The Book of Ninja: The Bansenshukai - Japan's Premier Ninja Manual

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Karasawa Genba (16th century): a samurai of the Sengoku period, in the 16th century of the common era, who served as an important retainer of the Sanada clan. Fujibayashi, Masatake; Nakajima, Atsumi. (1996). Shōninki: Ninjutsu densho. Tokyo: Shinjinbutsu Ōraisha. OCLC 222455224. With the fall of Hara Castle, the Shimabara Rebellion came to an end, and Christianity in Japan was forced underground. [45] These written accounts are the last mention of ninja in war. [46] Edo period

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Bansenshūkai ( 萬川集海, Ten Thousand Rivers Flowing Together to form an Ocean) (Also pronounced Mansenshukai) is a Japanese book containing a collection of knowledge from the clans in the Iga and Kōga regions that had been devoted to the training of ninja. [1] Bansenshūkai summarizes the main points of the three volumes of the original Ninjutsu book Kanrinseiyō (間林清陽), and was written by selecting only those that fit the times. In the beginning of Bansenshūkai, the existence of the original text Kanrinseiyō was mentioned, but its existence had not been confirmed for a long time. However, in June 2022, a manuscript of the second volume of Kanrinseiyō copied in 1748 was found. [2] [3]A ninja ( Japanese: 忍者, lit.'one who is invisible'; [ɲiꜜɲdʑa]) or shinobi ( Japanese: 忍び, lit.'one who sneaks'; [ɕinobi]) was a covert agent, mercenary, or guerrilla warfare expert in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu. [1] Their covert methods of waging irregular warfare were deemed dishonorable and beneath the honor of the samurai. [2] Though shinobi proper, as specially trained warriors, spies, and mercenaries, appeared in the 15th century during the Sengoku period, [3] antecedents may have existed as early as the 12th century. [4] [5]

The Book of Ninja by Antony Cummins, Yoshie Minami The Book of Ninja by Antony Cummins, Yoshie Minami

The kuji ("nine characters") is a concept originating from Taoism, where it was a string of nine words used in charms and incantations. [129] In China, this tradition mixed with Buddhist beliefs, assigning each of the nine words to a Buddhist deity. The kuji may have arrived in Japan via Buddhism, [130] where it flourished within Shugendō. [131] Here too, each word in the kuji was associated with Buddhist deities, animals from Taoist mythology, and later, Shinto kami. [132] The mudrā, a series of hand symbols representing different Buddhas, was applied to the kuji by Buddhists, possibly through the esoteric Mikkyō teachings. [133] The yamabushi ascetics of Shugendō adopted this practice, using the hand gestures in spiritual, healing, and exorcism rituals. [134] Later, the use of kuji passed onto certain bujutsu (martial arts) and ninjutsu schools, where it was said to have many purposes. [135] The application of kuji to produce a desired effect was called "cutting" ( kiri) the kuji. Intended effects range from physical and mental concentration, to more incredible claims about rendering an opponent immobile, or even the casting of magical spells. [136] These legends were captured in popular culture, which interpreted the kuji-kiri as a precursor to magical acts. The Iga Version has twenty-two chapters bound in twelve volumes with an additional four chapters in four volumes attached to it. [6] Uzura-gakure: The practice of curling into a ball and remaining motionless to appear like a stone. Falls under "earth techniques" ( doton-no-jutsu). [90]Takagi, Ichinosuke; Gomi, Tomohide; Ōno, Susumu (1962), Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei: Man'yōshū Volume 4, Iwanami Shoten, ISBN 4-00-060007-9 The kunai was a heavy pointed tool, possibly derived from the Japanese masonry trowel, which it closely resembles. Although it is often portrayed in popular culture as a weapon, the kunai was primarily used for gouging holes in walls. [101] Knives and small saws ( hamagari) were also used to create holes in buildings, where they served as a foothold or a passage of entry. [102] A portable listening device ( saoto hikigane) was used to eavesdrop on conversations and detect sounds. [103] Along with common weapons, a large assortment of miscellaneous arms were associated with the ninja. Some examples include poison, [94] makibishi ( caltrops), [123] shikomizue ( cane swords), [124] land mines, [125] fukiya ( blowguns), poisoned darts, acid-spurting tubes, and firearms. [105] The happō, a small eggshell filled with metsubushi (blinding powder), was also used to facilitate escape. [126] Legendary abilities Antony Cummins is the founder of the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team, which has previously published the first two manuals in its ninja series – The Book of Ninja being the last in the trilogy. Antony also works as a consultant and co-presenter of Urban Canyon Films to produce high-end documentaries on Japan that are distributed by National Geographic. He has been recognized by peers as a leading expert in the discovery of military arts of medieval Japan. Superhuman or supernatural powers were often associated with the ninja with a style of Japanese martial arts in ninjutsu. Some legends include flight, invisibility, shapeshifting, teleportation, the ability to "split" into multiple bodies ( bunshin), the summoning of animals ( kuchiyose), and control over the five classical elements. These fabulous notions have stemmed from popular imagination regarding the ninja's mysterious status, as well as romantic ideas found in later Japanese art of the Edo period. Magical powers were rooted in the ninja's own misinformation efforts to disseminate fanciful information. For example, Nakagawa Shoshunjin, the 17th-century founder of Nakagawa-ryū, claimed in his own writings ( Okufuji Monogatari) that he had the ability to transform into birds and animals. [88]