The concept of kunoichis as seductress female ninjas is a fictional invention. In the Edo era (1603-1867), the term くノ一 (kunoichi) was used as an alternative way to describe these women, who were often overlooked and trusted by powerful members of the samurai and ruling classes. Kunoichis were experts at assassination, wearing elaborate costumes and wielding weapons. They were also sneaky agents who gathered secrets or completed missions in places where male ninjas couldn’t go. Contrary to myth, ninja men did not wear hooded black jumpsuits but wore conservative blue outfits like those worn by peasants.
Female ninjas, known as kunoichi, formed an important part of medieval shinobi clans. They trained in combat, disguise, and stealth, and routinely changed their appearances to blend in with crowds. They might dress up as travelers or monks to avoid detection. A female ninja’s look is instantly recognizable due to her unique combination of traditional Japanese clothing elements like hakama pants or tabi socks.
After MK9, NRS started taking themselves more seriously and ditching skimpy outfits to take on a more serious and darker tone. The ninja or shinobi was first and foremost a master of disguise, known as Hensojutsu, the art of disguise. These women, who did not wear typical ninja garb, were often overlooked and trusted by powerful members of the samurai and ruling classes. They wore one-piece bathing suits with a laced-up slit down the middle.
The clothing industry in the galaxy is secretly controlled by the Hutt Cartel, which eventually has every female in the galaxy dressed like a ninja.
📹 The DEADLY Life of a Female Ninja DEBUNKING Video
Link to the original video https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mn7ELlGZEAU If you are interested in the bansenshukai in English …
Is ninja gender neutral?
Ninjas are individuals who train in the art of Ninjutsu, originally assassins and spies in feudal Japan. They come from hidden villages, some from specialized clans, and perform missions for a fee, including manual labor, escorts, gathering secret information, retrieving stolen items, and carrying out assassinations. In times of war, ninjas come together to defend their villages and land. The clearest characteristic of a ninja is their ability to manipulate chakra to create and use techniques. A male ninja is called a Shinobi (忍び), while a female ninja is called a Kunoichi (くノ一). There are three classifications for ninjas:
Did kunoichi use seduction?
The ninjas of medieval Japan were known for their stealth and trickery, but their female counterparts, the kunoichi, were also known for their beauty and sexual prowess. These women, who were often overlooked by powerful samurai and ruling classes, posed as maids, stage performers, or servants to extract military information and overhear enemy secrets. They used various means to deliver the killing blow, including daggers, neck-slicing garrote wires, and fast-acting poisons, unlike their male counterparts who used swords and other large weapons. Their ability to seduce and manipulate their enemies made them a formidable force in the samurai and ruling classes.
Why were ninjas banned in Europe?
In 1986, British politicians raised concerns over ninja-style toys that could become offensive weapons when used or adapted. In 1990, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series first aired in the UK, with several notable changes. The name was updated to Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, requiring the show’s intro sequence and iconic theme tune to remove any mention of ninjas. The character of Michaelangelo, who wielded nunchaku in the U. S.
Version, was reduced in the episodes. Rather than replacing the weapons with a more acceptable alternative, censors cut any sequences involving nunchucks altogether. By the fourth season, showrunners replaced the nunchaku with a “Turtle Line” grappling hook. The BBC also removed any mentions of the word “ninja” and phrases like “let’s kick some shell” and “bummer” to avoid further controversy. This decision was odd, as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics had been in circulation for several years and the toy line featuring all of the quartet’s original weaponry had already hit the shelves.
Who is the most famous female ninja?
The only recorded female ninja in history, aside from her disciples, is Mochizuki Chiyome. She was described as a spy or agent who operated during the feudal era, a time where bloodshed was an everyday occurrence. During this time, clans declared war on each other and Daimyo challenged one another to see who blinks first. Another conflict waging in the shadows was led by spies, assassins, and ninjas.
Mochizuki Chiyome wasn’t born into any particular ninja clan. Her earliest notable event seems to be the marrying of Moritoki, a member of the powerful Takeda clan and nephew to the clan leader Takeda Shingen. Takeda Shingen was under the threat of assassination, which would infiltrate his own entourages and riddle them with traitors. He set up his own network of spies to regain control over his men and weed out the rotten ones.
This network of spies would also be tasked with infiltrating enemy strongholds to learn secrets and potential battle strategies. Unfortunately, her husband died on the battlefield in 1561 in a possible skirmish with the Tokugawa clan. Struck with grief, Chiyome was approached by Takeda Shingen, who offered her revenge and granted her the role of seeking out information on their enemies. It is unclear whether she was guided by Takeda in her efforts, but it is unlikely that Takeda would have had the time to invest in the cultivation of her role.
Were ninjas allowed to marry?
During the Edo period, the practice of ninja marriage was permitted for the purpose of procreation. However, those in the oniwaban class, who were employed by the government, were subject to restrictions regarding contact with outsiders and were permitted to marry only within their profession. The retirement age for ninja was not fixed; rather, it was contingent upon the individual’s ability to perform the duties of their role due to advancing age. Advanced ninjas would often train younger generations to ensure the continuity of their expertise.
What is the difference between a ninja and a kunoichi?
Kunoichi, a term referring to female ninjas, have gained popularity in various media, including novels, movies, TV shows, and manga. The term originated as a slang term for women in general, but gained popularity after World War II. From the 1960s onwards, female ninjas began to appear in various works, with the perception of kunoichi becoming widespread. The influence of YAMADA Hutaro’s Ninpocho series was particularly significant.
However, no record has been found of the actual existence of kunoichi, as it is not a description of female ninjas. Instead, it was used when it was difficult for a man to infiltrate the enemy, and a person composed of three characters (ku-no-ichi) would infiltrate instead.
How were female samurai treated?
After Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan, women’s roles changed, with samurai husbands becoming bureaucrats and women being encouraged to supervise their children’s education and manage the home. Travel was highly restricted for samurai women, who were forbidden to travel alone and required travel permits. They were often harassed by authorities during government inspections. In the highly regulated society, samurai women were allowed to wear silk kimonos, while unmarried women and young girls wore long-sleeved “furisode” kimonos. Married women blackened their teeth and wore regular sleeve length, identifying their marital status.
Were there female Yakuza?
Nishimura, a woman who became a fully-fledged member of the Japanese yakuza, redefined gender roles and allegiance in the brutal world of organized crime. In contrast to other women in the yakuza, she took the additional step of becoming a fully pledged member, symbolized by the cutting of her little finger. This action serves to illustrate the distinctive journey of identity and belonging within this criminal organization.
Were there female assassins in Japan?
Kunoichi, a term used to describe female ninjas, were infiltrators, spies, and assassins who exploited their gender to their advantage. They were often underestimated as warriors, but they could also be moulded into the ultimate expression of death. The term “Kunoichi” comes from the names of characters that match the three strokes in the kanji character for “woman” (女, onna). These mysterious figures functioned within Japanese society, as they were often seen as the ultimate expression of death. The term “Kunoichi” has evolved to mean “female ninja” in modern-day terms.
What did female ninja do?
The Bansenshukai, a 1676 ninja handbook, describes Kunoichi-no-jutsu, a technique used by women for espionage, gathering knowledge, and gaining trust. The technique was employed for infiltration when it was difficult for a man to infiltrate. One such technique involves using a double-bottomed wooden chest to infiltrate a person into a building by telling the house’s wife she is retrieving a chest. While some consider these techniques evidence of female ninja, others, like Yoshimaru and Yamada, believe “female ninja” did not exist.
Another early mention of kunoichi is in Waki Enshū’s poem compilation Enshūsenkuzuke, which was used to refer to Sei Shōnagon, a female poet. Iga FC Kunoichi, a women’s football club based in Iga, takes its name from the term. The Bansenshukai and other early ninja literature provide valuable insights into the history and practices of female ninja.
What is the word for a female ninja?
Kunoichi, or female ninjas, were enigmatic figures who could be shaped into the epitome of death. The term “kunoichi” is derived from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for “woman” (女, onna) and are divided into ku, no, and ichi, which signify “one” and “two,” respectively. The enigmatic nature of these female ninjas and their role within Japanese society remain shrouded in obscurity.
📹 Ninja Style Girl 🤤😍🤤😍
I think the easiest way to understand the mythical careers of the “ninjas” is to consider them like actual modern day spys, not the 007 spy, but regular spys. Just like the actual CIA or any other real spy agencies, there are the monks, the paper pushers, the number crunchers, the linguistic experts, the information brokers, the social engineers, the rumor mongers….and very rarely, career hit-men.
“Their assasination methods were more brutal than that of male counterpart” “See Sasuke-kun, when u execute your target you can chop off his head, but thats the end of the line, you get me? No shinnanigans, just make it quick and efficient. You Makoto-chan, you dont have to bother with all that crap, in fact, whenever you kill somebody, be as creative as u want, and you knwo what? Just rip the targets Heart out of his chest and smash it against the wall, or no just strangle him with his own intestine! Yeah that will teach´em….Man, i love my Job” – historical diary of a real Ninja Sensei
Excellent article. There is some debate as to whether the female agent herself was called a “kunoichi”, or was it just that the art of using them was “kunoichi no jutsu”. In the same section of the Bansenshukai (or perhaps more properly pronounced Mansenshukai), it mentions the male version of the technique “tachikara” or “tajikara” 田力. Ta + chikara when put on top of each other in a kanji is 男 otoko (man), while the kana for kunoichi is くノ一. When you stack those strokes, “ku” from hiragana, “no” from katakana and “ichi” from kanji, you get 女, onna, woman. If a female ninja is called kunoichi, then a male ninja would be called tajikara. Here’s what the Bansenshukai really says: (Two points on) kunoichi no jutsu or the art of the female agent I Kunoichi no jutsu is to send (a female) for a shinobi mission and this person is represented by one ideogram, which consists of three letters combined. When it seems difficult for tajikara (male ninja) to infiltrate, use this art. In general, kunoichi have a twisted and inferior mind, shallow intelligence and poor speech, so for example (text blacked out with the number ‘2’ left exposed) you should not use those who you cannot recognize for what they are. If you have someone you have observed correctly, make them take a strict oath, educate them thoroughly and specifically about the signals and promises so that you can send them deep into the enemy by taking the appropriate measures. Alternatively, you make them a servant who is accompanying someone who has access to the enemy.
When i was younger i really believed this romanticized version of ninja. Learning a bit of history, and getting a solid dose of common sense made me think: what country could need a WHOLE SCHOOL of assasins? Answer is simple, a very bad one, which would crumble very fast. Espionage, internal police and such things were essential, but so much people trained only to kill high value targets? that’s some serious bull.
Channels like metatron and others are like taking the red pill of Matrix… Blue pill = You keep your inocence and the cool fantasy stereotypes of swords, knights, ninjas and samurais. Red pill = You get the real thing and it feels nice to know the truth. But at same time it’s kinda sad because the fantasy stuff you seen in you life that did look cool were made up by media .
Could you talk about the game “Mark of the Ninja” in a article? I really love it and I’m really curious as to how historically accurate of a ninja the main protagonist is and which of the two endings would be most accurate. I side with chosing to go left and hit X. If you beat the game you know what I mean ^.^
hi Raf. I love your content, and you as a personality, and I’ll continue to be a regular viewer for sure. I just have one request, which i hope doesn’t come across as rude, and that’s to make your sources a bit clearer. Im not doubting that your knowledge comes from a credible place, and I’m not asking for a full bibliography in the description. i just think it would be great if, while stating facts, you would vaguely or explicitly say where you got them from. like “as i read in who’s book” “as it said in a certain scroll” “most of my knowledge is from this book…” etc. even something vague like: “i read somewhere before…” would do. especially in a debunking article, i think those kinds of sidenotes would increase the credibility of your statements. keep it up with the great content!
I like Mike Chen, especially his food website, but that Beyond Science website is all about presenting falsehoods, myths and conspiracy theories as possible or outright truths. This samurai article is like the least ridiculous article on that website. I mean, he presents ghost stories, ancient curses and dragon sightings as a likely reality for Pete’s sake.
I had to unsub from him awhile back because with out doing any research just from what I have learned an remember in the past I had to unsub because he was presenting what I knew were false facts an it absolutely frustrates me when people spread lies unknowing because they choose to not look into it, like alot of fact websites do.
I notice you’ve been mispronouncing “reiterate” on a couple of occasions lately. I’m not sure if you’re aware or not, but the way you’ve been saying it sounds like “re-uh-ter-ate”, but it should be “re-ih-ter-ate”. Of course I don’t mean to call you out, you can fluently speak more languages than make small talk in
I’d like to recommend Antony Cummins’ other books, too. Add to that, Stephen R. Turnbull’s books, you’ll have a pretty decent pile of books on samurai and ninja history…that aren’t just modern mythology. To be honest, I’d forgotten about The Book of Ninja. Several years ago, I’d run across these books, but didn’t have the money to buy them–I’ve had a windfall recently, so now’s the time for me to collect them.
I like to compare Ninjas to the american intelligence service. Specially FBI and NSA. There are SPECIAL operatives that are highly trained in combat. A bunch of people with the martial training of an police officer and a bunch of people who have basic self defense training. No one expects people like edward snowden to be martial arts experts.
well the whole ninjutsu thing is the equivalent of thinking about copies of james bond when you hear the word “secret agent” while in reality agents include a variety of people doing everyday stuff or tons of paperwork and handling classified information without the need to ever be trained on weapons or any form of combat.
The problem is it’s sometimes media that actually comes from Japan which creates misconceptions. For example the character Kage Maru in Virtua Fighter supposedly uses ninjitsu. So without doing any research, it would seem like ninjitsu was the martial art of ninja. Also 007 is not a secret agent or spy; he’s an intelligence officer.
its amazing how easily pop culture in general can easily warp the conceptions of historical facts, one of the reasons I love websites like yours since im obsessed with anything medeival and feudal is your pension for striking down this bullshit and clearing up the image of just how cool these figures were without all the unnecessary made up bullshit
Since the ninja was jizamurai, they are also warriors. Iga was a temple manor, but it came to be dominated by the peasant samurai jizamurai. Iga will be self-defense by jizamurai and farmers. They devised unique martial arts and guerrilla tactics, sometimes becoming mercenaries and intelligence personnel. Sinobi plays an active part on the battlefield in Genpei War (1180-1185). The end of the Kamakura period (1185 – 1333). Iga’s jizamurai (a samurai from a farmer) becomes an independent force. They are called akuto (Rogue party) and are said to have the roots of the Iga-ryu Ninja. They become mercenaries in various parts of Japan. There was no unified name for them, and Sinobi was called Rappa, Suppa, Kusa, etc. It is written as Shinobi in a literary work called Taiheiki (1368-1375). Tenshō Iga War (1578-1579) is a war between Nobunaga’s army and the Iga clan. It is written as Xinobi in the dictionary compiled by the Jesuits in the 1600s. During the Edo period (1603 – 1868), shinobi was called oniwaban and was assigned to guard the shogunate, gather information, and manage local areas. Super Sinobi as popular culture appears in the book Otogibouko. Bansenshukai is written by fujibayashi Samujiyasutake from Iga. The fujibayashi family is one of the founders of Iga ninja. The accent of Japanese language in the Satsuma district is said to be a measure against ninja.
I mean, I like Mike Chen, but it’s for his cooking and Chinese-cultural stuff. He’s reaaaaaally not strong on the science front. I remember him having no issue whatsoever endorsing patent bullshit like the Korean fan death – as in, personally endorsing, rather than just potentially reading off someone else’s script like may be happening on this website. Also, I’ll just leave this article title from that website right here: “10 CLUES The Pyramids Were Built Using ADVANCED Ancient Technology”. Says everything there needs to be said, really.
Hello, Raffaello. Just saw that you made this article (3 years after, lol!). Tell me, if you can: Is this Fujibayashi, the writer of the book for the Ninja the known Fujibayash Nagato-no-kami? If yes, then he’s a well known figure, part of the three most famous Ninjas of all eras, alongside with Hattori “Hanjo” Masashige and Momochi Sandayu. These three were besides Tokugawa Ieyasu in the forming of the Tokugawa Shogunate, very close to Ieyasu himself. I suppose that this book, since it was written in the early Tokugawa period, must be from Nagato himself or a very close relative. Have a nice time.
The word kunoichi uses the brush strokes for the kanji for woman, resulting in the hiragana for “ku,” the katakana for “no,” and the kanji numeral for “ichi.” To stylise it in the way the word would look to a native reader, it’s roughly equivalent to “kuNO1ch1” or just “kuNO1.” It just might be the first ever word written in l33tspeak (when in its actual language anyway.)
Hey…., I had that picture on the wall of my first flat, in tapestry form as a housewarming gift. COOL! Edit: Also, the interpretation of ninja as black robed assassins is very close to equating James Bond to a spy. In reality James Bond would be a HORRIBLE spy because everyone knows he was there. A spy is covert, and if anyone on the other side ever new you existed then you failed in general terms. A spy isn’t flashy and they don’t kill people (generally speaking). Being detected means capture, imprisonment and absent of mitigating factors, death.
Facts: 1. Ninjas are mammals. 2. Ninjas fight ALL the time. 3. The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people. Ninjas can kill anyone they want! Ninjas cut off heads ALL the time and don’t even think twice about it. These guys are so crazy and awesome that they flip out ALL the time. I heard that there was this ninja who was eating at a diner. And when some dude dropped a spoon the ninja killed the whole town. My friend Mark said that he saw a ninja totally uppercut some kid just because the kid opened a window. And that’s what I call REAL Ultimate Power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you don’t believe that ninjas have REAL Ultimate Power you better get a life right now or they will chop your head off!!! It’s an easy choice, if you ask me. Ninjas are sooooooooooo sweet that I want to crap my pants. I can’t believe it sometimes, but I feel it inside my heart. These guys are totally awesome and that’s a fact. Ninjas are fast, smooth, cool, strong, powerful, and sweet. I can’t wait to start yoga next year. I love ninjas with all of my body (including my pee pee).
Metatron, I HAVE to correct this one. You keep saying “Re-utter-ate”. I’ve been waiting for you to correct yourself or for someone to correct you. The word you’re looking for is Reiterate. I can see exactly why you make the mistake, and it’s because you understand English so well, and that’s probably why it annoys me so much :D. The term “iterate” is a word we don’t use that much nowadays but it means “to say (or do) over and over”. To Re iterate is to say something over and over…. again. Replay, rewind, redo, ect for the prefix then Iterate. Sorry! I know you’re a linguist, but it’s a pet peeve of mine in your articles 🙂
As always very interesting. A personal note I think people nowadays don’t want to admit (especially us girls). Women have a significant disadvantage when it comes to physical labour/fights. Yes, we have weapons and they’re great equalizers but they can also be used by men, even if it’s true that maybe a well trained and armed woman could take an average man, back then things were a bit different and the average man was simply…well… strong! Now imagine a guard, a trained security, a samurai, etc. … Obviously you don’t want a woman doing the main field/physical job, where there are other things she could be doing, especially when and where a “feminine touch” is required, if you know what I mean. I’m italian so english isn’t my first language but I hope I was able to express my point clearly enough.
Dude, you put me in the mood to play Total War Shogun 2 once again… Thnx, it has been a while since I indulged myself. Shame, there are no Kunoichi mentions in there…. but hey what do they know, I am sure they had a small budget too hence why there are no magical arts and dragon summoning either.
@Metatron : Ninja were spies full stop => true. Only a few ninja were excelent fighters => true, Most ninja were no trained => false, all ninja were trained at basic level at least. Ninjutsu does not contain martial => false, I have 4 years training in it and counting. Closest modern equivalent: MMA with kyokushin emphasis on striking parts and jiu jitsu on grappling parts
Hello… Silly question, have you read Stephen Turnbull’s books on the subject? if yes, what do you think of them. But seriously, what’s that think about kunoichi (or whatever correct term would be) waiting for a shinobi no mono to ‘finish their job’? I mean, if shiniobi are spies, what part of the data gathering would need the intervention of a male operative if a female agent was already in place and trusted by the proper people? If the job is assassination, why call for a hitman when poison or a hairpin might do the job quite nicely thank you? Something just doesn’t make sense in what you assert. and no, I don’t believe in ninja in black, leaping over a wall to get somewhere, and beating everybody at bujutsu while also performing cirque du soleil acrobacies.
This is my understanding of what we call “Ninja”. Feel free to correct me if I am in error. What we call ninja began as guerrilla fighters, not super martial arts assassins. Because of their ability to stand against the likes of Oda Nobunaga and his son without being totally exterminated, they were able to survive and secure work as a police and espionage force. They were not super heroes or martial arts icons, but instead effective, asymmetric warriors like the Viet Cong in the US-Vietnam war. The Koga and Iga clans were clever, determined, and well organized, and fought in non-standard ways. By successfully resisting campaigns to exterminate them, the survivors won a sort of admiration from the hostile government overlords seeking to destroy them. Their determination and effective, non-standard tactics secured them a measure of respect, survival, and employment from their conquerors. While i greatly enjoy the modern, entertainment-based concept of the Ninja, the true historic basis for them is WAY cooler.
The guy who made that article sounds like someone who forget to prepare a script or prompt because he forget his speech was on that particular day and was just winging it the whole time. He’s like, “This book contains knowledge” WHAT THE HELL! Of course it contains knowledge otherwise there’s no point of mentioning it in the article. What he fails to do is highlight specifics in the book. Anyone can blatantly state that they are a resident expert without any evidence, facts or sources. All they have to do is say “This is fact because I read it in a book somewhere. But not just any book, a book containing *KNOWLEDGE*”. Not to mention, all of the images used look like freaking conceptual art from fantasy article games
James Bond? No. James Bond isn’t really much of a spy. What he does, is very different to what a spy does. (also, you can’t be an effective spy, if you drink, smoke and fuck that much …even by the standards of the movies, that have apparently toned it down significantly, compared to the books. They also tone down on his misogyny, homophobia and other stuff like that)
So, I read this story, the assassin was an actor who basically played for the target lord, because their troupe was well known around the country. I don´t remember, it might well have been a woman. But they were only “ninja”(meaning assasins with a very long breath), because it was a personal vendetta kind of thing. They plotted their way to become as good and then tried to murder one specific person. Or I´m making stuff up from memory 🙂 Anyway, the act was performed, and apparently the flute they had was prepared with a long big old steel spike that was to be hurled, like a spear from a sling. So not common, but hardly needing Shaolin expertise to learn how to use. And the assassin (could be the victim survived it even) was captured and executed by officials. As would seem reasonable. You can never rule out chance and misfortune, so my guess is, they have murdered like everyone else in feudal JP. Poison, ambush, “hunting accident”, pay a desperate cutthroat to get his hands dirty, come to mind. Were there not the Ronin at some point, outlawed warriors more or less? Someone like that could go and kill maybe, but why even waste a ton of good ressources on training those “shadows” so they could turn on you or grab power themselves? Sounds stupid. Better to pave the main street instead, or build another pagode or what they did, blackjack and hookers probably… A female ninja in a more historical sense would be great, as an agent or spy. Who suspects the water girl to rat everyone out?
Most who say “it’s a scientific fact (blah blah blah)” should be saying it’s a pseudoscientific fact. Real science relies on data that is ruthlessly scrutinized, and demands peer reviews on the subject. A peer review is simply the process of subjecting work, research, or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field, knowing most will try their hardest to discredit the work. If it passes, it is one step closer, toward being accepted. It needs to be repeatable, predictable, and measurable. 100% of all pseudoscientific “work” falls short in most, if not all the above criteria. Beyond Science has a nasty habit of ignoring the above, putting them in the class of pseudoscience.
In a few hundred years, the common conception of the Secret Service will be James Bond-movies, and someone will make a article about how they were used to solve any crisis. And then someone will debunk that article, saying the secret service was basically paper-pushing you’re not allowed to talk about. And most would still hold the notion that secret service-agents were the overpowered super weapon of Her Majesty.
I love that “more brutal” part…because really? This was a time without firearms. What was more brutal than stabbing someone with a dagger, beating him to death with a batton or sword or bare fists? Jesus…that is already the maximum of possible brutality…also murdering someone is not about maximizing brutality. You have to get out of the place where you killed someone. Running around drenched in blood is a quite bad idea. I bet, if they murdered someone they did it more often by using poison or just stab the guy in his sleep.
You see so many misconceptions on this it becomes comical,. Japanese Ninjas with the Sai the 3 pronged weapon they are often depicted with, its not even a Japanese weapon or known to them at that time, it’s an Indonesian weapon used not in “Ninjitsu” but the Indonesian martial art/dance style of Penjaksilat. I blame weeaboo’s from the USA for most of these misconceptions and myths but modern Japanese are quite good at faking it too.
Metatron I’ve heard that only confirmed time that historical ninja tried to act as assassins they screwed it up royally, have you heard of this? PS. I’m not saying that there could have never been ninja who assassinated people just that the ninja who were confirmed to have tried purposeful assasination failed and failed badly.
First I want to say thanks for all your content, you are simple amazing. Maybe my question gets here a little late but, in some legends or movies and etc. when the big lords fell and some clans left abandon without who serve, they say that some ninja clans work for money, gathering intelligence and info of the target. just for money. There is some truht in that? they were clans that could possible work only for money? I’ll wait your answer Master Metraton and again thank you.
I have a thought about the Kunoichi entering a castle to prepare the path for the Ninja do their jobs. Metatron made me think about assassinations. I think assassination is really a stupid move. And maybe is another example on how our values today may contaminate a historic fact. Even today, the assassination of a political leader may result in nothing but a short term mess. Imagine the Feudal Japan. You got a Kunoichi inside your enemy castle. She is passing information, helping my clan. She can open a path for a professional ninja to come inside and read all the important scrolls with plans, merchant routes, everything that makes that Clan powerful. Then, the ninja goes there and Assassinate that clan leader, destroying this great advantage, and immediately turning the Kunoichi a prime suspect of this crime and treason? It would be better to manipulate that clan from inside instead assassinate the leader and get a probable worst replacement, that will force me to start all the espionage procedures again…
The Bansenshukai is a text, talking about what ninja had done, centuries past, written by someone who we have no real reason to think, was an authority on the subject. I.e. old hearsay. …and we don’t know how much it was intended as proper history, versus romantisation or propaganda? Either way, it cannot possibly be regarded as a reliable source, on the topic.
Just wanted to mention that the history of Assassins (or Hashashim) is similar interesting as the history on Ninjas. They did commit many religious motivated murders. But the picture we have of them today is equally historic incorrect as the popular picture of Ninja. Just because in many articles about historic ninja, unhistorical assassins are used without second thought.
Isn’t ninjutsu the art of guerrilla warfare, unconventional warfare and espionage? Think there are some scrolls that talks about how its divided in different areas of expertise and a lot of people were not trained in all skills that is said to be part of “ninjutsu” it feels like it’s basicly just a big guideline for good skills to have when being a spy be it Taijutsu or Hensōjutsu or your choice of good skill to have when being a spy.
While I don’t put it past them, Japanese culture wasn’t exactly conducive to women being aggressive. The ideal Japanese wife was much like Hinata from Naruto, submissive, docile, soft spoken. Not exactly what you call “ninja” material. The goal of this article was to apply modern “gender equality” (as in the statement “The kohnoichi were just as good as their male counterparts”) to a culture where women had clearly defined social roles and they didn’t often include engaging in espionage.
hey metatron could you maybe make a article about the koga/iga clans … because you said in one fo your articles that some ninja were samurai (which i totally support) … but as soon as you look into ninjutsu you find these “schools” and ofc at some point you always seem to end up at this supposed “conflict” between the koga and iga ninja is this just some made up/historically fantasy or is there some truth behind some of it ? hope you read this 😀
Hey Metatron, you always tend to believe that all the Content Creators haven’t done their research. And while in most cases this is true, there are still some things to take into consideration. When People talk about history (no matter if their research was right or not), most of the time they just want to create interesting stories rather than educate the masses. For the reason being that by telling These stories you attract the majority more than by actually taking the illusions of Badass Ninja Assassins away and debunking articles like this one. It sounds absurd that People want to Keep the Illusion of what they “learned” from Hollywood alive, so please let the crusade continue but know that most of this missinformational Content is created more on purpose rather than out of bad research.
Does the “tiger claw” mentioned perhaps fall into the category of tekko? The tekko is not exclusively a ninja weapon, and perhaps never mentioned in any historical document within this context. I think a common pitfall among the uneducated is to categorize an exotic item as oriental in origin, and therefore conclude that it must be a “ninja weapon.”
Wow! I’m super impressed! Not that I’m anyone important, but, I just thought that this was done in such a way that it deserves praise. First off, I wouldn’t even begin to try and pretend that I myself know anything about ninjas or any other Asian culture for that matter. It does seem that you took more time to make sure your info is indeed factual. However, I want to simply praise you for the way in which you extended courtesy to ‘Beyond Science’ and how this wasn’t just a declaration that they are idiots and don’t know anything. Also, going even further to offer to collaborate is, imo, really professional and reveals tons to your character and It is super refreshing to see this kind of discourse implemented here on the interweb. I LOVE that you show a preference to building bridges and integrity as opposed to mudslinging and other divisional tactics. **BRAVO TO YOU, METATRON!** Please continue your excellence and may it be known to more & more as your standard. Blessings!
Do you think the viper’s kiss/kiss of death was a fenominon that would also be present in Japan? For the people who don’t know, the Kiss of Death was an assasination tactic from the Late Medieval ages and the Renaissance where female assasins dressed up like hookers in an attempt to seduce the target into buying a service, she would then proceed to put on poisonous lipstick and quite litterally kiss the man to death. The poison often used was nightshade, a very sweet tasting berry that is very harmfull to humans and has been used as a killing poison since the Romans.
Hello, mr.metatron I have some questions that are bothering me for a very long time the first one is can the modern bullets penetrating through the medieval’s metal armour and why did the people stop wearing an armour thank you forward sir. (and sorry if some of my sentences aren’t grammatically correct english isn’t my native language and grammar is my worst Nightmare in the stormy night of my life begin student)
“You might have a fat ninja who’s just good at tricking you in gambling, for example…” AW CRAP! Now I can’t get that image out of my head. What have you done? Anyho, love these debunking articles, keep it up! It’s good to raise awareness for all the misconceptions that are so prevalent in modern media these days! Round of applause!
It sounds like the term kunoichi is the same as ninja because it never existed at the time ninjas existed, they called themselves shinobi no momo. Terms and names are easily mixed up if you don’t know the context of where it came or when it was first used. I can agree that a female ninja might not be the sexy killer we make her out to be. She might just be a simple country girl sent in to spy on a target and all she would do is observe what is going on around her leaving behind notes to whoever hired her. In this case literacy would be more necessary than knowing weapons. Knowing how to kill is fine for warriors but for spies literacy and inner personal skills are better.
Okay I’m gonna be honest I know the most when it comes to ninja usually and people are always like these content people in historians are like ninjas never used any weapons or anything like that and they never fought and I just look at them with the most despair I’ve got and I’m like so they had a katana for no reason they had their own custom katana just for the f**** looks of it that is b***** like to the farthest extent they’re not just gonna have an accessory used for killing for no reason
Hello Metatron, I love your articles. I especially appreciate articles such as this one, which debunk common myths about history. I would like to point out a small mistake of language you sometimes make towards the end of your articles. When you recap your main points, you tend to say “re-utterate,” instead of the correct term “reiterate.” I believe you are confusing the word “utter” (to say aloud) with “iterate” (to do something over again or repeatedly). Honestly though, this isn’t a big deal, and your arguments still come across quite clearly. I just wanted to help, in my own small way.
You are a bit too categorical about defining what a ninja is or is not. You admit ninjas would perform assassinations; by definition this makes them assassins. The requirement that to be an assassin is that one devotes there life to that task seems to be something of a hang up of yours to prove the ninjas were not a simple group of intelligence gathers and not a lethal spy network that would use any means, at any time, in any way to complete their contracts or missions; by your own admissions and probably historically not a correct characterization. Also, the same is true about the term trained assassin, by definition, since you admit ninjas learned skills that would help them assassinate, and it makes no sense that there training did not include means and methods, ninjas were trained assassins. It does not mean all ninjas performed assassination, but it is probable that it was a possibility for all ninjas; even if only as a plan B. You have a bias against ascribing to ninjas one of the basic features of a spy, that is the role of assassin. It is only my opinion, but that would be especially true in the period in which you are discussing. It is ok to admit ninjas were ruthless and lethal in performing there roles; to do anything else is not really historic. It is not a black mark against Japan or Japanese culture.
But most historians are like no ninjas didn’t fight they had to fight this was an era where murder was legal you can walk into someone’s house and kill them guess how many people would do that so many crazy people would do that and you’re telling me that ninja would never defend themselves So they walk out there and just be like oh kill me
Don’t know if I said this already but you’re also wrong about the assassination thing it’s not really a assassination I would refer it to more killing a Lord but they did Kill there’s actually a person who has the bond sense you kind who told me that you can use shinobi nojitsu it says this in the bond sense you kind to kill a Lord so you’re also wrong about that so there’s a few things you’re wrong about in your article so I’m pretty much just debunking you
To be fair beyond science main guy mikes main website is for food. And he has said that matters most to him. Also most of his stuff on this website “beyond science” is all urban legend or far fetched fantasy stuff. You essentially watch his stuff for mindless fun. Or if your a nut that thinks big foot and grey naked aliens are real.
i really enjoy your articles and for some reason, before i believe anything you say, i google them myself, this ninja topic is something i never was interested in before, that is before you start talking about it with so many details, but there is another order of assassins that i heard about, and perhaps the romantisized ninjas are based on them, so…what about hashishin?
And the sad thing is metatron’s also wrong about the ninjas with their black and everything ninjas did wear black in that is actually also proven by historians even and it’s not an eddo. Being like he actually claims because even in the sengoku. People were masks assassin’s wear masks that’s just plain assassins they do that and then just we’re known to be assassins read the original bansenshukai and you will know
Dear Metatron, you mention the ninjutsu schools of Iga and Koga in this article. I would like to know if you have any more information, or can point me out to where I can get further information, on the Koga part. You see, my wife is of part Japanese origin, of the Koga family, and I’d like to get some insight into her family history if possible. By the way, I am of Italian origin, of the Formighieri and Maddalozzo families, and am also doing my bit of free time research on those roots. =)
On the tiger claw – there’s a weapon of ancient India called Bagh Naka, meaning literally “tiger claw”. It looks a little like the weapon Mike showed, but a lot smaller and more inconspicuous. Maybe one of these found its way into Japan and someone described it in Japanese once, calling it a tiger claw.
Hmm, not exactly – during the day, of course they won’t be wearing a headscarf with dark clothes…they would be wearing numerous disguises and mainly collecting info also known as “yonin” (sunlight secret) Kunoichi or “sleeper agents” usually fulfill that role because it’s easier for them. Night is the only time the shinobi would actually wear dark clothing and a headscarf to conceal the face, that’s when they’d be infiltrating enemy territory, spying sabatoging, killing at specific target, commiting arson etc…that would be “Inin” (shadow secret) The only reason folks see that as “fictional” is because of films from the 1980s portraying them as wearing black in broad daylight which makes them look ridiculous and is how the stereotype is made. But realistically at night: yes they absolutely wore dark clothing and concealed their face and disguised their movement on night missions, in fact there are historical records such as the bansenshukai which explain it in detail.
I know this comes a bit late, and I love your articles, but I’m a little confused. After perusal your article here, you said that there is no ninja martial arts? That being the case, how is ninjutsu that someone might go to Japan today and learn, related to the actual historical ninjas? Thanks for the clarification =D
No, a trained assassin is NOT someone who ONLY specializes in assassinations. That would be a specialized assassin. A trained assassin is someone who trained assassination. If you trained assassination for a month, you are a trained assassin. You might be worse at it than someone who trained for a year, in which case he/she would be a better trained assassin. But anyone who ever trained assassination is a trained assassin, no matter how long they trained. I would imagine a shinobi tasked with an assassination – however rare that may be – may spend some time training to be better prepared for that particular assignment, making them a trained assassin.
I always wondered about the term kunoichi. My Japanese isn’t very good but I do know ichi is the Japanese word for the number one. Not only that but I have had the sheer pleasure of training with some people from a “Ninja” family (shinobi no mono) and, to them, kunoichi was a term for a sort of graduate of their family traditions. It was someone who trained from childhood to learn ALL the things. None of them were even kunoichi themselves either. So yeah. I was kind of confused.
Well if you are a female ninja assassin, witch would be a small percentage of all ninjas, that got caught identified as a woman, and still manages to get your story written on the small percentage of well preserved historical records not as a crazy bitch who poisoned her lover, chances are you were not trained as a female ninja assassin at all.
Metatron i like your website en your content but i can not agree with all of the debunking topics in this article. Haveyou ever trained the art of the ninja? Not all of the info will be found in the history books. Just because one thing is not recorded on paper it does not mean that it is not true or that it never had happend
Correct me if im wrong: by what you say there were different groups of ninjas and every group had a different speciality . One group can fight and assassinate . Another can infiltrate and report others could sing and write poems . Other knew how speak lots of languages . And some were really smart in strategy and solving problems. And so on… am i correct?
Something that interests me in this article is the metatrons choice in background image a print that is often misunderstood as a large painting. I have seen 6 of 8 origional prints (chicago has most on display) they are suprisingly small and kinda have lots of metaphors to the article itself when it comes to something you expect to being more important than the painting/print you see in the background.
To be honest it makes perfect sense for the inside agent to wait for an outside agent to carry out the actual mission, since that lessens the risk of detection for both involved and if all goes well allows the inside agent to continue her career. Spy or not, you don’t want to try and infiltrate another household while people keep asking you if those rumors that you iced your previous lover are true… =p
Ninja were also body guard, some legend talk about some indiano-chinese martial artistes, imported their technic to some Taira general that prep a rebellions or some say the Hattori clan. And basicly Mister Hattori or the other fucker say, what a great idea, if only my personal guard could learn to do that. Dunno if it is true.Cuz you know ninja history. But still…
I really wish this this hole ninja thing would go away off of youtube especially when so called “youtube experts” talk about them unless you was around a few 100 years ago no one really knows what they did or how they did it no one read a few scrolls congrats your not a expert and it really drives me insane when so called youtube experts separate things as 2 things when there really one for example military trained snipers part of job is gathering infomations but there extremely good at ending people to they do both get information and stop people from breathing i’m American so I say the the c I a there spy’s and getting information there really good at it but i’m sure those same spy’s are good at ending people when they need to it’s amazingly foolish to say people was only trained to spy and that’s it ans fact is we don’t know hell military medics there trained to heal geuss what trained to fight to
I honestly don’t see what’s so cool about being an assassin. Unless you’re killing a superpowered terrorists The job isn’t worth it! Why in the world would you want to Put your friends and family in such a dangerous situation. Even if an assassin does successfully kill a dictator or president, they’ll wake up the next dealing with a horde of special forces, SWAT, CIA, and possibly an entire country going out to kill the assassin. Political Assassination is literally a threat to an entire kingdom, government and country. Assassinations in reality just doesn’t happen often unless you’re killing off army generals such as hitler or pol pot. It’s logically impossible to kill off a leader of a nation. Even if they’re a ninja trying to kill off the feudal lord. That ninja will wake up having other ninjas out to kill them. A ninja would probably prevent the assassination ninja from completing its job by killing them or sent of a signal that there an intruder coming. Assassinations are just way too damn risky for a shinobi to get involved in. A ninja would kill of an enemy for the same reason as a police offer would. Kill to protect civilians, the feudal lord and themselves whole not trying to cause a scene.
one thought that came to my mind about the “master-martial-artist-ninja” could be that the ninja (along with other parties) feld the need to be more trained in Martial-arts in times of war, because as far as im now (correct me pls if im wrong) the ninja also would have to protect the place were they lived… just my speculation of a historical basis vor the “Ninja = good martial-artist”-Trope, pls correct my if i miss the point 😀
Just a clarification. You say there is not an evidence of female ninjas existing. Is there evidence of female ninjas not existing? Also when you mentioned “shinobi no mono would use those female agents”. Those were not part of shinobi clan? Were they just hired basically? As bottom line it feels like female spy would be a great asset at that point of time where women were not really considered “full human being”. But then maybe ninja clan itself had the same preconception and didn;t see the potential.
Metaron, i’m confused. Why would ninja, whose job it was to decieve, distract, and misinform write down exactly what they did on a scroll that anyone could read, learn and then counter? Wouldn’t it be more secretive to make fake scrolls and either hide the real ones or just transmit knowledge my strict word of mouth? Maybe they did all these things and we don’t know they did scroll wise because that was the point we weren’t supposed to know
@Metatron What does the breakdown of “Kunoichi” mean? I know Ku can mean 9 and Ichi generally means 1 but I don’t know if any of that has anything to do with the word as a whole. Also I know that female/woman is implied in there somewhere. This might be a good thing to use in your Japanese lesson articles you mentioned!