dissects one side in later texts.
As we have seen, the use of the ideogramis a more complex subject than one might think, with variations in meaning and grammatical differences due to placement. The simple fact is that in most cases, it has nothing to do with the ninja of Japan. So when identifying if a document is in fact referring to the shinobi, the reader must establish if the ideogram is grammatically used in context with infiltration and whether it is referring to a person, a skill or activity, or even mindset. It is only after establishing these points that you can clearly state if a document is discussing the ninja or not.
Notes
39 There is more confusion as there are even more ways of pronunciation.
40 The scroll often shows the ‘ nin ’ ideogram next to the character for heart, pointing to a ‘determined will’.
5
The Samurai versus Ninja Myth
N ext to the modern concept that ninjutsu is a specific form of martial art, the ninjaversus samurai myth is the second most popular misconception. The idea that the ninja formed as a counter culture to the samurai has taken root, not only in Japan but also the rest of the world. This is not only a recent construction, it is also an outright mistake. The term ninja refers to a position and is not representative of social status. A ninja is a man undertaking a job who is trained in a particular set of skills, his social rank does not come into play. The majority of the population were not samurai and large sections of armies were in fact taken from the peasant class to form Ashigaru , or foot soldiers. This means that social status was not a factor in training the ninja and that any man could be taken from any social class and trained, depending on circumstance. Therefore, it is only logical that a high percentage of ninja were from the Ashigaru ranks and that an unknown percentage were from the samurai class. The only factors which militate against this logic are that it may have taken a fully retained person, i.e. a samurai, to have the time to concentrate on perfecting the skills of ninjutsuand that many of the listed retainers recorded as ninja were of the samurai class. Remembering that social movement was considerably easier in the Sengoku period, it was not too difficult for a peasant to achieve status as a mercenary and we must not become trapped in the modern connotations of the term ‘peasant’. Vast armies were drawn from the peasant class; however, some of these men were promoted and did in fact help shape Japanese history.
Some ninjutsu lines were contained within families and passed down through the bloodline or to a relevant candidate in the family, but family connection was not a prerequisite as is commonly believed. Samurai martial arts and skills were passed down through the clan and to those attached to the family who would also be trained in these arts; ninjutsu is one of those samurai arts and thus was transmitted through a family but not always to those connected by blood. This is inevitable with ninjutsu as it requires a special type of person and therefore recruitment must have been mainly based on ability. It is not uncommon for manuals or documents to recount how certain shinobi would take people of worth in an army and proceed to train them in the arts of the ninja , sometimes with the help of Iga no mono . However, social positioning does play a part in the world of the ninja to a small extent and this will be discussed in the next chapter.
Ninja documentation and historical evidence for the fact that there was no divide between the ninja and the samurai comes in many forms and establishes without doubt that during the Sengoku and Edo periods, the ninja were considered as fundamental sections of an army and were indeed not only required elements of medieval defence but were also government employees. Samurai trained in the arts of the ninja or those who understand their use would command and govern their official but
As we have seen, the use of the ideogramis a more complex subject than one might think, with variations in meaning and grammatical differences due to placement. The simple fact is that in most cases, it has nothing to do with the ninja of Japan. So when identifying if a document is in fact referring to the shinobi, the reader must establish if the ideogram is grammatically used in context with infiltration and whether it is referring to a person, a skill or activity, or even mindset. It is only after establishing these points that you can clearly state if a document is discussing the ninja or not.
Notes
39 There is more confusion as there are even more ways of pronunciation.
40 The scroll often shows the ‘ nin ’ ideogram next to the character for heart, pointing to a ‘determined will’.
5
The Samurai versus Ninja Myth
N ext to the modern concept that ninjutsu is a specific form of martial art, the ninjaversus samurai myth is the second most popular misconception. The idea that the ninja formed as a counter culture to the samurai has taken root, not only in Japan but also the rest of the world. This is not only a recent construction, it is also an outright mistake. The term ninja refers to a position and is not representative of social status. A ninja is a man undertaking a job who is trained in a particular set of skills, his social rank does not come into play. The majority of the population were not samurai and large sections of armies were in fact taken from the peasant class to form Ashigaru , or foot soldiers. This means that social status was not a factor in training the ninja and that any man could be taken from any social class and trained, depending on circumstance. Therefore, it is only logical that a high percentage of ninja were from the Ashigaru ranks and that an unknown percentage were from the samurai class. The only factors which militate against this logic are that it may have taken a fully retained person, i.e. a samurai, to have the time to concentrate on perfecting the skills of ninjutsuand that many of the listed retainers recorded as ninja were of the samurai class. Remembering that social movement was considerably easier in the Sengoku period, it was not too difficult for a peasant to achieve status as a mercenary and we must not become trapped in the modern connotations of the term ‘peasant’. Vast armies were drawn from the peasant class; however, some of these men were promoted and did in fact help shape Japanese history.
Some ninjutsu lines were contained within families and passed down through the bloodline or to a relevant candidate in the family, but family connection was not a prerequisite as is commonly believed. Samurai martial arts and skills were passed down through the clan and to those attached to the family who would also be trained in these arts; ninjutsu is one of those samurai arts and thus was transmitted through a family but not always to those connected by blood. This is inevitable with ninjutsu as it requires a special type of person and therefore recruitment must have been mainly based on ability. It is not uncommon for manuals or documents to recount how certain shinobi would take people of worth in an army and proceed to train them in the arts of the ninja , sometimes with the help of Iga no mono . However, social positioning does play a part in the world of the ninja to a small extent and this will be discussed in the next chapter.
Ninja documentation and historical evidence for the fact that there was no divide between the ninja and the samurai comes in many forms and establishes without doubt that during the Sengoku and Edo periods, the ninja were considered as fundamental sections of an army and were indeed not only required elements of medieval defence but were also government employees. Samurai trained in the arts of the ninja or those who understand their use would command and govern their official but
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