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107-522: Ninja Academy is the tale of the struggle between two ninja dojos for adults, Chiba's (played by Okamura) located out in the woods in Topanga Canyon and Chiba's former classmate Addleman's (Seth Foster) Beverly Hills Ninja Academy in Beverly Hills, California . Attending this session at Chiba's dojo are stereotypical characterizations of a mime (Robinson), a James Bond -like secret agent (David),

214-518: A Gung-ho military enthusiast (Factor), a klutz (Jack Freiberger), an immature rich college student named Josh (Egan), and two bimbos (Kathleen Stevens and Lisa Montgomery) who had selected the school because it had been rated number one by a martial arts magazine. Addleman and his students seek revenge on Chiba for stealing their number one ranking and the new students must defend the school while Josh romantically pursues his teacher, Chiba's daughter Gail (Randall). As with many Mastorakis films, there

321-429: A jōnin rank ("upper person"), followed by the chūnin rank ("middle person"), whose task was to be a personal assistant to the jōnin, and genin rank ("lower person"), field agents drawn from the lower class for field operations. Ninja trainees also studied survival, poisons and explosives . Physical training involved long-distance runs, climbing, and stealth methods of walking. Training in techniques of disguise

428-475: A ninjatō appeared in a booklet by Heishichirō Okuse in 1956. Ninja also used darts , spikes, knives , and shuriken as weapons, The chain and sickle ( kusarigama ) was also used by the ninja. Variant explosives such as soft-cased grenades designed to release smoke or poison gas, along with iron or ceramic shrapnel explosives were also reportedly used. The term of ninja was attributed retrospectively to 2nd-century prince of Japan Yamato Takeru . In

535-444: A century of warfare. The political structure, established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and solidified under his two immediate successors, his son Tokugawa Hidetada (who ruled from 1616 to 1623) and grandson Tokugawa Iemitsu (1623–51), bound all daimyōs to the shogunate and limited any individual daimyō from acquiring too much land or power. The Tokugawa shogunate came to its official end on 9   November 1867, when Tokugawa Yoshinobu ,

642-454: A code system, and to make trails that could be followed later. Ninja often used the katana as their weapon of choice, which was carried on the back. The scabbard of the katana sword of a ninja could be extended out of the sword and used as a long probing device. The sword could also be used to scale a wall, using tsuba . There is no known historical information about the straight ninjatō pre-20th century. The first photograph of

749-710: A final stand at Hara Castle , in Hizen Province . A diary kept by a member of the Matsudaira clan , the Amakusa Gunki , relates: "Men from Kōga in Ōmi Province who concealed their appearance would steal up to the castle every night and go inside as they pleased." The Ukai diary, written by a descendant of Ukai Kanemon, has several entries describing the reconnaissance actions taken by the Kōga. They [the Kōga] were ordered to reconnoitre

856-473: A formal declaration of the restoration of his power: The Emperor of Japan announces to the sovereigns of all foreign countries and to their subjects that permission has been granted to the Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return the governing power in accordance with his own request. We shall henceforward exercise supreme authority in all the internal and external affairs of the country. Consequently,

963-464: A loss of their cultural heritage. In the case of Hikone Castle , even though the government ordered its dismantling, it was saved by orders from the emperor himself. Nagoya Castle and Nijo Castle , due to their historical and cultural importance and sheer size and strategic locations, both became official imperial detached palaces, before they were turned over to the local authorities in the 1930s. Others such as Himeji Castle survived by luck. During

1070-603: A national system of public schools. These free schools taught students reading, writing, and mathematics. Students also attended courses in "moral training" which reinforced their duty to the Emperor and to the Japanese state. By the end of the Meiji period, attendance in public schools was widespread, increasing the availability of skilled workers and contributing to the industrial growth of Japan . The opening up of Japan not only consisted of

1177-760: A ninja in Tokugawa's service, recruited agents from Iga province, and sent 10 of his members into Osaka Castle in an effort to spread rumors and misinformation to weaken the enemy forces internally. Later On the Osaka battles, these hired ninja fought alongside regular troops at the Battle of Tennōji . A final but detailed record of ninja employed in open warfare occurred during the Shimabara Rebellion (1637–1638). The Kōga ninja were recruited by shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu against Christian rebels led by Amakusa Shirō , who made

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1284-524: A researcher of Iga Ninja history, has stated there is research which revealed that Hattori Yasuji, one of the ninjas who accompanied leyasu on his journey in Iga province, also served as a bodyguard and espionage officer under Muromachi Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki . The attacks from Ochimusha-gari finally ended as they reached the former territory of the Kōka ikki, who were friendly to the Tokugawa clan. The Koka ninja assisted

1391-408: A squad of 48 ninja to burn Sawayama Castle , led by a chūnin (ninja term for a squad's captain). To conduct their operation, the ninja squad also stole a lantern which based on the drawing of the family crest on it ( mon ) belongs to the enemy clan, and recreated replica lanterns with the similar crest. By wielding these lanterns, they were allowed to enter the castle by the guards. As they entered

1498-400: A strong centralized state defining its national identity, the government established a dominant national dialect, called "standard language" ( 標準語 , hyōjungo ) , that replaced local and regional dialects and was based on the patterns of Tokyo's samurai classes. This dialect eventually became the norm in the realms of education, media, government, and business. The Meiji Restoration, and

1605-582: A sword or weapon to show their status. This led to a series of riots from disgruntled samurai. One of the major riots was the one led by Saigō Takamori, the Satsuma Rebellion , which eventually turned into a civil war. This rebellion was, however, put down swiftly by the newly formed Imperial Japanese Army , trained in Western tactics and weapons, even though the core of the new army was the Tokyo police force, which

1712-469: Is also demonstrated in war epics such as The Tale of Hōgen (Hōgen Monogatari) and The Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari) , which focus mainly on the aristocratic samurai, whose deeds were apparently more appealing to the audience. Historian Kiyoshi Watatani states that the ninja were trained to be particularly secretive about their actions and existence: So-called ninjutsu techniques, in short are

1819-426: Is equally true that the majority of samurai were content despite having their status abolished. Many found employment in the government bureaucracy, which resembled an elite class in its own right. The samurai, being better educated than most of the population, became teachers, gun makers, government officials, and/or military officers. While the formal title of samurai was abolished, the elitist spirit that characterized

1926-596: Is little evidence for these claims. Meiji Restoration The Meiji Restoration ( Japanese : 明治維新 , romanized :  Meiji Ishin ), referred to at the time as the Honorable Restoration ( 御維新 , Goishin ) , and also known as the Meiji Renovation , Revolution , Regeneration , Reform , or Renewal , was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji . Although there were ruling emperors before

2033-493: Is one scene that includes brief full frontal nudity . This film article about a 1980s comedy film is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to an American film of the 1980s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ninja A ninja ( Japanese : 忍者 , lit.   'one who is invisible'; [ɲiꜜɲdʑa] ) or shinobi ( Japanese : 忍び , lit.   'one who sneaks'; [ɕinobi] )

2140-446: Is the original book of Bansenshūkai (万川集海), there are 48 points of ninja's fighting techniques, such as how to make makibishi from bamboo, how to make footwear that makes no sound, fighting techniques when surrounded by many enemies, precautions when using swords at night, how to listen to small sounds, kuji-kiri that prevents guard dogs from barking, and more. Later in history, the Kōga ninja would become regarded as agents of

2247-584: The Kojiki , Takeru disguised as woman and assassinated two leaders of the Kumaso group. Although its unlikely related to the commonly known ninja of later era. The earliest recorded ninja activities were traced during the reign of Prince Shōtoku in the 6th century. An adolescent espionage agent Hasetsukabe no Koharumaru was executed for spying against the insurgent Taira no Masakado . Later, 14th century chronicle Taiheiki recorded many ninja activities. In 1541,

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2354-542: The tantō . Minstrel or sarugaku outfits could have allowed the ninja to spy in enemy buildings without rousing suspicion. Disguises as a komusō , a mendicant monk known for playing the shakuhachi , were also effective, as the large "basket" hats traditionally worn by them concealed the head completely. Ninja are believed to have used a large variety of tools and weaponries, including climbing equipment, extending spears, rocket -propelled arrows, and small collapsible boats, which are described and illustrated in

2461-511: The Battle of Hakodate in Hokkaidō. The defeat of the armies of the former shōgun (led by Enomoto Takeaki and Hijikata Toshizō ) marked the final end of the Tokugawa shogunate, with the Emperor's power fully restored. Finally, by 1872, the daimyōs , past and present, were summoned before the Emperor, where it was declared that all domains were now to be returned to the Emperor . The roughly 280 domains were turned into 72 prefectures, each under

2568-534: The Blood tax riots , the Meiji government put down revolts by Japanese samurai angry that the traditional untouchable status of burakumin was legally revoked. Under the Meiji Restoration, the practices of the samurai classes, deemed feudal and unsuitable for modern times following the end of sakoku in 1853, resulted in a number of edicts intended to 'modernise' the appearance of upper class Japanese men. With

2675-510: The Imagawa clan . This assault is recorded in the Mikawa Go Fudoki chronicle, where those Kōka set fire to its towers, and killed the castellan along with 200 defenders of the garrison. In 1571, a Kōka ninja Sugitani Zenjubō attempted to assassinate Nobunaga with two Tanegashima (gun) rifles. However, his attempts was failed as his shots failed to penetrate the armor of Nobunaga. Sugitani

2782-620: The Meiji era , during which time Japan rapidly industrialized and adopted Western ideas and production methods. In 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry arrived in Japan. A year later Perry returned in threatening large warships with the aspiration of concluding a treaty that would open up Japanese ports for trade. Perry concluded the treaty that would open up two Japanese ports (Shimoda and Hakodate) only for material support, such as firewood, water, food, and coal for U.S. ships. The Convention of Kanagawa

2889-457: The Miyoshi clan , ninja warriors were actually feared as mercenaries who were proficient in the castle siege warfare. Buildings were constructed with traps and trip wires attached to alarm bells to prevent enemy ninja infiltrations. In battle, the ninja were also used to cause confusion amongst the enemy. A degree of psychological warfare in the capturing of enemy banners can be seen illustrated in

2996-484: The Nochi Kagami briefly describes the ninja's role in espionage, as Stephen Turnbull stated that the Iga and Kōka ninja usually infiltrated enemy castles. Turnbull further added that Ninja gained notability as hired mercenaries during the 15th century to use many asymmetrical warfare tactics such as scouting operations, raiding operations, arson, and even terrorism . These tactics were considered abhorrent by members of

3103-591: The Sekigahara Campaign after the Eastern Army's victory at Sekigahara, the Iga acted as guards for the inner compounds of Edo Castle , while the Kōka acted as a police force and assisted in guarding the outer gate. It was said that at one occasion, a group of Mogami clan 's ninja infiltrated the camp of Naoe Kanetsugu , stealing his battle standard, which later hoisted on the Hasedō Castle's gate, demoralized

3210-550: The Tamon-in Nikki (16th century) —a diary written by abbot Eishun of Kōfuku-ji temple— describes a sabotaging operation in which an Iga ninja squad entered Kasagi castle in secret and set fire to a few of the priests' quarters. They also set fire to outbuildings in various places inside the San-no-maru . They captured the ichi-no-maru (inner bailey ) and the ni-no-maru (second bailey). In 1558, Rokkaku Yoshikata employed

3317-608: The Tokugawa bakufu , at a time when the Shogunate used the ninja in an intelligence network to monitor regional daimyōs as well as the Imperial court . During this time, there are some definitive terms to classify their activities such as spying ( kanchō ), scout ( teisatsu ), ambush ( kishu ), and Agitprop ( konran ). The ninja clans organized into a larger confederation, with their own respective territories. A system of rank existed:

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3424-660: The ni-no-maru and the san-no-maru (outer bailey) ... With the fall of Hara Castle, the Shimabara Rebellion came to an end, and Christianity in Japan was forced underground . These written accounts are the last mention of ninja in war. After the Shimabara Rebellion, there were almost no major wars or battles until the bakumatsu era. To earn a living, ninja had to be employed by the governments of their Han (domain), or change their profession. Many lords still hired ninja, not for battle but as bodyguards or spies. Their duties included spying on other domains, guarding

3531-462: The oniwabanshū as "ninja". In 1649 record Tokugawa shogunate law on military service, The shinobi was considered as profession, as only daimyōs with an income of over 10,000 koku were allowed to employ ninja or shinobi. In the two centuries that followed, a number of ninjutsu manuals were written by descendants of Hattori Hanzō as well as members of the Fujibayashi clan, an offshoot of

3638-455: The samurai class. During the Sengoku period , demands for such unconventional operations increased. Meanwhile, Turnbull also stated there is no evidence to prove that Ninja were actively employed as professional assassins and it could be argued that they were just hired bandits. Modern historian Tatsuo Fujita opined that, based on the historical texts in 16th century by Naito Munekatsu, vassal of

3745-407: The Ōu Eikei Gunki , in which a ninja once stole the banner of samurai lord Naoe Kanetsugu and hoisted it to next day to demoralize Kanetsugu's army in the war. Most ninjutsu techniques recorded in scrolls and manuals revolve around ways to avoid detection and methods of escape. These techniques were loosely grouped under corresponding natural elements. Some examples are: The use of disguises

3852-434: The 15th Tokugawa shōgun , "put his prerogatives at the Emperor's disposal" and resigned 10 days later. This was effectively the "restoration" ( Taisei Hōkan ) of imperial rule – although Yoshinobu still had significant influence and it was not until January   3, the following year, with the young Emperor's edict, that the restoration fully occurred. On 3 January 1868, the Emperor stripped Yoshinobu of all power and made

3959-765: The 17th century record Bansenshūkai . Although it is commonly believed that the ninja wore black garb ( shinobi shōzoku ) during their work, as depicted in modern media, there is no evidence for such attire. Instead, ninja usually operated disguised as civilians. Accounts about ninjas' armor cannot be verified. Depictions of famous persons later deemed ninja often show them in Japanese armour , including concealable types of armour made with Kusari (Japanese mail armour) and Karuta (armour) that could have been worn by ninja including katabira (jackets) made with armour hidden between layers of cloth. Shin and arm guards along with metal-reinforced hoods are also speculated to have made up

4066-499: The 1860s, principally by Westerners in the international settlements of Yokohama and Kobe, and some local lords, but these had relatively small impacts. It was only in the 1870s that imported technologies began to play a significant role, and only in the 1880s did they produce more than a small output volume. In Meiji Japan, raw silk was the most important export commodity, and raw silks exports experienced enormous growth during this period, overtaking China. Revenue from silk exports funded

4173-527: The 220,000, then grow further in productivity to the total revenue of 320,000 koku under Takatora governance. It was reported that Tōdō Takatora employs the Iga-ryū Ninjas. Aside from Ninjas, he also employs local clans of Iga province as "Musokunin", which is a class of part time Samurai who has been allowed to retain their clan name but does not own any land or Han . The Musokunin also worked as farmer during peace, while they are obliged to take arms in

4280-608: The Dampatsurei Edict of 1871 issued by Emperor Meiji during the early Meiji Era , men of the samurai classes were forced to cut their hair short, effectively abandoning the chonmage ( chonmage ) hairstyle. During the Meiji Restoration, the practice of cremation and Buddhism were condemned and the Japanese government tried to ban cremation but were unsuccessful, then tried to limit it in urban areas. The Japanese government reversed its ban on cremation and pro-cremation Japanese adopted western European arguments on how cremation

4387-502: The Emperor to power. After Kōmei's death on 30 January 1867, Meiji ascended the throne on February   3. This period also saw Japan change from being a feudal society to having a centralized nation and left the Japanese with a lingering influence of modernity . In the same year, the koban was discontinued as a form of currency. The Tokugawa government had been founded in the 17th century and initially focused on reestablishing order in social, political and international affairs after

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4494-654: The French Minister-Resident Léon Roches were the first European envoys ever to receive a personal audience with Meiji in Edo (Tokyo). This audience laid the foundation for (modern) Dutch diplomacy in Japan. Subsequently, De Graeff van Polsbroek assisted the emperor and the government in their negotiations with representatives of the major European powers. In 1869, the daimyōs of the Tosa , Hizen , Satsuma and Chōshū Domains , who were pushing most fiercely against

4601-636: The Hattori. Major examples include the Ninpiden (1655), the Bansenshūkai (1675), and the Shōninki (1681). Many famous people in Japanese history have been associated or identified as ninja, but their status as ninja is difficult to prove and may be the product of later imagination. Rumors surrounding famous warriors, such as Kusunoki Masashige or Minamoto no Yoshitsune sometimes describe them as ninja, but there

4708-410: The Iga professionals were sought after for their skill at siege warfare, or " shirotori ", which included night attacks and ambush. By the 1460s, the leading families in the regions had established de facto independence from their shugo . In 1560, after the Battle of Okehazama , Tokugawa dispatched a group of 80 Kōka ninja under the command of Tomo Sukesada, which was tasked to raid an outpost of

4815-487: The Japanese purchase of industrial equipment and raw materials. Although the highest quality silk remained produced in China, and Japan's adoption of modern machines in the silk industry was slow, Japan was able to capture the global silk market due to standardized production of silk. Standardization, especially in silkworm egg cultivation, yielded more consistency in quality, particularly important for mechanized silk weaving. Since

4922-545: The Meiji Restoration was the 1866 Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance between Saigō Takamori and Kido Takayoshi , leaders of the reformist elements in the Satsuma and Chōshū Domains at the southwestern end of the Japanese archipelago. These two leaders supported the Emperor Kōmei (Emperor Meiji's father) and were brought together by Sakamoto Ryōma for the purpose of challenging the ruling Tokugawa shogunate ( bakufu ) and restoring

5029-554: The Meiji Restoration, the events restored practical abilities and consolidated the political system under the Emperor of Japan . The goals of the restored government were expressed by the new emperor in the Charter Oath . The Restoration led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure and spanned both the late Edo period (often called the Bakumatsu ) and the beginning of

5136-484: The Meiji government considerable leeway to invest in new initiatives. During the Meiji period, powers such as Europe and the United States helped transform Japan and made them realize a change needed to take place. Some leaders went out to foreign lands and used the knowledge and government writings to help shape and form a more influential government within their walls that allowed for things such as production. Despite

5243-575: The Meiji restoration's Shinbutsu bunri , tens of thousands of Japanese Buddhist religious idols and temples were smashed and destroyed. Japan then closed and shut down tens of thousands of traditional old Shinto shrines in the Shrine Consolidation Policy and the Meiji government built the new modern 15 shrines of the Kenmu restoration as a political move to link the Meiji restoration to the Kenmu restoration for their new State Shinto cult. In

5350-514: The Tokugawa escort group in eliminating the threats of Ochimusha-gari outlaws, then escorting them until they reached Iga Province , where they were further protected by another group from Iga-ikki which accompanied the Ieyasu group until they safely reached Mikawa. The Ietada nikki journal records that the escort group of Ieyasu had suffered roughly 200 casualties during their journey from Osaka. However, modern scholars such as Tatsuo Fujita doubted

5457-466: The Uesugi troops greatly in effect. In 1603, a group of ninja from Iga clan led by Miura Yo'emon were assigned under the command of Red Demon brigades of Ii Naomasa, the daimyo of Hikone under Tokugawa shogunate. In 1608, a daimyo named Tōdō Takatora was assigned by Ieyasu to control of Tsu , a newly established domain which covered portions of Iga and Ise Province . The domain at first worth of to

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5564-421: The adjacent Kōka District formed ikki – "revolts" or "leagues" – as a means of self-defense. Following the Tokugawa shogunate in the 17th century, the ninja faded into obscurity. A number of shinobi manuals, often based on Chinese military philosophy , were written in the 17th and 18th centuries, most notably the Bansenshūkai (1676). Ninja is the on'yomi ( Early Middle Chinese–influenced )

5671-410: The castle by night, obtaining secret passwords. Days later, Nobutsuna ordered an intelligence gathering mission to determine the castle's supplies. Several Kōga ninja—some apparently descended from those involved in the 1562 assault on an Imagawa clan castle—volunteered despite being warned that chances of survival were slim. A volley of shots was fired into the sky, causing the defenders to extinguish

5778-507: The castle lights in preparation. Under the cloak of darkness, ninja disguised as defenders infiltrated the castle, capturing a banner of the Christian cross . The Ukai diary writes, We dispersed spies who were prepared to die inside Hara castle. ... those who went on the reconnaissance in force captured an enemy flag; both Arakawa Shichirobei and Mochizuki Yo'emon met extreme resistance and suffered from their serious wounds for 40 days. As

5885-464: The castle, they immediately set fire to the castle. In 1561, Kizawa Nagamasa generals hired three Iga ninja during the capture of a castle in Maibara , which was owned by Rokkaku Yoshitaka, who was also the employer of Iga Ninja previously. However, those ninja agents refused to take orders and threatened to desert the operation if they were not allowed to conduct the operation in their own way. The fire

5992-524: The clearly defined class system which the bakufu had envisaged, partly leading to their eventual downfall. The military of Japan, strengthened by nationwide conscription and emboldened by military success in both the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War , began to view themselves as a growing world power. Besides drastic changes to the social structure of Japan, in an attempt to create

6099-399: The control of a state-appointed governor. If the daimyōs peacefully complied, they were given a prominent voice in the new Meiji government. Later, their debts and payments of samurai stipends were either taxed heavily or turned into bonds which resulted in a large loss of wealth among former samurai. Emperor Meiji announced in his 1868 Charter Oath that "Knowledge shall be sought all over

6206-559: The credibility of Hattori Hanzō's ninja army theory, since it first appeared in Iga-sha yuishogaki record which circulated during the Edo period during the rule of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune . During his rule, Yoshimune was known for establishing the Oniwaban secret police institution whose members hailed from the confederation warriors of Koka and Iga areas. It has been argued that the circulation of

6313-618: The daimyō, and fire patrol. A few domains like Tsu , Hirosaki and Saga continued to employ their own ninja into the bakumatsu era, although their precise numbers are unknown. Many former ninja were employed as security guards by the Tokugawa shogunate , though the role of espionage was transferred to newly created organizations like the onmitsu and the oniwaban . Others used their ninjutsu knowledge to become doctors, medicine sellers, merchants, martial artists, and fireworks manufacturers. Some unemployed ninja were reduced to banditry, such as Fūma Kotarō and Ishikawa Goemon . In

6420-413: The early 18th century, shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune founded the oniwaban ("garden keepers"), an intelligence agency and secret service . Members of the oniwaban were agents involved in collecting information on daimyō and government officials. The secretive nature of the oniwaban —along with the earlier tradition of using Iga and Kōga clan members as palace guards—have led some sources to define

6527-490: The ex- shōgun ' s army. All Tokugawa lands were seized and placed under "imperial control", thus placing them under the prerogative of the new Meiji government . With Fuhanken sanchisei , the areas were split into three types: urban prefectures ( 府 , fu ) , rural prefectures ( 県 , ken ) and the already existing domains. On March 23 the Dutch Minister-Resident Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek and

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6634-412: The help Japan received from other powers, one of the key factors in Japan's industrializing success was its relative lack of resources, which made it unattractive to Western imperialism. The farmer and the samurai classification were the base and soon the problem of why there was a limit of growth within the nation's industrial work. The government sent officials such as the samurai to monitor the work that

6741-406: The international market. With this, industrial zones grew enormously, and there was a massive migration to industrializing centers from the countryside. Industrialization additionally went hand in hand with the development of a national railway system and modern communications. With industrialization came the demand for coal. There was dramatic rise in production, as shown in the table below. Coal

6848-464: The military, the government instituted nationwide conscription in 1873, mandating that every male would serve for four years in the armed forces upon turning 21 years old, followed by three more years in the reserves. One of the primary differences between the samurai and peasant classes was the right to bear arms ; this ancient privilege was suddenly extended to every male in the nation. Furthermore, samurai were no longer allowed to walk about town bearing

6955-499: The modern era kunoichi means "female ninja". By the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, shinobi had become a topic of popular culture in Japan which featured in many legend and folklore, where they were associated with many supernatural abilities. It was believed the espionage activities of Ninja were attributed to Chinese military strategy , such as The Art of War by Sun Tzu . According to traditional evaluation,

7062-442: The more traditional practice of imperial rule, whereby the Emperor of Japan serves solely as the spiritual authority of the nation and his ministers govern the nation in his name. The Meiji oligarchy that formed the government under the rule of the Emperor first introduced measures to consolidate their power against the remnants of the Edo period government, the shogunate, daimyōs , and the samurai class. Throughout Japan at

7169-476: The myth about Hattori Hanzō ninja army helping Ieyasu were created as propaganda to increase the prestige of Iga and Koka clan confederations in Tokugawa Shogunate. In an undisclosed time, a ninja named Hachisuka Tenzō was sent by Nobunaga to assassinate daimyō Takeda Shingen , although it ended in failure. There is a record that there is an assassination attempt were on Toyotomi Hideyoshi , although it

7276-483: The new sectors of the economy could not be heavily taxed, the costs of industrialisation and necessary investments in modernisation heavily fell on the peasant farmers, who paid extremely high land tax rates (about 30 percent of harvests) as compared to the rest of the world (double to seven times of European countries by net agricultural output). In contrast, land tax rates were about 2% in Qing China. The high taxation gave

7383-574: The ninja to understand the martial qualities of even the most menial task. These factors show how the ninjutsu established among the ninja class the fundamental principle of adaptation . Ninja usually worked in a team to scale a wall by providing a human platform to assist their team members in reaching the top of the wall. The Mikawa Go Fudoki gives an account of a coordinated team of infiltrators, who usually made use of passwords to communicate, so they could recognize their allies during their covert operations and when in disguise, as they dressed in

7490-492: The ninja were stealth soldiers and mercenaries hired mostly by daimyōs . Despite many popular folktales, historical accounts of the ninja are scarce. Historian Stephen Turnbull asserts that the ninja were mostly recruited from the lower class, and therefore little literary interest was taken in them. The social origin of the ninja is seen as the reason they agree to operate in secret, trading their service for money without honor and glory. The scarcity of historical accounts

7597-590: The ninja's armor. Tools used for infiltration and espionage are some of the most abundant artifacts related to the ninja. Ropes and grappling hooks were common, and were tied to the belt. A collapsible ladder is illustrated in the Bansenshukai , featuring spikes at both ends to anchor the ladder. Spiked or hooked climbing gear worn on the hands and feet also doubled as weapons. Other implements include chisels , hammers , drills , and picks . Ninja also used mizugumo to walk on water. This footwear distributed

7704-416: The oligarchs to action. Whatever their true intentions, the oligarchs embarked on another slow and deliberate process to abolish the samurai class. First, in 1873, it was announced that the samurai stipends were to be taxed on a rolling basis. Later, in 1874, the samurai were given the option to convert their stipends into government bonds . Finally, in 1876, this commutation was made compulsory. To reform

7811-481: The origin of those ninja clans were traced to the family of Kawai Aki-no-kami of Iga. This is also supported by the supplementary record to the Nochi Kagami , a historical record of the Ashikaga shogunate . The clans of Iga and Kōla became professionals which specifically trained for the asymmetrical warfare tactics of the ninja. These ninja mercenary were often hired by daimyōs between 1485 and 1581. Specifically,

7918-449: The plan of construction of Hara Castle, and surveyed the distance from the defensive moat to the ni-no-maru (second bailey ), the depth of the moat, the conditions of roads, the height of the wall, and the shape of the loopholes. Suspecting that the castle's supplies might be running low, the siege commander Matsudaira Nobutsuna ordered a raid on the castle's provisions. Here, the Kōga captured bags of enemy provisions, and infiltrated

8025-429: The ports being opened for trade, but also began the process of merging members of the different societies together. Examples of this include western teachers and advisors immigrating to Japan and also Japanese nationals moving to western countries for education purposes. All these things in turn played a part in expanding the people of Japan's knowledge on western customs, technology and institutions. Many people believed it

8132-421: The resultant modernization of Japan, also influenced Japanese self-identity with respect to its Asian neighbours, as Japan became the first Asian state to modernize based on the Western model, replacing the traditional Confucian hierarchical order that had persisted previously under a dominant China with one based on modernity. Adopting enlightenment ideals of popular education, the Japanese government established

8239-514: The same clothes as the enemy. In his Buke Myōmokushō , military historian Hanawa Hokinoichi writes of the ninja that they travelled in disguise into foreign territories to scout enemy forces, set enemy castles on fire, and carry out assassinations using infiltration tactics . Espionage was the chief role of the ninja. With the aid of disguises, the ninja gathered information on enemy terrain and building specifications as well as obtaining passwords and communiques. The aforementioned supplement to

8346-403: The samurai class lived on. The oligarchs also embarked on a series of land reforms . In particular, they legitimized the tenancy system which had been going on during the Tokugawa period. Despite the bakufu 's best efforts to freeze the four classes of society in place, during their rule villagers had begun to lease land out to other farmers, becoming rich in the process. This greatly disrupted

8453-452: The shogunate, were persuaded to "return their domains to the Emperor". Other daimyō were subsequently persuaded to do so, thus creating a central government in Japan which exercised direct power through the entire "realm". Some shogunate forces escaped to Hokkaidō , where they attempted to set up a breakaway Republic of Ezo ; however, forces loyal to the Emperor ended this attempt in May 1869 with

8560-402: The siege went on, the extreme shortage of food later reduced the defenders to eating moss and grass. This desperation would mount to futile charges by the rebels, where they were eventually defeated by the shogunate army. The Kōga would later take part in conquering the castle: More and more general raids were begun, the Kōga ninja band under the direct control of Matsudaira Nobutsuna captured

8667-489: The skills of shinobi-no-jutsu and shinobijutsu , which have the aims of ensuring that one's opponent does not know of one's existence, and for which there was special training. However, some ninjutsu books described specifically what tactics ninja should use to fight, and the scenarios in which a ninja might find themselves can be deduced from those tactics. For example, in the manuscript of volume 2 of Kanrin Seiyō (間林清陽) which

8774-464: The summer phase of Osaka siege, The Ii clan Red Demons ninjas led by Miura Yo'emon, Shimotani Sanzo, Okuda Kasa'emon, and Saga Kita'emon saw action once again during the Battle of Tennōji , as they were reportedly fought together with the Tokugawa regular army storming on the south gate of Osaka castle. In 1614, the initial "winter campaign" at the Siege of Osaka saw the ninja in use once again. Miura Yoemon,

8881-584: The suppression of the Iga province by Nobunaga, some of them escaped from the province and sought refuge with the Tokugawa clan . One of the most prominent members was Fujibayashi Yasumasa, son of the Fujibayashi Yasutoyo from the Fujibayashi clan. After the assassination of Oda Nobunaga, Iga and Kōka ninja, according to tradition, helped Ieyasu undergo an arduous journey to escape the enemies of Nobunaga in Sakai and return to Mikawa . However, their journey

8988-436: The threat of being colonized, bringing to an end the era known as sakoku . The word "Meiji" means "enlightened rule" and the goal was to combine "modern advances" with traditional "eastern" values ( 和魂洋才 , Wakonyosai ) . The main leaders of this were Itō Hirobumi , Matsukata Masayoshi , Kido Takayoshi , Itagaki Taisuke , Yamagata Aritomo , Mori Arinori , Ōkubo Toshimichi , and Yamaguchi Naoyoshi . The foundation of

9095-530: The time of war. In 1614, The Iga province warriors saw action during the siege of Osaka . Takatora brought the Musokunin auxiliaries from Iga province to besiege the Osaka castle during the winter phase. Meanwhile the ninja units of Iga province were deployed under several commanders such as Hattori Hanzō , and Yamaoka Kagetsuge, and Ii Naotora , heir of Naomasa who also given control of Ii clan's Red Demons ninja squad after Naomasa died. Later in 1615, during

9202-454: The time, the samurai numbered 1.9 million. For comparison, this was more than 10 times the size of the French privileged class before the 1789 French Revolution . Moreover, the samurai in Japan were not merely the lords, but also their higher retainers—people who actually worked. With each samurai being paid fixed stipends, their upkeep presented a tremendous financial burden, which may have prompted

9309-507: The title of Emperor must be substituted for that of Taikun , in which the treaties have been made. Officers are being appointed by us to the conduct of foreign affairs. It is desirable that the representatives of the treaty powers recognize this announcement. Shortly thereafter in January 1868, the Boshin War started with the Battle of Toba–Fushimi in which Chōshū and Satsuma 's forces defeated

9416-495: The treaty, opening Japanese ports to trade. Figures like Shimazu Nariakira concluded that "if we take the initiative, we can dominate; if we do not, we will be dominated", leading Japan to "throw open its doors to foreign technology." After the humiliation of the Unequal Treaties, the leaders of the Meiji Restoration (as this revolution came to be known), acted in the name of restoring imperial rule to strengthen Japan against

9523-503: The two kanji "忍者". In the native kun'yomi reading, it is pronounced shinobi , a shortened form of shinobi-no-mono (忍びの者). The word shinobi appears in the written record as far back as the late 8th century in poems in the Man'yōshū . The underlying connotation of shinobi ( 忍 ) means "to steal away; to hide" and—by extension—"to forbear", hence its association with stealth and invisibility. Mono ( 者 ) means "a person". The word ninja

9630-505: The wearer's weight over the shoes' wide bottom surface, allowing the wearer to walk on the surface of water. The name of this equipment mizugumo was derived from the native name for the Japanese water spider ( Argyroneta aquatica japonica ). Similar footwear, known as ukidari , also existed in the form of a flat round bucket , although this may have been less stable. Goshiki-mai (go, five ; shiki, color ; mai, rice ) colored (red, blue, yellow, black, purple) rice grains were used in

9737-686: The world, and thereby the foundations of imperial rule shall be strengthened." Under the leadership of Mori Arinori , a group of prominent Japanese intellectuals went on to form the Meiji Six Society in 1873 to continue to "promote civilization and enlightenment" through modern ethics and ideas. However, during the restoration, political power simply moved from the Tokugawa shogunate to an oligarchy consisting of these leaders, mostly from Satsuma Province ( Ōkubo Toshimichi and Saigō Takamori ), and Chōshū Province ( Itō Hirobumi , Yamagata Aritomo , and Kido Takayoshi). This reflected their belief in

9844-773: Was also taught. Some evidence of medical training can be derived from one account, where an Iga ninja provided medical attention to Ii Naomasa , a general of Tokugawa who was injured by gunfire during the Sekigahara battle . The skill sets of ninja agents known in modern times as ninjutsu ( 忍術 ) comprised a variety of espionage and survival skills with each its own unique characteristic for each ninjutsu school. Some view ninjutsu as evidence that ninja were not simple mercenaries because texts contained not only information on combat training, but also information about daily needs, which even included mining techniques. The guidance provided for daily work also included elements that enable

9951-547: Was an infiltration agent, mercenary , or guerrilla warfare and later bodyguard expert in feudal Japan . They were often employed in siege , espionage missions, and military deception . They often appear in the historical record during the Sengoku period , although antecedents may have existed as early as the 12th century. During the Japan's warring state period , jizamurai clans of peasant-warriors in Iga Province and

10058-553: Was being done. Because of Japan's leaders taking control and adapting Western techniques it has remained one of the world's largest industrial nations. The rapid industrialization and modernization of Japan both allowed and required a massive increase in production and infrastructure. Japan built industries such as shipyards, iron smelters, and spinning mills, which were then sold to well-connected entrepreneurs. Consequently, domestic companies became consumers of Western technology and applied it to produce items that would be sold cheaply in

10165-632: Was captured 4 years later and tortured to death. In 1573, Manabe Rokurō, a vassal of daimyō Hatano Hideharu , attempted to assassinate Nobunaga by infiltrating Azuchi Castle , although the mission failed and Rokurō was forced to commit suicide. According to a document, the Iranki , when Nobunaga was inspecting Iga province after the Tenshō Iga War , three ninja attempted to assassinate him with rifles, but failed and instead killed seven of Nobunaga's attendants. The Kōka ikki persisted until 1574, when it

10272-504: Was common and is well documented. Ninjas disguised themselves as priests, entertainers, fortune tellers, merchants, rōnin , and monks. The Buke Myōmokushō states that their missions were to disguise themselves as firewood gatherers in order to gain information about the enemy. The attire of a mountain ascetic ( yamabushi ) facilitated travel, as they were common and could travel freely between political boundaries. The loose robes of Buddhist priests also allowed concealed weapons, such as

10379-442: Was essential for Japan to acquire western "spirit" in order to become a great nation with strong trade routes and military strength. The Meiji Restoration accelerated the industrialization process in Japan, which led to its rise as a military power by the year 1895, under the slogan of "Enrich the country, strengthen the military" ( 富国強兵 , fukoku kyōhei ) . There were a few factories set up using imported technologies in

10486-411: Was eventually set, allowing Nagamasa's army to capture the castle. The Iga and Kōga ninja were actually jizamurai clans inhabited Iga Province (modern Mie Prefecture ) and the nearby region of Kōka District, Shiga named after a village in modern day Shiga Prefecture . The remote location of Iga may have contributed to ninja's secretive development. The chronicle Go Kagami Furoku stated that

10593-528: Was forced to become a vassal of Oda Nobunaga . The Iga ikki continued until 1581, when Nobunaga attacked the Iga Province and destroyed those clans who rebelled against him. The Iga clans survivors fled to the Kii Mountains , but others escaped to enter the service under Tokugawa Ieyasu . Prior to the conquest of Kōka in 1574, the two confederacies worked in alliance together since at least 1487. After

10700-864: Was good for limiting disease spread, so the Japanese government lifted their attempted ban in May 1875 and promoted cremation for diseased people in 1897. Even before the Meiji Restoration, the Tokugawa Shogunate government hired German diplomat Philipp Franz von Siebold as diplomatic advisor, Dutch naval engineer Hendrik Hardes for Nagasaki Arsenal and Willem Johan Cornelis, Ridder Huijssen van Kattendijke for Nagasaki Naval Training Center , French naval engineer François Léonce Verny for Yokosuka Naval Arsenal , and British civil engineer Richard Henry Brunton . Most of them were appointed through government approval with two or three years contract, and took their responsibility properly in Japan, except some cases. Then many other foreign specialists were hired. Despite

10807-476: Was largely composed of former samurai. This sent a strong message to the dissenting samurai that their time was indeed over. There were fewer subsequent samurai uprisings and the distinction became all but a name as the samurai joined the new society. The ideal of samurai military spirit lived on in romanticized form and was often used as propaganda during the early 20th-century wars of the Empire of Japan . However, it

10914-453: Was modernized and some parts of the castles were converted into modern military facilities with barracks and parade grounds, such as Hiroshima Castle . Others were handed over to the civilian authorities to build their new administrative structures. Some however were explicitly saved from destruction by interventions from various persons and parties such as politicians, government and military officials, experts, historians, and locals who feared

11021-443: Was needed for steamships and railroads. The growth of these sectors is shown below. The majority of Japanese castles were partially or completely dismantled in the late 19th century in the Meiji restoration by the national government. Since the feudal system was abolished and the fiefs ( han ) theoretically reverting to the emperor, the national government saw no further use for the upkeep of these now obsolete castles. The military

11128-486: Was signed in 1854 and opened up trade between the United States and Japan. Later, Japan reluctantly expanded its trade deals to France, Britain, the Netherlands and Russia due to American pressure. These treaties signed with Western powers came to be known as Unequal Treaties as Japan lost control over its tariffs while Western powers took control over Japanese lands. In 1858, Townsend Harris , ambassador to Japan, concluded

11235-438: Was thwarted. A ninja named Kirigakure Saizō (possibly Kirigakure Shikaemon) attempted to assassinate Hideyoshi with a spear, but was unsuccessful, as his attempt was foiled by a ninja worked under the command of Hideyoshi who smoked his place. However, the reliability of this story was considered fictional publications as it was the same publisher which depicted Saizō as one of the legendary Sanada Ten Braves . In 1600, during

11342-421: Was uncommon, and a variety of regional colloquialisms evolved to describe what would later be dubbed ninja. The first known English use of the word ninja was in 1964. Kunoichi (くノ一) is, originally, an argot which means "woman"; it supposedly comes from the characters くノ一 (respectively hiragana ku , katakana no and kanji ichi ), which make up the form of kanji for "woman" (女). In fiction written in

11449-623: Was very dangerous due to the existence of " Ochimusha-gari " groups across the route. During this journey, Tokugawa generals such as Ii Naomasa , Sakai Tadatsugu and Honda Tadakatsu fought their way through raids and harassment from Ochimusha-gari ( samurai hunter) gangs to secure the way for Ieyasu, while sometimes also bribing some of the more amenable Ochimusha-gari gangs. As they reached Kada, an area between Kameyama town and Iga, The local Koka-Ikki ninjas and Iga-Ikki ninjas under Hanzo who helped leyasu to travel to safety consisted of three hundred Ninjas. Furthermore, Uejima Hidetomo,

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