. [The enemy] did not show or display that they knew these factors but instead they made [the togiki] give false speeches and undertook various tactics and this person deceived and “blinded” [his own side], leading them to ruin.