Ninja

The ninja, Japan’s famous black-clad spies and assassins renowned for their superb martial arts skills, are the stuff of legend, their shadowy dealings inspiring countless tales in Japanese folklore. No other military figure in the world has captured the popular imagination as have the ninja, with a swathe of movies, comic books, theme parks and computer games being dedicated to them.

Ninja takes the reader into the world of Japan in 1789, conveying the excitement, danger and subterfuge of the period. Based on an original ninjutsu training manual, it teaches readers precisely what is required to become a ninja, and of course the craft itself, so that they can master the ninja arts.

Illustrated throughout with contemporary artifacts, documents and prints taken from the original manuals, as well as modern reconstructions, this light-hearted but informative guide will captivate readers young and old, and covers every aspect of what it was really like to be a ninja in Japan.

Table of Contents

Foreword by His Most Illustrious Highness Tokugawa Ienari, Shogun of Japan • 1. What is a Ninja? • 2. Ninja and You! • 3. The Secret History of the Ninja • 4. IGA: True Land of the Ninja • 5. Fake Ninja – A Word to the Wise! • 6. The Amazing Exploits of the Iga Ninja During the Age of War • 7. How to Develop the Mind of a Ninja • 8. Specialized Ninja Equipment and When to Use It • 9. Ninja Weapons and How to Use Them • 10. Espionage and Intelligence Gathering • 11. Ninja Techniques of Infiltration • 12. How to Cause Chaos Wherever You Go • 13. The Ninja in Life and Death • 14. An Example of a Secret Ninja Scroll