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CHAPTER 1  THE FIRST SPIES

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In the Western world, Japanese ninjas are often

seen as mystical figures with special powers to

transcend normal physical limitations: able

to walk on water, become invisible at will,

and have control over the natural world.

The reality was rather different, but ninjas did

exist and they were formidable opponents—a

combination of spy and special-forces soldier.

HEREDITARY GUILDS

The word “ninja” comes from Chinese and roughly

translates as “one who endures.” Although ninja-like

warriors had existed since the sixth century, it was only

in the fifteenth century that the proper ninjas emerged.

They came from the remote, mountainous Iga and Koga

regions, and formed hereditary guilds that ensured their

exclusive clan nature.

The aristocratic samurai warrior class favored individual

combat as a form of public display. The ninjas took an

opposite path, keeping in the background as they went

about their secret activities. The samurai disdained the

ninjas, but they were reliant on their skills.

“CONCERNING NINJA,

THEY WERE SAID TO BE FROM

IGA AND KŌGA, AND WENT

FREELY INTO ENEMY CASTLES

IN SECRET. THEY OBSERVED

HIDDEN THINGS, AND WERE

TAKEN AS BEING FRIENDS.”

From Nochi Kagami, an early Ninja history