Origins and history of ninjutsu

If we look for the roots that precede ninjutsu, we find that the Chinese general Sun Tzu (544–496 BC) devotes a chapter of his treatise on the methods and principles of military strategy (孫子兵法 — known in the West as The Art of War) to the use of spies: he classifies them and offers a series of recommendations.

The oldest Japanese records of ninpô (忍法) or ninjutsu (忍術) that we have date from the time of Prince Shotoku Taishi (574–622 AD). In that period of Japanese history, the imperial palace made use of experts in the military arts, in espionage and in guerrilla techniques who came from the old province of Iga (today Mie Prefecture).

In the years that followed Prince Shotoku's death, power struggles broke out between the Buddhist and Shinto currents, and with them came the rise of the warrior monks known as yamabushi (literally, “mountain warriors”). These warriors, often associated with the phenomenon of ninjutsu, took on a considerable role in political affairs and used military strategies imported from China to face the government troops.

The Heike (also known as Taira) and Genji (also known as Minamoto, who would go on to establish the first bakufu, or military government, at the end of the 12th century) clans also kept close ties with the yamabushi.

During the Kamakura period (1192–1333) and the Muromachi period (1336–1573), the clans of the provinces of Iga and Koga proliferated, and there techniques and strategies of combat continued to develop, along with methods of espionage. Family names such as the Ôtomo, the Hattori, the Momochi, the Fujibayashi or the Kusunoki would take on great prominence in the centuries that followed — above all during the Sengoku, or “Warring States”, period (1467–1568 AD), when the hiring of this kind of military service by the rival factions grew most of all.

Although more than 50 different clans came to coexist in these regions during this “golden age” of ninjutsu, three deserve particular mention: the Momochi, who controlled the south of the province of Iga; the Hattori, who controlled the central area; and the Fujibayashi, who extended their sphere of influence not only over the north of Iga, but also over the south of the province of Koga.

Among the feudal lords who turned to these clans to improve their intelligence networks (through systems for relaying information at a distance, espionage and so on) are figures as notable as Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin.

Moving into the Edo period (1603–1868 AD), we find that the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu himself employed warriors and strategists linked to the Iga region to organise the new police forces and as personal martial instructors, among other roles.

The mythified image of the ninja — usually pictured as a hooded figure dressed in black, in possession of magical, superhuman abilities — also appears for the first time during the Edo period, and more precisely from the end of the 17th century and well into the 18th. It is from this moment on that literature, painting, theatre and popular legend begin to portray the adept of ninjutsu sometimes as an honest warrior with psychic powers, at other times with demonic and mysterious attributes, and even in erotic scenes taken to the extreme.

The legends about these figures often credit them with the ability to fly, to walk on water, to vanish in a cloud of smoke, or even to turn into snakes, frogs, birds and other animals.

It is also in this period that the terms ninja and ninjutsu became popular. Until then, the term most used in the war chronicles to refer to this kind of person had been shinobi, or shinobi no mono, although more than forty different terms exist for them (depending on the period, the region, the families and feudal lords involved, or the attributes one wished to emphasise).

The 18th and 19th centuries would go on feeding this myth, and the 20th century would add the Western readings of it — above all with the ninja boom of the 1970s and 1980s, the moment when the figure of the ninja became popular the world over through cinema, literature and, later, video games.

With that said, let us attempt a definition that will serve us, at least to begin with.

Ninpô is a kakutô jutsu (格闘術), a science of combat and survival born of the need to foresee danger and to protect oneself from it. Mental attitude is what marks the main distinction from other forms of bujutsu (武術 — martial arts).

Ninjutsu can be understood as the art of using weapons and techniques in unconventional ways; the art of deceiving and confusing the enemy by means of tricks and stratagems; the art of gathering and managing information in order to find and exploit the openings that lead to victory; the art of cultivating flexibility and strength through endurance and resilience; the art of observation and adaptability; the art of concealment and disguise; the art of disciplining body and mind to immeasurable degrees in order to live in harmony.

The essence of every martial art is self-protection and the prevention of danger. Ninjutsu embodies the fullest expression of self-protection through martial training, in that this art is aimed at protecting both physically and mentally. The ninja perseveres, survives and prevails over anything that might do them harm.

The Japanese character nin (忍) can be broken down and read in different ways. On the one hand, it involves submitting one's own ego to the edge of the blade: keeping a spirit attentive to oneself and to one's surroundings, and remaining resilient in the face of misfortune. An alternative reading is that the adept cultivates a kind of practice that leads them to “sharpen” their determination like the edge of a sword, the body becoming the tool through which that work is expressed.

Ninpô as a doctrine refers to the rule that governs self-discipline, resilience and perseverance in every situation and against all adversity, as well as a pragmatic approach to combat focused on survival.

To sum up, we can say that ninjutsu encompasses techniques of survival and adaptability that make it possible to respond to situations of danger, and to face the challenges and uncertainties of life. With the right motivation and attitude, the study of combat techniques brings the practitioner numerous physical and psychological benefits.