Short story for Ninja history
It is said Ninja came to existence historically about 1400 years ago. A record shows, Shōtoku-Taishi hired Ootomo Hosohito as Shinobi (ninja’s original name) with spying techniques to observe enemy’s movement who then defeated the enemies using Ninjutsu (Ninja’s art) called “Sun-Tzu’s Yoma(gap)”. Shōtoku-Taishi(Crown-Prince) introduced Buddhism to Japan first and established a basis for the Yamato Dynasty as well. He also gave Hata family(Hata-uji) from Shilla people an important position then Hata family settled down in Iga & Koka region afterwards and taught Ninjutsu to the locals.
Ninja’s activities became known in Nara period ‘710-794’ and it was brought then by the establishment of the manorial system. A life of the middle age was used to center around the cultivation of rice of manor. The lord of this manor was a powerful family,the nobility,a Shinto shrine, a big temple and the Imperial family.The people without land were called“ Akutou” means a blackguard or scoundrel protected these manorial system.
Activities of the ‘Akutou’ have developed to the basis of Ninja’s roll. A ninja’s work is a kind of occupation that works as a spy for the manor of an enemy. This kind of work used to be a job of farmers or monk soldiers from big temples and not a job of Samurai warriors. The ninja work such as a night attacks or back-end supports were not rewarded along with the outcome of land given by a lord to a vassal for samurai service. In the later Sengoku period(Warring State Period)(1467-1590) many daimyos (feudal lords) have hired ninja on good achievement bases and started to treat chief ninjas as Ninshi (samurai ninja in low class) if they show managing ability. Also arts transferred by ninja are quite versatile in field such as Kampo (herbal pharmacy), meteorology, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, divination and literacy.
So, communication by written record was essential rather than through word of a mouth. Therein it was not the work of illiterate farmers but the involvement of literate mountain priests or monks of Shugendo (Japanese mountain asceticism incorporating Shinto and Buddhist concepts) who played essential part in developing ninja art form.
Speaking of Shugendo, its temple was terminated in Meiji Revolution period when the government ordinance to integrate shrine and temple was effected. 240,000 believers then declined drastically thereby majority of Japanese now have no knowledge of mountain worship which has Buddhism integrated. Nobody is able to talk about reality of ninja in conjunction with Yamabushi ( mountain priest) in other words.
Uncle Nick is talking about the role of Shugendo in the formation of ninja art.
Let’s take a look at the area around Kyoto where the capital was once situated until Meiji Era. Its small valley is divided by the mountains with ups and downs. In fact range of mountains, hills and plateaus occupy three fourth of Kyoto region. That is to say the mountain ridges are often the front line of the battle field with opponents. You might as well notice here the importance of battle line which is tugged in the mountain ranges.
The flourishhing of ninja art stood on those 3 conditions;
the relationship with Shugendo which has survival skill new technologies and intelligence visited from across the seas such as pharmacyof an herbal medicine,a gun and gunpowder a demand for professional ninja work.In the Battle Age,daimyos of all of land of Japan got ninja group for their selves.
Especially we have to notice Iga,Koka and Togakushi(Sanada)ninja group historically with incredible skill.
