Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique (24 page)

堀ノ浅深ヲ知事

The Art of Knowing the Depth or Shallowness of a Moat

[Knowing the depth of the moat is a key factor when the shinobi is infiltrating a mansion or a castle. This is also done for information gathering for a lord who wishes to attack a castle. Normally depth is measured by a lead weight and a rope, while distances and heights are worked out with mathematical equations. The science of measuring is an art in itself.]

堅キ物ヲ切ル事

The Art of Cutting Through Hard Objects

[Without doubt, on most missions a shinobi will have to cut through a wall, fence or door, etc. There are various traditions on helping the agent cut through these objects, most deal with a form of lubrication that will muffle the sound of a hand drill turning or a saw cutting.]

咳仕様之事

The Art of Coughing

[To date, this art has been found in Akutagawa-Ryu and Mubyoshi-Ryu and consists of using a bamboo tube to cough into. The aim is to either suffocate the cough to stop the sound from reaching the enemy that they are about to infiltrate and therefore not giving away the shinobi’s position; or it can also be used to give the illusion that the sound of the cough is at a distance, at which the guards will hear the cough, but because the sound is “small and light” they will look beyond where the shinobi actually is.]

続松之事

The Art of the Torch

[Torches should not be underestimated in value nor should they be considered simple. Shinobi torches are varied and numerous, with many alternative mixtures for different opportunities. A selection of torches and gunpowder skills are required to be mastered by shinobi and torch construction is fundamental to the shinobi arts. One of their primary tasks is to lead people through the dark of no-man’s-land in war—which could stretch for miles—and also to journey in harsh weather conditions across many leagues; therefore, torches need to be strong, weatherproof and long-lasting.]

巾着火之事

The Art of Kinchakubi—

Fire in Drawstring Leather Purse
[To ignite the above torches and to commit arson, a shinobi needs fire time and time again; manuals continually state the importance of fire. Even with the aid of modern fire-lighting equipment it is difficult to start fires in wet conditions, and for the medieval person without modern aids it could be an extremely difficult task. The shinobi developed many recipes that allowed them to maintain hot embers for extended periods of time and they also developed many methods of carrying them. These could range from metal cylinders to the example here, a
kinchaku,
which is a leather drawstring purse; this version would have the insides treated so that hot embers could be carried on the shinobi, either in his kimono or on his belt—these were often kept in the sleeve.]

眠薬之事

The Art of Sleeping Powder

[Sleeping powder is normally a mixture of a charred creature, such as slugs or intestinal worms which have been ground to powder and then wrapped in cloth tablets, or alternatively they can be coated on paper soaked in blood. A shinobi would place this tablet or paper into a closed room and its effects are said to cause those in the room to fall asleep, or those who are already asleep will fall into a deeper slumber. To prevent the shinobi from succumbing to their own weapon, they would stuff grass up their nose or inhale pepper so that their nose became blocked.]

無言薬之事

The Art of the Speechless Powder

[This theme tends to come in two versions. Once a shinobi is passing those who are asleep, they will sprinkle or lightly dust this powder on to the face of the enemy. If their enemy should wake, disturb the powder and breathe in then they will inhale it and their voice will be rough and their throat sticky. The second version is that of blinding powders, as displayed in Natori-Ryu, where ground burnt tadpoles are sprinkled on the eyes of a sleeping person—then when they awake and open their eyes the powder will act as an irritant.]

道ニ不迷之事

The Art of Not Losing Your Way in a House

[One tool that shinobi carry is a long cord that was attached to a doorway or exit—after a shinobi had cut out a section of a wall the cord was reeled out behind the agent. In the dark of the house with only a small amount of light they may lose their way; then if an emergency arises or if the mission has finished and they need to leave in stealth or in haste, they can simply follow the cord back to the opening and escape into the night.]

闇所ニテ人ヲ見ル事

The Art of Observing People in the Dark

[Once in the main rooms of the house, with people sleeping in quarters, the shinobi will need to identify who is there and how many are present. This can be done in many ways; most involve the use of small lights and fire. One method from the
Bansenshukai
ninja manual is to blow a dart from a blowpipe into a wall. The dart has a very small charge of gunpowder; with a slight hiss, it ignites. This illuminates the inside of a room for a second. Another way is to test with light on the end of a stick, pushing it through gaps while another shinobi looks into the room. In addition to this, directional lights can be used.]