Let’s be honest: It’s almost impossible NOT to enjoy some good ol’ Ninja shenanigans! Whether you grew up with black and white movies from the mid 1900s, video games from the 80s, or 2000s anime, these sneaky assassins dressed in black and otherwise known as “Shinobi” were probably at least a small part of your childhood! It’s incredible to think that Japan has not one, but two extremely marketable types of historic warriors to draw inspiration from with not only the cunning Ninja, but also the Samurai and his unwavering honor, who in some ways STILL serves as somewhat of a role model to the people of Japan!
The Samurai is also steeped in tradition and history that goes back almost as far as the history of Japan itself. But… What about the NINJA? We fully accept that the guy can disappear in a cloud of smoke and turn into a toad using magic hands signs, but rarely do we ever think about how much of that stuff is actually real! Spoilers: The toad magic probably isn’t…
Now, just like with the Samurai, a fair amount of exaggeration and romanticization is to be expected… But the Ninja might take this to a WHOLE ‘nother level, so much so that perhaps, we’ll have to ask ourselves the question: Is the Ninja nothing more than an invention, a complete figment of our imagination? The short answer is… yeah… kind of! The long answer… Well, THAT is exactly what you’re gonna get by watching this video!
Today, we will take a deep dive into the possible origins of the Ninja and with that into Japanese history itself, exploring the beginnings of SECRET WARFARE in Japan, what the words “Shinobi” and “Ninja” have to do with it, how two small regions in western Japan became the supposed home of Shinobi history… and how the Shinobi, along with all of his trademark tools and weapons and magic hand signs, TRULY transformed into the “Ninja” that we are so fascinated with these days!
#ninja #history #shinobi
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
03:03 - Secret Warfare in Japan
06:05 - “Shinobi/Ninja”
09:20 - Thieves
11:10 - Mercenaries
13:43 - Iga & Kōka
23:19 - Edo Period
25:48 - The “Ninja Bible”
32:12 - Ninjutsu Magic
34:38 - Creating the Ninja
45:02 - Shūriken
47:40 - Outro
SOURCES:
Book: “Ninja: Unmasking the Myth” by Stephen Turnbull (Main Source)
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