Thanks to western media, we have a very black and white view of samurai and ninja (or shinobi) as they are portrayed in various media as being from opposite positions. In reality, samurai were only warriors belonging to the noble caste (aristocracy) while ninjas were mercenaries who served the lower classes.
They had their differences in terms of style. armament, combat, uniform, moral code and services provided. However, both have already worked together in certain wars and other political issues because while samurai were soldiers in the Emperor's service, ninjas were mercenaries hired to carry out espionage and assassination services.
Their battle tactics were put to good use in conflicts within Japan itself, as the samurai's warlike ability in combat and the ninja's espionage and disguise skills to gather information from enemies proved necessary to win a battle.
Because of myths, some even believe that ninjas didn't really exist and are mythical legends. The art of Ninjas dates back over 800 years and encompasses a wide variety of curious facts. In this article, we will see some lies about the mercenaries of feudal Japan:
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Ninjas were evil assassins?
Myth! Ninjas were not evil assassins who killed at will... However, this is one of the most widespread myths about ninjas. There is nothing unethical about Ninja. your fighting style ninjutsu it boiled down to: Try to escape if possible, otherwise you must kill.
In the movies, they are portrayed as evil mercenaries who would attack by surprise to make mincemeat of the good guys. In reality, they were simple people from Japan who were systematically oppressed by the samurai ruling class. Most of them were simple farmers.
For self-defense, when outnumbered, they created a combat system called Ninjutsu. When money was lacking, they sold their skills, becoming mercenaries. The ninja's roles included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination and guerrilla warfare as well as open combat in certain situations.
You ninja (忍者) are often called shinobi (忍び) in Japan. The word shinobi Literally means: One who gathers information, stealth (discretion), traveler incognito, stealth and stealth.
Were all ninjas men?
Myth! Most Westerners think of ninjas like men in black masks with swords that appear from the shadows and attack without warning. In fact, there are many women who practice the art of ninjutsu and serve as spies.
Female ninjas were called Kunoichi. They occasionally wielded swords like men, but were trained as spies and messengers to help gather information that would help their clan. Kunoichis lured their targets by pretending to be women in trouble and then executed them. This was part of their tactics.
One shinobi A male might assume the role of a samurai retainer or an artisan, but these positions rarely allowed unrestricted access to their target. Women gained large participation in missions where the objective is to reach the target.
When it came to infiltrating samurai strongholds, the skill from the kunoichi of adopting the role of mistress or servant had obvious advantages over the disguises a man might wear.
Most female ninja know how to use a sword, but they specialized in hand-to-hand combat and used more pine forests, garrotes, poisons and special items. A great curiosity is that the name kunoichi (くノ一) can form the character of woman (女).
Is the Ninja uniform a black outfit and mask?
Myth! In fact, they dressed according to the mission given. When sneaking into an enemy lair, they would use their opponents' uniforms to deceive them. On night missions, they wore black to camouflage themselves in the shadows. On missions in winter, they wore white to camouflage themselves in the snow.
Nowadays, ninjas would wear modern suits and clothes. So when ninjas wear black clothes and masks? Maybe 800 years ago, if they had to hide in the trees. The great truth is that mask and black clothing was never a Ninja uniform. It all depends on the environment and the need to hide.
Not only are Ninjas not always dressed in black, they don't always wear smoke bombs and magically disappear. They created a distraction in the most practical way, using a shuriken or throwing sand in their opponent's eyes. They run like any human being, they don't jump between walls and make 3 meter jumps.
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Did ninjas only use shurikens and swords?
Shurikens and other melee weapons were something that were part of the shinobi's arsenal. However, depending on the occasion, they would also use household objects and anything else they could for combat.
The word Ninjutsu means art of discretion and perseverance. There are about 18 disciplines that form the basis of a ninja's main training. They learn the art of every weapon they use or have to fight.
In addition to spiritual refinement, they need to learn hand-to-hand, unarmed, sword fighting, shuriken, spear, naginata, kusarigama and learned to use explosives, pyrotechnics, horsemanship, concealment and the geography of the combat site. Being a ninja involves a wide range of techniques and dedication! The media doesn't even want to show 10% what being a ninja really entails.
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