Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique (31 page)

A Donohi from Natori-Ryu, which is also a copper cylinder

Knead the above with glue [made from seaweed], ignite it and carry this in a copper cylinder—more in oral traditions. This can also be called
kaichu no hi
—“fire in the breast of the kimono.”

The latter six traditions have been gathered from various writings and traditions passed down from skilled people. Future students should be hands-on and experiment with them.
^‡

事によするてだての事

Koto ni Yosuru Tedate no Koto

The tactics of using pretext

Someone asked me:

“On a battlefield, some things should be made clear while other things should be performed discreetly. Moreover, it seems that most things should be hidden from the enemy. There is no possibility that your own side and the side of the enemy will not have shinobi. Information on what you do will be speedily leaked to the enemy. If you are to attack the enemy by taking advantage of where the enemy is insubstantial but do not inform your own men, then there will be many people who are not fully prepared. On the other hand, if you give them prior warnings then your plans will be given over to the enemy. All will be in ruins. Thus old man, tell me of this?”

I said to him:

“Tactics are constructed to attack where the enemy is insubstantial. Therefore if things are carried out in secret then there is a true advantage. In this, you must take precautions against those enemy shinobi inside your own forces. That being said, if you do not inform your men but attack the enemy without them having time to properly prepare, disaster will follow as well. For this there is a skill called
koto ni yosuru
.”

The questioner asked:

“What is
koto ni yosuru
?”

I answered him:

“An example of this is to pretend to move to the left but in fact you move right, or you advance while pretending to make a retreat. These are examples of
koto ni yosuru
. Also, by taking advantage of [the enemy’s negligence due to] snow—as we spoke of earlier
^*
—where a general pretended to retreat and made his rearguard look secure, with the intention to get back to the enemy province [which was a ruse].

“Also, if you plan to attack the enemy before they sit for their meal, have your own men finish their meal [early and get ready] using the cold night to come as an excuse to eat early.”

Through these examples, consider what should be done.

敵中をさきたる事

Tekinaka wo Sakitaru Koto

To split the enemy with discord

A commander-in-chief once had difficulty capturing an enemy castle. He was contemplating which military tactics he could use to divide his enemy. A clever man said to him:

“It has been said from ancient times by excellent generals that a larger enemy should be divided. However, it looks easy to achieve but in fact it is most difficult to do. As I have discovered a good plan, and if you execute my plan, then know that nine times out of ten doubts will be created within the enemy. The castle will fall.”

This was said with confidence. The commander replied:

“How is this to be done?”

The man answered him by saying:

“If you give your patronage to my descendants, my sons and grandsons, then I will be determined to sacrifice my life for you; leaving my fame for these descendants.”

The commander shed tears of gratitude and said:

“I think most of such a man like you. I appreciate how much divine blessing is given for such a warrior. Such plans cannot be successful without brave and loyal people to engage in them. In order to ease the suffering of our soldiers and to benefit your decedents, also for your own [honor], conduct these tactics, devoting your life and mind to them. I will never forget the will you have.”

This was said and an oath was made. The man accepted this mission with pleasure and infiltrated the enemy castle. When the enemy detected and found him, surrounding him in larger numbers, he intentionally took out a suspicious looking letter from his kimono. He immediately burnt it with fire he had upon him. He then drew his sword and tried to fight them but ended up upon the floor. The enemy pinned him to the ground and captured him alive. They bound him in the
takategote
style and took him to the higher retainers. The retainers said:

“The writing that you took out from your kimono and burnt was probably a secret letter; therefore just confess its contents. If you show signs of lying then we will torture you.”

The captured man, carrying out such tactics, laughed at him and said:

“Oh, our enemy retainers know nothing about the way of the samurai! To me in a situation like this, nothing will be considered as pain no matter how much you torture me. If I was not determined to sacrifice my life, how could I have infiltrated an enemy castle? Also, even if I have mastered the skills of the
tengu
—goblin, how could I infiltrate
^*
such a strictly guarded castle like this without aid in my tactics? I would never confess and you will find out the truth of this situation in four or five days anyway.”
^†

This was said out loud, he then killed himself by biting off his own tongue. Listening to this the retainers and their men become worried. Doubts between each other arose until they fully feared one another. The castle fell soon after that.

内通を請たる行の事

Naitsu wo Uketaru Tedate no koto

The tactics to be taken when having received secret communication

A retainer of a castle received a secret communique from the besieging side. Being tactical in mind, he replied to the enemy thus:

“I agree to that matter to which you sent in secret, therefore prepare secret night attacks where my men are guarding, the night after tomorrow. At this point we shall kill the lord-commander in the confusion this creates. I will do this to prove loyalty to your general; therefore, please keep your word as was said in your letter.”

While he sent this reply to an enemy retainer, he had actually shown this secret letter to his own lord-commander and said:

“There is no discussion about whether I would ever betray you, but you may get suspicious of this type of ruse. Therefore I will display how all of this has come about here.”

He wrote an oath of loyalty to the lord and signed it in blood, saying:

“I have no intention to take up with the enemy but I have sent a reply that says I have accepted their wishes. This was done to plant a seed of a strategy. If you still doubt me in any way then please place those that you truly trust in my own people and prepare with tactics. Without fail the enemy will rely on me and approach in secret, coming close to the fences the night after tomorrow.”

The lord listened to this and said:

“If you have an intention to take the side of the enemy then you would have not shown me this letter. If a generational retainer such as you should change their allegiance then it shows that a general’s luck is at an end. If you were false-hearted, then I would fall no matter how much I try to defend myself against it. Also, secret communication from the enemy is not only to gain your allegiance but it is also sent to split a lord from his retainers, and to develop suspicion between them. You will not desert me, of this I have no doubts, therefore you must engage in such necessary measures to gain victory.”

Saying this he showed no sign of coldness in his voice. At this, the retainer built a suspended false fence at the gate where his men were guarding. There he waited for the enemy to come on their night attack. At the arranged time, as expected, 100 men from the enemy approached in secret, relying on the secret communications that they had engaged in. When the suspended rope was cut, stones and wood were thrown at them, along with a volley of arrows and musket fire. As it was dark it made it hard for them to withdraw, so the enemy tried to move into the castle, but a double fence had been prepared. They were all shot through the gun ports with projectile weapons. None of the allied force had to move outside of the castle. All of the attackers were killed in the event. A later rumor said that the lord of the besieging side was not really of a tactical mind; he was easily deceived. Also the retainer was righteous, his family was in the third generation of service. How did [the enemy general even] think that with such secret communications [a generational retainer] would take the side of an enemy? Kiichi’s tradition
^*
says:

“An ill thought-out stratagem will ruin your allies.”

Tactics should be prepared [appropriately] dependent on the time and the enemy. In conducting this you should use [the enemy’s] sense of justice, benefits, sex, money and countless other means; and should not believe that you have succeeded without evidence of such. Also do not assume that you have fully captured the enemy [in your tactics] if the enemy shows a sign of indecisiveness. Thus there is doubt about the saying that “a plan [carried out] without any regrets will win.”

危働を凶むべき事

Ayauki Hataraki wo Imubeki Koto

Avoiding risky conflicts

Concerning those who serve as shinobi:

When events change to a time of turbulence there will be no time for those who are shinobi to rest. They are busy moving back and forth to the enemy province. This is especially so just before a lord leaves for war. They have to move around to know the geography of the enemy province and the boundaries of the area, to listen to the rumors taking place; to observe and listen, gathering the information on the enemy tactics. During battles they even infiltrate through arrow and gun ports in enemy castles and move around in all directions [on the battlefield]. Sometimes they remain within the enemy and at other times they go back to their allies. They go forth and return without being noticed, even by their own allies. They deceive the enemy in various ways, and when their own forces move on a night attack, they go ahead of the troops guiding them along the way. At times they will steal the enemy’s weapons, deceive the enemy, pass through their checkpoints and do this without sparing their own lives. They will have no concern for any disgrace that they may receive. Even though a Bushi warrior should put the highest priority on loyalty over their disgrace, there are many tasks that carry humiliation in the job of shinobi. It is often the case that people who are not exclusively hired for this job, really do not like to accept such tasks. Sometimes miners, carpenters, blacksmiths and so on are attached to shinobi. The miners are used for digging holes. They make good judgements on where water is to be found. The blacksmiths and the carpenters are used for building watchtowers (or besieging constructions). They also enable the climbing of heights and the flattening of lower places.

Building watchtowers, constructing besieging engines, knowing where the enemy is not strictly defended (to facilitate an upcoming attack), are all measures that should be conducted based on the judgments of the shinobi—remember to be resourceful. These points also apply when building a temporary fort that faces an enemy castle.

進退心得之事

Shindai Kokoroe no Koto

Things to keep in mind when advancing and retreating:

♦
During a night attack shinobi infiltrate from steep areas.

♦
When defending a castle and the besieging enemy withdraw, you should not end your defense or let your guard down while the enemy are still within a distance of twenty ri. Send shinobi to follow them until there are no doubts left.

君臣たる人ハ侫者に近つくべからざる事

Kunshin Taru Hito wa Neisha ni Chikazuku Bekarazaru Koto

The lord and his retainers should not surround themselves with evil-minded people

In war, shinobi should be sent, and/or monomi are sent out to scout to discover the enemy’s intention. They observe the topography of the land before any orders are given to a force. Likewise, in times of peace
yokome
(“investigators”) should be used to investigate the talk and behavior of those of other provinces before any judgement in governing is decided.

Indeed, victory in war is secured by the ability of these shinobi and monomi. It rests on their ability to identify [the truth of a situation]. Also if they harbor no evil intentions then the lord’s tactics will unfold positively and they will fulfil a complete victory. If they are lacking in the power of observation, and their minds are not righteous, then these tactics will fail. Ruin will immediately follow.