Ninja by John Man Page B

this will influence him. In this way you could glean information about what you want while talking to the people of the mansion. . . . If you creep into someone’s favour with smooth words, you can deduce valuable information even from the smallest of small talk.”
    Remember this:
    A WELL TRAINED SHINOBI ( NINJA )
LOOKS LIKE A VERY STUPID MAN .
    â€œIt is a core principle to praise others as much as possible to keep them carrying on about a subject at their own leisure.”
    Here’s a way of recording information about the size of a place or numbers of people. Prepare bags of pebbles or beans, counting them so you know the number in each bag. Then as you count whatever it is you want to record—the length of a wall, the number of houses or people—drop a pebble or bean for each unit. No need to count as you go. At the end, count what you have left in the bag. Subtract that from the original total. That’s your number. You’ve counted without counting.
    When infiltrating an army column or a retinue, deal only with the lower ranks or servants. If you ingratiate yourself with those of higher status, you will be hated by the lower-ranking people for the favor you are being shown by those above you.
    When spying on a province, by far the best way is to visit shrines and temples. Give priests or other men of the cloth gold and silver coins, sparing no expense. Don’t give to ordinary people, because this is not normal and will draw suspicion. But Buddhist and Shinto priests will be delighted to accept an offer to treat you with meals and hospitality. “Taking advantage of this opportunity, you should probe them for information while getting them drunk.”
    Natori has a pretty low opinion of priests, regarding them as naïve, garrulous, and easily manipulated. You can start them talking by asking if there are any plans to construct a new building to pray for the fulfillment of wishes. If so, you will naturally ask: Whose wishes? What wishes? Thus, by hinting at your willingness to help financially, you may get wind of a possible rebellion or a family dispute or unrest in the army. “They will not be able to stop themselves bragging about their wonderful religious power or divine wonders, and then they will give away everything you need to know at great length. Thus by exploiting their nature, you can gain your goal.”
    Or you could go to a “licensed house of assignation”—that’s a high-class brothel—“where the highest rank of courtesans are appointed to their clients,” or to the public baths, or a gambling den. “There are no secrets that cannot be revealed at places such as these.”
    Deception and charm come way above any technical advice, on which Natori has surprisingly little to offer. He makes just one mention of a sword: “Whenever you steal up on someone you had better carry a short sword.” Except for a brief reference to using a sword to give you a step up when climbing a wall, that’s it for swords. Given the Japanese obsession with swords, this is odd. There are two possible implications. One is that for routine work as a spy or secret agent, a sword was not required. The other is that carrying a sword was so completely part of everyday life that he didn’t think to mention it. Perhaps (he might have said, if asked) both were true: Take your sword if you want to, but you probably won’t need it.
    This is the sum total of what he has to say about equipment:
    He recommends only six fundamental items, none of which can really count as a weapon: a straw hat, which allows you to see others but hides your face; a grappling iron and thin rope, for climbing, tying people up, locking sliding doors, and other uses too numerous to mention; a pencil for taking notes and making marks on buildings; basic medicine in case you fall ill on the job; a meter-long piece of cloth, used as a headband or an extension to your