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Looking for real ninja
Ninjas are now widely known abroad through television and anime, and their eccentric actions fascinate people.
Since the Edo period (1603-1867), ninjas have gained popularity in the world of kabuki and novels, with stories about their use of mysterious techniques to defeat bad guys.
On the other hand, in the "Vocabulary of the Japanese and Portuguese Language", compiled by the Jesuits, ninja are described as "xinobi", and in the early 17th century they were even introduced to people overseas, where they are described as "counterintelligence agents who, in times of war, sneak into castles or camps by night or in secret to investigate the situation. They served the feudal lords of various regions and were known as" enemy agents.
The ninja were active in the shadows of the Warring States period, serving the feudal lords of various regions, probing the enemy's affairs, and engaging in surprise battles.
Although the names of the ninja are widely known, they remain a mystery to this day, and few people know their true nature.
What is sought after today is the true form of the ninja, in other words, the "real ninja".
The Agency for Cultural Affairs recognizes stories through which Japanese cultures and traditions have been preserved in certain regions as Japan Heritage. The aim is to promote tourism and revitalize local communities through effective use of our attractive historical properties. In the spring of 2017, stories of the two greatest homelands of ninja, Iga (Iga City, Mie Prefecture) and Koka (Koka City, Shiga Prefecture), were recognized as Japan Heritage sites.
This is a story that tells us about the attractive cultures and traditions of the homelands of Iga ninja and Koka ninja, where we can still feel the presence of real ninja. Many people from around the world are fascinated by ninja today, but who they really are is not well known. If you visit Iga and Koka, you will see old castles which retain the atmosphere of the warring states period in Japan on the outskirts of the village, training seminaries for Yamabushi traveling monks in the mountains where ninja also trained, and tutelary shrines in the villages where ninja gathered for conferences – you will see the true nature of ninja.
Images of real ninja emerging from the secret document of Iga-ryu and Koka-ryu ninja arts
The Bansenshukai is a secret document containing a collection of ninja techniques of the Iga-ryu and Koka-ryu Schools. It was compiled by Fujibayashi Sabuji Yasutake in 1676. He was a descendant of Fujibayashi Nagatonokami, one of the elite ninja clans of Iga. The book’s core philosophy is Seishin (honoring justice and loyalty) and the book is comprised of the volumes Seishin, Shochi, Yonin, Innin, Tenji, and Ninki. Manuscripts of the document are preserved in various places in Iga and Koka such as the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum.
"Bansenshukai" is a book on ninjutsu written in 1676 by an Iga ninja, Fujibayashi Dengoro Yasutake, which systematically details the ninjutsu and ninja weapons of the 49 schools of ninjutsu of the Iga and Koga.
It was named "Bansenshukai" (Ten Thousand Rivers Gathering into One Sea) because of the vast number of ninjutsu techniques compiled in the book, just as "ten thousand rivers gather into one sea".
As the name implies, the book describes many ninjutsu techniques, including the mindset of the ninja, various ways of hiding using natural terrain, and tools such as the water spider that crosses water and the roirogan hiya arrow that blasts away enemies with an explosion.
