NINJASkills

NINJASkills

TheAuthenticNinjaTrainingManual

AntonyCummins

“Onewhoactsonprinciples,thatiswhataninjashouldbe.”Bansenshūkai,Fujibayashi-sensei,1676

Contents

ANoteonTerminologyIntroduction

THELESSONSFundamentalConceptsInfiltrationSkillsClimbingSkillsEscapeandHidingSkillsNightAttackSkillsDefensiveSkillsCommunicationSkillsAquaticSkillsScoutingSkillsSkillsforCapturingCriminalsFireSkillsSkillsofHeavenMysticalSkillsSkillsoftheMind

AppendixI:ShinobiScrollsAppendixII:MilitaryTacticsandtheSevenMilitaryClassicsSelectedBibliographyAcknowledgementsAbouttheAuthorAbouttheArtistsAlsofromWatkins

ANOTEONTERMINOLOGY

Thetermninjaiscorrectlyinterpretedasshinobinomono(shinobicarriestheconnotationof“hiding”andmonomeans“person”).Thisisoftencontractedtoshinobi.Theskillofninjutsuiscorrectlyspokenasshinobinojutsu,“theartsoftheshinobi”.Thesearethetermsusedinthehistoricalscrollsonwhichthisbookisbasedandsothesearethetermsusedhere.

TheLessons

FundamentalConcepts

Lesson1THEPATHOFTHESHINOBI

“Inourcountryweusetheideogramshinobi忍asithasadeepmeaning.Withoutrealizingthemeaningyouwillfinditdifficulttotakeeventhefirststeponthispath.”

Bansenshūkai,Fujibayashi-sensei,1676

Those who wish to take the path of the shinobi must first understand theconceptsrepresentedbytheshinobi ideogram.Itcarriesthefollowingessentialmeanings:“perseverance”,“forbearance”,“endurance”,“secrecy”and“stealth”.Throughitsusebyagentsengagedinespionagetheideogramhasalsocometohavetheconnotationsof“spy”,“secretagent”,“thief”and“infiltrator”.

In theBansenshūkai Fujibayashi-sensei explains that the shinobi ideogramcomprises the characters for “heart” (心) and “blade” (刃), because to plungethemselvesdeepintothecoreoftheenemyshinobimustforgetheirheartsintoweaponsthatarehardandsharplikeablade.

Abreakdownoftheindividualcharactersthatmakeuptheshinobiideogram.

Thisisnotapathfortheweak.Toventureintothedominionoftheshinobirequires enormous self-control and a level of commitment and endurance thatmostpeoplecannotattain.

Whatmakesthepathsodifficultisthatshinobimustbesimultaneouslyloyalto theirownclanand treacherous toward theenemy.They livewithinsamurai

societybutremain in itsshadow,foreverclose to thecentrebutalwayscast tothe outside, as anybetrayal couldmean the downfall of a clan.Consequently,shinobi sit outside the lord’s “light” but close enough to feel its “warmth”.Unliketheaveragesoldier,theydonotbenefitfromthearmy’sprotection–theydo not march within the ranks or camp behind sturdy palisades. The shinobiventureoutbeforeallothers,alone,andputthemselvesindangerdeepinsidetheadversary’sstronghold.

Ideogramsrepresentingshinobinojutsu(“theartsoftheshinobi”)byMonkJyuhōYamamoto.

Lesson2THEORIGINOFTHEUNIVERSE

The Taoist creation myth heavily influences samurai and shinobi thought.Accordingtothemyth,beforetheuniverseexistedtherewasaformlessexpansecalled Wu-chi (“Pre-Universe”), which evolved into T’ai-chi (“The GreatUltimate”). The Great Ultimate then differentiated into negative and positiveelementscalledyinandyang.Whilebeingcontrarytoeachother,yinandyangalsocomplementeachother–adualityfoundin,forexample,maleandfemale,lightanddark,andfireandwater.

Yinandyangdivideinto“heaven,earthandman”(tenchijin),whichexistsinthe fourseasonsof spring, summer,autumnandwinter.This is the foundationforthefiveelementsofEarth(do),Fire(ka),Metal(gon),Water(sui)andWood

(moku).The fiveelementsgive rise to theeight trigrams:Heaven(qian),Lake(dui), Fire (li), Thunder (zhen),Wind (xun),Water (kan),Mountain (gen) andEarth(kun).Theyinturngeneratethewholeworld.

Yinandyangarealsoearthandheaven.Whenthebodydies,yinandyangseparate: theyinelement–thebody–crumblesandreturnstotheearth,whiletheyangelement–thespirit–returnstoheaven.Therefore,deathisnotanendbut thebeginningof anotherphaseof life.Thisunderstanding iswhat enablestheshinobitofacedeathwithoutfear.

Shinobiskill:DonotmixuptheChineseversionofthefiveelementsshownabove,knownasthegogyõ(五行),andtheIndianversion,knownasthegorin(五輪).

ThehierarchyoftheTaoistuniverse.

Lesson3OFHEAVEN,EARTHANDMAN

Theconceptoftenchijin–“heaven,earthandman”–signifiestheonenessofthe

universe.TheConfucianistsageMenciussaidthattogovernacountryyoumusttakeintoaccountthetimeofheaven,theadvantagesofearth,andtheharmonyof man. The Natori-Ryū samurai tradition breaks these elements down asfollows:

Timeofheaven

•thedate(importantindivination)•the12-signzodiacsystem•the10celestialsigns•auspiciousandinauspiciousdirections•theenergyofeachseason(importantindivination)

Advantagesofearth

•distantorclose•steeporflat•largeorsmall•lifeanddeath

Harmonyofman

•theunityofallpeopleofallclasses

Generals planning for a battle or shinobi preparing for amission will greatlyincreasetheirchancesofsuccessiftheyunderstandthistriadandalignheaven,earthandmanintheirfavour.

Lesson4SKILLSOFTHEDARKANDSKILLSOFTHELIGHT

IntheBansenshūkaiFujibayashi-senseidividestheartsoftheshinobiaccordingtoyinandyang.Theyinaspect,the“darkside”,iscalledin(陰),andtheyangaspect,the“lightside”,iscalledyō(陽).Anyskill(jutsu)foundintheartsoftheshinobi iseither injutsu,a“skillofthedark”,oryō-jutsu,a“skillofthelight”.Shinobi themselves are also classified along these lines, as in-nin (陰 忍),“shinobiofthedark”,andyō-nin(陽忍),“shinobiofthelight”.Typically,in-ninmoveinstealth likecommandos,whereasyō-ninusedeceptionanddisguise to“hideinplainsight”likespies.

Practicalexamplesof injutsu includetravellingoutofsightovermountainsandawayfromroads,movinginstealtharoundenemypositionsatnight,cuttingthroughwallsandinfiltratingbuildings,andenteringinsecretwithouteverbeingseen. In contrast, yō-jutsu might involve disguising yourself as a localtradesman,using the localdialectandmovingfreelyamong theenemy,all thewhile counting forces, making maps and surveying building layouts.Alternatively,youmightsettleontheedgeofanenemytownbeforeaconflictstarts and become familiar with the townsfolk. Then when war breaks out,becauseyouarealreadyknowntotheenemy,youwillnotbesuspectedofbeinganagent.Anotherexampleofyō-jutsu isplacingafemalespy-maid(kunoichi)withinanenemyhousehold.

MIXINGINANDYŌ

Lower-level shinobi should complete amission using only injutsu oryō-jutsu.However,more experiencedagentswill knowwhen it is appropriate to switchbetweenthetwo.Suchanagentmightenterintoanenemycastlebyusingstolenpasswordsorpretendingtobetheservantofalocalsamurai(yō-jutsu).Theywillthen pick the correct time to infiltrate in secret, climbing or breaking throughintothemostsecureareas(injutsu).

Alternatively, seasoned shinobi might infiltrate a samurai house in stealth(injutsu) and then hold a false conversation with themselves to mislead anyguards who overhear (yō-jutsu) so that they can continue infiltrating deeper(injutsu).Ortheymightplaceakunoichiintheenemyhousehold(yō-jutsu)andhaveheropenthedoorsatnightsothattheycaninfiltrate(injutsu).Fujibayashi-sensei calls this switchingof skillsyō-chū in jutsu (陽中陰術)– the“skillsof

darknessinsidelight”.

Lesson5THECONCEPTOFINSUBSTANTIALANDSUBSTANTIAL

Kyojitsu(虚実)isaconceptthatyouneedtounderstand,asitisthebasisoftheshinobi mindset. Meaning “that which is insubstantial”, kyo (虚) carriesconnotations of falseness, emptiness, untruth, deception, weakness andunpreparedness.

On the other hand, jitsu (実)means “thatwhich is substantial” and representstruth, fullness, correctness, honesty, strength and preparedness. The art of theshinobiliesintellingthedifferencebetweenthetwoqualities.

Thefanissubstance;theshadowofthefanisinsubstantiality.

Intheimageabove,thefanissubstantialandtrue,whiletheshadowofthefanisinsubstantialanduntrue.Itmaylooklikeafan,butitisonlyaprojection,anillusion.Wecanapplythisconcepttowarfare.Ifamilitaryforceplaces1,000

men on the field of battle, a good strategist will askwhether this is truly thewhole force (jitsu).Orhas theenemyhidden2,000additionalmen,waiting toambush?Ifso, that isa falseappearancedesigned tomislead,ashadowof thetruth(kyo).

Similarly,shinobiworkingundercovertogatherintelligencefromtheenemymust always question whether the information they have received is true orwhetherinfactitisfalse,deliberatelyplantedbytheenemyinordertomisguide.

Theconceptofkyojitsu is deepandprofoundand is a fundamentalpart ofshinobi no jutsu. Without mastering this idea an espionage agent can neverbecomeajōnin–anexpertshinobi(seelesson19).

Lesson6WAITINGFORTHEENEMYTOMAKEAMOVE

“Thereisnodifferencebetweentheprinciplesforninjutsu(espionage)andtheprinciplesforkenjutsu(swordsmanship).Whenyouropponentisnotgoingtostrikeatyouwiththeirsword,itisdifficultforyoutostrikeatthem.Insteadyoushouldstrikeatthemomentthattheopponentattacks.Thesameholdstrueinninjutsu:whentheenemyisinastateofnon-movement,youshouldnotmoveeither.Infiltrateattheexactmomentthattheenemymoves.”

Bansenshūkai,Fujibayashi-sensei,1676

Fujibayashi’s comparison illuminates one of the core principles of espionage.Whenyouropponent inaswordfight is inadefensiveposition theyare likeasealed castle, difficult to attack. Butwhen theymake an attackingmove theyhavetoopenuptheirdefences,whichissomethingyoucanexploit.Thekeyistofindtheopponent’sweakspotbeforetheirattackdoesyouharm.

The shinobi has to either bring aboutmovement in the enemy position orwait for theenemytomoveof theirownaccord.Whentheenemymoves theygivetheshinobiachancetoinfiltrateunnoticed,butiftheenemyisinactive,anymovementbytheshinobibecomesobvioustothedefenders.

Anexampleofmovementinswordsmanship.

Lesson7THETHREEDISEASESOFTHESHINOBI

“Thethreediseasesofshinobinojutsuaretofear,totaketheenemytoolightlyandtothinktoomuch.”

Bansenshūkai,Fujibayashi-sensei,1676

FEAR

“Ifyoucannotdetachyourselffromdeath,thenyouwillfeareverything.Itissaidthatnothingisagreaterchangethanyourowndeath,thinkonthis.Thisisthesameastostopbreathingthoughafearofageing.”

HeikaJōdan,Issuisensei,c.1670

Lefttorunamok,fear–particularlyfearofdeath–canparalyseyourthoughts.The20th-centurysciencefictionwriterFrankHerbertfamouslywrote,“Fearisthe mind-killer.” This statement carries a universal truth, which resonatesthroughtheages.

Tohavenofearisrecklessness;tohavetoomuchfeariscowardice.Shinobineedtoidentifythefearintheirmindandtakecontrolofit.

UNDERESTIMATION

Adevastatingmistakethatstrategistscanmakeistoconsidertheirenemytobestupidorbeneaththem.Anadversaryisahumanandallhumanshavedifferenttypesofintelligence.Youmayconsideryouropponenttobelackinginthekindofintelligenceyoupossess,buttheirkindofintelligencemayfindawaytoseethrough your tactics. Furthermore, do not forget that the enemy forces willcontainmultipleopponents,eachwithadifferentkindandlevelofintelligence.Therefore, always view the enemy as a skilled and accomplishednemesis andmake plans accordingly.Never allow your strategies to become entrenched incomplexity,butalsoneverlowerthestandardsofintellectandreasoninginyour

planning.

OVERTHINKING

Each situation we encounter has a central point surrounded by an imaginaryboundaryandbeyondthisboundaryliesanothersituation.Ofteninmartialartsyou may ask your opponent, “What if I do this?” to which the opponent’sresponseis,“Iwoulddothis,”towhichyousay,“ThenwhatifIdothis?”andthechainofchangecontinues.Atthispointtheoriginalsituationnolongerexistsandbothpeoplehavefoundthemselvesinnewcircumstances.

The same happens when a shinobi plans a strategy for a clandestineoperation.What if theenemydoes this?What if theydothat?What if theydosomethingelse?Thereisacentralpoint,whichistheproblem,thehereandnow,andwithinthissituationthereareforeseeableeventualities.Whenyourthoughtspushbeyondthesepossibilitiestheycreateachainofchangeandeventuallythesituation is changed beyond the actual truth. In fact, the situation is still thesame,ithaschangedonlyinyourmind.

A good shinobi will know the difference between a reasonable level ofcontingencyplanningandover-speculation.

Lesson8DRAWINGFROMDIFFERENTRELIGIONS

The samurai class existed for approximately one millennium, from the 9thcentury to the 19th century, and during this time a variety of belief systemsbecame prominent in Japan. Each of these influenced samurai and shinobiphilosophy,although individualwarriorswouldhavebeensubject to theirownbeliefsandthepoliticalclimateofthetime.Herewegiveabriefoverviewofthemostsignificantreligions.Togainafullerunderstandingoftheshinobimindsetyoushouldventuredeeperintotheseteachings.

BUDDHISM

Founded in India in around the fifth century bc by Siddhartha Gautama,BuddhismteachesustheFourNobleTruths,whichare:

1Lifecontainssuffering.2Desireor“thirst”forcertainimpermanentstatesorthingsproducessuffering,whichinturnleadstoabuild-upofkarma,tyingustotheendlesscycleofdeathandrebirth.

3Ifweidentifyandovercomeourdesire,wewillreduceoursufferingandkarma.

4Innerpeaceisfoundbycultivatingacorrectmind.

Bycultivatingacorrectmind,wecanliberateourselvesfromthecycleofdeathandrebirth.WedothisbyfollowingtheNobleEightfoldPath:

1correctview–understandingthenatureofreality2correctintention–actingfromcompassion3correctspeech–communicatinginanon-harmfulway4correctconduct–notexploitingothers5correctlivelihood–pursuinganon-harmfuloccupation6correcteffort–conductingaccurateself-analysisandadjustingaccordingly7correctmindfulness–continuingtoperfectawarenessofallthings8correctmeditation–developingtheabilitytoliveinthemoment

JapaneseBuddhistmonkJyuhōYamamoto,overseerofEunjiTempleinWakayamaandgrave-keeperforthe17th-centuryshinobi-masterNatoriMasazumi(Issuisensei)oftheNatori-Ryūschool.

ThebasicdistinctionbetweenBuddhismandZen.

A particular school of Buddhism known as Zen, which focuses above all onmeditation, came to Japan in the12thcentury.ZenBuddhismbecamepopular

amongthesamurai,whofoundthatthementaldisciplinetheydevelopedthroughintensiveZenmeditation enhanced theirmartial arts skills and helped them tofacetheenemyinbattlewithoutfearofdeath.

CONFUCIANISM

Confucianism is the study of the ways and teachings of the revered Chinesephilosopher Confucius (551–479 bc). It centres on developing a harmoniousrelationship between the individual (microcosm) and society (macrocosm).Confucius teaches us to cultivate certain virtues, such as benevolence,righteousness, loyalty,andrespectforritual,familyandtradition.Allmembersof a society have a collective responsibility to develop these virtues withinthemselves, in order to serve the common good. Confucianism becameparticularlyinfluentialinJapantowardtheendofthe17thcentury.Itisnothardtoseehowitsethicofunswervingloyaltyandselflessnessregulatedbyanever-vigilantmindcanbeappliedtotheshinobipath.

SHINTŌ

Shintō (“path of the gods”) collects together various Japanese folk religions.CentraltoShintōareJapan’snativegods,orkami(神),whoresideinthenaturalworld.Adherentsworship at a shrinewhere areas of purity aremarkedoff byshimenawa ropes and the iconic torii gates. Inside the shrine is the focus ofveneration,which is normally a rockknownas an iwakura (磐座) or amirrorcalled a kagami (鏡). The latter is often referenced in traditional martialliterature as a symbol for themind.Likeamirror, themind reflects theworldaroundit. If themind-mirror isunpolished,warpedordustythenthereflectionofrealitywillbedistortedandfalse.Therefore,shinobiconstantly“polish”theirmindsothattheirunderstandingofrealityisclearandpure.

TAOISM

TheancientChinesetraditionofTaoismisnotfoundasafullorformalreligioninJapan,but,aswehaveseenalready,elementsofTaoistphilosophy,suchastheconceptsofyinandyang,saturateJapaneseculture.

InJapanesecultureit isacceptabletodrawdifferentinsightsfromdifferentbeliefs,ratherthansubscribingexclusivelytoone.Forexample,theagriculturalreformer and sage Ninomiya Sontoku (1787–1856) considered Shintō as the

basisforthecountry,ConfucianismasthebasisforthegoverningofthecountryandBuddhism as the basis for the governing of themind.He even broke thisblend down into set proportions: a half Shintō, a quarter Confucianism and aquarterBuddhism.

Lesson9RESPECTFORHEAVEN

“Thoseinahighseatofpowerarenothingcomparedwiththegodsofheaven.Ifyouoffendthegods,thenyouhavenonetowhomyoucanpray.”

Bansenshūkai,Fujibayashi-sensei,1676

Shinobiliveinaworldofliesanddeception,butthatdoesnotmeantheyshouldbedishonest.Theyareagentscontractedtoserveaclan.Whiletheyperformevildeeds in this role, shinobi must maintain the strictest of moral codes in theirinnerlife,believeinthegods,practisesincerity,cultivatetheirmindandfollowtheWay(seelesson10).Foriftheydonotdothistheywillfallintodespairandlosethesupportofthegods.

AstudentoftheJapaneseartsmustfollowtheWay,whichoffersapathinlifetoclearerunderstanding.

Lesson10FOLLOWINGTHEWAY

“TheWayisindescribable.”Lao-Tzu(604–531BC),reputedauthoroftheTaoTeChing

TheWayisthecentralconceptofTaoism.Itisconsideredasthepowerbehindtheconstructionandgoverningoftheuniverse;itisoutsideoftimeandspaceyetit permeates all existence. Like the Western concept of God, the Way isunknowable.However,GodiscommonlypersonifiedasamanwhereastheWayhasnoidentity,nogender,nonumber.

How then to follow the Way, if it is unknowable? If any answer to thisquestion can be found it will be in the teachings of the Tao Te Ching, thedefiningworkofTaoistphilosophy.Observetheprincipleofwu-wei,ormui(無為)asitisknowninJapanese:donotforcethesituation,flowwiththemoment(seelesson147).

NotethedifferencebetweentheWayandaway,suchas:

•chadō(茶道)–thewayoftheteaceremony•shodō(書道)–thewayofcalligraphy•kadō(華道)–thewayofflowerarrangement•kōdō(香道)–thewayoffragrance

These are all ancient traditions that can help you to concentrate themind andleadalifeofharmony.

Lesson11MAINTAININGACORRECTMIND

AtthebeginningoftheBansenshūkaiFujibayashi-senseiintroducestheconceptofseishin, thecorrectmindset– fromsei (正)“correct”andshin (心)“mind”.Humans are extremely logical creatures andwill follow a series of steps untiltheyarriveataconclusion.Thisisknownasdeductivereasoning.Forexample,thehillslopesdownwardsandthereforeaballwillrolldownit.However,oftenpeople begin their reasoning from an incorrect starting point, which leads tomyriadmisunderstandings,misusesandmalpractices.Fujibayashi-senseiteachesus that before training as shinobi we should cultivate seishin to help usunderstand what is correct and what is not correct, what is truth and what isfalsehood.Onlythenwillourmindswillbloominthecorrectdirection.

Lesson12THEWAYOFTHESHINOBIISHONESTY

Paradoxicallyforanagentofdeceptionandlies,thewayoftheshinobiistobe

completely honest.Many of the teachings concerning the shinobi qualify thissimpleinstructionbydescribingthreeaspectsoftruth.

ASPECT1

A shinobi who has been set up undercover needs to develop a reputation forhonesty. If you become known as a trustworthy person, then when the timecomesyoucanplacealiethatwillbringdowntheenemyclan.

Asamuraiisstraightandtrue,insideandout.

ASPECT2

Ifyoustrayonto thepathofdishonestyandgreed, thenmoneyandpowercanweaken your resolve and you will become susceptible to manipulation. Youcouldendupasadoubleagentorarogueagentwhoswapssidesdependingonwhichgivesyouthemostbenefit.

Thecoreofashinobiistrue,butoutsideareliesanddeception.

ASPECT3

Tobeashinobiyoumustbeclearabout theworkingsof thehumanmindandunderstandyourownpsychology.Mostofusbelieve thatourpointofview iscorrectandwedonotunderstandtheeffectouremotionshaveonourthoughtsandactions.Onceyouunderstand theworkingsofyourmindyouwillbecome

internally honest, meaning that you can identify when your mind isoverpoweringormanipulatingyou (see lesson145).Thenyouwillunderstandnotonlyyourselfbutalsotheenemy.

Thenusubitothiefiscrookedinsideandout.

Lesson13BEINGLIKEWATER

There is an old Chinese teaching: “Water adjusts itself to the vessel it is in.”Whenwaterisputintoateapotittakestheshapeoftheteapot,wheninacupittakes the shape of the cup, etc. Similarly, we change our behaviour andpersonality to suit the environment around us. Issuisensei of the Natori-Ryūschool tells us thatwhenwe interactwith amerchant or someonewhovaluesmoney, thenwe, too, shall becomemore fascinatedwithwealth; or ifwe seesomeone we find attractive, then we will have lustful thoughts. These areexamplesofhow“wateradjuststothevesselitisin.”

Those who take the path of the shinobi may find themselves in extremesituations involvingbribery, extortion, lying, thieving,killingand soon.Theirentire lifestyle will become one of manipulation and maleficence. Therefore,theyneedtotakefullcontrolandunderstandhowtoprotecttheircharacterfromexternalexperiences.

Insomerespectsyouwillneedto“belikewater”– inadaptingyourself toyourenvironmentsothatyoudonotattractattention–butyoumustalsoensurethatthedemandsofyourroledonottwistyourtruenature.

Lesson14THETREASUREOFFIREANDWATER

Firecanfillaroomwithwarmthandgoodcheer,coolwatercanbe“liquidgold”toathirstytraveller,butinthewrongcircumstancestheycankillyou.Likewise,theartsoftheshinobicanbringgreatbenefitstoalordortheycandestroythemandtheirhouse.

Leadersmustunderstandtheartsof theshinobisothat theycanplacetheirpieces “on the board” in the correct way. Theymust havemultiple shinobi –someofwhomareunawareofeachother’strueidentity–reportingbacktothemsothattheycancompileanaccurateaccountofenemymovements.Thisisdonesothatanyshinobiwhoarereportingdifferentinformationfromtheotherscanbe identifiedasdoubleagents.Withoutsuchmeasures, false reports flowbackup the chain of command, double agents find their way into a leader’sconfidence and secret plans become known to the enemy. Therefore, like fireandwater,shinobicanbeeitheratreasureorahazard,bringingeitherbountyordestruction.

Fireandwatercanbothbeeithersaviourorassassin,somustbetreatedwithrespect.

Lesson15WORKINGOUTSIDETHESYSTEM

Theshinobistraddletwoworlds,thepublicandtheprivate.JustlikeMI5,MI6,theCIA,SAS,SBS and theNavySeals,we know they exist but their agents,objectivesandoperationsaresecret.

Surprisingly, many people may have been able to identify a shinobi inhistoricalJapan.ThemilitarywriterChikamatsuShigenori(1695–1778)tellsusthatwarlordswouldhaveshinobiwhowereknowntotheworld(yōnoshinobi)andsecretagentswhoseidentitywaskeptsecret(innoshinobi).IntheSengokuperiod(1467–c.1603)someshinobiwerehiddenwithintheenemywhileothersmovedwiththemainarmy.Theywerebilletedseparatelybutcouldbeseenasshinobi. It is also known that in the Edo period (c.1603–1868), some shinobiworeaspecificjacketandcrestswhileondutyandengagedintraining,meaningthat everyone in the castle andcastle townknewwho theywere,but also thatotherswerekeptsecret,readytodothelord’sbidding.

Studentsof theshinobiartsmusthavea thoroughunderstandingofgeneralsamuraiskills,fromphysicalmartialartsthroughtomilitarytactics.Theymusthold shinobi no jutsu as an auxiliary art that they specialize in and develop

themselvesasanexclusiveunitaboveothers,nomatterwhethertheiridentityasashinobiisopentothepublicorkepthiddenfromallbutafew.

Ashinobiisoutsideofthesystem.

Lesson16BEINGTHEEYESANDEARSOFTHEARMY

Ashinobiworksoutsidealord’sobservation.

Whetherduring timesofwaror timesofpeace, theshinobi’s task isalways toserveastheeyesandearsofthelord.Whenalordresideswithinhisowncastlehecan“see”onlyto thebordersofhis lands, likewisewhenanarmyisonthe

marchitcan“see”onlytothecrestofthenexthill.The first wave of reconnaissance are calledmonomi scouts. However, for

deeper observation the shinobi move outside the range of the castle and thearmy,relayinginformationbacktothelordonthesituationbeyondthebordersof the land.Theyare the eyes andearsof the lordbeyondhisnormal fieldofinformation.Furthermore, the shinobiwill observe those inside theboundariesandbringinformationaboutthelord’sownforces.Thisisalsotheresponsibilityofthemetsuke,internalobserverswhowatchforanyconspiratorsfromwithin.

Shinobi skill: Shinobi must observe both friends and enemies, as friendsoftenbecomeenemiesintimesofwarandchange.Itisthejoboftheshinobitoactasinspectorswithintheirownranks.

Lesson17SHINOBIOUTFITS

Perhapsthebestanswertothequestionofwhatashinobishouldwear?isthatitdependsonthesituation.Whatyoushoulddefinitelynotwearisahoodedblack“ninja suit”, as this is amodern invention.However, itmay be appropriate towearblack,particularlywheninfiltratingatnight.

When using yō-jutsu – disguise – themost important thing is to correctlymimicthetargetidentity.However,theprincipleofdisguisealsohasaplaceininjutsu–stealth.Ifshinobiaremovingasasquadtoinfiltrateacastleduringasiege,theymaychoosetowearpartialarmourandhelmets,andcarryspears.

DifferentlengthsofsleevecantraditionallymeandifferentthingsinJapan.However,shinobitypicallywearaclassickimonosleeve.

Thetasukiisapieceofclothusedtotiethesleevesbackwhenengaginginworkofvarioustypes.Shinobimighttietheirsleevesbackwheninfiltratingorleavethemopentogiveeasyaccesstotools.

Whenmoving into an enemy battle camp in an isolated area theymight alsowear the outfit shown on the previous page, but strap down or tighten allequipment so that it makes no sound, i.e. stop weapons from rattling, waterflasksfromsloshing,armourfromjanglingetc.Orwheninfiltratingacomplexas a squad, shinobi may wear light-fitting clothes and no armour but carryweapons and use white cloths as headbands or other identification markers.However,wheninfiltratingalonetheymaybeverylightlyarmedandwearonlyloose-fitting clothes, but when moving through rough terrain they may needmoreruggedclothing,suchasfursinwinter.

“Closescoutsshouldwearvariousclothesoftheirownchoice.Wheninfiltratinginthedaytime,theyshouldwearnormalstreetclothessoasnottobequestionedbyanyone.Atnightwheninvestigatinganareatheyshouldwearlightweightclothesthatallowfreedomofmovement.Wheninvestigatingforestsandmountainstheyshouldwearclothesthatallowthemtorunaroundwithease.”

Murakamifamilytraditions,1639

Akimono allows thewearer to carry itemseasilyonhisperson, inside thekimono breast, in the sleeve or in a small purse on the belt,whichmakes it auseful garment for a shinobi. The Bansenshūkai has several examples of thesleeve being used as a “pocket”.However, the Inkō-Ryu school says to use athin-sleevedjacketasshownbelow.

Thesearesomegeneralpointsaboutshinobiclothing.Laterlessonswillgointomoredetailaboutitemsofclothingforspecificsituations.

Lesson18SHINOBIRANKS

The modern concept of belts or grades does not exist in the shinobi arts.Traditionally, a shinobi was measured by his ability to perform his dutiessuccessfully.However,someancientrecords,suchastheBansenshūkaiandtheTaiheiki,dogiveusabroadrankingsystem:

•Jōnin(上忍)–shinobiofthehighestability•Chūnin(中忍)–shinobiofamiddle-levelability•Genin(下忍)–shinobioflowerability

This system does notmeasure a shinobi’s social status, it simply assesses theagent’s ability to perform ninjutsu. A jōnin is an agent of exquisite skill,

someonewhoissentoutonthemostimportantmissionsandwhodealswiththemost difficult situations (see lesson 19).Chūnin andgenin are assigned lessertasks.While they are still well-trained and better developed than the averagemember of the public – andmaybe even the average soldier – they are yet toreachtheheightsofthejōnin.

Datingtotheeighthcentury,themenkyolicensingsystemisanotherwaytoassess students of traditional Japanese arts, including shinobi no jutsu. In thissystemthehighestleveloflicenceisknownasmenkyokaiden(免許皆伝).Thisisawardedonlytothemostaccomplishedpractitioners.

Lesson19JŌNIN–THEPERFECTSHINOBI

Ajōninisconsideredtheperfectninja.Asashinobistudentyoushouldaspiretothisstatus,althoughachievingitisanothermatter.

Fujibayashi-sensei details the qualities required to be a jōnin. You mustdemonstrateloyaltytoyourlord,thecourageofahero,strategicacumenandarecordofachievement.Strongofbody,youmustnonethelessbegentlewhennotinaction.Youmusthaveakeensenseofrighteousnessandanabsenceofdesireandneverforgetwhatyouowetoothers.Yourmentalqualitiesshouldincludefluency in speech and writing, an ability to think deeply and a fondness forlearningprinciples and right action, andyoumustbedifficult todeceive.Youmust know the morals of the samurai class and the ways of Japanese andChinese ancient warriors. As well as military affairs, you should haveknowledge of the various arts, including poetry, music and dance, have theability to impersonateothersandbeproficient inmanyotherdisciplines.Jōninarealwaysdignified,honestandgood,andshouldneverbeargumentative.

Spiritually,youmustknowheaven’swillandunderstandConfucianismandBuddhism. Always be aware that life and death have their determinedappointment and rise above your own self-interestwhile bearing thewords ofancientsagesinmind.

Yourfamilywillalsocomeunderscrutiny.Yourspouseandotherrelativesshould be of good descent to minimize the risk of any of them becoming areversedspy.

Youshouldbewelltravelled,studyhardandlearndeeplytheartofshinobino jutsu so as to achieve thehighest levelofunderstandingwithin it andgainmeritsinbattle.

Lesson20THESHINOBIINFILTRATIONSQUAD

Thoughshinobimayworkaloneattimes,theyoftencollaborateinteams.Allthegroupmustworkasasingleandcoherentunitbutindividualmembershavetheirownresponsibilities.Ashinobisquadrecruitedtoinfiltrateasamurairesidence

willtypicallyconsistofthefollowing:

SHITE(仕手)–THEMAININFILTRATOR

Themaininfiltrationagentishighlyskilled,anexpert intheartsofshinobinojutsu. They use infiltration tools and work deep inside the enemy house andcarryoutthemainobjectiveofthemission.

SHITEZOE(仕手添)–SUPPORTERSTOTHEMAININFILTRATOR

Like the main infiltration agent, shitezoe are among the most highly-skilledshinobi.Theyinfiltratealongsidethemainperformerbutbranchofftoreportonthestatusoftheenemyinside–whethertheyareasleeporonthemoveetc.

TSURONIN(通路人)–LIAISON

Tsuronin carry reports and instructions from the infiltrators deep inside theenemycomplextotheagentsoutside,andviceversa.

AIZUMOCHI(相圖持)–SIGNAL-SENDERS

Thecommunicationsbranchof the team, theyuse fūrin (風鈴),a typeofwindchime, and shisoku-bi (紙燭火), a paper candle, both of which are used toconvey prearranged signals. Aizu mochi should be positioned for maximumvisibilityofthesignals–morethanonesignal-sendermaybeneeded.

HARI(張)–WATCHMEN

Haritakeuppositionatspecifiedlocationsandobserveandraisethealarmifanenemyadvances into their position.While this role canbeperformedby fullytrained shinobi, it is often assigned to less experienced agents or anyonewhomaybeconsideredaliability.Fujibayashi-senseiwarnsusthatsuchpeoplemayrunatthesightoftheiralliesreturning.

Also included within this category are exit guards, who are agents of aresolute nature.They are responsible for protecting the squad’swithdrawal bylocking doors, stretching out tripwires and scattering caltrops (ground spikes).They are also tasked with the slaying of any enemy who tries to follow in

pursuit; theymay need tomove down the corridors, stabbingwith their shortswords,pushingalltheinhabitantsbackintotheinnersectionofthehousehold.

PREPARATION,PASSWORDSANDIDENTIFICATION

The squad will decide on the passwords to be used (aikotoba) and each oneshould wear an identifying marker (aijirushi), such as a white headband orsection of cloth somewhere on the body. Also, the group may decide toformulateawrittenoath,promisingnot tofleefromtheraidandtouphold theobligationsoftheirposition.

InfiltrationSkills

Lesson21USINGSOUNDASCAMOUFLAGE

Fujibayashisensei often uses the following phrase to describe how quiet ashinobimustbe:“asthoughyouarelisteningtofrostfallonacoldnight”.

However, it isnot alwayspossible toworkcompletely silently, so learn tousesoundtocoveryourmovements.Iftherearenaturalsoundssuchasrunningwater,thenthesecanbeusedtocoverthenoiseoftheshinobi’swork(beaware,though, that experienced guards know to look for enemy infiltrators in suchpositions).Another option is towork at timeswhen pervasive sounds such aswindandraincoverwholeareas.ThisiswhythereissomuchguidanceintheBansenshūkaiandothermanualsonforecastingwindandrain.Theseweatherswill cover the inevitable noise of infiltration and cause less vigilant guards totake shelter.Understandingweather patterns and predictingwind and rain arefundamentalskillsforashinobiagent.

Shinobiusesounds,suchashourbells,assignalstomoveandcamouflagetocoverthesoundoftheirmovements.

Lesson22LIGHTANDDARKPATROLS

Wheneitherdefendingorinfiltratingacastleorbattlecamp,youmusttakeintoaccounttheconceptoflightanddarkpatrols.

•Alightpatrolisaclassicpatrolmadeupofeitherasinglepersonoragroupwhocarrytorchesandinspectanareaopenly,illuminatinganyshadowyplaces.

•Adarkpatrol(kamaritsuke,“todiscoverkamariagents”)isasecondarypatrolwhooperateinstealthandwithoutlights.Theymaybeindependentorfollowafteralightpatrol.

Whenoperatinginalightpatrol,makesureyouknowwhenandwherethedarkpatrolisworkingsothatyoudonotmistakethemfortheenemy.Whenyouareinadarkpatrol,makesureallmembersknowthecorrectpasswordssothatnoone can infiltrate in the darkness. Anyone moving in stealth and without apasswordshouldbeconsideredanenemyshinobi.Thinkdeeplyontheconceptoflightanddarknesswhendefendinganarea.

Shinobi skill: When defending a camp or fortress, deploy guards withtorches,butafterthemsendoutguardswithouttorcheswhosneakaboutinthedark to find enemy agents.When you are attacking, remember that when theguardswithtorcheshavepassedotherguardsmaybelurkinginthedark.

Alightpatrolwithalampandastealthydarkpatrolwithout.

Lesson23THETHREESTAGESOFCONCENTRATION

Anyinfiltrationagenthastobeawareofthethreestagesofconcentration:•thebeginning–peopleareactive,enthusiasticandeager•themiddle–peoplestarttobecomeslack-minded,lazyanduninterested•theend–peoplearebored,eagertofinishandmoveon

Thethreestagesofconcentration:alert,minddriftingandbored.

Wheninfiltratingaposition,shinobishouldobservewhentheguardschangeandthe lengthof thewatch.Thatway theycan time their infiltration forwhen theguard’s concentration is likely to be flagging. The best times to infiltrate arewhenmovementoccurswithinthetargetareaorwhenguardsbecomeinattentive(concentration stage 3). Furthermore, people lose their concentration morequicklyinextremeweather,suchasinadownpourofrain,highwindsorintenseheat.

Shinobiskill:Knowwhenanenemyguardhasstartedtoloseconcentration.Planyourownwatchessothatguardschangebeforetheybecomeweary.

Lesson24PREPARINGFAKELETTERS

PREPARINGFAKELETTERS

Afakelettercanbestitchedintothecollarincaseofcapture.

Ifyouarecapturedduringaninfiltrationyouwillneedsomethingtogiveyoutheupperhand.Fujibayashisenseirecommendstheideaofthefalsetraitor.Beforeamissionof stealthpickone enemygeneral ormilitaryofficerwhomyou thinkcouldbesuspectedofdefecting,thenwritealettercontainingafalseagreementbetween your allies and the supposed defector and stitch the letter into yourcollar.Ifyouarecapturedrevealthislettertoyourcaptors.Thiswillknocktheenemyoffbalanceandturnallattentionto the“traitor”.Theywillberemovedfrom their position while an investigation commences and, importantly, theenemywill almost certainlyallowyou to return toyour sideoncondition thatyoucarryfalseinformationbackwithyou.

Issui-senseihasavariationonthisstrategyforusewheninfiltratingacivilianresidence.He advises agents to carry a false love letter to amaid so that anycaptorswillnotmistaketheshinobi fora thief.This isveryimportant,as theftwaspunishablebydeathinmedievalJapan.

Shinobi skill: Shinobi must know what to do if they are captured. Goodstrategyincludespreparingfortheworst.

Lesson25THESOFTNOISETEST

Thesoftwhispertestwillhelpidentifyhowalertaguardis.

One of the difficulties you will face when infiltrating is judging whether theguardsinadark,quietguardroomarealertorinattentive(orevenasleep).Inthissituationcarryouta“softnoisetest”.Onemanualsuggeststhrowingsomesmallstones;anotheradvisesawhisperinthedark.Onawetnightyoucouldstickanopenumbrellainthegroundsothatthepatterofraincanbehearduponit.Allofthese tests should cause observant guards to stir at the sound and investigate,which tells you that they are paying attention. However, be aware that someguardsmightlayatrapbypretendingnottohaveheardthesound.

Shinobiskill:Thesoftnoisetestwillconfirmthatguardsarelistening,butyou cannot trust it to confirm they are not listening. Infiltration is a constantgameofcatandmousebetweenshinobiandguard.

Anexampleofthe“umbrellaintherain”trickfromashinobimanual(moderncopyintheCumminsCollection).

Lesson26PULLINGUPTOOLSWITHAROPE

Thisisanobvioususeofrope,butacriticalone.Inshinobisquadsasingleagentscalesahighfortificationfirst,withoutanyequipmenttoburdenthem,saveforaropewhichtheylowerdownoncetheyhavereachedthetop.Theycanthenhaulupanyequipmentandtheothershinobicanfollowafterit.Thereisnorecordofthe knots used by the shinobi, but the illustration here shows amarling spikehitchwhichisusedintheWestforasimilartask.Clothornetbagscanalsobeattachedtotheropeandfilledwithequipment.

Amarlingspikehitchisareliableknottousewhenliftingtoolswitharope.

Lesson27USINGSCABBARDSFORPROTECTION

The shinobi manuals contain surprisingly few physical fighting skills. TheBansenshūkaidoesnotshowhowtoperformtechniqueswiththelongandshortswords (which samurai and shinobi typically carried), but it does demonstratehowtopositionyourscabbardstoavoidcuts.Thisisparticularlyimportantforshinobi, who will generally not burden themselves with armour wheninfiltrating.Youshouldpushyourscabbards toeachsideandspin themintoaverticalposition.Thiswillgiveyousomeprotectionat thesidesfromslashing

moves. Understand it is quite probable that earlier Japanese swordsmanshipfocusedonpull–pushcutsandnotover-dramaticswipessothescabbardswouldacttostopslashestothewaist.Swordsmenwouldmostlikelyhavemovedinamore closed fashion than is customary inmodernmartial arts andwouldhaveusedshorter,harderslashes.

Jōdannokamae–thehighposturewithtwoswords.Variationsdoexistwithslightlydifferentpositioningoftheswords.

Lesson28THEPULLINGROPE

With nomoonlight for guidance, the passages between buildings in an enemycomplexcanbehard tonavigate.Likewise, the roomsandcorridorsofa largehouseorfortificationareoftencoveredinablanketofgloom.Toovercomepoorvisibility a shinobi will use a long length of cord called a hikinawa (引縄),“pullingrope”.Secureoneendattheoriginalpointofinfiltrationandcarrytherestcoiledinyourhand.Asyoucreeparoundthetargetarea,payout theropebehindyou,likeTheseusintheLabyrinth.Thenyouwilleasilybeabletofollowtheropebackouttoyourentrypoint.Suchacordisdifficultforanypatroltosee

inthedarkbutenablesyoutoexitefficientlyinanemergency.

Thehikinawa"pullingrope"isusedtofindanexitquicklywheninfiltratinganenemycompoundatnight.

Lesson29THEDIGGINGTOOL

In modern Japanese animation, the kunai has become known as a throwabledagger-like weapon. However, evidence from ancient manuals shows that thekunaishouldbeusedasatool,notaweapon.Measuring30–50cm(12–20in)andendinginaheavy-dutynarrowtriangularspike,itmaylooklikeadaggerbutitservesprimarilyasarobustdiggingimplementorasapiton.Useit,forexample,todigoutanentrychannelbelowafence,palisadeorwall,ortoanchoraropebridge.

Thekunaiisusedfordiggingoranchoringotherobjects.

Lesson30SILENTSANDALS

Apairofsilentsandalswithpaddedsoles.

Walking around in a house, particularly one with wooden floors, can beproblematic. As well as the normal sound of footsteps, other dangers includesqueaking floorboards and wet footprints (if it has been raining). TheBansenshūkai and the secret teachings of Natori-Ryū recommend carrying“silent sandals” in the sleeve of your kimono to be worn once you haveinfiltratedabuilding.Theseshouldhavepaddedsolesmadefromasoftmaterial.Interestingly, inWorldWar II theBritishSpecialOperationsExecutive (SOE)also supplied its agents with padded footwear for use when breaking into abuilding.

Lesson31APPROACHINGFROMTHELEEWARDSIDE

Theagentontherightisontheleewardsideoftheenemyontheleft.

The windward side is the side of an object that faces the wind, while thesheltered area is called the leeward side. For an agent infiltrating it is best tomove into thewind– that is, toward the leewardsideofyour target–becausethispushesthesoundyoumakebehindyouandawayfromtheenemy,whileanysound that theenemymakes iscarriedon thewind towardyou.Thisprinciplealsoappliestotell-talesmells,suchassweat,oils,gunpowder,etc.

Lesson32PLOTTINGAQUIETROUTE

Whenplanningyour route intoa targetarea,avoidallelements thatwillmakesounds,suchastwigs,driedgrass,water-loggedareas,etc.Steerclearofbushesandotherheavyfoliagethatyouwouldhavetofightyourwaythrough.Trytofindanelevatedpositionandobservetheareaaswellasyoucan,takingnoteofthemost promising approach routes. Theweather is also of great importance:dry weather will make leaves and other natural debris crunch and crackunderfoot,whileraindampenseverythingdown,includingsound.

Lesson33DISTRACTIONTACTICTOGETTHROUGHAGATEWAY

Samuraihousesweresmallcompoundswithacomplexofbuildingsencircledbyanexternalwall.Theonlylegitimatewaythroughtheouterwallwasaguardedgateway. This skill, found in theBansenshūkai and in Natori-Ryū’s teaching,enablesatwo-orthree-personteamofshinobitoluretheguardoutintotheopensothatoneoftheagentscanstealin.

1Createadisturbanceatthegatesuchasafalsemessengerorafalsefight.2Oncetheguardrespondslurethemoutasfarawayfromthegateaspossible.3Withtheguard’sattentionnowfocusedawayfromthegate,ahiddenagentcanmovethroughthegateandintothecompound.

4Havingresolvedthesituation,theguardreturnstothegatehouseandclosesthegate,notrealizingthereisanenemyagentnowontheinside.

Avariation involves one of the shinobi chasing away a false thief or losing afalse fight, then creating a bond with the guard so that they offer the agentshelter inside the compound. This will enable the shinobi to identify andpossiblyunlockanyentrancepointsinreadinessforalaterinfiltration.

Ashinobiusesadecoytodistractaguardandgainaccesstoaprotectedgate.

Lesson34THEBLOWPIPETEST

Ifyouseeatargetseeminglysleepinginaroomyouwishtoenter,youcanuseablowpipetocheckwhetherornottheyreallyareasleep.Chargeablowpipewithfinepowder,thenblowthepowdertowardthetargetthroughanopeningabovethe door or any other gap you can find. This should bring about an itchingresponseorsimilarreactionfromapersonwhoisonlypretendingtobeasleep.

Theblowpipetestinaction.

Lesson35BLOWPIPEILLUMINATION

Blowpipes can also be used to light up a room briefly. Before the mission,preparedartspackedwithasmallamountofgunpowderaroundthespineandashort fuse attached.When youwish to illuminate a dark room, carefully lightoneofthesedarts,loaditintoablowpipeandblowitintotheroom.(Makesureyou breathe in before you put the pipe to yourmouth, to avoid choking on amouthfulofsmoke.)Whenthefuselights thegunpowdertherewillbeaquickflashgivingtheinfiltratora“snapshot”oftheroom.

Asmalldartwithgunpowderattachedlightsuparoom.

Lesson36TWO-PERSONILLUMINATION

TWO-PERSONILLUMINATION

Theproblemwith illuminatingadark roomisyoudonotknowwhatyouwillfind in there.Youmaybemetwith thevisionof a sleepingenemyor a spearthrust to the body. To counter this, shinobi have developed a two-prongedobservationskill.Oneshinobiwillplacealightinorneararoomwhilekeepingtheirbodybacktoavoidanyattacks;andtheotheronewilllookintotheroomfromtheoppositesidesothattheirformishiddenbuttheycanstillobservetheroom.Thiswaybothshinobiwillbeoutofreachfromanyguardslyinginwaitand,ifthereisatrapset,theagentscanfleeinstantly.

Ashinobilightsaroomfromonesidetodivertattentionwhileasecondagentobservesfromtheoppositeside.

Shinobi skill: The agent lighting the room should do so with their bodyaway from the likely direction of a spear thrust and the other shinobi shouldremainhiddenbutattentive.

Lesson37FIREONTHEENDOFAROD

Asoloshinobicanminimizetheriskofsurpriseattackwhenlightingaroombyusingathinbamboopolewithasmallamountoftorchmaterialattheend.Findaplacewhereyoucanseeintotheroomandalsoallowthelighttoenter, thenlightthetorchendofthepoleandpushitintotheroom.Thisskillwasdevisedforuse in Japanesehouses,whichoftenhave anopen, carved section called a

ranmaatthetopofthewall,anidealvantagepoint.

Theshinobiwiththelightonastickistoofarawaytobeattacked.

Lesson38PRETENDINGTOBEANANIMALTOFINDENEMYSLEEPINGQUARTERS

Evenifaninfiltratorknowsthegenerallayoutofanenemycompound,chancesare theystillwillnotknowexactlywhere themasterof thehouse sleeps.Onewaytheycanfindthisoutistomakethesoundofananimal,suchasastraydogbarking or a cat yowling, repeatedly throughout the night. Eventually (theyhope) themasterwillwakeup,strikea light,openawindowshutterorslidingdoorandshoutattheanimalortrytochaseitaway.Thentheshinobiwillknowwherethetargetisandcanproceedtomakethekill.

Shinobi skill: Fujibayashisensei records this skill in theBansenshūkai, but healso advises against using it. Instead, he recommends placing a kunoichi, orundercover housemaid, in the target house to relay the correct location to theshinobi.

Barkinglikeadogcandrawoutanenemy.

Lesson39HIDINGTHEFACEBEHINDTHESLEEVE

Thisskill isoneof themost importantpiecesofevidencewehave forshinobinot wearing the “ninja mask” with which they are often associated. Whenhappening upon a guard, shinobi train themselves to be completely still, to“becomelikestone”,andalsotohidetheirpalenessoftheirfacebehindasleeveso that it does not catch the light, be it starlight, moonlight or torchlight. Bydoing this theycanevadedetection. (see lesson143 for themystical aspectof

thisskill.)Ashinobihideshisfacetoevadedetection.

Lesson40HOLDINGAFALSECONVERSATION

Imagineitisthedarkestpartofthenight,thesleepingvoidwhentheworldisatrest.Youareinsidethelabyrinthofanenemyhouse,butyousensethataguardhasbecome suspicious and is trying to trackyoudown.Theguard cannot seeyou, but they can hear you. Turn this to your advantage by staging a falseconversationwithanimaginarysecondshinobi.Saysomethinglike,“Let’sleavehereandmovetotheouthouses”or“Ithinksomeone’sawake,let’sheadforthegate.” The idea is to misdirect the guard and escape by going in anotherdirection.

Shinobi skill: In this situation master shinobi display their iron will andphenomenalnerve.Havingsenttheguardonafalsetrail,theydonotescapebutinsteadpushon,deeperintothehouse,insearchoftheirtarget.

Ashinobiholdsafalseconversationinordertomisdirectasuspiciousguard.

Lesson41SAWINGTHROUGHAWALL

Shinobiwritersoftendiscussthepracticeofsawingthroughwalls.Bearinmindthat theyarenotreferring tostoneorbrickwalls,but to thoseofawattle-and-daub construction consisting of awooden framework,whichholds a lattice ofthinstripsofwoodorbamboocoveredwithlayersofclayandfinallyawashofpaint.Shinobiwouldworkontheouterpartofthewall,breakingawaytheclayuntiltheyexposedthelatticework.Thentheywouldsawthroughthelatticeworkandtheclayontheothersideuntiltheyhadmadeaholelargeenoughtocrawlthrough.Shinobimayalsohavecutthroughplainwoodenwalls.

Ashinobiusesasawtocutaholethroughawall.

AclassicJapanesewallconstructionwithawoodenframeworkandaplasterandpaintfinish.

AclassicJapanesewallconstructionwithawoodenframeworkandaplasterandpaintfinish.

Lesson42BREAKINGINTHROUGHASLIDINGWOODENDOOR

Workingouttheexactcentrepointofadoorwithastring.

Japanesehouseshave threemain formsof slidingdoor: thevery famous shōji(障子), a thin, paper sliding door, which forms main areas; the fusuma (襖),whichisa thickerpaperslidingdoorthatdividesroomsintosections;andalsotheamado(雨戸),woodendoorsfoundontheexterior,withaverticalboltthatfitsintoaholeinthethreshold.Whentheamadoareclosedtheycreateaformofwooden shield around the main body of the house. To get through a boltedamadodoor,pressverylightlyonthedoortoassesswhethertheboltislocatedinthecentreorattheedge.Iftheboltseemstobeinthecentre,thenexttaskistofindtheexactcentre.Measurethewidthofthedoorwithstring,thenfoldthestring in half and extend that half measure from the edge of the door to thecentre.Thenuse aU-shapeddrill to cutout a small circle in the centreof thedoorsothatyoucanreachinandliftupthebolt.

ThetypeofdrilldescribedintheBansenshūkaiandusedtocutoutsmallholes.

Lesson43INFILTRATINGINDISGUISE,NOTINSTEALTH

“Whenmostpeoplethinkofinfiltrating,theyimaginecrossingoveramoatorclimbingupawall,buttheseareexceptionalmeasuresthatshinobishouldtakeonlyinanemergency.”

IgaandKōkaNinjaSkills,ChikamatsuShigenori,18thcentury

In this chapter we have focused on infiltration by stealth, but there are otherways to gain access to an enemy stronghold. Disguising yourself as someonewho ismeant to be in the target area is one suchmethod. This is a commontheme in shinobi teachings and requires us towiden our understanding of theterminfiltration.Thefundamentalaimoftheshinobi isnottobeseen,butthisincludesnotbeingseenasathreat.

Shinobi skill:Avoidattracting thewrong typeofattention: learn tobe thegreyman.

Ashinobidisguisedastheservanttoasamuraiinordertoinfiltrateanenemystronghold.

ClimbingSkills

Lesson44USINGAGRAPPLINGHOOKTOCLIMBOVERAWALL

Thegrapplinghookisakeypartoftheshinobitoolkit.

Theclassicshinobi image isofa shadowyfigureclimbingoverawalland,asthis lesson indicates, there is a high degree of truth to that. While climbinghigherwallsrequiresaladder,lowwallscanbescaledusingonlyagrappletiedtoashortrope.Thegrapplecanbeflat,rakedorhavemulti-directionalprongsand some types are collapsible to make them easier to carry. Grapples workparticularlywell for hooking over the kind of Japanese housewall that has asmalltileroofgivingitalip,oroverawoodenpalisadearoundamilitarycamp.

Aselectionofshinobigrapplinghooks.

Lesson45THEJOINTEDLADDER

As its name suggests, this type of ladder can be folded or broken up intosections,whichfittogetherorfoldoutandarelockedinplacebyalatchsystem.Fujibayashi-sensei disapproves of the jointed ladder; he believes that all ninjatoolsshouldbelightweightandthatthejointedladderistoocumbersome.

AjointedladderasshownintheGunpōJiyōshūmanualwrittenbythesamuraiOgasawaraSaku’unKatsuzoinc.1612.

Lesson46THETIEDLADDER

The tied ladder consists of two long bamboo poles to form the rails (the twosidesoftheladder),withshortersectionsofbambootoformtherungs.Havingstealthilymeasured the height of thewall you intend to climb, return to basecamp to source bamboo of the correct length and cut the parts needed for theladder.Thesepartscaneitherbeassembledinadvance,whichtendstoproduceasturdier construction, or in situ if it would not be practical to carry thepreassembledladderallthewayfromthebasecamp.Youcanwrapstraworsoftclotharoundtheendsoftherailstohelpkeepyoureffortsasquietaspossible.Aswell as thebamboo, theonlyother toolsandmaterialsyouwillneedareasaworaknife,somestrongcordandsomestraworcloth.

Atiedladder,asshownintheBansenshūkai.

Lesson47THEFLYINGLADDER

Theflying ladderconsistsofasingle railwith rungsattached to the railat thecentreofeachrungandpadsateachendoftherailforsoundproofing.Therailisstrengthenedbygluingandbinding stripsofbambooaroundacentralwoodenshaft.Thisisarelativelylengthyprocess,meaningthattheladderreallyneedstobemadeinadvance.Theflyingladdercanbeusedtoscalewallsinthenormalfashionbutalso,likeotherrigidladders,itcanbeplacedacrossroofstoenableyoutomovefromonerooftoanother.Justmakesurethattherungsfindagoodpurchase.

Lesson48THECLOUDLADDER

ManyladdersfoundinshinobimanualsaresmallerversionsofChinesemilitaryladders.Thisisthecasewiththecloudladder,whichisacombinationofthetiedladderandtheflyingladder(seelessons46and47).Althoughshorter thantheChineseversion, theshinobi cloud ladderenables soldiers toclimb thehighestfortresswallsorgetagoodvantageoveradistant location.Theshinobi squadwillcarryaflyingladderandatiedladdertothesiteofinfiltrationandthenjointhemtogetherinsitutocreateacloudladder.

AcloudladderasshownintheBansenshūkai.

Lesson49THEROLLEDLADDER

Therolledladderisarelativelyshortladderconsistingofasinglelengthofropethatfoldsoverinthemiddletoformtworails.Thenbamboorungsareattachedtotheroperails.Tomeasurethecorrectlengthoftheladder,holdyourarmsupdirectlyaboveyourhead.Thelengthshouldbethedistancefromthegroundtoyour wrist. (You will see why this is the case in the following lesson.) Thisladder can be rolled and lashed up and carried to the target area or can beassembledonsite.

ArolledladderasshownintheBansenshūkai.

Lesson50USINGTWOROLLEDLADDERSINCOMBINATION

Asingleshinobicanuseapairofrolledladderstoscaleawallmuchhigherthaneitherladder.Firstreachashighaspossibleandjabaspikeintothewall, thenhooktheloopedendofoneoftheladdersontothespike.Climbtheladder,thenreachupagainandjabthesecondspikeintothewall,eitherdirectlyaboveyouoraboveandtotherightside.Hookthesecondladderonandmoveyourbodyweightontoit.Nextremovethefirstladderandspikeandmovetothetopofthe

secondladder.Againreachashighaspossibleandinsertthefirstspike,thistimetotheleft,andhookonthefirstladder.Dothisrepeatedlyuntilyoureachthetopofthewall.

Shinobi skill: The basewalls of Japanese castles aremade of large rockswedgedtogether,meaning thatyoucanfityourspikes into thecracksbetweenblocks.

Asingleshinobicanuseapairofrolledladderstoclimbupthewall.

Lesson51THESPIKEDLADDER

THESPIKEDLADDER

Thespikedladderissimilartotherolledladderexceptthatithasspikesattachedtoitsroperails.Startbyattachingthelowerspikesintothecracksthen,rungbyrung,ascendtheladderanchoringthehigherspikesasyougo.Whenyouhaveattachedallthespikes,climbbackdowntheladderandunhookthelowerspikes,leavingjustafewanchorpointsatthetop.Thenpullthebottomoftheladderupasfaraspossible,andsecurethelowerpartsagain,thistimehigherthanbefore.When they are secure, you can unhook the top parts andmove upwards. Thewholeprocessisrelativelylengthyandmimicsthemotionofaslowlycrawlingcaterpillar,whichrepeatedlypullsupitsbackendtoclimbawall.

Shinobi skill:As theprofileof thecastlewallshows(lesson74),Japanesefortifications are sloped not vertical making it easier for the shinobi to leanbackwardsandworkeachspike.

Lesson52THELARGEHOOK

Thisisalarger-than-normalhookanditfoldsinhalf.Whenfoldedoutitcanbepinnedintoposition.TheBansenshūkaigivesdimensionsforthetool,butdoesnotdescribehowitshouldbeused.However,wecanhypothesizethatitservesas a robust climbing aid to enable a shinobi squad to climb a wall relativelyquickly.Most likelya singleshinobiwill scaleawallusingoneof the slowermethods,suchasapairofrolledladdersoraspikedladder.Havingreachedthetop,theleadshinobianchorsthelargehookinplaceandattachesalongropetoit.Thisallows therestof the teamtoclimbup therope,whichcan,ofcourse,alsobeusedforaquickescape.

EscapeandHidingSkills

Lesson53THEFIRECRACKERESCAPE

Whenpreparingtoinfiltrateamilitarycompound,setupaseriesoffirecrackersinfoliagenear toyourplannedexitpointwithafuseready to light. Ifyouaredetectedandneedtofleetoyourexitpoint,youorasecondagentstandingbycanlightthefuseusingemberscarriedinatoolcalledadōnohi.Thissetsoffthefirecrackers,which replicate the sound and flashes ofmusket fire, causing thepursuing enemy to take cover from the “ghost shooters” while they structuretheirdefenceandallowingyoutomakeyourescape.

Shinobi skill: Ensure that you charge each firecracker with an amount ofgunpowdersimilartothatusedinamusketshot.

Lesson54QUAIL-HIDING

Quail-hidingisnamedaftertheJapanesequail(Coturnixjaponica),arotundbirdknownastheuzurainitsnativeland.Whenyouareinatightspot,getdownonthe ground and curl up as tightly as possible. Stay as still as you can and “asquietasfrostontheground”whilechantingtheongyōspellofhiding(seelesson143).

According to Fujibayashi-sensei, the five advantages of quail-hiding are: • Ithidesthewhiteofyourfaceandotherexposedskin.•Byfacingdown,yourenergycorrespondstothemaleelementofyō.•Theenemywillnotbeabletoseeyourbreath(ifitiscoldenoughtocondense).

•Itmakesyousmallerandstopsyoufromlookinglikeaperson.•Itpreventsyoufromlookingattheenemyandgettingfrightened.

Shinobi skill:Directions havemale or female (yō or in) associations. Thedownward direction aligns with the male yō element, so it is consideredbeneficialforshinobi(whoarepredominantlymale)tofacedown.However,thisadvantagedoesnotapplytofemaleshinobi.

Lesson55THERACCOON-DOGRETREAT

Whenyouhaveapursuercloseonyourtail,onetacticthatcanbeeffectiveistosuddenlycometoahaltandassumeacrouchingpositionlikearaccoondog.Nothavingtimetostop,yourpursuerwillfalloveryou,allowingyoutodrawyourswordandkillhim.

However,beawarethatthisskillcanbecounteredbysomeonewhochasesfromonesideortheotherratherthandirectlybehindyou.Thatwayyoucannotcome to a halt and knock them off balance, you have to keep running. Anexperiencedpursuerchasingyouwithaspearwillstayonyourright;ifchasingwithasword,theywillstayonyourleft(seelesson111).

Lesson56RACCOON-DOGHIDING

Raccoon-doghidinginvolvesclimbingalargetreeandhidingatagreatheightwithin the foliage. While this sounds simple, it takes a certain degree ofathleticismtoreachthelowerbranchesofalargetreeand“spider-climb”tothehigherparts.

Shinobi skill:Before using this skillmake absolutely sure no one can seewhat you are doing. If your pursuers see you climbing into a tree they will

simply surround it and kill you at their leisure. This skill is all about gettingyourselfhighoffthegroundandinapositionwheretheenemywillnotthinktolook.

Ashinobimustmakesuretheyhavenotbeenspottedbeforetheyclimbatreewiththeintentionofconcealingthemselfwithinit.

Lesson57THECALTROPRETREAT

Shinobi are infamous for their use of caltrops, which are small metal spikes.Oftencaltropsareusedtohinderyourpursuerswhenyouareescapingafteraninfiltrationmission,buttheycanalsobepositionedalongtheinsideofthewallsof your own compound to defend against enemy shinobi. Issui-sensei tells usthatthisisdoneonlywhenyouareexpectinganenemyinfiltration.

Therearethreemainwaystousecaltropswhenretreating:

•Caltroptrains–stretchoutmultiplecaltropsonacord.•Scatteredcaltrops–scattercaltropsbehindyouasyoumakeyourescape.•Pre-positionedcaltrops–prepareyourescapebyputtingcaltropsincertainpositionsbeforeamission.

Shinobiskill:Befullyawareofthehugenumberofcaltropsyouwillneed.Shinobiusecaltropsonanindustrialscale!

Acaltroptrain;caltropsaretiedtoaropeanddraggedbehindashinobi.

Lesson58WALKINGTHROUGHCALTROPS

Keepingtheirfeetflattotheground,theshinobislidespastthecaltrops,pushingthemoutofthewaywiththetipsoftheirtoes.

When you are walking through an areawhere you know or suspect there arecaltrops,moveyourfeetinastyleoflongshufflecalledsuriashi.Theideaistoslideyourfeetwithoutliftingthemoffthegroundsothatyoupushthecaltropsoutofthewayratherthansteppingonthem.

Alternatively,Issui-senseiteachesuseithertouseacommonhousebrushtosweep the caltrops away or to crawl along the ground swiping at themhorizontallywithaspear.

Shinobi skill:Remember that caltrops can bemade of bambooor iron andcomeindifferentshapesanddesigns.

NightAttackSkills

Lesson59TYPESOFNIGHTATTACK

There are various types of night attack, from large-scale battles at night(yoikusa)downtoraidsbysmallbandsoftroops(yogomi).However,thegeneraltermforanightattackisyouchi–madeupof夜(“night”)and討(“attack”).Inastandard night attack a relatively large group of soldierswillmove out undercoverofdarknessandinvadeanenemycamp.Theinvasionwilloftenbetimedtocoincidewitha fireattackwithin thecampperformedbyshinobiwhohavemanagedtoenterinadvance.

Somenightattacksarecarriedoutexclusivelyinashinobimanner,thesearecalledshinobi-youchi.Theseattacks tend to involveagroupofshinobi raidinganenemycamporhouseholdtoinflictaspecifickindofphysicaldamage–toburnthestores, forexample.Themainpoint tounderstandhere is thatshinobinight raids (shinobi-youchi) differ from shinobi infiltration missions (shinobi-iru).Whilebothrequirestealth,nightraidsaresuddenstrikesattheenemythatthey will know about as soon as they happen, whereas the object of aninfiltrationmission is to steal in silentlyanddiscreetly toachieveanobjectivethattheenemywillnotnecessarilydiscoveruntillater.

Lesson60

WHATTOWEARANDCARRYONANIGHTATTACK

Thislessonreferstothestandardnightattackdescribedinthepreviouslesson,inwhich a largenumberof conventional troopswill attempt to invade an enemycamp – most likely in conjunction with an internal fire attack performed bydedicatedshinobi.Forsuchanattack,itisgoodforthemembersoftheattackingparty towear basic armour butwithout a back banner. Theywill alsowear ahaori jacket and an identification marker. Shorter weapons such as spearswithout hooks, swords or short bows are better than polearms and long bows,whichcancatchinfoliageornarrowplaces.Forthesamereason,itisadvisableforsoldiersnottowearhigh-crestedhelmets.

Lesson61TAGGINGHEADS

Just like any other type of Japanese soldier, shinobi will want to capture theheadsoftheenemiestheykilltodemonstratetheirindividualprowess.However,this posesparticular problemsduring a night raid,whichmust be focused andwell coordinated. If warriors keep stopping to remove the heads of slainenemies, they will lose momentum. To address this difficulty, soldiers takewoodentagswiththeirnamesonthemtoeitherattachorstabintotheenemy.Ifthey are victorious then the allies can read the tags and identify who killedwhom. If theydonot succeed in taking thearea, then theenemywill read thetagsinstead.Ineithercaserecordsshouldbekept.

Lesson62WITHDRAWINGONASIGNAL

A night raid is a rapid strike requiring coordination and adroitness. Everyoneinvolvedneedstoknowexactlywhenandhowtoretreat.Theraidcommanderwillorderasignaltobegivenwhenhedeemsthattheraidhasbeensuccessfulor that the time has come for the troops towithdraw. The signal should be asoundbecauseaflagwillnotbevisibleinthedarknessandafiresignalwillnotstand out from any other burning that is around.When they hear the signal,troopsshoulddisengagefromcombatandfollowtheprearrangedexitstrategy.

Lesson63SWEEPINGANDSTABBINGWITHASPEAR

Whenanattacksquadismovingindarkness,allmembersshouldgentlysweepfromside to sidewith their spear. If they feel it touch something, they shoulddraw the spear back and then thrust to stab whatever the spear has touched.Often itwill justbea tree,butoccasionally itwillbeanenemy lying inwait.While hooked spears are good for ensnaring and tripping an enemy, they arelikely tobecomeannoyingonanight raidwhen theykeepcatchingonunseenobstacles.Astraightspearwillbemuchbetter.

Lesson64COORDINATEDHAND-GRENADEATTACKS

Firesandexplosionsplayavitalroleinnightattacks.Inthislessonwewillfocusonhandgrenades.TraditionalJapanesehandgrenadescomprisetwohollowclayhemispheres filledwith gunpowder (and sometimes shrapnel) and then boundintoasphereusinglayersofpaper.Theymaysometimeshaveropeattachedtopropel them further. The aim is for a shinobi squad to creep up as close aspossible to the enemyand,oncommand, launcha coordinatedgrenadeattack.

Thiswill throw the enemy into disarray and enable allied troops to take themdownwithease.

Ashinobisquadmovesinfastanddeploysclayhandgrenadesinacoordinatedattack.

Lesson65SENDINGINABAITTEAM

Aworthy enemy will be prepared for night attacks and have troops ready tocounterattack.Onewaytoovercometheseistosendinateamasbaittotempttheenemyintosendingout itscountersquad.Onagivensignal thebaitgroupwillretreattoapre-plannedpositionwhereanambushliesinwait.Theenemy’scountersquadwillfollowthebaitteamandbeslaughteredbytheambush.Thiswill discourage the enemy from sending out anymoremen, and theywill bepinnedinsidetheirbattlecamp.

Lesson66OVERTANDCOVERTSIGNALS

Signalsmaybeeitherovertorcovert,dependingonthesituation.Ifitisobviousthe enemy knows your force is in position, there is no need to disguise yoursignals.Youjusthavetomakesurethattheenemycannotunderstandthem.LikeMorsecode,thesoundsaremeaninglessunlessyouknowhowtodecipherthem.Eachsidewillcreate itsownsystemofsignals,rangingfromthesimpleto thecomplex.

Conversely,ifhiddenoperativesareworkinginsecretneartheenemy,theymayuseeverydaysoundsthatwillnotraisesuspicion,suchasatownortemplebell,asprearrangedsignalstocoordinatetheirmoves.

Shinobi skill:Musical instruments such as the Japanese flute, conch shells,drumsandcymbalscanbeusedtodelivereitherovertorcovertsignals.Ifyouare in a battle camp andyouhear, for example, enemy conch shells or drumssoundingout,youwillknowtheyaresignalsbutyouwillnotunderstandtheirmeaning.On the other hand, a spywho is operating undercover in an enemysettlement can play a tune without the enemy suspecting that it is, in fact, asignal.

DefensiveSkills

Lesson67IDENTIFICATIONMARKINGS

Samurai identify themselves in two ways: firstly, they have to display theirprowessandpersonalidentityasawarrior;secondly,theyhavetoexhibitarmyordivisionmarkers.Personalidentificationisdonethroughhelmetcrests,spearscabbards,banners,flags,colouredarmour,etc.Somesoldiersattachapieceofclothtotherearofthehelmetoronthesleeve,oreventieclothdirectlyonanarmorleg.Furthermore,Issui-senseitellsusthattheswordcord(sageo)canbeusedasahiddenmarker,withmembersofateamallwearingcordsofthesamecolour.Awarriorneedstobothbelongtoaunitandstandout.

Shinobi skill: The skills in this chapter are those used to defend againstshinobi infiltration. Shinobi need to understand these skills and find ways tocounterthem.Forexample,youmustdiscoverthecorrectidentificationmarkers,passwordsandanyformofsecretsignalsbeforeyouinfiltrateanenemyforce.Otherwise,youwillbequicklyfoundout.

Lesson68PASSWORDSANDSIGNS

Following on from the previous lesson, passwords are divided between twoseparateorders:1.AIKOTOBA(相詞)–PASSWORDS

Samuraipasswordscomeintwoparts,witheachpartconsistingofawordthatlinkstotheother.Forexample,aguardmightsay“moon”towhichthecorrectresponseofasoldierwishingtoentermightbe“sun”.Othersimplepairingsofthis nature include “hill” “valley” or “positive” “negative”. However, theassociationmaybemoresubtle,suchasaconnectiontoapoemoralegend,e.g.“Arthur”“Excalibur”,“MarcusAurelius”“Meditations”or“Homer”/“Iliad”.Theideais tomakethemeasytorememberoncetheyhavebeenrevealed,but

hardtoworkoutstraightaway.

2.TACHISUGURIISUGURI(立ちすぐり居すぐり)–GESTURESOFIDENTIFICATION

Certainmovementscanactinasimilarwaytopasswords.Whensuspectingthatenemy shinobi have infiltrated thegroup, a troop leadermaygive a commandworduponwhicheveryonedropstoacrouch.Anyinfiltratorswillnotknowthisandsowillbeleftstandingandidentifiable.

Lesson69WIFEANDCHILDHOSTAGES

Theworldofthesamuraiwasfoundedonloyaltypledgedtoalord,butloyaltiescouldshift.Oranapparentlytrustworthywarriormightturnouttobeanenemyshinobi.Recognizingthesefactsoflife,alordhadcertainstrategiestoguaranteethe loyalty of his retainers. For example, when giving an oath of allegiancesamuraiwouldoftenhavetosurrendertheirfamilyashostagestotheclan.Thefamilylivedinrelativecomfortaccordingtoitsstationwithinacastlecomplex,cityortown,butwasalwaysunderthethreatofdeathiftheretainerchangedhisloyaltyorrevealedhimselftobeanenemyagent.

Tocounter thispractice,ashinobi infiltratorwoulddeliverafakewifeandchildrensothatwhenhedouble-crossedtheenemylord,thefateofthewomanandchildrenwasofnoconsequencetohim.

Didthewifeandchildrenknowtheyweredoomed,orweretheyalsoagentswhohadanescapeplan?It ishard tosay,butwhat isclear is that the livesofwomenandchildrenwouldsometimeshavebeenusedupintheschemesoftheshinobi, lending truth to Issui-sensei’s warning that the path of the shinobi ishorrifying.

Lesson70RAKEDSANDTRENCHES

Aroundtheperimeterofabattlecampareearthen-walledguardstationsnexttowhichfiresburnallnight,projectinganarcoflightoutintothedarknesswherethe shinobi lie inwait. The only dark areas on the perimeter are between theguard stations, and it is thesegaps that theshinobiwill target.Tocounter thisapparentweakness, the defenders dig shallow butwide trenches and fill themwith sand,which is raked like that in aZen garden.The trenches are shallowenoughthataninfiltratorcanwalkacrossthem,buttoowidetojumpover.Thismeansthatanyinfiltratorwillleavefootprintsinthesand,sowhennightpatrolsseethemtheycanraisethealarmandcry,“Intruder,intruder!”

Twoguardsatawatchfirewithsandtrenchesateitherside.Manyofthesewillcometogethertoformaperimeter.

Lesson71USINGTORCHESTOSEEOVERWALLS

Shinobitakerefugeinthedarknessatthebaseofamoatorditchoutsideofthewallsofafort,castleorcompound.Toshedlightonthesedarkplaces,defenderslower torches attached to ropes over the wall. Viewed from a distance anonlookerwouldseebrightspecksoflightbeingloweredandraisedfromacastlebattlementstothedarkareasbelow.

Ashinobihidesintheshadowsasaguardsearchesforintrudersinthedarkness.

Lesson72SHINOBI-PROOFUNDERWEAR

DiagramofatraditionalmedievalJapaneseloincloth.

Inthedarkofnight,acounter-attackteamwaitsbehindthecampgate,readytomoveout into thenightandengagewith thebesiegingenemy.Suchamassiveamountofmovement in thedarkgivesshinobiachance to infiltrate.Theycandothiseitherbystealinginthroughthegateastheattacksquadmovesout,orbypretendingtobeamemberofthereturningattackgroup.Remember,someoftheattackgroupwillhavebeenkilledintheengagement,sotherewillbespacefor

anagenttomingle.Alsothegroupwillneedtocomebackinquickly,sotheremay not be time for a password protocol.However, be aware that the enemymayhaveotherwaystodetectinfiltrators.

One suchmethodused inold Japanwouldbe to issue eachmemberof anattack teamwith undergarments of the same colour and texture, so thatwhenthey undressed on the inside of the camp, anyone wearing a garment of thewrongcolourortexturewouldbeidentifiedimmediately.

Lesson73STAMPEDPASSES

Anotherwaytocontrolaccesstoacampduringthesendingandretrievingofanight squad is to use tags or passes. These are sections of paper, cloth orbamboo,etc.thathaveanofficialstamponthem.Thenumberofpassesissuedcorrespondsexactlytothenumberofsoldiersinthesquad(plusonecontrolpassto be kept at the gate) and the same passes are never used formore than onemission.Thismakesitdifficultforashinobitogetholdofone.

Asthetroopscomebackthroughthegatetheyreturnthestampedpasstotheguardwhocomparesittothecontrolpasstomakesureitiscorrect.Theguardmay also check that they give the correct password and any accompanyinggesturesand that that theyarewearing thecorrect identificationmarksand therightcolourunderwear.

To summarize, these are the five ways to detect shinobi (as given in theBansenshūkai):•stampedpasses•passwords•gestureswhengivingpasswords•identificationmarks•underwear

Lesson74OBSERVINGCASTLEANDFORTDEFENCES

Japanesefortstypicallymakeuseofanumberofingeniousdefencemechanisms.These include: retractable drawbridges, collapsible walls, fake walls andtrapping zones, stone-dropping ports (see illustration opposite), sally ports,spikes of various types (see lesson 75), andmany other ways to deceive andrepelanenemy.Thetaskof theshinobibeforeorduringasiege is todiscoverthelocationandfunctionofallthedefencessothatacommandercanassaultthemostvulnerablepartsofthefortress.Mappingoutcastlesandinfiltratingatnighttodiscoverthedefensivelayoutisanessentialaspectofthiswork.

Cross-sectionofastonedroppingport.Theexternalviewcanbeseenatthebottomoftheoppositepage.

Lesson75SPIKES

Different types of spiked defence are positioned in the areas surrounding acastle.

NAILBOARDS

Nails are hammered through wooden boards, which are then laid upon theground.

Spikednailboardsareleftonthegroundtostoptroopsandenemyshinobi.

STAKECLUSTERS

Thickfoliageconcealsspikesdesignedtostoptheenemy.

Stakesaredrivenintothegroundingroupsoffiveandhiddenusingthickfoliageandbusheswoveninbetweenthem.

PITFALLS

Pitsaredug2metres(6–7feet)deepandsharpenedspikesplacedinside.

Thepitsarecoveredwithaweaveofbamboo,soilandfoliage,whichdisguisesthembutdoesnotstoppeoplefallingthrough.

Thepresenceofpitfalltrapswillmakeanyenemiescautiousofmovingforwardatspeed.

Lesson76TRIPWIRES

Tripwiresvaryinscale,fromsimplecordspositionedaroundprivatehouses,allthewayuptocomplexnetworksofropesaroundfortificationsoreveninrivers.Thesecanbeeitherhiddenorinplainview.Concealedtripwiresaredesignedtosurprise an enemy, whereas visible ones, often particularly extensive andcomplex,aredesignedtodetertheenemyfromtakingthatroute.Intricateropesystemsmaycontainspecialpathwaysfordefendingtroopstomovethrough.

Trip-wirefieldscanbeveryintricateandcoverlargeareas.

Lesson77THEDOORTRAP

Abucketofpebblestiedtoadoormakesaneffectivealarm.

There aremultiple variations on the idea of a booby trap rigged to a door tocatchoutaninfiltratorenteringaroom.IntheBansenshūkaiFujibayashi-senseidescribesaropeattachedtoaslidingdoorsothatwhenthedooropenstheropepulls over a bucket ladenwith pebbles, creating a scattering fuss. Issui-senseigivesus twoversions: in theHeikaJōdan heuses abalanced Japanese fan sothatwhenthedooropensthefanwakesthesleeperinsidetheroom;andintheShōninki he recommends tying a cord between a sliding door and a samurai’stopknotsothatthetugonthesamurai’shairwhenthedooropenswakeshimup.

CommunicationSkills

Lesson78THESUBSTITUTIONCIPHER

Asubstitutioncipherisafixedcodesysteminwhicheachletterisreplacedbyanother letter or symbol, e.g. A = 1, B = 2, etc. By today’s standards this isextremely simple, but on the battlefronts of old Japan,where timewas of theessence,suchasystemwasadequate.Bythetimethecodehadbeenbroken,thesituation wouldmost likely havemoved on and there would be a new set ofmessages using a new cipher. And as the following lessons show, there arevariousstrategiestomakecodedmessageshardertodecipher.

Shinobi skill: Study the subject of cryptography and understand thedifferencesbetweenciphersandcodesandtheirsub-labels.

Lesson79CUTTINGASECRETNOTEINTOSECTIONS

Onewaytomakeacodedletterhardertocrackistocutitupintosectionsandhave differentmessengers deliver each section. Even if the enemymanage tointerceptonesectionanddecodeittheystillwillnotunderstandwhatthewholemessageisabout,andtheintendedrecipientwillknowthataninterceptionhastaken place. For added security, cut the coded letter along the centre of theideogramssothatthesectionsformcompletewordsonlywhentheyareallputbacktogetheratthedestination.

Lesson80ARROWLETTERS

To communicate with a secret agent inside a fortress, attach a message to aheadless arrow and fire it over the wall at a prearranged time and location.Arrowlettersmayalsobeusedtosendopenmessagestoanenemyleaderortocontactatroopcommanderwhoismanningacertainsectionofadefensivewall

withanofferofpaymentfordefectionorassistanceinaninfiltration.

Shinobiskill:Anotherdevioususeofthearrowletteristosendfalsereportsintoacastletospreaddiscordandconfusionamongtheenemyforces.

ThisimagefromtheBansenshūkai(modifiedforclarity)iswithoutexplanationorreferenceintheoriginalmanual.However,itappearstobeanarrowletter.

Lesson81FLAGSIGNALSFORTHEDAYTIME

Shinobiperformingreconnaissanceaheadofanarmydonotalwaysneedtohide

themselvesfromtheenemy,astheenemywilloftenbewellawarethatanarmyisonthemoveintheirlands.Therefore,flagscanbeusedtosignalbackwardsand forwards between the shinobi and the main body of the army. Differentcolourflagsmovedindifferentwaysconveydifferentmessages.Whatthearmycommandermostcommonlywantstoknowiswhetheritissafetoproceedinacertaindirection.

Shinobiskill:Flagscanalsobeusedforindividualshinobitocommunicatewitheachotherwhenawayfromthearmy.

Flagscanprovideaneffectivemeansoftwo-waycommunicationbetweenashinobiscoutandafollowingarmy.

Lesson82FIRESIGNALSFORTHENIGHTTIME

During night-time reconnaissance shinobi use fire to signal back to the armycommander.Chikamatsusenseinotesthatthewayshinobilocateafireinrelationto a tree (either in front of the tree or behind it from the vantagepoint of thealliedtroops)canbeusedtoconveydifferentmeanings.Thisisjustoneexampleof the diversity and complexity of fire signals. They range from candles andtorches all the way to large bonfires and rockets fired from tall towers.Sometimesshinobiburndownbuildingsorevenwholetownsforthepurposeof

signalling.

Shinobiskill:Theuseoffireasasignalisoneofthelargestareasofstudyforastudentofshinobinojutsu.Thislessonisjusttoemphasizetoyouwhatanimportantsubjectthisis.

Ashinobiholdingabasictorch.Torchessuchasthiswereoftendesignedtobewaterproof.

Lesson83CONCHSHELLSIGNAL

CONCHSHELLSIGNAL

Used extensively by the Yamabushi, a group of Japanese mountain-dwellinghermits, conch shells can be converted into horn trumpetswith amouthpiece.The conch can make a wide variety of sounds through different lengths andstrengths of blowing, trilling and dampening, all of which can be codified toconveydifferentmessages.The shinobiwill create their own systemof conchshellsignals.

Shinobi skill: Systems such asMorse code and semaphore flags are goodexamplesofhowcomplexmessagescanbebuiltupfromsmallelements.Anysignallingsystemneedstoincludespecialcodesthatdenotethestartandendofamessageandalertthereceiverwhenanerrorhasbeenmade.

AquaticSkills

Lesson84THEWAYOFWATER

Shinobi shouldhaveanexcellentunderstandingofwaterand theway it flows,becausewaterisneededtosustainanarmyanditcanhelporhinderaforceinitsmovements.Thislessongivesanoverviewofsomeofthekeyconceptsrelatingtorivers.

Arivercanflowinanydirection,north,south,eastorwest,butitmuststartfrom higher ground and move to a lower level, from its source on a hillormountainsidedowntotheseaorotherlargebodyofwater.Someriversendupunderground. Rivers have three main sections: the upper course, the middlecourse and the lower course.At its source even themightiest rivermaybenomore than an amalgamation of small trickling streams.Along theway itmaytake in smaller tributaries, or it may itself flow into a larger river. It maymeandertosuchanextentthatitcreatesanoxbowlake,whichisasmallbodyofwaterthathasbeencutofffromthemainriver.Toeithersideoftherivermaybemarshesandcertainareasthatwillbecomefloodplainsattimesofhighrainfall.Theriverwillvaryindepth;itwillhaverapidswheretheriverbedisparticularlysteep;itwillhaveriffles,whichareshallowfastareas;therewillbepoolswherewatercollectsandslowsdownanditwillalsohaveruns,whicharesectionsofsteadyflow.Attheendoftheriveristhemouthwheresedimentisdepositedanda series of small landmassesmay form in a delta, or itmay forman estuary,where the river meets the sea and freshwater and seawater intermingle. (seelesson 132 for a discussion of tides.)

Diagramshowingthedifferentlevelsofspringandneaptides.

Shinobiskill:Oneoftheshinobi’sresponsibilitiesistofindasuitableplaceforanarmytocamp.Thisrequiresknowledgeofthewayofwater,sothatyoudonot,forexample,siteacamponafloodplainjustbeforethestartoftherainyseasonorinavalleyduringtorrentialrain.Astudentofshinobiartsmustalwaysconsiderthesubjectsofgeographyandmeteorologyfromthepointofviewofamilitarycommander.

Lesson85CROSSINGAMARSH

Oftencastlesandmilitarycampsthatborderamarsharelesswelldefendedonthat side, because it is hard for attacking troops to cross a wetland withoutgetting stuck and becoming an easy target for projectile weapons. Therefore,commanders do not feel they need to position many guards there. However,shinobihavevariouswaystocrossamarshandsotheymaychoosetoinfiltratefromthatdirection.

Crossmarshesbyusingoneofthefollowingtechniques:

•twoflatwoodenboards–standononewhilepushingtheotherforward•marshshoes–madelikesnowshoes,oraslargerflatboardsattachedtothefeet•twosquarelatticesmadeofwovenbambootolieorstandon•largematstolieorstandon

Lesson86CROSSINGARIVERUSINGAGOODSWIMMER

Togettroopsacrossafast-flowingriver,firstattachathincordtothestrongestswimmerwho then swims across. The other troopmembers stay on the bankkeepingholdof theotherendof thecord.Itdoesnotmatter if theswimmerispushed downstream, as long as the cord is long enough to allow them to getacross.Havingreachedtheotherside,theswimmerstandsdirectlyoppositetherestofthetroop.Thetroopmemberssecurelytieaheavylinetotheirendofthecordand theadvanceswimmerpulls itacrossandattaches it toa treeorothersturdyanchorpoint.Thetroopmembersthenpullit tighttocreateahandholdandstarttocrossonebyonewhilekeepingholdoftheropeatalltimes.

Lesson87THEFLOATINGBRIDGE

Shinobimanualsdocumentvariousmethods tocrossoverwater, includingonecalled the floating bridge, certain details of which are unclear. The bridge is

formedoftworopesupportswithsplit-bamboorungsandisanchoredoneitherside of a river or moat using heavy-duty iron spikes.What is not clear is itsposition in relation to the water – whether it should be suspended above thewaterorfloatingonthesurface.Itisalsoopentoquestionwhetheryoushouldcrossoveritbycrawlingorbywalking.However,anothermorerobustversionusesbamboopolesforthesupportsandabamboolatticetoformadeck.

Lesson88CROSSINGWATERWITHOUTMAKINGRIPPLES

When crossing a castle moat, move as slowly as possible to avoid creatingripplesonthesurface.Evenifyouarecrossingwellawayfromthenearestguardstation,ripplescantravelalongwayandmakeguardssuspicious.HikoneCastleintheShigaPrefecturehasaspecificwatchtowerwhichhousesaguardwhosesoleresponsibilityistolookoutforripplesinthewaterbelow.

“Takeawaterfowlthathashaditswingsclippedandputitonamoat.Whentheenemy’sspyapproaches,thewaterfowlwillbeatitswingsandcreateafuss.Inthiswayyouwillknowwhentheenemyisapproaching.”

Giyōshū,OharaMasanori,1690

Lesson89STEPPINGINWATERANDMARSHES

STEPPINGINWATERANDMARSHES

Itishardtowalkthroughshallowwaterormarshlandwithoutmakingslopping,squelching and sloshing sounds, which draw unwelcome attention to aninfiltrator.Tocounter this theshinobiuseastepcallednukiashi (抜足),whichmeans“todrawupthefoot”–thisstopsthefootdraggingthroughthewaterandreducesthenoiseyoumake.

Thenukiashitechniqueisasfollows:

•Pulluponefootslowlywiththetoespointeddownwards.•Slowlyandgentlywithdrawthefootfromthewater.•Moveforwards.•Slowlyputthefootbackintothewater,againwiththetoespointingdownwards(thisminimizestheareaofthefootbreakingthesurfaceofthewater,whichreducessplashing).

•Takethenextstep.

Lesson90THEFLOATINGSEAT

Sometimesmistakenlythoughttobeawater-walkingtoolwornonthefeet,themuch-debated mizugumo is in fact a floating water seat made of inflatableleathertubesthatareheldaroundthebodyonawoodenframe.Itcanbefoldedawayforeasytransportation.Shinobiusethesetomovesafelyacrossbodiesofwateror tohideatnight in thedarknessof theseaora lake.Thenamecomeseitherfromthemizugumospider,whichcreatesanairbubbletoallowittoworkunderwater,orfromthepondskater,whichappears toglideonwaterandmaywellbethesourceofthemisconceptionaboutthistool.

TheinfamousmizugumofloatingseatoftheBansenshukai.

Examplesofmizugumo-likefloatsfromanEdoperiodimage.

Lesson91THECATTAILRAFT

Taken from old Chinese manuals, the cattail raft is a bundle of cattails(bulrushes)boundtightlytogetherwithhorizontalbarsatintervals.Theshinobineedsonlyropeandaknifetoconstructsucharaftwheninthefield.Youcanthenuseittotraveldownariveroracrossamoat.

Lesson92THEWARBOAT

The shinobi war boat is a commando-style canoe with a wooden frame andleather waterproofed skin. It can be assembled and disassembled: a versiondescribed in theBansenshūkai fitsperfectly intoa traditionalJapanese luggagebox.Thismakesitrelativelyeasyforashinobi teamtocarrytoalaunchpointfromwheretheywillperformtheirnightraid.

Shinobi skill:Studentsof shinobi arts shouldbecomeproficient in aquaticactivities such as water craft, kayaking and canoeing – working alone or inteams.

Asimplifiedartist’simpressionofawarboat.

ScoutingSkills

Lesson93LONG-DISTANCESCOUTS

The historical shinobiwould have been sent out hundreds ofmiles from theirbasetoscoutalloverJapan,coveringdeepvalleys,dense,far-stretchingforests,wide,gushingriversandforbiddingmountains.Scoutingofthisnaturetakesyoualong dark roads, across snake-infestedwilds and involves long periods spentalone, shunning areas of humanhabitation.These arduous journeys require anextremelyhigh levelofproficiency inwhatwould todaybe termedwildernesssurvival or bushcraft. From a tactician’s point of view,multiple long-distancescouts should be sent outwell in advance of any operation.You also need toconsiderhowtheycanrelaytheirreportsbacktobaseforanalysis.

Lesson94OUTSIDELISTENINGSCOUTS

The scouting function known as togiki is formed from the ideograms 外(“outside”)and聞(“listening”).IssuisenseiandFujibayashi-senseidifferintheway they use the term, although both interpretations can be considered as“listeningfromtheoutside”.ForIssuisensei,togikimeansascoutwhoassumesadisguise to walk among the enemy and pick up information through casualconversationand listeningout for rumours.Fujibayashi-senseiuses the termtorefertoclandestinecommando-scoutswhohidearoundacastletolistenoutforintruders.

Lesson95SMELLINGSCOUTS

“Competentninja,eveniftheyhaveaccomplishedtheextraordinary,makenosound,leavenosmellandgetnofameorhonourfortheirbravery.”

Bansenshūkai,Fujibayashi-sensei,1676

Variousmilitarymanualsrefertokagi(嗅)scouts,includingtheBansenshūkai,

asakindof“smellingscout”whosniffsouttheenemy.Oneofthemeaningsofkagi is “to smell”.There are also frequent references to shinobi beingused tosmell out enemy fuses. A keen nose can pick up human sweat, gunpowder,burningtorches,oilsandotherodourssignifyingthepresenceoftheenemycloseby.Thisiswhyitissoimportanttobedownwindorintheleeoftheenemy.

Shinobi skill: Shinobi can use their nose to identify any foreign bodiesmovingthroughanaturallandscape.

Lesson96LISTENINGFROMTHELEEWARDSIDE

Continuingonfromlessons31and95,theideaofbeingintheleeoftheenemyis paramount. Not only smells but also sounds carry much better downwind.What’smore,anysoundsyoumakewillnotcarrysowellupwind.

Shinobiskill:Alwaysconsiderthewindanditsdirection,butrememberthatthewindcanchangeormaynotbestrongenoughtohaveaneffect.

Lesson97KILLINGASENTRY

Fortificationsaresurroundedbyfirewatchmen,listeningscouts,smellingscouts,relayteamsandlightanddarkpatrols(seelesson22),allofwhomusesecuritymeasuressuchasidentificationmarks,passwordsandsecretmovementgestures.Togainentry into a castle, shinobi need toovercome theseprocedures.Whiletheycanusescoutingskills towitnessanexchangeofpasswordsandgestures,sometimestheymaykillasentryinordertogetholdofthecorrectidentificationmarksand to take theplaceof theguardandenter thecastleat theendof theguard’s watch. Fujibayashi-sensei warns that killing should be done only fortacticalreasons,notoutofsimplehot-bloodedness.

Shinobiskill:Whengoinginforakill,shinobialwaysapproachtheirtargetfromtheleewardsideandavoidtanglingwithbranchesorfoliageandsteppingondryleaves.Theymaystabtheirtargetthroughtheeyewithabladeto“switchoffthebrain”.

Lesson98INSPECTINGENTRAILS

In siege warfare, one of the core aims of the shinobi is to find out what ishappening inside the fortification under siege. An important aspect of this isgaugingfoodstocks.Theydothisindirectlybyinspectingthestomachcontentsof any enemy soldiers left dead outside themain fortificationwalls. They cutopenthestomachandlookinside.Ifitcontainsriceandvegetables,thismeansthat food levels are still good. However, if the soldier has been eating lessdesirable things such as leather, tree bark or other improvised foodstuffs, thisshows that the castle’s stocks have been used up and that the inhabitants areturningtodesperatemeasures.Thisinformationcanhelpthecommanderdecidewhetherornottocontinuethesiege.

Lesson99INFILTRATINGANAPPROACHINGARMY

If a lord gets wind that an enemy force is approaching, he can send out hisshinobitoinfiltratethearmywhileitisenroute.Thecloserthearmygetstoitstargetthetighteritssecuritybecomes,soshinobishouldbesentoutasearlyaspossible – as soon as thewhisper ofwar is uttered.During periods of peace,warlords tend to reduce thesizeof their retinue, so theyoftenneed topickupmercenaries, known as rōnin, while on the march. This gives a defender theopportunitytoplaceagentsinanenemyforceweeksormonthsbeforethesidesmeet.

Twodifferentideogramversionsofrōnin.

AWORDONRŌNIN

It is a common misconception that when a samurai lost his lord he had tocommit suicide or be cut adrift as a rōnin, unable to gain employment withanotherlord.However,duringthewarringperiodsofthesamuraiageitwasnotunusualforasamuraitoservedifferentmastersoverhiscareer.Twotermswerecreatedtodifferentiatebetweensamuraioflongandshorttenure:

•fudaimono–samuraifromfamilieswhohadservedformorethanonegeneration

•tozama–samuraifromfamilieswhowereyettoservemorethanonegeneration

ThesetwotermswerelaterusedtodistinguishbetweenthosefamilieswhohadsupportedtheTokugawarisetopower(whichmarkedthebeginningoftheEdoperiod)andthosewhohadnot.

It is true that during one brief period in peacetime samurai who becamerōnin found themselves marooned outside the social system and were barredfrom serving anothermaster.However, the ruleswere soon relaxed and rōnincouldonceagainbecomecontractedassamurai.This slendersliceof timehascome tomisrepresent rōnin, perhaps because of the appeal of the outcast as astory hook for films. In truth, just like in any other walk of life, some rōninprosperedandothersdidnot.

Lesson100IDENTIFYINGLANDINGZONESFORWATERCRAFT

Thesamuraiarenotoftenassociatedwithseawarfare,buttheyhadarefinedandcomplexnavalsystemfortheirage.Shinobihadtounderstandnavalwarfareandcoastal geography in order to identify the best place for a fleet to dispatch itslandingcraftanddeploytroops.Thetroopswouldneedtobeabletodisembarksafely,formadefensivepositionandthenmoveinland.

Lesson101MEASURINGATOWERHEIGHTWITHASTICKYARROW

This lesson comes from the Bansenshūkai. However, the original text isambiguoussothisisahypothesis.

Moveuptoafortificationonadarknightwithabow,alengthofthincordandanarrowthathasbeendippedinaheavilystickysubstance,suchastar.Tiethecordtotheendofthe“stickyarrow”,thenshootituptotheundersideofaturret.Oncethearrowhasstucktotheturret,gentlypullthecordtautandmarkwhere it touches the ground. Then pull harder on the cord to bring the arrowdown.Backinthesafetyofcamp,measurethedistancebetweenthearrowandthe mark to give the height of the fortification. From here a tactician canconstructladdersofthecorrectlengthandcalculatetherequiredtrajectoryoffirearrowsandothersiegeweapons.

Lesson102MAPPINGOUTACASTLE

Although there are regional variations, certain aspects of Japanese castlearchitecture are universal. Castles are constructed of concentric rings calledmaru (丸).These ringsarenot regularbut follow thenaturalgeographyof theland.Thegates,calledmon(門),arenotalignedwitheachotherandareheavilydefended.Thepathwaysbetween thedifferent ringsweaveand turn,eachpathbeingoverlookedbyarrowandgunports.Attackingtroopsmaymakeitthroughtheoutergateonlytoenterthekillingzonewheretheyarefacedwithacomplexsystemofpathsandarcsoffirefromarrowsandguns.

Theshinobi’staskistomapoutatargetcastleinadvanceofanattacksothatthecommanderknowsthebestwaytoapproachitandsoraidingtroopsarenotconfusedbythelayoutontheothersideofthegate.Forthisreason,intimesofpeace shinobi constantly build up diagrams of typical castle designs for eachprovince.

Thekillingzoneisaparticularlyheavilydefendedareaaroundthecastlegate.

Lesson103OBSERVINGBIRDSAROUNDENEMYTROOPSINHIDING

To root out ambushes or enemy troops in hiding, stand before an area andobservethemovementofbirds.Anoticeablelackofbirdsflyingoveracertainarea or birds suddenly changing their course when they approach an area arebothsignsthatsoldiersmaybeconcealedthere.

Other signs to look out for include trodden-down pathways through grassandfoliage,andaccumulatingsmokefromfuses.

Shinobi skill: Any unnatural movement or flight patterns of birds canidentifyanenemyposition.

Lesson104OBSERVINGBIRDSAROUNDACASTLE

Sometimes an enemy force may secretly flee its fortress under the cover ofdarkness,leavingthecastledesertedorwithonlyaskeletoncrewtodefendit.Itisnoteasy tocount theenemyon thebattlementsorobserve theirpositionsofdefencebythenakedeyealone,butyoucangainvaluableinsightsbyobservingthebirdsaroundcastles.Ifbirdsperchonthewallswithnofearandmovealongthemwithoutburstingintoflight,oriftheydonotchangetheirflightpatternsasthey approach the castle, this indicates that there are no humans there.Conversely,birdssuddenlymovingoffisasignthathumansarepresent.

Shinobi skill: The manuals also warn us that some types of bird gatheraroundhumans, forexample topeckatdropped food.Youneed tounderstandthe way different birds behave: giving a false report could have fatalconsequences–notleastforyou.

Lesson105OBSERVINGENEMYFLAGS

While observing an enemy, a shinobi can pinpoint which groups contain thestrongesttroops.Rememberthatarmiesdonotonlyconsistofsamurai;therearealsomercenaries, semi-professional foot-soldiersandconscripts.Acommanderwishestoknowwhichenemytroopsareeagertofightandwhicharereluctant.Onewaytodothisistomakeobservationsofeachgroup’sflags.Agroupthatisshowingareadinesstofightwillgenerallyleanslightlyforwardanditsflagswillbeangledmarkedlyforward.Incontrast,agroupthat iswantingtoretreatwillposition itself slightly backwards, which will be clearly demonstrated by theangleofitsflags.

Skillsforcapturingcrıminals

Lesson106CAPTUREWITHSPEEDORWITHPATIENCE

The term “criminal” is used in samurai Japan to refer not only to peoplewhohave committed a crime but also to thosewho have fallen out of favourwiththeirlord.Oncesomeonehasbeentargetedforcaptureitisoftenthetaskoftheshinobi tohunt themdown.Whenhandedacapturemission,you firstneed tofindoutthesocialstatusofyourtarget,asthiswillhelpyoutodecideonthebestapproach. A samurai target will have learned the value of perseverance.Therefore, you should make the capture as quickly as possible because asamurai’sresolvewillnotdiminishovertime.Ontheotherhand,ifthetargetisa non-samurai then it may be better to wait. Eventually the person’sdetermination – being born in emotion –will fade and theywill become lax,makingtheircaptureeasierastimepasses.

Lesson107BLOODRELATIONS

Building on the theme of the previous lesson, if the capture target consists ofmorethanonepersonthentheyeachhavetobeclassified.Findoutwhethertheindividual targets are samurai or not and what the relationships are betweenthem.Agroupofsamuraiwhoareallrelatedbybloodorabandofthieveswhoareformedasatypeofsecretsocietywillnotbeeasytodivide,butifthetargetgrouphasbeenforced together through thesituation then itwillbepossible toexploitthislackofsolidarity.Thismightinvolveleavingsecretletterspromisingfreedomforthosewhoopenlockeddoorsorbetraytherestofthegroup.Oryoumighthatchaplottopromotediscordbetweenmembersofnon-relatedgroups,which will weaken their efforts to defend themselves and make their captureeasier.

Issui-senseidelvesdeeper into capture skills inhis scrollHeikaJōdan anddiscusses the variousways to capture a group defending a building, includingcoercion,fireattacks,infiltration,raidingpartiesandmore.

Lesson108THEQUICKROPE

Usedtomakeacapture,thehayanawaquickropeisathinbutstrongcordwithaslenderbut robusthookon theend.Bindinga target involves twobasic steps:first, hook the target and restrain them with the quick rope and next use astronger rope to bind themmore securely for transport or imprisonment.Notethat there are various rules and regulations on how to bind different peopleaccordingtotheirsocialclass.

Lesson109THELEATHERBULLET

Tocaptureatargetwithoutkillingthem,theshinobiuseaspecialtypeofbulletthathasaleathersleeve.Similartothemodern-dayrubberbullet,theaimofthismissile is to strike the target with a heavy blow, forcing them off balance orbringingthemtotheirkneesinshocksothatthecaptureteamcanfollowupandrestrainthem.

Lesson110

USINGPOWDERSTOINCAPACITATE

In samurai teaching there is a way known asmetsubushi, which denotes theconcoctionoftoxicpowdersdesignedtoincapacitateanenemyby,forexample,blinding or choking. One such powder consists of crushed blister beetles andarsenic. Blister beetles contain an irritant called cantharidin, which wheningestedcauses internalcomplicationsandpossiblydeath if thedosage ishighenough.Short-termexposure to arsenic can cause symptoms such as vomitinganddisorientation.

Ashinobideploysthispowderbywrappingitinpaper(orahandkerchief)toformasmallgasbomb.Whenunwrappingthepaperbeforethrowingagasbombtowardtheheadofthetarget,theshinobimakesabsolutelysuretobeupwindsothatnoneofthepowderblowsback.Withtheenemyincapacitated,theshinobimovesintocarryoutthearrestorexecution(coveringtheirnoseandmouthtoavoidbreathinginanyofthepowder).

Lesson111CHASINGTHEENEMYWITHASWORDORSPEAR

When running after a fleeing target, there is a teaching that determineswhichsideyoushouldchasethemon.Ifyouareholdingaspearyoushouldrunontherightsideofthefugitive,whereasifyouareholdingaswordyoushouldrunontheirleftside.Thereasonistodowitheaseofattack.Aright-handedpersonwillfind it easier to thrust a spear to their left and cutwith a sword to their right.Thrustingaspeartotherightismoredifficultbecausetheshafttendstohityourleg; and strikingwitha sword to the leftmeans ithas tocrossyourbody inabackhandfashion,whichismuchweakerthanaforehandstrike.Thisadviceisreversedifyouareleft-handed.

Lesson112POWDER-DIFFUSIONDEVICES

Shinobi have many ingenious ways to store and deploy toxic powder. Forexample, it can be flicked out from a folded fan or whipped out of a secretcompartment at the top of a cane, or loaded into an eggshell, which is thenbrokenandthrownattheenemywhenrequired.

Lesson113SHOOTINGPOWDERFROMAMUSKET

Fujibayashi-sensei prefers this method to those described in the previous twolessons, as the powder is propelled quite a long way. The shinobi rams thepowder instead of a bullet into a musket, then pushes the musket through awindowandfiresit.Thepowderdispersesthroughtheroomandbeginstochokeandblindtheoccupants,incapacitatingthemormakingthemrunoutsideforair.

Lesson114THEWAYOFTHESWORD

Notallshinobi need tobehighly skilled inhand-to-handcombat, as somearelinguists,strategists,propagandaagentsetc.,buttheydoallneedtohaveatleastabasicunderstandingofswordsmanship.Kenjutsu(剣術)isthegeneraltermforskills with the sword and iai (居合) is the specific art of drawing the sword.Kenjutsu should be clinical and brutal and iai must be done with speed andaccuracy.

When practising your sword skills, always favour effectiveness overelegance. The famed swordsmanMiyamotoMusashi, who was writing in the1640s, complained that the samurai of his time produced “more flowers thanfruit”,bywhichhemeantthattheirartslookedbeautifulbutwereimpractical.

Shinobi skill:Studentsofshinobiwaysshouldstudy thewayof theswordand of quick draw, honing their skills until they are deadly, efficient andfearsome.

Lesson115CAPTURINGBYFIRE

Ifatargetgrouphassuccessfullyboardeditselfinsideabuilding,isdefendingitwith skill and has shown no gaps to take advantage of, shinobi may have toresorttosettingthebuildingalight.Japanisfamousforitswoodenconstructionsandwhile they incorporate some fireproofingmeasures, they cannot easily be

defendedagainstasustainedfireattack.Aclassicshinobitacticistosealupallbutoneexitbeforesettingfiretoabuilding.Thisforcesthepeopleinsidetoexitfrom a single doorway,making them easy to capture or kill. (See also lesson125.)

FireSkills

Lesson116STARTINGFIRE

While shinobi scrolls contain a largenumberof fire skills, they sayvery littleabouthowtostartafire.Tothemodernreaderthismayseemodd,butthereasonisobvious:atthetimethescrollswerewritteneveryonewouldhaveknownhowtostartafirenaturallywithoutspecialequipment,becausethiswastheonlywaytodoit.

However,onefire-startingtooltheJapanesedidcarrywasaspecialcontainerforcarryingembersfromapreviousfire.

Shinobi skill:Togain apure anddeepunderstandingof shinobi fire skills,reconnectwith the oldways of creating fire andmake sure you knowhow tostartafireinanygivensituation.

Thebasicfiretriangle:heat,fuelandoxygenarethethreethingsneededtostartafire.

Afireneedstostartsmall,withaspark,movingtotinder,thentokindlingandthentolargerpiecesoffuel.Alwaysmakesuretoprepareenough“smallstuff”whentryingtocreatefireinthewild.

Lesson117UNDERSTANDINGFIRE

Theshinobiaremastersofkajutsu(火術)–thewayoffire.Thetopiciscomplexandcolossal, thereforeeach lessononkajutsu shouldbeconsideredasa smallsteptowardafullunderstandingofhowtousefire.

Somekeyterms:

•ignition–thestartingofafire•combustion–theprocessofburning•incendiary–thatwhichignitesfiresandburnswithheat•deflagration–thepropagationofcombustionfromonesubstancetoanotheratasubsonicvelocitythroughheattransfer(e.g.aflashfire)•detonation–thepropagationofcombustionatasupersonicvelocity,causingapowerfulshockwaveTypesofburning:

•slowburning–oils,pitch,sulphur•quickburning–liquidfire,naphtha,“Greekfire”•explosion–gunpowder(alsoknownasblackpowder)

Lesson118UNDERSTANDINGGUNPOWDER

Among theshinobi’sdarkerskills isarson(hōka inJapanese).Shinobimaybecalled upon to destroy a baggage train, castle, village, or even awhole town.Fundamentaltosuchmissionsisgunpowder.

Somebasicprinciplesofgunpowder:

•Gunpowderiscomprisedofthefollowingingredients:saltpetre(75%),sulphur(15%)andcharcoal(10%).

•Sulphurignitesatarelativelylowtemperaturetostartcombustion.

•Theburningofthesulphurraisesthetemperaturehighenoughtoignitethesaltpetre,whichthenexpandsdramatically.

•Gunpowderburnsbutdoesnotexplodewhenintheopen.Anexplosiononlyoccurswhengunpowderisignitedinacontainer.

Lesson119SETTINGMULTIPLEFIRESATTHESAMETIME

Shinobi work in a fire team to set fires simultaneously at multiple locations.Uponagiven signal, suchas the strikingof the townhourbell, the agents setlightateachofthelocations.Thisisoftendoneinconjunctionwithanightraid.However,anyfiremustbesetwithconsiderationofthewindandthedirectionfromwhichtheraidisgoingtooccur.SunTzuwarnsthatanattackinggeneraldoesnotwanttobeinthepathofthesmokeorthefireandanattackingtroopneedstobeupwindofafireandnotdownwind.

Lesson120KEEPINGAFIREBURNINGINRAIN

Mostbasic fires, if fed regularlywith fuel,will continue toburn even in rain.However, the more it rains the more attention a fire needs and there will, ofcourse,comeapointwhereheavyrainkillseventhemostwell-fedfire.Torches,because they are often left unattended, need to be able to stay alight in rainwithoutbeingfed.Theyneedtohavefuelthatcreatesenoughheattocounterthewateryetcanalsoburnforaprolongedperiod.Theymayhavecomponentssuchasoilsandresinsthatrepelthewaterasthetar-likesubstanceburns.Recipesforthese waterproof torches are found in most shinobi scrolls, in particular theBansenshūkai.

Lesson121

THEATTACKTORCH

Theattacktorch(uchitaimatsu)isdistinguishedbywoodencrossbarsorametalspikeattachedtothebasesothatwhenthetorchisthrownitlandsupright.Itisusedtoprovideimmediateilluminationofanareathatashinobisquadisabouttoattackundercoverofdarkness.

Shinobi skill:A team approaches a target in the darkness, ignites torches,launchesthemandmovesintokill.

Lesson122THESHIELDTORCH

Japan has two main types of shield: the tate, a freestanding wooden boardsupported by a single “leg” behind which a warrior will stand on an openbattlefield;andthe tedate,ahandheldshieldwithaviewingport.The tedate isused bymounted scouts to protect against projectiles as they ride toward theenemy,whileshinobiuse it tocornercriminalsor tomoveforward toward theenemyinthedark.Theshinobiversionalsohasacandle-liketorchonthefrontwhich ismadeof a compound that setshard andburnswell.Oneof themorefamous depictions of the tedate shield is found in the 17th-centuryRōdanshūscroll.

Shinobi skill:Awarrior acting as a scout or shinobimust be able towield aswordandashieldinunison,whetheronhorsebackoronfoot.

Lesson123HANDGRENADES

As discussed in lesson 64, the shinobi use hand grenades for shock anddestruction.Theseareeitherclaysphereshalvedandthenre-joinedandwrappedin paper or they aremade out of pliable lead.Both versions have a fuse.Theshinobi ignitetheseandlaunchthemintogroupsorbuildingsoranywhereelsethat the situation demands.When used in large numbers on a night raid theycauseimmenseconfusionandpanicamongtheenemy.

Lesson124LANDMINES

Theshinobihadaversionofthelandmine,which,whilerudimentarybymodernstandards, was advanced for its time. It consists of a thin wooden box withgunpowderandstonesinsideandafuseleadingtothecharge.Theprecisedetailsof the fusemechanism are unclear, but itwould appear that the fuse is eithertimedwith the approach of an enemy or activated by the weight of someonestandingon it. In this secondhypothesis, lit fuses arepositionedon topof thethinboxwithshavedbamboohalvesconcealingthem.Whenanenemystandsonthe flimsy box the lid cracks and the burning fuse drops onto the gunpowder,which explodes, propelling the stones into the unprotected groin of the victim

andanysurroundingcomrades.

Lesson125FIREFORCAPTURINGPEOPLE

This tool is used for combat at close quarters when a criminal needs to berestrained.Itconsistsofahandleandatube,whichisfilledwithafast-burningfuel.Whenthefuelislititisforcedoutofasmallopening.Arrestingagentswilllightthetoolbeforemovinginontheenemy,whileothersmakethecapture.

Lesson126FIREONTHEENDOFASPEAR

Thistoolisusedwhenfightingalargenumberofenemytroopsorforcriminalcapture.Thetipofthespearcarriesahigh-intensityfuelwhichislitimmediatelybeforethespearisthrusttowardtheenemy.Natori-Ryūteachessamuraitousetorchesontheendofspearstocaptureorkillinfiltrators.

Shinobiskill:Makesurethattheenemyisdownwindsothatthesmokeandflamesaresweptforwardontothem.

Lesson127FIREBALLS

Therearetwomaintypesoffireball:largerballsofcompactedgunpowderandmixedironfilings,whicharethrown;andsmallerballs,whicharerolledalongtheground.

The first typeburnsatahigh rateso thatwhen it is thrown intoanenemygroupitwillsendtroopsscatteringandproducegapsintheirlines.Thesecondtype isusedbyshinobion infiltrationmissions.They light itandgently roll itdown a dark corridor for illumination. The ball does not set fire to the floorbecausetheflamealwaysstaysontop.

SkillsofHeaven

Lesson128AMAPOFTHESTARS

Thestarsplayedanimportantroleinpre-modernsocietyandtherewouldhavebeenamuchhigherlevelofunderstandingamongordinarypeopleofthe“roofoftheworld”thanthereisnow.Inparticular,theshinobilooktothestarstofindtheir direction, to know the time and for astrological divination. Fujibayashi-sensei teaches thatstudentsofshinobiwaysmusthaveamapof thestarsonawallintheirhomesothattheycanlearntoreadtheskyasifitwereabook,adisciplineknownastenmongaku(天文学).

Shinobiskill:FollowFujibayashi’steaching–haveamapofthestarsuponthewallandstudyittohelpyoutoreadthesky,including:•theconstellations•themovementoftheheavens•navigatingbythestars•tellingthetimethroughthestars•thespiritualandreligioussignificanceofthestars

Lesson129THEOLDJAPANESECALENDAR

THEOLDJAPANESECALENDAR

AstudentofsamuraiwaysshouldunderstandthattheJapanesedidnotadopttheGregoriancalendaruntil1873.BeforethentheyfollowedthelunisolarChinesecalendar,whichmeasured theyear throughobservationsofboth themoonandthe sun (the Gregorian calendar is purely solar). This system is undoubtedlycomplexandrequiredatrainedastronomertodeviseanychangesandinsertionsofdates.Inanoldshinobimanualwhenitgivesadateas“thefourthdayofthesixthmonth”knowthatthisisnotthefourthofJune;itis,infact,thefourthdayofthesixthlunarmonthafterthelunarnewyear(commonlyknownasChineseNewYear),whichfallsonadifferentdateintheGregoriancalendareveryyear.

The lunar month is a division of time based on the moon and lastsapproximately between 27 and 29 days, depending on how the moon isobserved. The moon can be measured by its phases, or by its orbit or by itsappearanceinthesky.

Lesson130THEPHASESOFTHEMOON

The moon is extremely important to the shinobi as it plays a large part indetermininghowdarkorlightagivennightwillbe.Toavoiddetection,youwillgenerallyaimtoinfiltrateatthedarkestphaseofthelunarcycle–thenewmoon– although other factors may prevent this. The life of the shinobi is full ofsuspicionanduncertainty.Themoonisoneofthefewthingsyoucancounton.

Bearinmindthefollowingpointswhenobservingthemoon:•Onanewmoonthemoonisfullyblack.•Onafullmoonthemoonisfullywhite.•Onaquartermoonthemoonishalfwhite,halfblack.•Duringthewaxingofthemoontheareaoflightonthemoon’ssurfacegetslarger.

•Duringthewaningofthemoontheareaoflightonthemoon’ssurfacegetssmaller.

•Onthemoonallshadowandlightmovesfromrighttoleft.•Likethesun,themoonrisesatpointsintheeastandsetsatpointsinthewest.

•Themoonrisesandsets50minuteslatereachday.

ThisillustrationhelpsastudentofshinobiwaysunderstandthelessonofJizōandYakushi.Itshowstheperiodsofdarknights,whenoneshouldinfiltrate,andthoseoflightnights,whenoneshouldnot.

Lesson131INFILTRATINGBETWEENTHEFESTIVALSOFJIZÕANDYAKUSHI“Inprinciple,ashinobireliesondarkness.”IgaandKōkaNinjaSkills,ChikamatsuShigenori,18thcenturyAsdiscussedinthepreviouslesson,ashinobimustpaycarefulattentiontothepassageofthe

moonandsynchronizewithitsrhythmsoflightanddark.InmedievalJapanthe

shinobiusedtwofestivalsheldineachlunarmonthtomarkthestartofthewaningandthewaxingofthemoon.OnewasdedicatedtoJizō,agodfor

motherswhohavelostchildren,whichwasheldonthe24thdayofthelunarmonthandwasthepointwhenthemoonlightbecamelesserandthenights

darker.Theotherfestival,forYakushi,agodofmedicine,washeldonthe8thdayofthelunarmonth,whichwaswhenthemoonlightstartedgettinggreater

andthenightslighter.Therefore,theshinobiinfiltratedduringthe13or14daysafterthefestivalofJizōandbeforethefestivalofYakushi,andcastle

commandersknewtobeparticularlyvigilantduringthistime.

Lesson132THESUN,THEMOONANDTHETIDES

Tidesarethecyclicalrisingandfallingofsealevels.Theyaregovernedbythegravitational forcesexertedby themoonandsunand the rotationof theearth.The rangebetweenhigh tide and low tide is not constant. Spring tides,whichoccurwhentheearth,moonandsunareinalignment,arethemostextreme–thehigh tide is at its highest and the low tide is at its lowest. Neap tides, whichoccurwhenthesunand themoonareat rightangles to theearth,are themostmoderate–thehightideisatitslowestandthelowtideisatitshighest.

Spring tides roughlycoincidewith the fullmoonand thenewmoon,whileneaptidesoccuraroundsevendayslater,atthequarterstagesofthemoon(seeimageinlesson84).

Thereisashortperiodoftimebetweenthetidecominginorgoingoutwhenthe water is in a state of equilibrium and there is no movement in eitherdirection:thisisknownasstillwaterorslackwater.

Shinobi skill:Shinobineed toknowwhen tideswillbeat theirhighestandlowestsothattheydonot,forexample,sendalliedtroopsontoabeachwhenaspringtideiscomingin.

Bothgravitationalandcentrifugalforcesworkonthetides.

Lesson133THESTAROFDEFEAT

Certainstarswereconsideredtobeominousorauspicious.Forexample,Hagun(Alkaid inWesternastronomy), the laststar in the“handle”of theUrsaMajorconstellation,wasknownbythesamuraiasthestarofdefeat.TheybelievedthatanyarmythatfoughtinthedirectionofHagunwasdestinedtobedefeated.

UrsaMajorrepresentedasadragonwithVenusattached.ImagefromthescrollsofMubyōshi-Ryū.

Lesson134THEFOURQUADRANTSOFTHESKY

In Chinese astrology-astronomy the sky is divided into four quadrants – east,south,westandnorth–eachofwhichisassociatedwithasupernaturalanimalandalsohasassociationswiththefourseasonsandthefiveelements(seelesson2).Thisdivisionoftheskydatesbacktoprehistorictimesandhasbeenfoundonancienttombfragments.Likemanyotheraspectsofspiritualityandphilosophy,ittravelledacrosstheEastChinaSeatobeassimilatedinJapanesethinking.Thetablebelowsummarizeshowtheseaspectsinteractwitheachother.Theshinobiwould use these associations to plan their operations – for example, themostauspicioustime,dateanddirectionofinfiltration.

MysticalSkills

Lesson135UNDERSTANDINGONMYŌDŌ

Onmyōdō is an esoteric thought system that covers a wide range of topicsincluding divination, magic, astrology, the veneration of stars, animism (thebelief that all objects have a soul), folk beliefs and ritual. Literally, the termmeans“thewayofyinandyang”(陰陽道);however,theculturalweightbehindeach ideogram makes direct translation problematic. The origin of onmyōdōitselfisdifficulttotrace,althoughsomeconsiderittobetheJapaneseequivalentof organized Taoism. Most certainly it is based on Chinese thought – inparticular,thedeepmysteriesofyinandyang.

Shinobi skill:A studentofshinobiways shouldunderstand theconceptofyin and yang and the cycles of creation and destruction (see lessons 140 and141).Furthermore,knowthatmagic is foundinmanyshinobimanuscriptsandthatshinobinojutsudoescontainritualelements.

Lesson136THEGODDESSMARISHITEN

MarishitenistheJapaneseversionoftheBuddhistgoddessMarici,whosenameliterally means “mirage”. She always travels in front of the sun, making herinvisible, and she has the power to remove suffering from thosewhoworshipher. She is the basis for a form of invisibilitymagic called ongyō (隠形; seelesson143).

Shinobi skill: Marishiten’s association with invisibility makes her anobviousfocusofworshipfortheshinobi.Manywarriorshavestatuesandaltarsinhonourofher.

Lesson137CELEBRATINGMARISHITEN

When warriors acquire new weapons they should celebrate by facing thedirectionofMarishitenandofferingpraisetoher.TodothisyouneedtoidentifythezodiacanimalforthatdayandcountthecorrespondingnumberofpositionsontheChinesecalendar.

Usethediagramandthefollowingsystemtofindthecorrectdirection.Theexample in the diagram below is for the day of the rat. Count nine placesclockwisearound thecircle, startingyourcountingon thedayof the rat itself,andyouwill find that thatyouneedtoface in thedirectionof themonkey, ie.approximately southwest by west. The list below explains the system for theother days: • On days of the rat, hare, horse and cockerel, count nine placesaroundthecalendar(tomonkey,boar,tigerandsnakerespectively).

•Ondaysoftheox,ram,dragonanddog,countfiveplacesaroundthecalendar(tosnake,boar,monkeyandtigerrespectively).

•Ondaysofthetiger,monkey,snakeandboar,youdonotneedtocountanyplaces:thedirectionofMarishitenisthesameasthesignforthatday.

Shinobi skill: There are 12 animals in the zodiac and the pre-modernJapaneseweekwas12dayslong.Todiscovertheanimalofthedayyoucanusean online Chinese calendar or app. Next count the direction and celebrateMarishiten.

Achartforcalculatingluckyandunluckydirections.

AchartforcalculatingthedirectionofMarishiten.

Lesson138THEGODSOFWAR

Itissaidthatthereare98,000godsofwarinJapanandthatsamuraimustgivereverence to each of these to assure victory in battle. However, Issui-senseistatesthatthereisjustonedeity,namedMiwaDaimyōjin,whotakestheformofasnakewith98,000scalesonhisbody.Thisbecametheinspirationfortheideaoftherebeing98,000separategods.

Shinobi skill: A student of samurai ways must understand that Japanese

religion is polytheistic – meaning that it has many gods – and that for theJapanesewarriorthegodsofwarareimportantinhisspiritualjourney.YoumustpursueasolidunderstandingofJapanesereligion.

Lesson139CELEBRATINGTHEGODSOFWAR

Onagivendayineachlunarmonthwarriorsshouldperformprayerstothegodsofwar.UseamodernChinesecalendarinconjunctionwiththefollowinglist,asimplifiedversionoftheskillgivenintheBansenshūkai,tofindthecorrectdayineachlunarcycle.

•Inthefirstlunarmonth,itisonthedayofthetiger.•Inthesecondlunarmonth,itisonthedayofthehare.•Inthethirdlunarmonth,itisonthedayofthesnake.•Inthefourthlunarmonth,itisonthedayoftheram.•Inthefifthlunarmonth,itisonthedayofthecockerel.•Inthesixthlunarmonth,itisonthedayoftheboar.•Intheseventhlunarmonth,itisonthedayofthehare.•Intheeighthlunarmonth,itisonthedayofthesnake.•Intheninthlunarmonth,itisonthedayoftheram.•Inthetenthlunarmonth,itisonthedayofthecockerel.•Intheeleventhlunarmonth,itisonthedayoftheboar.•Inthetwelfthlunarmonth,itisonthedayofthehare.

Lesson140THECYCLEOFCREATION

Astheuniversemovesbetweenyinandyang,thefiveelementsofWood,Fire,Earth,Metal andWater are produced. The process takes place in a particularorder,whichisknownasthecycleofcreation,orthegeneratingcycle:•Woodfuelsfire.•Fireproducesashandenrichestheearth.•Earthcontainsandproducesmetal.•Metalcollectswater.•Waternourisheswood…

Adiagramshowingthecyclesofcreationanddestruction.

Thissimpleprocesspermeatesallofsamuraiwarfareandmustbeconsideredasanabsolutefoundationforstudy.Onekeyfactortorememberisthateverything–includingpeople,animals,objects,timesanddirections–hasacoreelement.WeareeachfundamentallyofWood,Fire,Earth,MetalorWater,dependingonthe time anddateof ourbirth, andweneed to associateourselveswith thingswhosecoreelementcomplementsourowntoensurethatweareinagenerating-creative relationship with our surroundings. Even the bamboo that a samuraiusesasabannerpoleisconnectedtooneofthefiveelementsandthatelementmustalignwiththeelementofthesamuraiwhousesit.Alsoconsiderthehorseasamurairides;ittoomustmatchtheelementofthesamurai.

Inshort,yinandyangformtheworld,themovementofyinandyangformsthefiveelements,andthosefiveelementsreactwitheachotherinallaspectsof

life.

Shinobiskill:Whenplanninganyundertakingashinobimustweighupbothpracticallogicandthemysticalcycleofcreation.

Thecycleofcreationinitsoriginalform.

Thecycleofcreationinlinearformforasimplerunderstanding.

Lesson141THECYCLEOFDESTRUCTION

Thecycleofdestructiondescribesanegative,controllingprocess,incontrasttothepositive,generativeprocessofthecycleofcreation:•Woodchurnsuptheearth.•Earthsoaksupwater.•Waterextinguishesfire.•Firemeltsmetal.•Metalhacksatwood…

Thecycleofdestructionshowshowoneelementhascontroloveranother.Ifasamuraiusesthewrongpieceofbamboo,ridesthewronghorse,orattacksfromthewrongdirectiononthewrongday,thenanegativeenergywillprevail.

Shinobi skill: A shinobi student should fully understand the cycle ofdestructionandbeawareofthenegativeeffectsitcanhave.

Thecycleofdestructioninitsoriginalform.

Thecycleofdestructioninlinearformforasimplerunderstanding.

Lesson142DISPLAYINGDECAPITATEDHEADS

Eventhedisplayingofdecapitatedheadsmustbedoneinharmonywiththefiveelements. Although this is not generally considered to be part of shinobi no

jutsu, Fujibayashi-sensei discusses it in theBansenshūkai.Afterwarriors havetaken a head as proof of a kill, the headmust then be gibbeted in the correctdirection.Theystartbytakingtheanimalzodiacforthatdayandthengibbettheheadin thedirectionstipulatedbelow.Forexample,onadayof therataheadmustbeplacedinthedirectionofthehorse,whichisduesouth(seethechartinlesson137).

•Onadayoftherat,gibbettheheadinthedirectionofthehorse.•Onadayoftheox,gibbettheheadinthedirectionofthesnake.•Onadayofthetiger,gibbettheheadinthedirectionofthemonkey.•Onadayofthehare,gibbettheheadinthedirectionofthedragon.•Onadayofthedragon,gibbettheheadinthedirectionofthesnake.•Onadayofthesnake,gibbettheheadinthedirectionofthehorseorram.•Onadayofthemonkey,gibbettheheadinthedirectionofthesnake.•Onadayofthecockerel,gibbettheheadinthedirectionoftheram.•Onadayofthedog,gibbettheheadinthedirectionofthemonkey.•Onadayoftheboar,gibbettheheadinthedirectionofthetiger.

Thegibbetingdirectionfordaysofthehorseandramarenotspecified.

Shinobiskill:Fujibayashi-senseitellsusthataheadmustneverbeplacedinthedirectionofHagun,thestarofdefeat(seelesson133).Ifthestarappearsinthedirectionstipulatedforthatday,ashinobishouldholdoffuntiladaywhenthedirectionnolongercorrespondstoHagunorseektheadviceofagunbaisha,anesoterictactician.

Lesson143MAGICALHIDING

Ongyō (隠形) is a set of spells and beliefs connected to the goddess of war,Marishiten(seelessons136and137).InkeepingwithMarishiten’sassociationwithinvisibility,ongyōspellstendtofocusonwaystomakeyourselfinvisible.They arenot unique to the shinobi, but the shinobi use themalongwithothersimilarspellswhileonmissions.

THEONGYÕSPELL

Thisisknownasongyōnoju(隠形の呪),the“spellofinvisibility”.Theoriginalspell came from India and the Japanese changed the pronunciation. Havinghiddenyourfacebehindyoursleeve(seelesson39),chantthefollowingspelltoyourselfinyourmind:Onanichimarishieisowaka

Theseideogramsrepresenttheongyōspell.TheyarenotpartofmainstreamBuddhismandshouldbeseenasavariationoftheritualofongyō.ThecalligraphywaswrittenbyMonkJyuhōYamamoto.

Themudraofongyōnoin.

ThemudrafortheBansenshūkaiversionoftheongyōritual.Inthiscasethemudraishōkyō-in(宝篋印),whichisdedicatedtoKan’non,theBuddhistgoddessofmercy.

THEMUDRAOFHIDING

A mudra is a symbolic hand gesture commonly used in Hinduism and

Buddhism.Themudraofinvisibility,ongyōnoin(隠形の印),representsthesunandthemoon,symbolsofMarishiten,andalsotheideaofhidingitself.Thefististhesunandtheopenhandthemoon.Placetheopenpalmofonehandtothesideofthefistoftheotherhandoroverthetopofit.

Byusingall threeelements–hidingbehind their sleeve, silentchantingofthe spell, and performing themudra – shinobi are said to render themselvesinvisibletotheenemy.

Magicalhidingfromtheloreoftheshinobiisalongandcomplexstorywithmultiplevariations.TheaboveistakenfromtheBansenshūkaiandisjustoneofmanysystems.

SkillsoftheMind

Lesson144BRUTECOURAGEVERSUSCOURAGEOFDUTY

Courage can come from three sources: discipline, emotion and intoxication.(Understandthatcouragethroughintoxicationexists,butdiscarditasanoptionfortheshinobi.)

The Bansenshūkai discusses the concepts of courage of duty and brutecourage.Tohave courageofduty is tobe centred, tohavediscipline, trainingand education and turn it into bravery, whereas brute courage is founded onnaturalstrengthandhot-bloodedemotion.Bothcanbeenormouslypowerful,butbrutecouragedoesnotlastasitreliesonnaturalstrength,whichwhenpushedtoitslimitwillbreak,andhot-bloodedness,whichsooncools.Incontrast,courageofdutylaststhroughoutallsituations.Thisisbecauseitisbasedontheconceptofdōshin, the “mindofprinciples”,which isunwavering,whilebrute couragecomes from jinshin, the “mind of man”, which is changeable. These twoconceptsareexplainedinthefollowinglesson.

Lesson145THECONCEPTSOFJINSHINANDDÕSHIN

“Thoughaman’smindandheartaresimplyhismindandheart,thereareinfacttwotypesofthiscentralbeing.Thereisjinshin(人心),the‘mindofman’,anddōshin(道心),the‘mindofprinciple’,andthelatterisunderstoodashavinganaffinitytowhatisright.”

Bansenshūkai,Fujibayashi-sensei,1676

Jinshin anddōshin shouldbeunderstood as twovoices conducting an internaldialogueinthemind:

•Jinshinisthelowervoicethatpersuadesustodowhatbenefitsusintheshorttermbutmaybeharmfultothegreatergood.

•Dōshinisthehighervoicetellingusanactionisnotcorrectandthatitisbettertodowhatisright.

As Fujibayashi-sensei describes it, jinshin “is easily affected bywhat the eyesees, worries about what the ear hears, is absorbed in what the nose smells,indulgesinthefivetastesandallowsthebodytogiveintolust”.Itisapowerfulforce,becauseweareallconditionedtodowhatwecantosatisfyourimmediateself-interest.

Incontrast,accordingtoFujibayashi-senseithosewithdōshin“willnotgiveheed toanythingunrighteousand if theysee lust insomeone’seyes,or if theyhearothers theywill let it pass.Theydonotdo anything that is not righteousitself or not respectful and will not indulge in negativity. If you do not payattentiontoyourowndesiredespiteyourself-interestandfollowyourrighteousnatureandhavenoselfishness,thenitcanbesaidthatinthisway,youactwiththemindofprinciple.”

NotethatdōshinisinextricablylinkedtotheTaoistconceptoftheWay(seelesson 10). It can be read asmeaning “an aspiration to follow theWay”.The

concept ofdōshinwas prevalent inmedieval Japan and adherents to this ideaformedintoasubclassof theirown.The termdōshinja (sometimesdōshinsha)denotedaformoflesser-priestwhowouldwanderbetweencommunitiesortakeup a hermitage, receiving money from local believers to perform rites andadminister spiritual aid – to the annoyance of the sanctioned religious orders.Fujibayashi-sensei doesnot intend studentsof the shinobi arts to adopt such aregime,buthecertainlyteachesustoaspiretofollowtheWay.

Shinobiskill:Learntocheckyourinternaldialogueandrecognizewhetherwhat yourmind is tellingyou to do is for your ownbenefit or for the greatergood.

Lesson146OBSERVINGTHEINNERMIND

Followingonfromtheprevioustwolessons,shinobiarerequiredtoconstantlypractise mental self-diagnostics, to be unflinchingly honest about their ownthoughtsandmotivations.

Usethefollowingguidelines:

•Placethemindofprinciple(harshhonesty)incontrol.•Truthfullyidentifytheinfluenceofthemindofman(self-deception).•Self-deceptionanddesireshouldalwaysgivewaytoharshandtruehonesty.•Harshandtruehonestyshouldbelordaboveallthings.•Thisisnotanexternalbattle,astheenemyisinourownmind.

Ifwefollowtheseguidelinesclosely,Fujibayashi-senseipromisesusthat:“Themindofprinciplewillcomeoutasclearlyasthemooncomesoutfrombehindtheclouds.”

Lesson147DETACHINGFROMLIFEANDDEATH

OneoftheessentialcomponentsofBuddhiststudyisunderstandingthatdeathisan illusion, just part of the cycle of death and rebirth (see lesson 7). For theTaoist the concept ofwu-wei (mui in Japanese) means to not go against thegrain,toallownaturetoflowandtoengagewithwhatevertheuniversepresentsto you, no matter whether it is negative or positive. Such ways of thinking,achievedonlyafterdeepspiritualstudy,arewhatenabletheshinobitofaceeventhemostdangeroussituationswithacalm,clearmind.

Issui-sensei says that life is foundwithindeath,meaning that evenwhenasituation seems sure to end in your death you should engagewith it andpushthrough, because often survival is found in brave actions instead of the lesseractionsofself-preservation.Natori-Ryūteachingsalsostatethatashinobishould“detachfromthetwoswordsoflifeanddeath”.Mostpeople,iftheyarehonest,wouldpaniciffacedwiththeprospectofdeath.However,bymakingasustainedefforttocultivateadisciplinedandhonestmind,astudentofshinobiwayscandevelopanewlevelofnaturalconfidenceandability.

Lesson148KNOWINGWHENTOTELLTHETRUTHANDWHENTOLIE

Although the shinobi are known asmasters of deception, they should lie veryrarely.Certainly,whennot engaged inshinobi activity itwouldbedisgracefulfor a shinobi to lie, as dishonesty is against the warrior’s code. Even whenoperatingundercover,shinobishouldtell thetruthasoftenaspossible,orsteeras close to it as their undercover personawill allow them, in order to build asolid foundation and establish their credibility with the enemy. This evenextends to revealing relatively trivial facts that will give the enemy smalladvantagesovertheshinobi’struelord.Itisonlywhenaplanisabouttobloom

thattheshinobitellsamomentouslietobringdowntheenemy.

Shinobiskill:Ashinobiisapersonwhomthelordknowshecantrust,andwhomtheenemylordbelieveshecantrust–untilitistoolate.

Lesson149THEWAYOFSTUDY

Tohelpthenextgenerationofshinobistudentstogrowinthecorrectmanner,aset of guidelines must be established and they should be considered as acornerstoneforallthoseseriousintheirshinobitraining.

CHOOSINGTHERIGHTSCHOOL

If you are considering takingup formal studyof shinobino jutsu, avoid thoseorganizationsthatcallthemselvesa“ninjaschool”orclaimtoteachonlytheartsoftheninja.Lookinsteadforaschoolthatpromotesitselfasagungaku(“schoolof military study”), and uses terms such as: gundō (軍道), “military ways”;gunjutsu(軍術),“militaryskills”;andheihō(兵法),“thewaysofthesoldier”.Itis fine tochooseaschool that teaches theartsof theshinobi aspartof its fullsamurai curriculum. However, a school that promotes itself as teaching onlyninjutsushowsalackofunderstanding–itisinessenceinformingpeoplethatitisincomplete.

A modern-day student of the shinobi arts should have a foundation inJapanesemartialarts,strategy,warfare,philosophy, religion, literature,culture,historyandmagic,aswellas inChineseculture, literature,military tacticsandhistory. By developing this richness of understanding you will give yourselfeverychanceofflourishingintoanexcellentstudent,andperhapsevenafuturemaster.

CHOOSINGTHERIGHTEQUIPMENT

Studentsshouldnottraininmodernkarateuniformswithkaratebeltsorfollowthemodernsystemofdangrades.Formal trainingshouldbedone inakimono

andhakamawithanobibeltandwithalongswordandashortsword.Martialartstrainingshouldbedoneinakimonowithsleeveties(tasuki)orwithadōgitraining top. Any systems of grading should be in accordance with historicalways (see lesson 18). When training outdoors wear clothing suited to theconditions.Modernbutsimpletrekkingorcombatgearisacceptable;traditionalJapaneseharshweatherequipmentisevenbetter.Allequipmentshouldbesuitedtotheenvironment,whetheritbeformalorcasual,andshouldreflecttheessenceofthetime.

Lesson150THEWAYOFFULLUNDERSTANDING

Modernstudentsofshinobino jutsumustunderstand that theshinobidiedoutlong ago.Tobe a shinobi onewouldneed to havebeen alive in Japanbefore1868,whichisimpossible.Butwhilewecannolongerbegenuineshinobi,thereis no reason why we cannot genuinely study their ways and model ourunderstandingoftheworldontheirteachings.

Neverforgetthatyouareaproductofmoderntimes.Thisisnotastepintofantasy, but a way to redefine yourmode of thinking and build a disciplinedcharacter.Itisajourneytorealizeyourpotential.Thewayoftheshinobiisthewayoffullunderstanding.

APPENDIXIShinobiScrolls

ReadingShinobiScrolls

Manyscrollsmaycontainthetermshinobibutthisdoesnotmakethemshinobiscrolls. Consider a shinobi scroll as a manuscript that primarily focuses onteaching the arts of the ninja, and whose contents were written by an activeshinobiorsomeoneinitiatedintotheteachingsduringthesamuraiperiod.

Thereisarelativeabundanceofshinobiscrollsintheworld,andnotonlyinJapan.Someareheldinpubliclibrarycollections,someinprivateinstitutesandothers in the hands of individual collectors. To date there has been nocomprehensive cataloguing of theworld’s shinobi scrolls.However, it is clearthatmostwerewrittenduringtheEdoperiod(c.1603–1868).Someindependentlistsclaimtocontainscrollsthatpredate1603,buttheseworkshaveneverbeenpublished,withtheexceptionofHattoriHanzo’sShinobiHiden(1560).

Thedateof1603isofgreatimportancebecauseitsawtheconsolidationofpowerinJapanundertheTokugawafamilyandbroughtanendtothecivilwarsoftheprecedingSengokuperiod.Thismeansthatanyworkthatpredates1603oronethatiswithinafewdecadesafterthisdateislikelytohavebeenwrittenbysomeonewholivedthroughorevenfoughtinJapan’swarringperiod,givingit a level of first-hand credibility. In fact, most of what we know about thehistoricalshinobicomesfromwriterswholivedduringatimeofpeaceanddidnotthemselvesseeactiveservice.However,thesewriterswouldhavebeenprivytothesecretsofshinobinojutsuand,insomecases,haddirectcontactwithwar-testedshinobi.

LEVELSOFACCESSIBILITY

Pre-modern Japanese literature is mysterious, guarded and sometimesimpregnable, and shinobi writings can be some of the most unfathomable.However,manualssuchastheBansenshūkai,theShōninki,theYōkanseriesandthe Gunpō Jiyōshū offer a more open approach, having been written byextremely forward-thinking individuals whose aim was primarily preservationnotsecrecy.

Shinobi scrollscanbecategorizedaccording to theiraccessibility, fromthemostenigmatictothemostdescriptive.

LEVEL1–ENIGMATICMokuroku(目録)areuntitledscrollsconsistingoflistsofskillnamesormemoryhooks. They were used as instructional aids, but not intended for posterity: ateacherwoulddiscusseachtopiconthelistandpassontheirmeaningsthroughkuden (口傳),“oral tradition”. Insomecases laterstudentshaverecordedsuchoral tradition in commentaries; all suchcommentaries shouldbe consideredasrecordedoraltradition.

LEVEL2–INSIGHTFULSome scrolls list skills and also give some hints at how the skills were used.These normally comprise a list of titleswith a small section on the traditionsdescribedinthescroll.

AsectionoftheShinobiTaimatsuscrollshowingasimplelistoftitles.Withoutoraltraditionorcommentarythemeaningscanonlybeguessedat.

LEVEL3–DESCRIPTIVESome scrollswerewrittenwith the intention of capturing andmaintaining theways of the shinobi for future generations. These have full explanations thatleaveonlytheproblemofourcontextualunderstandingandarchaicvocabulary

todealwithandtheoccasionalmissingpointthathasnotbeenpasseddowninoraltradition.

TheBansenshūkaiisthemostdescriptiveshinobiscrollandcontainsanenormousnumberofsecrets–theeditionshownhereisamodernfacsimile.ThefullscrollistranslatedinTheBookofNinja(Watkins,2013).

COMMONMISCONCEPTIONS

Becarefulnottofallintothefollowingtrapswhenstudyingshinobiscrolls:

•Thescrollsdonotcontainallapersonneedstoknowtobeashinobi.Manynon-shinobiskillsareneededtobeasuccessfulagent.Shinobiscrollsaddtheclandestineskillsrequiredtoturnaconventionalwarriorintoaspecialagent.

•Shinobiscrollsarenotwrittenincode.Becausemanyofthenamesinskilllistscansoundpoetic,peoplewronglybelievetheyareincode.Thereareonlyaveryfewexamplesofciphersbeingusedtoencodeninjaskills.

•AlthoughgeneralJapanesewarfaremanualsdrawextensivelyontheChinesemilitaryclassics,thisisnotsotrueoftheshinobiscrolls.JapanesecultureduringthetimeoftheshinobiwasheavilyinfluencedbyChinaandsoitwasfashionabletoshowanunderstandingoftheChineseclassics.Therefore,thewritersofshinobiscrollsdidsometimesquotefromChineseliteraturetodemonstratethevalueofaskillbyconnectingittoaChineseantecedent.However,therearemanyskillsoftheshinobithatarenotbasedontheChineseclassics.

•Thecontentsofthescrollsshouldnotbedismissedas“medievalmadness”.Itistruethatmanyshinobiscrollscontainstrangespellsandteachingsthatareclearlyincorrectfromamodernstandpoint,butitmustnotbeforgottenthatinallmedievalcultures,magicandmysticismwerebelievedtobepowerful

forcesandjustbecauseanoccultskilldoesnotinfactworkdoesnotmeanitwasnotusedorbelievedtobeeffective.

APPENDIXIIMilitaryTacticsandtheSevenMilitary

Classics

ChineseWarfareWorking deep in enemy territory, with extremely limited means ofcommunication back to his allies, the shinobi had to be able to think like ageneral.As the situationwasevolvingaroundhim,hehad topredicthis armycommander’sintentionatalltimesandactaccordingly.Therefore,ifyouwishtoinhabit themindoftheshinobiyouwillneednotonlytobewellversedintheparticular artsof theshinobi but also tohaveageneralgrounding inmedievalJapanese warfare. This means having a solid foundation in Chinese militarywritingsaswellastheirJapanesecounterparts.

Eachschool (ryū)claimed tohave itsownbrandofwarfare,butvariationswere comparatively minor. (Only a handful of leaders in Japanese militaryhistory stand out as being particularly innovative; these include KusunokiMasashigeandLordOdaNobunaga.)Therefore,astudentofJapanesewarfareandtheshinobiartsshouldstartwiththeSevenMilitaryClassicsofChinaandthenproceedtoanindividualschoolofgungaku(“militarystudy”).

ThetablebelowpresentstheSevenMilitaryClassicsofChina(武經七書,BukeiShichiSho).

SunTzu’sTheArtofWarisknowninJapaneseasSonshinoHeihō.

SUNTZU’SFIVECONSTANTFACTORS

Themost famousof theSevenMilitaryClassics isSunTzu’sTheArtofWar.Thisworkcanbeconsideredasafoundationtextforallwarfare inJapan.ThecentralelementofTheArtofWaristheFiveConstantFactors.

AccordingtoSunTzu,warhasFiveConstantFactorsthatmustbe,assessed,

deliberatedandcompared:1TheWay(道)2Theheavens(天)3Theearth(地)4Thecommander(将)5Theorganizationanddisciplineoftheforce(法)Militarycommanderscannotbesuccessfulwithoutfullyabsorbingthesefactorsintotheirplanning.TheFiveConstantFactorsarealsofundamentaltoshinobiactivities,asanagenthastobeinharmonywithawarlordsoplanscanfloweffectively.

THEWAY

TheWaycanbeseenas theTaoistWay(see lesson10),which is theprimaryandimmanentforcethatholdstheuniversetogether,buthereitisperhapsmeantmore in the sense of moral ways and harmony. From a student of war’sstandpoint,thismeansknowingwhetherthereiscorruptionorjusticeinboththealliedandenemyforces.Istheleaderhonest?Arethelawsfixedandistheretruejusticeandwellbeinginthesocietyasawhole,forboththehigh-andlowborn?Corrupt, unfair and inhumane rulers are often hated and may have difficultyleadingthemasses.

WhentheWayisrespected,thefollowinghappens:

•Peoplejoininharmonyandhaveonemind.•Theyareintunewithandsupportiveoftheirruler.•Theywillliveanddieforthestate.•Theywillstandfirm.

Shinobiskill:Anenemyforceunderabadrulerwilleasilycrumbleandfall.However,iftherulerisfairandjust,theforcewillfightwithdetermination.Inorder to unbalance a balanced enemy, a shinobi must sow discord throughpropaganda.

THEHEAVENS

Here “heaven” means climate and weather and has no spiritual connotations.Generalsandshinobineedtobeabletoforecasttheweatherandunderstandtheeffect thatbadorgoodconditionshaveon terrainandon troops.Soldierswhoare too hot, too wet or too cold do not function at their best.When enteringenemy territory a commander must understand the climate there and planaccordingly.

Shinobiskill:Theclimateinadifferentregionmaybecompletelydifferentfromwhatyouareusedtoandmayvarydrasticallyfromoneseasontothenext.It is the taskof the shinobi tobecome skilled inmeteorology so that theycanreportsuchmatterstothecommander.

THEEARTH

“Earth” inmodern termsmeans geography and topography.A general cannotformfunctioningplanswithoutdetailedinformationonmatterssuchasthetypeof ground, possible escape routes and the gradients of hills and mountains.Scouting,cartographyandobservationofthelandscapewithamilitarymindareamongtheshinobi’smostimportantduties.

Understandingtheearthmeansknowingthefollowing:•Wherearethehighestmountains and the deepest valleys? (Forces may be more vulnerable in theselocations.)•Istheenemynearorfar?•Isthegroundheavy-goingoreasytocover?(Difficultgroundwillstopvehiclesandmountedtroopsandhamperthedistributionofsupplies.)•Isthegroundopenandfreeorisittightandconfined?(Forexample,narrowpassescarrytheriskofanambush.)Shinobiskill:Whenscouting,ashinobiisthinkingaboutthemovementofthewholearmythroughanarea,notjustanindividual.Thatiswhyashinobishouldbeabletocalculateareasoflandandassesswhetheranarmycantakeuppositionthere.Anagentalwaysconsidersthebigpicture.

THECOMMANDER

Astrongmilitarycommander is thekeytovictory inwarfare.Sucha leader isonewhohasmasteredwaronbehalfofthepeopleandthetroops.Beingagood

militarycommanderrequiresthefollowingqualities:•wisdomandintelligence–tomakedetailedplansandbeabletochangethemtooutwittheenemy•integrity–toinspireloyaltyintheforces

•compassion–tounderstandwhentheforcesareindiscomfortandpainandto

findasolution•courage–toprovideanexampletotheforcesandtointimidatetheenemy•discipline–tohavestrictcodesthatarefair,torewardthetrueandpunishthewrongdoer,andtoshownofavouritismtoanyindividualoranyrankShinobiskill:Itcanbedifficultforthealliedcommandertomoveagainstanenemyleaderwhodemonstratesallofthesevirtues.However,beawarethattherearefalseversionsofthesequalities–theyhavetobegenuinetobeeffective.

THEORGANIZATIONANDDISCIPLINEOFTHEFORCEThesingleideogramforthisfactor,法,ishardtotranslatedirectlyintoEnglish,butSunTzuusesittorefertomilitarylawsandcodes,punishmentsandrewards,anddisciplinewithintheranksofanyforce.

In short, a commander needs to take firm control of the following: •organization–everybodyknowswheretheyshouldbeandwhattheyshouldbedoing(aswellaswheretheyshouldnotbeandwhattheyshouldnotbedoing)•chainofcommand–thereisadefinedhierarchyandreportingstructuresothateverysoldierknowswhoto informif there isaproblem• logistics–suppliesandequipmentflowsteadilysothataforceisneverleftshortofwhatitneedstofunctionatitsbestShinobiskill:Shinobiscrollsdevoteagreatdealofattentiontomundaneelementssuchasrations,lawsandcommandstructures.Thesemaynotseemparticularly interestingto themodernreader,but theyareessential inbuildingupafullpictureoftheenemy.Bydiscoveringhowtheenemyrunsitseverydayoperations,ashinobicanworkouthowtodisruptthem.

SUNTZU’S13THCHAPTER

TheArt ofWar comprises 13 chapters, each dedicated to a different aspect ofwarfare.Thefinalchapter,entitled“Yōkan”(用間),dealswiththeuseofspies.Japanese military espionage was clearly influenced by this chapter and theshinobi used it as a cornerstone of their tactics. Chikamatsu Shigenori, themilitary tacticianwhocompiledIgaandKōkaNinjaSkills, includedamassiveamountofmaterialfromSunTzu’s13thchapterandSunTzuisoftenmentioned

inJapanesemilitarymanualsandshinobiscrolls.AnystudentofshinobinojutsushouldholdSunTzu’s13thchapterinhigh

esteemandstudyitwithfervour,butbearinmindthatitcoversonlyonestrandof shinobi skills: those relating to classic spycraft. Some researchers havedismissedshinobinojutsuasnothingmorethanacopyorpasticheofSunTzu,but,asthefollowingbreakdownwillshowyou,therearemanyareasofshinobiarts, suchas infiltration,burglary,disguise, fire,explosivesandmoatcrossing,thatthechapterdoesnotcover.

AnoverviewofSunTzu’s13thchapter:

•Warisanexpensiveventure.•Warisadrainonthepeople.•Warisadrainontheeconomy.•Wardisruptstheland.•Warcanlastforanunknownamountoftime.•Warisadisturbancetoall.•Begeneroustospiestogaininformation.•Informationandknowledgebringsvictory.•Informationcannotbeobtainedfromspiritsanddivination.•Informationfromanalogyisinsufficient.•Informationfromestimationisinsufficient.•Usefulinformationisacquiredonlyfrompeoplewhoknowtheenemysituation.

•Therearefivetypesofspy:1localspies–recruitedfromenemypopulation2internalspies–recruitedfromenemyranks3doubleagents–recruitedfromenemyspies4doomedspies–alliedspiesfedmisinformation5livingspies–alliedspieswhoreturnfrommissions•Usingthefivetypesofspytogetherincombinationmakesforexquisiteintelligenceoperations.

•Nooneisclosertoaleaderthanhisspies.•Spiesarerewardedrichly.•Anunwiseleaderwillnotusespiescorrectly.•Aninhumaneorunjustleaderwillnotusespiescorrectly.•Anunsubtleleaderwillnotdiscoverthetruthofaspy’sreport.•Spieshaveinnumerableuses.•Aspywhodivulgesinformationtoothersmustbeexecuted.

•Whenstrikinganarmy,attackingacityorplottinganassassination,spiesgatherinformationsuchasthenamesandpositionsofkeypeopleinenemyranks.

•Itisfundamentaltouncoverenemyspies.•Bribeandrichlyrewardenemyspiestoturnthemintodoubleagents.•Doubleagentscantellyouwhotorecruitaslocalspiesandinternalspies.•Aleadermustunderstandthefivetypesofspy.•Aleaderunderstandsthatspiesarethekeytoavictoriousmilitarycampaign.•Themovementsofanentirearmyaregovernedbyinformationthatisgatheredbyspies.

SELECTEDBIBLIOGRAPHY

Bell,D.A.(editor),ConfucianPoliticalEthics,PrincetonUniversityPress,2008.

Bellah,R.,TokugawaReligion:TheCulturalRootsofModernJapan,TheFreePress,1957.

Bowring,R.,TheReligiousTraditionsofJapan500–1600,CambridgeUniversityPress,2005.

Bunce,W.K.,ReligionsinJapan:Buddhism,ShintoandChristianity,CharlesE.TuttleCompany,1955.

Campion,N.,AstrologyandCosmologyintheWorldReligions,NYUPress,2012

Cocroft,W.D.,DangerousEnergy:TheArchaeologyofGunpowderandMilitaryExplosivesManufacture,EnglishHeritage,2000.

Como,M.,WeavingandBinding:ImmigrantGodsandFemaleImmortalsinAncientJapan,HawaiiUniversityPress,2009.

Cummins,A.andY.Minami,TheBookofNinja:TheBansenshukai,Japan’sPremierNinjaManual,Watkins,2013.

Cummins,A.andY.Minami,TheBookofSamurai:SecretTeachingsofNatori-Ryū,Watkins,2015.

Cummins,A.andY.Minami,TruePathoftheNinja:TheDefinitiveTranslationoftheShōninki,Tuttle,2011.

Hall,D.A.,EncyclopediaofJapaneseMartialArts,Kodansha,2012.

Hayashi,M.andM.Hayter,“OnmyōdōinJapaneseHistory”,JapaneseJournalofReligiousStudies40.

Ho,P.Y.,ChineseMathematicalAstrology,Routledge,2003.

Inagaki,H.,ADictionaryofJapaneseBuddhistTerms:BasedonReferencesinJapaneseLiterature,NagataBunshodo,1984.

JapanCultureInstitute,AHundredThingsJapanese,JapanCultureInstitute,1975.

Joseph,M.,TheWisdomofChina,MichaelJosephLtd,1944.

Kasahara,K.,AHistoryofJapaneseReligion,KoseiPublishing,2001.

Kawashima,C.,Minka:TraditionalHousesofRuralJapan,Kodansha,1986.

Kitagawa,J.M.,ReligioninJapaneseHistory,ColumbiaUniversityPress,1966.

Kornicki,P.F.andI.J.McMullen,ReligioninJapan:ArrowstoHeavenandEarth,CambridgeUniversityPress,1996.

Needham,J.,ScienceandCivilizationinChina,Volume5Part7,CambridgeUniversityPress,1986.

Needham,J.,ShorterScienceandCivilizationinChina,Volume1,CambridgeUniversityPress,1978.

Needham,J.,ShorterScienceandCivilizationinChina,Volume2,CambridgeUniversityPress,1981.

Penny,B.(editor),DaoisminHistory:EssaysinHonourofLiuTs’un-yan,Routledge,2006.

Rigden,D.(editor),SOESyllabus,PublicRecordOffice,StEdmundsburyPress,1988.

Saso,M.R.,TaoismandtheRiteofCosmicRenewal,WashingtonStateUniversityPress,1972.

Sawyer,R.,TheSevenMilitaryClassicsofChina,WestviewPress,1993.

Wilkinson,J.,TheMooninClose-up,SpringerPublishing,2010.

Yusa,M.,JapaneseReligions,LaurenceKingPublishing,2002.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

IwouldliketothankaboveallYoshieMinamiforhergroundbreakingworkinthestudyoftheJapaneseshinobi–withoutherformidableeffortsIwouldstillbewanderingaimlesslyinthedarknessofmythandhearsay.Sheisandshouldbe recognized as the true saviour of the Japanese shinobi.Next for praise andadorationisMiekoKoizumi,thestalwart“super-elf”whohidesbelowgiantandgnarledwriting desks,waiting to be handed taskswritten on aged parchment.GlorymustbebestowedontheartistsAndrijaDreznjakandJaysonKane,whohave worked beyond the call of duty to bring about such excellent images;pictureswhichcontainmyselfandPaulMyers.Finally,thankstoMichaelMann,whobroughtaboutthisbookandsupportedhistoricalshinobinojutsufromthestart.

AntonyCummins

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

AntonyCummins is anauthorandhistorical researcher, aswell as leading the“resurrection” of the samurai school of war Natori-Ryū. He concentrates oninvestigatinganddisseminating thehistoryof the Japaneseshinobi.AsprojectmanagerwiththeHistoricalNinjutsuResearchTeam,Antonyhasoverseenthetranslationandpublicationofmultipleshinobiandsamuraimanuals,including:TheBookofNinja,TheBookofSamurai,IgaandKōkaNinjaSkills,TheSecretTraditionsoftheShinobi,TruePathoftheNinja,TheLostSamuraiSchoolandSamuraiWarStories.

Antonyhas alsopublishedhisownwriting: twobookson the samurai andshinobi,InSearchoftheNinjaandSamuraiandNinja;andalookatthedarkersideofJapanesefolklorecalledTheDarkSideofJapan.HehasappearedintheTV documentaries Samurai Headhunters, Ninja Shadow Warriors, SamuraiWarriorQueens,The47RoninandNinja.

Formore informationaboutAntonyandhis team,seecurrent socialmediasitesandhiswebsite:www.natori.co.uk

ABOUTTHEARTISTS

AndrijaDreznjakwasborninSerbiaandgraduatedfromtheUniversityofNišafterstudyingLaw.HehasworkedwithAntonyCumminsonseveralprojects,includingSecretsoftheNinjaandTheLostSamuraiSchool.HelivesinSerbiaandworksasafreelancesculptor,graphicdesigner,comicbookartistandscriptwriterforgraphicnovels.

Jayson Kane is a freelance illustrator based in Manchester, UK, as well asworking as a graphic designer in the textile industry. He was born in SouthAfricaandstudiedArt,DesignandPrintMakinginManchester.HavingworkedwithAntonyCumminsformanyyears,Jayson’sportfolioincludes:TruePathoftheNinja (coverconceptdesigner),TheSecretTraditionsof theShinobi (frontcoverdesigner),IgaandKōkaNinjaSkills(internalillustrations),TheIllustratedGuide to VikingMartial Arts (internal illustrations), andThe LostWarfare ofIndia:AnIllustratedGuide(frontcoverdesigner).

ThestoryofWatkinsbeganin1893,whenscholarofesotericismJohnWatkinsfoundedourbookshop,inspiredbythelamentofhisfriendandteacherMadameBlavatsky that there was nowhere in London to buy books on mysticism,occultism ormetaphysics. Thatmomentmarked the birth ofWatkins, soon tobecome the publisher of many of the leading lights of spiritual literature,includingCarlJung,RudolfSteiner,AliceBaileyandChögyamTrungpa.

Today, the passion at Watkins Publishing for vigorous questioning is stillresolute.Ourstimulatingandgroundbreakinglistrangesfromancienttraditionsand complementary medicine to the latest ideas about personal development,holisticwellbeingandconsciousnessexploration.Weremainatthecuttingedge,committedtopublishingbooksthatchangelives.

DISCOVERMOREAT:www.watkinspublishing.com

Readourblog Watchandlistentoourauthorsinaction

Signuptoourmailinglist

Wecelebrateconsious,passionate,wiseandhappyliving.Bepartofthatcommunitybyvisiting

WatkinsPublishing @watkinswisdomwatkinsbooks watkinswisdom

NINJASKILLSANTONYCUMMINS

FirstpublishedintheUKandUSAin2018byWatkins,animprintofWatkinsMediaLimited19CecilCourtLondonWC2N4EZ

enquiries@watkinspublishing.com

Designandtypographycopyright©WatkinsMediaLimited2018Textandartworkcopyright©AntonyCummins2018

TherightofAntonyCumminstobeidentifiedastheAuthorofthistexthasbeenassertedinaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsActof1988.

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretrievalsystems,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.

DevelopmentEditor:FionaRobertsonEditor:JamesHodgsonHeadofDesign:GlenWilkinsProduction:UzmaTajACIPrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibraryISBN:978-1-78678062-1

10987654321

TypesetinAdobeGaramondProColourreproductionbyXYDigitalPrintedinChinawww.watkinspublishing.com