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Ninja Research Paper

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During feudal Japan, a ninja (or shinobi) was a covert agent or mercenary. A ninja’s mission included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination, and combat in particular situations. Ninja could also cause confusion amongst the enemy during battle.

In contrast with samurai, their covert methods of waging war observed strict rules about honor and combat.

The ninja were stealth warriors and mercenaries hired mostly by daimyos. In modern times, ninjutsu is referred to as the skills ninja were required to master. Although, it is unlikely they were previously named under a single discipline, but were rather trained among a variety of covered espionage and survival skills.

During the Sengoku, or “warring states” period (15th–17th centuries), a specially trained group of mercenaries and spies became active in the Iga Province. Our knowledge of ninja is drawn from clans around these areas. …show more content…

Villages devoted to the training of ninja first appeared in these regions. It is possible that the remoteness and inaccessibility of the surrounding mountains may have had a role in the ninja's secretive development. Historical documents regarding the dawning of ninja in these mountainous regions are considered generally correct.

The ninja faded into obscurity following the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate (17th century). The tradition of the shinobi had become a topic of popular imagination and mystery in Japan by the time of the Meiji Restoration (1868). Some legendary abilities that professed to be in the province of ninja training include invisibility, walking on water, and control over the natural elements.

For this reason, the perception of ninja in 20th century western popular culture is often based more on legend and folklore than on the spies of the Sengoku

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