![Ninja Museum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Ninja_Museum.jpg)
The situated in a forested location in
Iga,
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefectur ...
,
Japan, is a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
dedicated to the history of the
ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...
and
ninjutsu
, sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some trad ...
. It was established in 1964 and is located near
Iga Ueno Castle
, also known as is a Japanese castle located in the city of Iga, Mie Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The castle is also called , or "White Phoenix Castle," because of its beautiful architecture and floor plan. The castle has been protec ...
.
Jinichi Kawakami, who serves as the honorary director of the Iga-ryū Ninja Museum, is proclaimed to be the 21st head of
Iga-ryū
is an umbrella term for ninjutsu traditions that come from the Iga region, according to Japanese legend. It became one of the two most well-known ninja traditions in Japan. The ''Iga-ryū'' traditions originated in the Iga Province in the area ...
ninjutsu.
The museum's collection includes ancient ninjutsu writings analyzed scientifically along with ancient ninjutsu weapons. The museum has audiovisuals, models and extensive static displays of the weaponry and techniques employed by ninja. There are over 400 ninja tools on display, including
shuriken
A ''shuriken'' ( ja, 手裏剣; literally: "hidden hand blade") is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or metsubushi to distract or misdirect.
They are also known as throwing stars, or ninja stars, although they wer ...
used in the time of the ninja. The museum also features a model village with tours and demonstrations of its features. The museum allows visitors to throw ninja weapons and has ninja shows.
It is a popular tourist attraction.
There is also a virtual version of the museum in ''
Second Life
''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fra ...
''.
On August 17, 2020, during the pre-dawn hours, thieves broke into the museum, and within three minutes, stole a 150 kg safe containing over one million yen of admission fees.
[Ninja museum: Thieves carry out heist at Japanese site](_blank)
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
(20 August 2020)
See also
*
Iga-ryū
is an umbrella term for ninjutsu traditions that come from the Iga region, according to Japanese legend. It became one of the two most well-known ninja traditions in Japan. The ''Iga-ryū'' traditions originated in the Iga Province in the area ...
*
Iga Ueno Ninja Festa Iga Ueno NINJA Festa ( Jap. 伊賀上野 NINJA フェスタ) is the annual five-week ninja-themed festival in the Japanese city of Iga (in the former province of Iga), from April 1 to May 6. Tens of thousands of ninja fans travel to Iga for ninja-i ...
References
External links
Official websiteIga Ninja Museum in ''Second Life''Iga-ryu Ninja House and Museum (photo gallery)
Ninjutsu
Museums established in 1964
Museums in Mie Prefecture
Military and war museums in Japan
Iga, Mie
1964 establishments in Japan
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