The ''Shōninki'' (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

正忍記) is a medieval

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

document from Kishū province. Written by Natori Masatake in 1681 it describes the

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

strategies of the

shinobi 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. 21� ...

from Kishū. Together with the Bansenshukai and Ninpiden it is one of three major extant writings of the ninja."Martial arts of the world: an encyclopedia, Volume 2: Ninjutsu", 2001, Thomas A. Green An original copy of the Shōninki is in the State Library of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

The Shōninki is divided into Preface (Jo), three

scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyrus ...

s (Shomaki, Chumaki, Gemaki) and an epilogue (Okusho). In the preface, the author discusses the different types of spies and the

principle A principle is a proposition or value that is a guide for behavior or evaluation. In law, it is a Legal rule, rule that has to be or usually is to be followed. It can be desirably followed, or it can be an inevitable consequence of something, suc ...

s of espionage."Following the True Path"
Mar 3, 2011, Metropolis magazine The first scroll addresses basic skills, such as disguise and concealment, house-breaking and information gathering. The second part deals with defense against enemy spies,

human nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

physiognomy Physiognomy (from the Greek , , meaning "nature", and , meaning "judge" or "interpreter") is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general ...

, recognizing and eliciting the true intentions of people and laying false trails and clues. The final scroll is concerned with one's own emotional states as well as those of other people (including

godai Godai are the five elements in Japanese Buddhist thought of earth (''chi''), water (''sui''), fire (''ka''), wind (''fu''), and void (''ku''). The concept is related to Buddhist Mahābhūta and came over China from India. The Japanese Buddhi ...

References

Bibliography

* * * Jon E. Graham, trans. ''Shoninki: The Secret Teachings of the Ninja; The 17th-Century Manual on the Art of Concealment''. With commentaries by Axel Mazuer. Rochester, Vt.–Torono: 2010. *

External links

Shoninki online web.archive.org (Japanese / English) at ninpo.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoninki Japanese non-fiction literature Japanese martial arts

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External links