8 ninja myths you shouldn't believe in - life hacker

1. Ninja called ninja

The most common misconception about ninjas concerns their very name: the Japanese have never used such a word. They calledOrigin of the word ninja their shinobi-no-mono, for short - just shinobi. The last word means “to hide, to hide”, and “mono” means “person”, that is, shinobi-no-mono is a person who is hiding.

The word "ninja" can be obtained by reading "shinobi" in Chinese - this reading is called onyomi. As a result, this pronunciation took root in the West, because Europeans and Americans find it easierNinja AD 1460-1650 say "ninja" than "shinobi". But the last option is more correct.

There is an assumptionYou Didn’t Invent That: Ian Fleming and “Ninja”that the word "ninja" made popular Ian Fleming with his James Bond novel You Only Live Twice.

Also, shinobi were sometimes calledMartial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation monomi (“one who sees”), nokizaru (“monkey on the roof”), rappa (“bully, dirty trick”), kusa (“grass”), or iga-mono (“one who is from Iga”). The latter is explained by the fact that many ninja clans lived in the province of Iga.

2. Ninja were martial arts masters

In the movies and games, ninjas are presented as incredible warriors hiding in the shadows. They operate secretly, but if an armed conflict is necessary, then they demonstrate an incredible level of proficiency in martial arts and techniques. fencing.

However, in reality, this was not at all the case. ShinobiNinja AD 1460-1650 were not martial arts masters - they were spies, saboteurs, scouts and sabotage masters. Hand-to-hand combat, some elements of which have migrated into modern ju-jutsu, they also studied, but it was never the basis of ninjutsu (ninja art).

In a sword fight, a ninja could well yield to a samurai, in an unarmed fight - to a judo master. Therefore, shinobi prudently did not engage in honest and open fights.

There can be no doubt about who is stronger - the modern MMA champion or the Sengoku era ninja. Ninja will just snatchSecrets of the Samurai; A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan a squeak from the belt and will shoot the enemy before he has time to attack.

Much more important than martial arts, skills were for shinobiHandbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan, The ninja: ancient shadow warriors of Japanassociated with stealth. Why fight hand-to-hand with the enemy when it's much easierNinja AD 1460-1650 secretly slaughter poison or lock in the house and burn?

3. Ninja wore black

In modern culture, ninjas are psychos in black pajamas and balaclavas, waving their arms and shouting "ki-i-i-ya!" But real shinobi, naturally, didn't dress like that.

A typical ninja going on a mission most likely lookedNinja AD 1460-1650 like an ordinary peasant: dressed in a worn Japanese a gappa cape, a zukin covered his face with a fabric hood. Such a personality will not arouse suspicion among the city guards - you never know ragamuffins hanging around?

There is absolutely no need to put on a black tight suit and climb the walls when you can pretend to be another farm laborer and calmly enter the gate. Cameras with face identification had not yet been invented.

More ninja disguisedThe Enemy Within under the priests, artists, soothsayers, traders, ronin, monks, and especially arrogant could pass themselves off as a noble samurai.

Most of all, the shinobi loved the clothing of the komuso monks, because they woreNinja AD 1460-1650 on the heads of the hat-basket, completely hiding the face. Plus, it was easy to hide weapons under their loose clothing.Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan, The ninja: ancient shadow warriors of Japan. Pretending to be a komuso playing the flute, begging in the square, one could sit for hours at the desired building and spywithout arousing suspicion.

And even if the shinobi wanted to get somewhere, hiding in the shadows, he would not wear black, since this color is too noticeable. He would have preferred something gray or dark red, betterNinja AD 1460-1650 hiding in the twilight.

The now popular black ninja costume originated in the Japanese bunraku theater where it was wornThe analysis of performance art: a guide to its theory and practice behind-the-scenes workers so that they are not noticed against a dark background.

4. Ninja armed with a special sword - ninjato

When we say samurai, we imagine a mustachioed man with a shaved forehead and a curved katana. When we hear "ninja", we draw in our head the image of a warrior in black, carrying a short straight sword. People who think they know Japanese culture will call it weapon "Ninjato" or "shinobigatana" is a shinobi sword. This sword has a short straight bladeArt of the ninja and a square tsuba.

However, there is no evidence that ninjatos really existed in the days of real shinobi. This is a remakeJapan: its history, traditions, and religions. With the narrative of a visit in 1879, Stage Combat: Fisticuffs, Stunts, and Swordplay for Theater and Film, not mentioned anywhere until the XX century.

Ninja swords were sometimes used, but these were the usual curved wakizashi that were allowedNinjutsu: History and Tradition worn by commoners. The shinobi definitely did not like katana and other long models of melee weapons, since such options were not easy to hide in order to quietly carry them to protected places.

In addition, a sword longer than a wakizashi couldThe Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords, What Was the Sword Hunt in Japan? wear only samurai, and a commoner with such a blade would have many questions.

Mostly ninjas preferred the less visible melee weapons. For example, the well-known Scorpio from the fighting game series Mortal kombat and the Reijou in Ninja Assassin carry something like a knife on a long chain or rope. And such a weapon has a real prototype.

Real shinobi usedNinja, the Invisible Assassins kusari-kama is a sickle on a chain, which is easily disguised as an agricultural tool, and kunai is a sharp wide knife that looks like a trowel. Another ninja draggedSecrets of the Samurai; A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan kusari-fundu - this weapon is a modified rice flail, much more dangerous than the usual nunchaku. As you can see, most of the shinobi-no-mono arsenal can easily be passed off as peasant tools.

And even if the ninja needs to take a sword (for example, upon successful transformation into samurai or ronin), he will not fight according to the rules of Bushido. The scabbard filledNinja, the Invisible Assassins a mixture of red pepper and iron filings, so that, on occasion, you can blind the enemy by simply pulling out the blade.

5. Shurikens are terrible weapons

Everyone knows that ninjas love shurikens - projectiles that resemble stars. IN movies Shinobi throw them with such force that they break through walls, pierce through enemies in modern body armor and even amputate limbs of opponents! This is what the secret ninjutsu techniques mean.

In fact, even an extremely strong person will not be able to throw a shuriken so as to chop off an enemy's leg.

Unless, of course, he has a prosthetic arm with a built-in spring-loaded shuriken gun, like the protagonist of the game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. But real shinobi hardly had such technologies.

Shurikens have never been the main weapon ninja, since it is very difficult to kill a person with such a thing. More often they were usedClassical Weaponry of Japan: Special Weapons and Tactics of the Martial Arts to disorient the enemy: a couple of these flies in your face, you instinctively turn away to save your eyes, and get a kusari-kama on the skull.

In addition, shurikens have very mediocre ballistics, so they were thrown on the principle of "hit you somewhere already." And they were also lubricatedSecrets of the Samurai; A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan, Black belt poison or covered with animal, or even their own feces, to increase the chance of blood poisoning in the enemy when injured. By the way, doing the same thing, for example, with bamboo spears, was also not forbidden.

Often, shurikens were also buried in the ground for a while so that their surface was coveredSecrets of the Samurai; A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan the anaerobic tetanus-causing bacteria Clostridium tetani. And then even scratch from such a shell it became dangerous.

Shurikens weren't the only ranged weapons. Another ninja shotNinja AD 1460-1650 from bows, muskets and arquebus. They also used bombs and laid mines.

Also, the shurikens didn't necessarily look like stars. It could be just sharpened thin knives, and round projectiles, and something that looked like coins or chopsticks - such things could easily be carried past the guards.

And by the way, they used shurikensSecrets of the Samurai; A Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan not only ninjas, but also samurai - they did not see anything shameful in throwing the enemy with sharp things, smeared with any filth.

6. Ninjutsu is a type of hand-to-hand combat

On the Internet, you can find many ads in the spirit of "Join the school of ninjutsu and master the ancient techniques of ideal Japanese killing machines!" As a result, uninformed people begin to think that ninjutsu is this kind martial arts or a hand-to-hand fighting style such as judo, karate, sambo, and so on.

But, as we already mentioned, hand-to-hand combat was the tenth thing for ninja. In ninjutsu, attention was paid to him, but at the same time other opportunities were much more appreciated among shinobi.Secrets From The Ninja Grandmaster: Revised and Updated Edition, Techniques that made ninjas feared in 15th ‑ century Japan still set the standard for covert ops. For example, spying, acting and dressing up, surviving in the wild, intimidating opponents, horseback riding, chemistry (to make bombs and poisons), and healing.

Shinobi also learned to swim run, climb rocks and make long walks. What is really there, a real ninja had to understandThe ninja: ancient shadow warriors of Japan even in mining.

These guys could make a fertilizer bomb and kill a person with agricultural tools, they knew how to navigate the terrain and read military maps, and they also survived in the wild as well as Bear Grills.

In the event of a battle with superior enemy forces, the ninja preferredMartial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation blind, stun, or distract an enemy with bombs, fire and other tricks, and then run away.

7. Ninja were only men

It is believed that ninja became exclusively male, but this is not the case. There were also enough women among them - they were called kunoichi. According to the collectionBansenshukai Bansenshukai Fujibayashi Tasutake, they were trained in kunoichi-no-jutsu - this female ninja art.

The main task of the kunoichi was espionage. They were pretendingThe Secrets of Koga ‑ ryu Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu omens in our land geishas, ​​prostitutes, maids, artists and musicians, to rub into the confidence of the noble samurai, and then eavesdrop and spy on them. If necessary, they could poison or stab their target.

Since female charm is a terrible force and people blur secrets to a beautiful girl more readily than to men, kunoichi did not sit without work.

And in the 16th century, daimyo Takeda Shingen even createdMartial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation a whole network of kunoichi spies led by Mochizuki Chiyome, a noblewoman who combined intelligence activities with poetry.

8. Samurai and ninja feuded

It is believed that samurai openly fought ninja and abhorred the shinobi path itself. Would a Bushido follower learn the despicable tricks of these treacherous warriors?

However, as we already mentioned, samurai notions of honor were very specific and they did not find anything shameful in the ninja's methods. Therefore, samurai regularly hiredNinja AD 1460-1650 shinobi in order to spoil competitors or eliminate them altogether. Moreover, someYou Don’t Know the Ninja: 8 New Revelations About the Shadow Warrior ninjas were from poor samurai clans!

Samurai, of course, killed the shinobi-no-mono if they attacked them. To protect themselves from ninjas who could be sent by competitors, noble warriors installed in their homes creaky floorboards and nightingale floors, constructed buildings to make arson more difficult, and hid weapons in toilet.

Very prudent, as a daimyo named Toyotomi Hideyoshi is rumored to have been killed by a ninja.Ninja AD 1460-1650hidden in his toilet. The intruder hid in a cesspool and stuck a spear in the back of the nobleman who sat down to admire the sakura.

However, when the Tokugawa shogun united Japan under his rule, the shinobi, whose services he resorted toMartial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation earlier, were not needed. Therefore, in the 17th century, the ninja went into obscurity - some were eliminated by Tokugawa, while others abandoned their craft.