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A ninja (Japanese: 忍者; [ɲiꜜɲdʑa]) or shinobi (Japanese: 忍び; ) was a covert agent, mercenary, or guerrilla warfare expert in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu. [1]
The Illustrated Ninja Handbook: Hidden Techniques of Ninjutsu. Tokyo–Rutland, Vt.–Singapore: Tuttle, 2014. Callos, Tom. "Notable American Martial Artists", Black Belt Magazine, May 2007, pp. 72–73. DiMarzio, Daniel. A Story of Life, Fate, and Finding the Lost Art of Koka Ninjutsu in Japan, 2008. ISBN 978-1-4357-1208-9
By the mid-1960s, there were numerous popular ninja-themed media produced in Japan and it became popular for Japanese children to wear ninja costumes. [10] During this second boom, some of the Japanese ninja-themed media were exported to several international markets such as Australia and Italy, but did not reach North America. [8]
Jinichi Kawakami (川上仁一) b. 1949, head of Banke Shinobinoden, is the last sōke and only heir to authentic ninjutsu. [1] [better source needed] He says he is the 21st head of the Koga Ban family (Iga and Koga Ninjutsu), a mercenary, and the honorary director of the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum. [2]
The ninja of the Iga-ryū was also divided into different "classes" and ranks, based solely on the ninja's skill level. This hierarchy was simplified in the writings of the mid-20th-century author Heishichiro Okuse, who labeled them into three general categories: "jonin (upper ninja)", "chūnin (middle ninja)", and "genin (lower ninja)".
Sarutobi Sasuke's image has been very influential in ninja fiction, in which he is usually portrayed as a young boy. The character was immortalized in contemporary Japanese culture by the popular Tachikawa Bunko (Pocket Books) children's literature between 1911 and 1925, [10] [11] as well as in Sarutobi Sasuke, one of the more famous gag manga by Shigeru Sugiura from the 1950s (followed by ...
Fūma Kotarō (風魔 小太郎) was the name adopted by the leader of the ninja Fūma clan (風魔一党, Fūma-ittō) during the Sengoku era of feudal Japan. He was a retainer of the Later Hōjō clan. According to some records, [which?] his name was originally Kazama Kotarō (風間 小太郎).
Little is known about Zenjūbō's origins, except that he was an expert gunner. [1] Various theories exist based on his name and location. Among these theories are that he was a ninja of the Sugitani family, belonging to one of the Kōga's 53 Families (甲賀五十三家), which served the Rokkaku clan and allied with them during the Chōkyō-Entoku Rebellion (長享・延徳の乱) against ...