Ninjas are often depicted as doing elaborate martial art stunts while waving nunchucks at their enemies. This all happens while they are wearing black colored clothes and covering their face to protect their own identity.
However, this pop culture version of ninjas is far from the truth. While they were trained assassins, they also needed to blend in with society. This often meant wearing regular clothes and doing the dirty jobs for samurai.
Because ninjas have been ingrained into Japanese culture for many centuries, many people believe that ninjas originated in Japan. However, you may be surprised to hear that ninjas actually come from China.
In this article we shall take a look at the origins of ninjas more closely, and more about ninjas in general.
Where Do Ninjas Originate From?
In Japanese folklore you will learn that ninjas are half-cow and half-man demons. Obviously this is not true. In fact, there is a real reason why ninjas came about, and it was not from Japan.
The Tang Dynasty in China collapsed during the 10th century. Because of this, a lot of the elites decided to flee to Japan in order to have a better life and to be safe.
One of these elite men was Sun Tzu, a well-known military general. He wrote a book titled The Art of War. He introduced his way of fighting to Japan.
The Chinese monks arrived in Japan a hundred years later who also introduced their own philosophies when it came to fighting. The up-and-coming ninjas adopted a lot of the ideas that were brought in by the Chinese.
Is A Ninja Also Known As A Shinobi?
You may have heard the words ‘ninja’ and ‘shinobi’ used interchangeably. This is because they both mean the same thing. In today’s world, these stealth-like warriors are often referred to as ninjas.
The word ninja itself actually originates from China. It is seen by the Chinese as evidence that the root of all ninjas is from China. The two Chinese letters are written in kanji and are pronounced as “nin sha”.
It translates to ‘the one who endures’.
In Japanese kanji the two letters are the same, however it is pronounced as “shinobi no mono” instead. The word ‘shinobi’ is in reference to being stealth. This is what is needed to be a ninja fighter, after all.
In Japan the ninjas were always called shinobi. However, the Chinese language was seen as sounding more intelligent, a little like when we use a French sounding word – for example, ‘avante-garde’ or ‘chauffeur’.
A lot of Japanese people thought that using Chinese words made them seem more educated, which is something people still do today.
Because of this concept, shinobi were often called ninjas, even by the Japanese. However, in modern times many people do refer to ninjas as shinobi in Japan.
When Was The Ninja Golden Age?
During the Sengoku period – which happened between the years 1467 (to 1477 during the Onin WAR) and 1598 when Japan’s restoration began – it was known as the Ninja Golden Age.
During this time there was a lot of political unrest and lawlessness. There were many warlords fighting for control over different places in Japan. It was the perfect time for ninjas to use their training too.
Warlords and the enemies of the Warlords used ninjas in cunning ways to fight battles. However, they were mainly used as spies. The ninjas you see in anime and manga are often inspired by this era of shinobi.
Despite the anonymity of ninjas, some of them during this time had great prominence and success. One of the ninjas was Fujibayashi Nagato. He was especially known as the leader of the Iga clan of ninjas.
The ninjas who were still alive after the Battle of Iga were the ones who wrote the information on ninjas in the hope of it being preserved. The Sengoku period was also on its way to ending at this point too.
What Was The Social Class Of A Ninja?
In feudal Japan, there was not much movement for moving up and down the social classes. This is generally because as a peasant you were stuck with the work and life that you had.
Those who owned the lands were the ones who had money. In fact, they were born into this nobility. It often spanned generations after generations of families.
Ninjas were known to come from the lower social classes. This meant they were likely to be peasants or commoners.
The reason lower social status people were good at being ninjas was because they often did what they needed to do in order to survive. As a ninja this was a useful trait to have.
You could also be sent out to do the dirty work too. Some people at this social level already knew how to kill or fight.
Even so, being a ninja had its own social levels. The high man (also known as jonin) was the person who received the order of the person who wanted to hire the clan of ninjas.
He would then pass this information onto the middle-man (also known as chunin). Once he had heard all of the information needed, it would then get told to the ninjas. These were known as genin in the food chain.
Despite the ninja being the commoner or the peasant, he did actually have the chance to climb the ranks and become either a jonin or a chonin.
Final Thoughts
Contrary to popular belief, the ninja’s origins actually come from China. Even though you may hear a ninja is half-cow/half-man, you might want to rethink this Japanese folklore tale.
The style of fighting and stealth abilities of a ninja come from the Chinese people who left China after the collapse of the Tang Dynasty. Not only that, a century later the Chinese monks who arrived on Japanese soil further helped to develop the ninja.
Now you know where the ninja roots lie.
I hope that, by exploring this website, you all will develop a much deeper appreciation for Japan, and that it may even influence you to pay it a visit yourself eventually! It is definitely a trip of a lifetime, and whether you experience it firsthand, or through my own website, I’m sure you will become just as passionate as I always have been!
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