Ninja were the Ultimate Warriors of feudal Japan. Cloaked in darkness and secrecy, theGhost-Soldiers of the Invisible Fist struck fear into the hearts of their enemies and wreakedhavoc on those who incurred their wrath.
The principles of these occult methods have notchanged and apply even today.The principles and forms presented herein are intended for use by a lone individual.Some
Ninjitsu ryu (schools) advocate the use of such equipment as shuriken, grapples, shaken,even poisons and firearms. These schools train to use or improvise any weapon that may furtherthe objective of the mission.
There is much to be said for this approach, even among the schools that practice invisibility such as the Black Dragon Ryu, Therefore, sections explaining the classicalNinja weapons are included.Yet, study of this Art does not require weapons of any sort. Sensei (teacher) once said,”A naked man, alone, in an empty room, can practice Ninjitsu.” One cannot move quickly andsilently when encumbered by various tools.
And, if captured, these devices would certainly beconfiscated. What is one to do then?Here then are the means to be invisible in the presence of the enemy, to penetrate unseenanywhere, and to pass without leaving a trace.This is the Silent Way of the Mystic-Knights, the Moonlit Path of the Shadow-Warrior,the Invisible Assassins of Feudal Japan, the NINJA.The beauty of these techniques is that they do not require a lifetime to master. Manywere developed by victims who were tired of being bullied but lacked the physical resources toovercome the forces opposing them. Few people have such resources or the time to acquirethem. But, there are bullies aplenty.
The student need only learn one technique and have thecourage to carry it out to free himself of oppression. Making war is not hard, keeping the peaceis hard. That is why the Ninja, who value peace and harmony above all else, have gone to suchgreat lengths over many centuries to canonize and preserve these methods. And why, because itis so simple, the techniques have often been turned to revenge or used to raise and armyquickly. When there is no justice, the Ninja appear. They are not ?called to action? by anyone.They are just ordinary people in extraordinary situations. They need not have a ?clan? or?credentials? or even a great deal of training.
They only need the Will.The Ninja do what must be done, then it is forgotten. Princes and kings may gain sometemporary advantage through Force. But, the only lasting accomplishments are achievedthrough Love.
That is is the true lesson of Ninjitsu
Espionage as a Weapon
About five hundred years before the birth of Christ, a Chinese philosopher named Sun- Tse stated in his “Rules for Political and Psychological Subversion” that, “there is no art higher than that of destroying the enemy’s resistance without a fight on the battlefield. According to this sage,
The direct tactic of war is necessary only on the battlefield, but only the indirect tactic can lead to a real and lasting victory.
- Subvert anything of value in the enemy’s country. Implicate the emissaries of the major powers in criminal undertakings; undermine their position and destroy their reputations in other ways as well; and expose them to the public ridicule of the their fellow citizens.
- Do not shun the aid of even the lowest and most despicable people. Disrupt the work of their government with every means you can.
- Spread disunity and dispute among the citizens of the enemy’s country. Turn the young against the old. Use every means to destroy their arms, their supplies, and discipline of the enemy’s forces.”
- “Debase old traditions and accepted gods. Be generous with promises and rewards to purchase intelligence and accomplices. Send out your secret agents in all directions. Do not skimp with money or with promises, for they yield a high return.” It is upon this passage from the Art of War that Japanese Ninjitsu is based.
Sun-Tse was quite correct. No more need be said concerning espionage as a weapon. But, The Art of Invisibility is far older even than this. Nor was Sun-Tse the first to recognize this principle. And, much later, Macheivelli’s The Prince expressed the same sentiment
with regard to conquering new lands. The great expense of war being his primary motivation in counseling the medieval lords of his time.
Basic Ninjitsu
The origins of Ninjitsu are shrouded in the mists of time. It was greatly influenced by Chinese spying techniques, many of which are found in Sun-Tse’s classic, The Art of War.
The word Ninjitsu itself originated during a war between Prince Shotoku and Moriya over the land of Omi in sixth century Japan. During this conflict, a warrior named Otomo-no-Saajin contributed to the victory of Prince Shotoku by secretly gathering valuable intelligence about the enemy forces.
For this service, he was awarded the title of Shinobi, which means “stealer in.” From this ideogram, the character for the word Ninjitsu is derived. Originally, the role of the Ninja was to gain information about the enemy and to sabotage his operations.
Agents were classified as:
Indigenous, meaning local personnel who gathered intelligence or worked for the Ninja on site;
Sleeper, being one long in place, merely awaiting instructions;
Doubled or Turned, a former agent of the enemy who spied for both sides; and
Expendable agents who were used for only one mission and then left to fend for themselves. Such agents include both men and women, the female Ninja were called Kunoichi and carried out missions of assassination and sabotage, as well as espionage.
Ninjitsu is not a magical technique which will enable you to disassemble your body and reassemble yourself somewhere else. It will not change the structure of your body, making it transparent. This Art of Invisibility consists of the skills employed to make yourself unseeable; in this context, the art becomes almost a philosophy.
The ancient masters have said, “A tree falling in the forest with no one to hear it, makes no sound; but, it falls nonetheless.” So it is with Ninjitsu. A Ninja attacking a blind man is invisible, but he is attacking nonetheless.
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