Often mysterious figures in Medieval Japan, ninjas were the assassins and secret agents of the time. They could almost be considered the special forces of Japan.
In a time when the samurai portrayed themselves as honorable warriors, the ninja were hired to do the dirty work the samurai did not want to do out in the open. The ninja worked in secret and were viewed as having no honor. They were known to have an arsenal of tools to help them achieve their goals.
Over time, ninjas were given super hero powers in the myths surrounding their work. People believed that the ninja could fly through the air and commit amazing, gravity defying feats. While fascinating, the ninja were far less supernatural and more similar to common undercover agents at work today.
Came From The Lower Classes
Unlike the Japanese samurai, the Japanese ninja, also referred to as the shinobi, mostly came from the lower classes. The ninja were without honor and they were greatly feared, even by the samurai who knew that the ninja could either work for them or work against them.
Similar To The CIA
In many ways, the ninja of ancient Japan were similar to the CIA of the United States. Ninja were used as spies so that opposing samurai houses could keep tabs on each other. The ninja would also gather intelligence from rival gangs and to gain military advantage. They were mostly known for assassinating rival samurai and political rivals of the emperor.
There Were Ninja Families
In ancient Japan, there were samurai families where father would see to the training of his son in the way of the samurai. The same was true for ninja families. Even though most of the ninjas came from the lower classes, the father ninja would more than often train his sons to also become ninja. Of course, he could take on other students that were not a part of his family. By the 17th century, ninja were trained in schools to provide more trained professionals for the armies of the samurai.
Ninja Training Was Highly Secretive
The training of the ninja was kept highly secret. Those who were in training would go on to become political and military spies and assassins. The methods they used to attain their goals were kept hidden from the public view. During their schooling, no one was allowed near the training grounds so that their secret methods could not be learned by outsiders.
More Training Than A Samurai
Young men who were going through samurai training had to learn how to fight on horseback with a spear, sword, and with bow and arrow. They had to learn how to swim and, eventually, they also had to learn how to fire a gun. Young men who were to become ninja also had to learn all these things and more. They had to learn about poisons for assassinations. They learned survivalist skills and they learned how to mix up explosives.
Not Always Dressed In Black
Ninjas dressed in black clothing might not be a Hollywood fantasy. The first illustration of a ninja in black costume is from 1801. While black clothing is certainly a possibility for the ninja, especially when scaling high walls in the middle of the night, many of the ninja worked as spies. They dressed and acted like the people they were spying on.
They Let Others Take Credit For Their Work
Unlike the samurai who took credit for their victories, the ninja took no credit for their actions. Their goal was to slip in, complete their objective, and leave as quietly as possible. The samurai would often take the credit and glory of the success of their ninja.
Caused Confusion
In times of war, ninjas were used to infiltrate the ranks of the opposing army. There, the ninjas would cause confusion among the ranks, weakening them so that the warriors who hired them would gain the advantage.
