Ninjas: The Assassinated Samurai

Ninjas have been known for centuries for their abilities, training, and stealth. Over the ages, these amazing soldiers have become the make of legend. History has little to say about ninjas. It is difficult to decide the precise origin of the silent assassins, because historians did not record as much about them. This is due to the fact that ninjas were recruited from the lower class. They were created to counteract the upper-class samurai of feudal Japan. The art of ninjutsu began around 600-900 AD. Ninja clan training done by Japanese war monks was greatly influenced by the Chinese monks, who fled to Japan after the chaotic fall of the Tang Dynasty. Some ninjas were disgraced Samurai, but most were lower class people such as farmers. They were hired as assassins and soldiers in espionage. They were not held to the same standards as the noble samurai, and some samurai used this to their advantage, and even hired ninjas to do their dirty work. They either spied for armies or leaders, or were hired by leaders to poison, assassinate, or kill enemy leaders. In

They could disguise themselves as foot-soldiers, farmers, guards, etc. For night operations, they wore navy blue to blend into the darkness. Weapons consisted of shinobigatana (medium-length swords,) the bo and naginata (war staves and pikes,) and martial arts like karate. Ninja also created unique tools and weapons such as the shuko, an iron hand climbing tool, and the tessen, a sharpened metal fan. They also used silent shoes called geta which were wooden sandals with cotton that enabled them to move noiselessly. Some ninjas disguised themselves as flute players, but then used their flute as a blow dart or weapon. In feudal Japan, ninjas could use modified farming tools as a disguise and then use them as weapons as