Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique (22 page)

While not always a rule, most
civilian
shinobi arts are found attached to samurai sword schools. Examples are Shinjin-Ryu, Mubyoshi-Ryu and Tenshin Katori-Ryu. It must be stated that it is without doubt that the
military
aspects of the shinobi arts far outnumber the
civilian
versions. However, there is enough of a divide to show that a theoretical separation exists. The result is that shinobi arts are primarily
military
arts; yet they can be transferred to
civilian
life. In addition to this,
civilian
shinobi arts can easily stray into banditry and thievery.

Public and Hidden Shinobi

A separation that
was
recorded in medieval Japan was that of shinobi who were hidden and shinobi that were presented to the public. A lord would hire the amount of shinobi he could afford and place them in one of two categories. They would either become:

1. Public shinobi—shinobi hired in the open to defend the lord or his castle; or to go to war in a shinobi group

2. Hidden shinobi—shinobi hired in secret who either stay in their home province or work under a hidden identity in the lord’s army; or in the army of the enemy

The Japanese terms are
Yo no shinobi
and
In no shinobi
, terms which originate from the Chinese concept of yin-yang:

1.
Yo
—public (In the light)

2.
In
—hidden (In the dark)

Yo no shinobi
are shinobi who are “exposed to the light.” They are hired by a clan to fill the role of shinobi. They are then billeted in the castle, or local area, as a shinobi in full view of the public (and enemy spies). The purpose of having these shinobi in public view is twofold. First it displays a lord’s use of shinobi to his enemies, which gives the message that a lord is well-informed, that he is well-defended and that, should issues arise, there are personnel in place to deal with such matters. This is also a standard practice among clans. Secondly, public shinobi are used openly in teams during military campaigns as was discussed previously. Therefore others know their identity. Further to this, these shinobi in the public eye are vital contact points for enemy shinobi—a subject that will be discussed later. Interaction between shinobi, no matter which side they appear to be working for, did exist.

The map above shows the position of the residence of the “public” shinobi no mono in Okayama Castle.

The jacket used by “public” shinobi no mono in the Ikeda clan.
“They wear a blue sleeveless haori jacket with a silver crest on the rear.
Their helmet should be of the zunari shape, be lacquered in black with a hinomaru—gold circle. Other crests are not allowed.”

The quote and image on the opposite page were recorded in Okayama and show the “uniform” that the public shinobi would wear in and around the castle during the Edo period.

In no shinobi
are those shinobi that are not displayed openly and are hidden. These could already be in position within the enemy ranks. According to Chikamatsu Shigenori, an early eighteenth century shinobi chronicler, they could be hidden among the castle’s own troops. Troops would be unaware that a certain number among them are actually hired for their shinobi skills, not their appointed jobs. Also, these shinobi could be agents still living in their own province, paid as a full retainer. All this is with the arrangements and transactions being clandestine. If these shinobi are needed for a mission of espionage, the “public” shinobi—who will be under the watchful eye of the enemy shinobi—appear to be doing nothing. Yet unknown to the enemy, the hidden shinobi are on the move. In essence, it is sleight of hand and misdirection with people.

As illustrated above, an ideal situation for the deployment of shinobi is that the lord will support the use of shinobi and appoint one of his close retainers or trusted followers to the task of spymaster. The term “spymaster” is used here but it is not a translation, it is a modern term; normally these are considered to be shinobi leaders or shinobi commanders. The spymaster will hire “public” shinobi and from these he will elect a leader. Depending on how many shinobi a lord retains there could be various captains running multiple but probably independent teams of agents, with the lower end of the chain being filled with shinobi ashigaru, those of the foot soldier class. Parallel to this a hidden shinobi team will be in place, or at least hidden shinobi individuals. The same spymaster will hire and allot tasks to these hidden shinobi who undertake missions of espionage or will infiltrate the enemy in advance. The Bansenshukai shinobi manual of 1676 warns shinobi not to attempt to gain fame for their skills—something which apparently was an issue—as the more well-known an agent becomes due to his expert skills, the greater the chance of being detected by the enemy. Remembering, of course, that movement between lords and political alliances was fluid in the Warring States Period and that often in this period shinobi from the same family could be hired out across the country. This means that others may have known faces and detection was a real issue. However, later, writers such as Chikamatsu Shigenori through his master Kimura of Koka state that some lords of the Edo Period did not fully understand how to utilize the shinobi and that many lords did not fully understand the correct procedures for running shinobi teams—there seems to be a running complaint about the mismanagement of shinobi and shinobi teams. This means that during the Warring States Period, hidden shinobi had the real issue of being detected by other shinobi who may recognize them, especially if they had family connections or if they had let it be known they were shinobi, and that in the Edo Period some lords were so disconnected from the reality of war that they were unaware of the methods and benefits of using shinobi.

The Two Divisions of Military Shinobi

The military function of the shinobi can be further broken down into two main areas:

First section:

Before a war has even erupted, it is the task of the shinobi captain and strategists to identify potential enemies. Therefore advance shinobi are sent to perform the following tasks, or adopt the following positions.

1. To have lived in the enemy province for an extended period beforehand. This is so that when war erupts, and highways and communication routes are closed; they are already on the “correct side of the fence.” As rōnin, or samurai living in that area, they gain employment for the upcoming war. However, they will of course work as shinobi for their original lord.

2. They have approached the enemy side, stating that they are shinobi and have asked to be employed. The enemy has employed them but keeps them under observation. This being so as to identify if they are mercenary shinobi, or if they have a hidden agenda. It must be remembered that shinobi were hired out across Japan. It was not uncommon to hire a stranger as a shinobi. However it was a dangerous gamble, because both shinobi and their adversaries had ways of discovering the true plans of the other.

3. To have positioned themselves—probably in groups or working as individuals—within the enemy castle town or camp; spreading misinformation, rumors and accusations among the enemy. Discord within an enemy camp was a vital key in a military campaign, and the goal was to divide an army. For an army was made up of a coalition of clans. They sought to sow distrust between a lord and his best tacticians. Disinformation must not be underestimated; the aim was to achieve a summary execution of expert tacticians. This was by the use of rumors and fake letters; through the copying of handwriting and seals. Months if not years of planning can be invested in the discrediting of an experienced general. Like a key piece in chess, if he is “taken off the board” during the most important phases of the battle, an army may be defeated.

4. To infiltrate allied forces. Tokugawa Ieyasu was known for his use of shinobi against his own forces. This was to understand the nature of the minds of his “allies.” Samurai warfare was a shifting political arena. Notions of loyalty at high levels are not adhered to when great amounts of power and gold are in play. Therefore, lords would have shinobi infiltrate their own army or allied forces; especially if an army was a coalition of the clans. This way he could identify if betrayal was in the air or not.

Second section:

Those shinobi that are not sent in advance will march with the army as highlighted previously. They are identifiable as shinobi and are billeted separately. They work outside of the camp routines and regulations. Their tasks include:

1. Scouting ahead of the army—They must identify “choke points,” potential ambush sites, camp positions, topography, water sources and enemy troop movements. They must also investigate mountain tops, valleys and suspicious forests and woodlands.

2. They must scout close to the enemy and obtain numbers of troops, banners, crests, and famous samurai in attendance.
^*
They must also identify weapons stores, army routes, and support troops in the area.

3. Defense and safety—The camp perimeter is guarded by regular samurai and foot soldiers. However, beyond the light of the watch fires, shinobi hide in the bushes and forests. They listen and smell for night attack squads or other shinobi.

4. Attack squad captains—Shinobi allotted to the army will sleep during the day but then lead attack squads at nighttime. Their task is to identify the best way to attack the enemy. Once established they lead regular samurai on night raids.

5. Communications systems—Shinobi tend to run communications networks. Examples are: horse relay systems, running messengers, messenger relay teams, light and fire signals—including fire rockets and smoke. Also flag signals were used as well as signals on the wind, i.e., coded messages sent through sounding flutes, drums and conch shells.

6. Bodyguards—Part of a shinobi’s task is to protect the lord. Normally loyal and trusted retainers are close to the lord. The lord will have a personal group of older loyal samurai around him. Some of those samurai may be shinobi-trained. Those who are trusted will protect the lord’s perimeter when he travels. If he stays in lodgings, the shinobi will check the area and position, securing the safety of the environment. Their task is to identify and protect weak points in a lord’s defense, such as keeping watch below the flooring of houses. Housing is raised off the ground. If the lord is on the ground floor then a shinobi will be positioned below his bed chamber while he sleeps.

7. Fire skills and gunnery—Shinobi are trained in the use of firearms and gunnery. While they are not the only ones, their tasks will include the manufacture of gunpowder weapons. This included landmines, hand grenades and rockets; poisonous-gas-filled projectiles, and “Greek fire” style devices.

8. Infiltration into enemy camps and castles—A primary task for the shinobi is to gain entrance into enemy castles and camps. This was used during sieges to gain information, or to work in unison with a besieging force. The shionobi burns down castle keeps and buildings while the regular forces attack. This creates a two-pronged attack.