Susan Spann on Girls Can Be Ninjas Too

[A couple of weeks ago we published a Susan Spann classic on Female Samurai Warriors.  This Sunday we offer Susan's take on another generally male dominated job opportunity available to qualified female applicants in ancient Japan: Ninja. –Jeff]

Susan––

When I say "ninja," most people think of black-clad men who appear from the shadows and strike without warning.

Check out those pajamas...

These medieval assassins remain a popular part of modern culture, appearing in films, in books, and even on coffee mugs...

Trust me. I'm a ninja.

But not all medieval Japanese assassins were male, and not all of them walked in shadow.

The female members of ninja clans were also trained as spies and assassins (the proper word for these women was "kunoichi")-- and they formed an important part of the medieval Japanese spy and assassin networks.  Like their male counterparts, kunoichi trained in combat, stealth, disguise, and assassination. However, their missions and function differed from those of male ninjas (more properly called "shinobi") in several important ways.

Although most people think of ninjas primarily as assassins, they often worked as undercover agents and information-gathering spies. Where a shinobi might pose as a farmer, merchant, or traveling performer, kunoichi often adopted the roles of courtesans, temple maidens, or traveling priestesses. In these disguises, kunoichi infiltrated temples, castles, and fortresses, either to gather information or to strike at well-protected targets male assassins could not reach.

Medieval samurai lived well-defended lives. As a result, assassinations by male shinobi usually required clandestine (and usually nocturnal) missions, a medieval form of “seek and destroy” that gave rise to the black-clad ninja myth which persists to the modern day.

By contrast, a kunoichi could gain her target’s trust until he allowed her intimate access, at which point she could attack—when both his pants and his guard were down. 

In medieval Japan, where women were often prized for beauty rather than skill, a kunoichi’s ability to appear both innocent and harmless was one of her most valuable—and deadly—weapons. However, the female ninja were just as deadly, and as well-trained in weapons and combat skills, as any male shinobi.

Courtesans...or killers?

In some ways, kunoichi inspired more fear than their masculine counterparts because of their ability to mimic women that samurai would normally see as "harmless." Guards could watch the roof and patrol the corridors of a castle. Lanterns and watchmen on the walls could stop an assassin from sneaking in unseen. But kunoichi didn’t sneak around in black pajamas, and they rarely killed their targets right away. A kunoichi took the time to earn the target’s trust, and used that trusted position to gather information...and to strike when he let his defenses down.

Kunoichi weren’t exempt from suicide missions and long-term undercover assignments. They filled an equal, and important, role within the ninja clan, using tactics, assignments, and weapons suited to their unique and particular strengths.

Neko-te (Cats' Claws) - a favored weapon of kunoichi

Unfortunately, the kunoichi hasn't found and maintained the enduring fame of the male ninja assassin. Modern Westerners might not recognize a killer in courtesan’s dress. But now you know, as the samurai did, that not all medieval Japanese women were peaceful flowers. In some cases, claws and daggers lurked behind those lovely fans.

--- Susan Spann

A Different Kind of Not-So-Holiday Star...

--Susan, every other Sunday

According to the Bible, and Christian tradition, the magi followed a star to find the location of the Christ child. The Star of David (or "Shield of David") is heavily associated with Judaism, and appears on the Israeli flag. The star and crescent symbolizes Islam...

... and one of the most famous ninja weapons (in fact, the only unique ninja weapon most people know) is the shuriken, also known as the "ninja star."

Actual ninja stars, on display at the Iga Museum 

SEE WHAT I DID THERE?

The word "shuriken" literally translates "behind-the-hand knife" or "hand-hidden blade," and though most Westerners think of shuriken as "throwing stars" the word actually refers to a much more general type of weapon--a knife or blade that a person can easily conceal in the hand. 

In truth, shuriken weren't always thrown, and they came in many different shapes, only some of which were stars: 

BO SHURIKEN

Bo shuriken (also called "stick shuriken") were essentially sharpened iron spikes, either square or rounded in shape. This type of shuriken was generally thrown, though shinobi (the Japanese word for "ninja") also used them for stabbing in close combat.

Antique bo shuriken (Iga Ninja Museum)

HIRA SHURIKEN

Hira shuriken (also called "sha-ken"), were normally flat and came in a variety of shapes, including the familiar five and six-armed stars. 

 A display of antique hira shuriken.

This type of shuriken also took the form of crosses, triangles, and even swastikas (a shape and symbol that had very different meaning in Asia, and before the twentieth century).

18th century hira shuriken on display at the Iga Ninja Museum.

Most commonly, hira shuriken were used as fist load weapons, held or concealed in the hand with points protruding between the fingers. In close combat, pointed fist load weapons cause significant (often fatal) injuries, and make the user difficult to disarm.

A MULTI-PURPOSE WEAPON

The shuriken demonstrates a cardinal aspect of shinobi weapons and tactics: the emphasis on multi-purpose gear. Ninjas worked in secret, and had to avoid detection, so lightweight gear and minimal baggage were vital to survival. A tool which filled many different roles was better than one that offered only a single or limited range of purposes.

A ninja could use a shuriken as a throwing or stabbing weapon, a cutting tool, and in any other circumstance where a blade might come in handy. Although its primary purpose was as a weapon, shinobi training taught ninjas to be resourceful, creative thinkers and problem solvers.

And shuriken fill one more purpose, too...

...they just allowed me to write a murderous holiday post that's full of stars.

Wishing you, and your family, a happy, safe, and peaceful holiday season.

Training the Ninja

Susan--Every-other-Sunday

Many people know that ninjas (shinobi in Japanese) were highly trained assassins, skilled with throwing weapons like shuriken and daggers. However, shinobi were more than pajama-clad, knife-wielding killing machines. Their training included not only multiple forms of combat, but also espionage, disguise, and deception—making the ninja the “007” of Japan’s medieval age.

Sample Shinobi disguises, as seen at the ninja museum of Iga, Japan

Ninja training started in childhood, with skills passed down from father to son, and also within the shinobi clan. Combat methods were closely guarded secrets, rarely taught or shown to outsiders (except, of course, for the ones who wouldn’t live to tell the tale).

Both men and women trained in ninja arts—female practitioners were known as kunoichi, and became both spies and assassins alongside their male counterparts.

Shuko - climbing claws, used by both men and women.

Ninja training encompassed many different arts, both physical and mental. This enabled them to function as spies or assassins, depending on the needs of the clan.

Shinobi were weapons experts, familiar with various forms of ranged and hand-to-hand combat. Most acquired proficiency with multiple weapons, in order to better adapt to a range of possible circumstances.

Actual shinobi lockpicks in the Iga museum

Shuriken—sometimes called “throwing stars,” although they came in many shapes—were used as ranged weapons but also as fist loads, making them versatile in a range of situations.

A small selection of shuriken from the Iga museum collection.

Shinobi also pioneered the use of caltrops in Japan. These pointed objects could be thrown behind a fleeing shinobi to slow or stop pursuers, or scattered across a hallway, opening or road as a trap. Caltrops were normally pyramid-shaped, and were designed to have at least one point in an upward position no matter which way they landed on the ground. The ninja museum in Iga, Japan, has a large display of caltrops, demonstrating the wide variety of materials and shapes the shinobi used. One of the most interesting is also completely natural—a thorny seed pod that may have been the inspiration for the man-made metal and wooden types.

Natural seed-pod caltrops. OUCH. (Think "legos in the night" meets thorns.)

Another important part of shinobi training involved disguises. Good spies blend into their environment, and shinobi learned to impersonate merchants, priests, farmers, and even samurai. Kunoichi learned disguises, too; they frequently took on the role of itinerant priestesses and spied on the men (and women) who visited shrines.

Poisons and explosives rounded out the shinobi’s arsenal. 

Shinobi explosives, from the Iga Ninja Museum

Hollow bamboo tubes made perfect natural casings for smoke bombs, fireworks, and grenades, used for diversions and destruction, depending on the mission at hand. Gunpowder came to Japan from China before the first European traders introduced the country to firearms, and ninja were using explosives long before the first samurai held a gun. Fortunately for the shinobi, many of the ingredients required to produce explosive powders—horse dung, moxa, camphor, and even saltpeter—were in plentiful supply in the mountainous regions Japan’s most important shinobi clans called home.

Iga, Japan.

The ninjas’ diverse and unusual skill set made them uniquely suited to their role as spies and assassins. (Ironically, that same set of skills creates a good detective, which is why I set my Shinobi mystery series in medieval Japan, and made my investigator a master ninja.) Although most people know them only from movies featuring black-clad supermen who vanish like smoke and attack without warning, in reality, they were highly-proficient weapons experts, trained from childhood in a range of techniques that made them capable of not only assassination, but also a wide range of covert operations.

Girls Can Be Ninjas, Too

When I say "ninja," most people think of black-clad men who appear from the shadows and strike without warning.

Check out those pajamas...

These medieval assassins remain a popular part of modern culture, appearing in films, in books, and even on coffee mugs...

Trust me. I'm a ninja.

But not all medieval Japanese assassins were male, and not all of them walked in shadow.

The female members of ninja clans were also trained as spies and assassins (the proper word for these women was "kunoichi")-- and they formed an important part of the medieval Japanese spy and assassin networks.  Like their male counterparts, kunoichi trained in combat, stealth, disguise, and assassination. However, their missions and function differed from those of male ninjas (more properly called "shinobi") in several important ways.

Although most people think of ninjas primarily as assassins, they often worked as undercover agents and information-gathering spies. Where a shinobi might pose as a farmer, merchant, or traveling performer, kunoichi often adopted the roles of courtesans, temple maidens, or traveling priestesses. In these disguises, kunoichi infiltrated temples, castles, and fortresses, either to gather information or to strike at well-protected targets male assassins could not reach.

Medieval samurai lived well-defended lives. As a result, assassinations by male shinobi usually required clandestine (and usually nocturnal) missions, a medieval form of “seek and destroy” that gave rise to the black-clad ninja myth which persists to the modern day.

By contrast, a kunoichi could gain her target’s trust until he allowed her intimate access, at which point she could attack—when both his pants and his guard were down. 

In medieval Japan, where women were often prized for beauty rather than skill, a kunoichi’s ability to appear both innocent and harmless was one of her most valuable—and deadly—weapons. However, the female ninja were just as deadly, and as well-trained in weapons and combat skills, as any male shinobi.

Courtesans...or killers?

In some ways, kunoichi inspired more fear than their masculine counterparts because of their ability to mimic women that samurai would normally see as "harmless." Guards could watch the roof and patrol the corridors of a castle. Lanterns and watchmen on the walls could stop an assassin from sneaking in unseen. But kunoichi didn’t sneak around in black pajamas, and they rarely killed their targets right away. A kunoichi took the time to earn the target’s trust, and used that trusted position to gather information...and to strike when he let his defenses down.

Kunoichi weren’t exempt from suicide missions and long-term undercover assignments. They filled an equal, and important, role within the ninja clan, using tactics, assignments, and weapons suited to their unique and particular strengths.

Neko-te (Cats' Claws) - a favored weapon of kunoichi

Unfortunately, the kunoichi hasn't found and maintained the enduring fame of the male ninja assassin. Modern Westerners might not recognize a killer in courtesan’s dress. But now you know, as the samurai did, that not all medieval Japanese women were peaceful flowers. In some cases, claws and daggers lurked behind those lovely fans.

--- Susan Spann