, sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art

strategy Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...

and tactics of unconventional warfare,

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...

and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some traditional Japanese schools, which integrated study of more conventional martial arts (''taijutsu'') along with '' shurikenjutsu'', ''

kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of ...

'', ''

sōjutsu , meaning "art of the spear", is the Japanese martial art of fighting with a . Origins Although the spear had a profound role in early Japanese mythology, where the islands of Japan themselves were said to be created by salt water dripping from ...

'', ''

bōjutsu , translated from Japanese as "staff technique", is the martial art of stick fighting using a bō, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve s ...

'' and others. While there is an international martial arts organization representing several modern styles of ''ninjutsu'', the historical lineage of these styles is disputed. Some schools claim to be the only legitimate heir of the art, but ''ninjutsu'' is not centralized like modernized martial arts such as judo or

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

. Togakure-ryū claims to be the oldest recorded form of ninjutsu, and claims to have survived past the 16th century.

History

Spying in Japan dates as far back as Prince Shōtoku (572–622). According to Shōninki, the first open usage of ''ninjutsu'' during a military campaign was in the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...

, when Minamoto no Kuro Yoshitsune chose warriors to serve as ''shinobi'' during a battle. This manuscript goes on to say that during the Kenmu era, Kusunoki Masashige frequently used ''ninjutsu''. According to footnotes in this manuscript, the Genpei War lasted from 1180 to 1185, and the Kenmu Restoration occurred between 1333 and 1336. ''Ninjutsu'' was developed by the samurai of the Nanboku-cho period, and further refined by groups of samurai mainly from

Kōka was a after '' Tenpō'' and before '' Kaei.'' This period spanned the years from December 1844 through February 1848. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * December 2, 1844 (): The new era name of ''Kōka'', meaning "Becoming Wi ...

and the

Iga Province was a province of Japan located in what is today part of western Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Iga" in . Its abbreviated name was . Iga is classified as one of the provinces of the Tōkaidō. Under the ''Engishiki'' cl ...

of Japan in later periods. Throughout history, 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– ...

'' were assassins, scouts, and spies who were hired mostly by territorial lords known as '' daimyō''. Despite being able to assassinate in stealth, the primary role was as spies and scouts. ''Shinobi'' are mainly noted for their use of stealth and deception. They would use this to avoid direct confrontation if possible, which enabled them to escape large groups of opposition. Many different schools ('' ryū'') have taught their unique versions of ''ninjutsu''. An example of these is the Togakure-ryū, which claims to have been developed after a defeated samurai warrior called Daisuke Togakure escaped to the region of Iga. He later came in contact with the warrior-monk Kain Doshi, who taught him a new way of viewing life and the means of survival (''ninjutsu''). ''Ninjutsu'' was developed as a collection of fundamental survivalist techniques in the warring state of feudal Japan. The ''ninja'' used their art to ensure their survival in a time of violent political turmoil. ''Ninjutsu'' included methods of gathering information and techniques of non-detection, avoidance, and misdirection. ''Ninjutsu'' involved training in disguise, escape, concealment, archery, and medicine. Skills relating to espionage and assassination were highly useful to warring factions in feudal Japan. At some point, the skills of espionage became known collectively as ''ninjutsu'', and the people who specialized in these tasks were called ''shinobi no mono''.

References

External links

''Ninjutsu'' techniques
– ''ninjutsu'' kata and techniques in the AKBAN wiki
''Ninjutsu'' history
– history of ''Ninjutsu'' and its evolution {{Authority control Japanese martial arts

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links