Ninja: The Invisible Warriors of the Night

A Time of War and Necessity (1562 Japan)

Central Japan, the year is 1562. The warlord of this castle has taken hostage the wife and son of a rival, Tokugawa Ieyasu. To get them back, Ieyasu needs hostages of his own. The castle's defenders suspect an attack, but feel secure. Ieyasu looks to the key that will unlock the gates, the ninja. In Ieyasu's day, hundreds of warlords and thousands of samurai fight for power in Japan. For four centuries, they have been locked in warfare. Far from the din of battle, the most powerful warlords live in luxury. Protected by armies of samurai, soldiers prepared to die for their masters. For the samurai, warfare is open, regimented and honorable. But another kind of warrior stalks Japan, the ninja. Cunning, courageous and cutthroat.

The Call of the Ninja

A coded message has been left in the forest. A warlord called Ieyasu is willing to pay for the skills of a ninja. The ninja replies, "I will come."

The Art of Ninjutsu: Origins and Training

Ninjutsu, the art of the ninja, has thrived in Japan for centuries. Developed from the teachings of Chinese strategists like the great Sun Tzu, it found eager students among Buddhist monks in Japan. To protect their temples, legend has it that the gentle monks taught others to do their fighting. Simple peasants became their protectors. Soon, the protectors became warriors for hire. In the neighboring provinces of Iga and Koga, ninjutsu took root. Mountain peaks and valley walls hid farmers by day, ninja by night. In these hills and forests, in small bands or alone, the ninja thrived. Word of their talents has traveled far beyond their sanctuary and reached men like Lord Ieyasu.

The Grueling Path to Mastery

The ninja he has summoned are about to be put to the test. The skills that Ieyasu requires are sold for money, but they were first paid for in years of sweat and pain. From a skilled master, a son or daughter learns the secrets of the ninja. Weapons of attack, tools of siege. These secrets are a rich brew, eagerly drunk drop by drop. Such treasures are handled like jewels, lose them and die. One ninja from Koga wrote to his master: "These writings on ninjutsu entrusted to me by you will never be shown to others. If by any chance I should disobey, then I must receive the punishment of heaven."

Lessons are grueling. Every move is rehearsed precisely and endlessly. All performed as silently as possible. Is the victim really asleep? Or only pretending, luring the ninja into a trap? This time it's only a game. One day, a matter of life or death. As the young ninja grows, her lessons become more deadly. The shakun, the throwing star, tiny but deadly. To master cold steel, she practices with a wooden pike. The sword itself would forgive no mistake. Nature herself becomes an accomplice. Which creatures cause panic when flung at an enemy? How a box of crickets can camouflage sounds? Which plants to use to treat a wound? The novice's first assignment: assassination.

The Three Principles of Ninjutsu

Following three principles of ninjutsu:

The Principle of Heaven: Time the attack with care. Months go by before the moment to strike arrives.

The Principle of Earth: Find the enemy's weak spot. The warlord visits his garden each morning to smell the flowers.

The Principle of Mankind: Manipulating how men behave. The next day, when the lord bends to sniff the blossoms, he collapses and dies. Mixed with the pollen is poison dust.

A Critical Mission: Rescuing Ieyasu's Family

Lord Yasu's call for help is answered by the ninja. Somewhere, a warlord holds Yasu's wife and son captive. To get them back, Yasu will seize the warlord's sons. The enemy's castle is too strong to attack. The ninja must slip inside and slip out undetected. If caught, a ninja must safeguard his secrets by taking his own life. A ninja's life depends on secrecy.

Disguise and Silent Infiltration

If the disguise of a farmer or laborer won't do, a ninja chooses that of a priest, a minstrel, a merchant, or a wife. The ninja dresses in brown or black and blends into the darkness. Beneath, she may wear a layer of light, light armor. The cloth that hides her face has a more vital use. Impregnated with antiseptic, it can become a bandage. Following the principles of warfare, the ninja set out to find the warlord's weak spot. His walls are scaled. His corridors explored, unseen, unheard. His intruders leave as quietly as they came.

The Ninja's Arsenal and Silent Strike

They have gotten what they came for and lay their plan. Their weapons are as silent as the ninja. The sword is the strongest of its day. The blade is the sharpest ever known. Oiled and polished till it glistens, it is a testament to the skill of two craftsmen, the swordsmith and the assassin. In the hands of a master, it can kill with one blow. Other tools of their trade are pulled from hiding: daggers, knives, grappling irons, iron knuckles, claws.

The guards are wary yet unaware as the ninja once more crossed the moat. Again, they are unheard, unseen. No one speaks. In stark contrast to the samurai, who proudly shouts his name when he wades into battle, the ninja works in silence. They breach the inner courtyard, still undetected. Mysteriously, a fire breaks out. The garrison is alarmed and distracted. In the confusion, the ninja strike. They stun their victims with poison powder and spirit them away. Where the ninja had been, there is darkness.

Victory and a New Alliance

By dawn, the castle is ablaze. And Lord Iyasu has no idea what to do. He has his hostages to trade. The ninja have saved his family. One day, they will save his life.

The Ninja and the Rise of Tokugawa Ieyasu

Late in the 16th century, Japan is still wracked by civil war. In 1581, the province of Iga, sanctuary of the ninja, is attacked from all sides. The land is devastated, the people slaughtered, including many of the ninja. The survivors escape to join their old employer, Iyasu.

Lord Iyasu himself is overwhelmed and must flee, guarded by the ninja. They bundle him aboard a ship and hide him among the cargo. His pursuers search for him with their swords.

One blade pierces his thigh, but he makes no sound. As it's withdrawn, he wipes it clean of his blood. The ship sails and Iyasu is free.

Iyasu rewards the ninja well by taking 300 into his service. A wise move. Those employed by him will not be used against him.

To deter the ninja who work for his enemies, Iyasu crafts defenses, hidden doors, false stairs, and the nightingale floorboard, which sings at the slightest step. The warriors of the night serve Iyasu well. So well that within a decade, all of Japan comes under his rule.

In 1590, he and his family form the Tokugawa shogunate, or dictatorship, in Edo. A tiny town later called Tokyo. The nation of Japan is born.

For 250 years, the Tokugawa reigned in relative peace. They no longer required the services of the ninja. Some founded schools of ninjutsu and taught the martial arts.

Some became bodyguards. A few became bandits. The masters of invisible warfare disappeared, slowly absorbed into time and legend.