Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique
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The following points are used in seppuku to stop the victim from taking control:
Paper around the wakizashi short sword
A short sword is placed on a tray for the victims to use to disembowel themselves with. The handle is removed and the tang of the blade is wrapped in thick paper, and only the end section of the tip of the blade is left exposed. This is done so that the victim cannot take up the short sword and kill those around them and escape.
The distance between the examiner and the victim
The examining official should sit approximately eleven-and-a-half feet (three-anda-half meters) away from the victim. This is so that the victim cannot jump up and take the sword of the sitting official and kill those around him.
The Second should observe the attitude of the victim and adjust to fit.
The Second is the man that decapitates the victim. There are three basic positions that a Second can adopt or move through (see the illustration on the opposite page). Their task is to observe the feeling and actions of the victim, and they may have to kill the supplicant before the ceremony starts if they think that action is required:
1. They should kneel down about five feet (one-and-a-half meters) from the victim with one knee up, ready to pounce and kill the victim if he looks like he is about to move to an offensive action.
2. If the victim looks like they are going to commit suicide without incident then the Second moves to stand to the victim’s left, the big toe of his right foot in line with the victim’s hip.
3. If the victim looks agitated or the Second gets the feeling that the victim is going to move on the offensive just before the moment that they should cut open their own stomach, then the Second will move in close and position themselves almost central and behind them. The Second will place the sword blade on the back of their left hand, with the tip pointing towards the center of the back of the victim. If the victim makes a move then the Second will stab with the tip through the back of their ribs, killing them.
The victim should face the sun or moon.
The victim should always have the sun, moon or illumination to their front. This is so that they cannot see the shadow of the executioner and his sword swing. Seppuku is an intriguing part of samurai culture, yet at times it should be considered oppression and forced suicide, making it execution and not suicide. A samurai may be forced to commit suicide so that their “crimes” do not fall on their families. It has to be remembered that entire samurai families may be eradicated because of one person’s “crimes.” Alongside this, the above methods of defending against a victim of seppuku and their possible attack are all sure signs that some people who were forced to commit suicide clearly did not wish to and could and did attack officials—making the history of ritual suicide in Japan one of forced execution, heroic deeds and last-ditch attempts at life. Seppuku must be seen as a blood ritual that elevated the honorable, killed the innocent and was used as a tool to take control. However, Japan had a long tradition of warriors following their lords in death, rituals that existed before the samurai, and this fact should not be ignored. And it should be remembered that countless individuals killed themselves to journey to the afterlife and accompany their lord in death, so much so that the act of killing yourself to follow your lord to the afterlife was banned in Japan in the Edo Period; while some samurai would not die by their own hand, many willingly did.
The Major Players
The history of Japan and of the “major players” in its development is vast, expansive, political and complex. In the West we generally focus on a few of the main characters from samurai history and tend to have a limited understanding of the intricacies of the “story” itself (which is understandable as it is vastly complex). Therefore, the following list is a short description of those people commonly discussed and where they fit into the story of the samurai—this will help you to understand the basics of a “samurai narrative” and at least start to form a structure in your mind of the overview of the samurai story. More samurai profiles and outlines can be found at the back of Samurai War Stories.
The 1100s
Minamoto no Yoritomo was a member of the Genji clan and the victor of one of Japan’s most famous wars, the Genji versus the Heike clan.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune was of the same family and time as the above; he is also often connected to the origin of shinobi or covert tactics.
Ise no Saburo Yoshimori was a general under the above Minamoto no Yoshitsune and is thought to be connected with the origin and history of the shinobi—he is the supposed author of the 100 ninja poems.
Taira no Kiyomori was a member of the above-mentioned Heike clan that flourished under him; he died of disease.
The 1300s
Kusunoki Masashige served the Emperor of Japan against the rise of the Ashikaga clan. Kusunoki is considered one of the greatest Japanese generals of all time and is a paragon of loyalty, allowing himself to die due to a bad command given by his lord, even though he knew it meant his death. He is also mentioned in shinobi literature as being connected to the ninja, not as a shinobi himself but as an unconventional tactician.
The 1500s
The sixteenth century included the Warring States Period and was a time of blood, fire, and destruction. It was filled with treaties, broken treaties, political moves and shifts and should be understood as a highly complex time in Japanese history filled with war but which lead to an era of peace. Many samurai changed allegiance, formed new pacts and the country was in a state of turmoil. The people below are the main players of that time and are followed by the location they are most associated with.
Takeda Shingen in Kai, considered to be one of the greatest warlords in Japanese history, died of disease before his military campaigns ended.
Uesugi Kenshin in Echigo, he engaged in many battles and is famous for his battles with Takeda Shingen.
Oda Nobunaga in Owari and Gifu, the first of the great unifiers of Japan, united Japan towards the end of the Sengoku Period but died due to a rebellion within his ranks.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Osaka, followed on after Nobunaga and continued to hold a unified Japan and then invaded Korea.
Ishida Mitsunari in Omi, protector and regent to the son of the above Hideyoshi, he went to battle with and lost against Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the Sengoku Period.
Tokugawa Ieyasu in Edo, after the death of Hideyoshi he took the country by force, which culminated at the Battle of Sekigahara where he defeated the last of his opposition and started the golden “age of peace.”
Samurai and Shinobi Literature
While there are thousands of volumes of samurai literature left to the world, they are of course in Japanese and “lost” in vast collections; therefore the following list is of those documents which are available in English. It must be remembered that it is often the case that documents are chosen for publication for different reasons and that published samurai documents predominantly focus on ethics and not war. The reason for this is that essays on ethics fit in more with our modern mind-set as the reality of samurai battle is sometimes too harsh to consider. The aim of my team—the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team—is to bring about a new line of published work that exposes the truth and a more balanced view of what was being written in samurai times, a work in progress. Often the date of writing and stance of the author can affect the feeling of the history of the samurai, so as a reader you must take care as to when the document was written and why. Remember that the slices of English translations that are available can skew our understanding of the world of the samurai, giving us tunnel vision and a localized view of what samurai thought and did.
Epic samurai stories and poems translated into English:
Heike Monogatari—The Tale of Heike
Hogen Monogatari—Tale of the Disorder in Hogen
Taiheiki War Chronicle—The war chronicle in which Kusunoki Masashige appears
Samurai military and practical manuals in English:
A collection of shinobi poems attributed to Ise no Saburo Yoshimori, a general under the Minamoto family; these have been translated in Secret Traditions of the Shinobi.
The Shinobi Hiden
A ninja manual said to be written by Hattori Hanzo in 1560, the date of which has been contested by some but is still a topic of debate, translated in Secret Traditions of the Shinobi.
The shinobi scrolls of the Gunpo Jiyoshu
The collected skills of the shinobi written in around 1612 by Ogasawara Saku’un, translated in Secret Traditions of the Shinobi.
The Gorin no Sho
The famous treatise on swordsmanship by Miyamoto Musashi in the 1600s, it is often translated as the Book of Five Rings—the title should be understood as “the universal writing.”
The writings of Yagyu Munenori
In the first half of the 1600s, Yagyu Munenori wrote on the way of the sword and his family tradition, published as the Life Giving Sword. A further work that is heavily connected to the above man and to Zen are the writings published in English as the Unfettered Mind.
Heiho Hidensho
A martial arts manual with some military study, attributed to Yamamoto Kanusuke but most likely written by a later student in or around the mid 1600s, published as Secrets of the Japanese Art of Warfare.
The Zohyo Monogatari and the Musha Monogatari
Two manuals, one written to train foot soldiers and the other written to collect heroic stories of the past, both from the mid 1600s and published as Samurai War Stories.
The Bansenshukai
Written in 1676 by Fujibayashi Yasutake, it is considered the comprehensive text on ninjutsu published as the Book of Ninja, with further writings under the title Book of Samurai.
The Shoninki
Written in 1681 by Natori Sanjuro Masazumi who was a prolific writer and chronicler of ancient Japanese ways, the Shoninki is one of the secret shinobi documents of Natori-Ryu, a school of military tactics and branch school of Kusunoki-Ryu and is published as True Path of the Ninja.
The writings of Yamaga Soko
Yamaga Soko was a prolific writer on multiple subjects. While he produced a colossal manual on military warfare, translators have concentrated on his philosophical stance; five of his texts are published in Samurai Wisdom.
The Yojokun
A samurai doctor, Kaibara Ekiken wrote in the second half of the 1600s; his work was devoted to health and healthy living, published as the Yojokun.
The Hagakure
Written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo around 1716, the Hagakure is a record of sayings and teachings, partly published as Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai.
The shinobi scrolls of Chikamatsu Shigenori
In 1719 a samurai called Chikamatsu Shigenori recorded the shinobi teachings of both Iga and Koka—places famous for shinobi no jutsu—in the hope of keeping the secrets alive for future generations, published as Iga and Koka Ninja Skills.
The writings of Issai Chozanshi
In the first half of the 1700s Issai Chozanshi wrote a collection of narratives on the art of swordsmanship and Zen in a supernatural setting, published as The Demon’s Sermon on the Martial Arts.
In addition to the above, the book Ideals of the Samurai and Training the Samurai Mind both have collections of samurai works within them.
This list of literature concludes the first half of this book that has painted the basic picture of the samurai. The image of the holy-warrior sword-saint with a devotion to death and honor should now be replaced with a more realistic and brutal image of the professional soldier-warrior, a man of principles that were shaped by the barbaric times of medieval warfare yet tightly wrapped up in educated philosophy and ritual. The samurai was an independent warrior, armed and prepared for battle, ready to be called upon in times of war. They may have changed sides, acted in deception or have been loyal for generations, but above all they were real humans with all the complexities that accompany human society and affairs—making the story of the samurai a complex and human one. While there are ample truths found in the righteous image of the samurai, there is also the other side of the coin, the art of deception and the way of the shinobi.
Footnotes
* This statement is an overview of the samurai class as a whole. In fact there were some fine examples of military samurai who studied the arts of war deeply and it is in this age that the samurai war arts were recorded for posterity. However, these individuals are a reflection of the Warring States Period and do not reflect the reality of the samurai as a whole in the period of peace.
* Terminology varies in each province. The term “Gunposha” is used in different ways and can be a tactician, but can also be military personnel. Here it is considered to mean tactician because there are no others found in the list. However, Natori Sanjuro Masazumi in his writings states that even in his lifetime—which was at the same time that this manual was written—people were recording these terms incorrectly, which may be the case here.
* The number shifts as the seasons change and each hour can change in length. 120 minutes is the average.
* The author of the Bansenshukai named Fujibayashi never states the name of his school and only uses “To-Ryu” (“our school”); therefore I have simply named it after his family, but the school name may have been different.
* Shachi—a mythical carp with the head of a lion and the body of a fish and auspicious protectors of well-being. Pairs are traditionally used to decorate the roof ridges of Japanese castles.
* This last section has been heavily edited.
* A common word used in praying in Buddhism meaning “I sincerely believe” or “Save us.”
† Usually pronounced “Marishiten.”
‡ A ritualistic phrase used in Japanese magic, also used in the Shoninki ninja manual.
Part III
THE SHINOBI
Concerning Shinobi no Mono
Concerning how to utilize shinobi no mono—although it is not definite as to where you should send them, the first place should be enemy territory or the enemy’s camp. They should infiltrate such places to observe and to provide information on their defenses and to burn down the enemy position. Also, they should report the advantages and disadvantages of the topography around the enemy camp and while you and the enemy are confronting each other. Shinobi should infiltrate and listen to glean information on if the enemy are preparing for battle or if they are commencing a night attack—these are the things that they should report back. When your allies are going to give a night attack, shinobi should guide these forces with torches and when the allies retreat, shinobi stay close by and identify if there are enemy forces in hiding, waiting to attack—this is also what shinobi report. Furthermore, shinobi should work as liaison officers between ambushes and guards and pass information between them. On the day before a battle, shinobi should go out in the early evening as distance scouts or they should close in on the sleeping quarters and observe the area—these are the skills of the shinobi.
Someone who is righteous and has the above skills is called a Yoto ヨトウ, it is essential to spare him from regular duties [and less important tasks] and you should grant him a fief. Even if you have only one Yoto [in command] it will result in you gaining more advanced shinobi and also, if you have young and inexperienced [shinobi], they will become efficient and excellent at their task. Therefore, those who are only competent at shinobi skills are called shinobi no mono and excellent practitioners are titled with the term, Yoto-mono ヨトウ者, but some people call them Kumi-gashira—“group captains.” In the “language used by shinobi” this Yoto 與頭 is classed as the head of a shinobi no mono group; however, you must understand that it is not the same as Yato 夜盗—that is, they are not night thieves.
Concerning the outfit 装束 used by this captain at night—if his master gives him the appropriate outfit, [then he] should have one prepared for himself immediately.
The Iike
Gunki Military Manual
Hopefully, by now the image of the samurai in popular culture has been fully taken away. A more realistic, yet colorful, representation has been put in its place. This image shown now should be of a samurai leaving the castle area, or their farmland home; or fortified manor house in the rural areas of his province. The call to battle has been given and the clans are on the march. Following the horns of war, coming together to form an army, the samurai came out of the hills, the plains, and from the towns. Some old feuds will erupt and new alliances will be forged. One thing is for sure; the blood of the enemy is on the horizon and heads will be taken. For a few of these samurai and ashigaru troops, there is a further level to contemplate: these few are the shinobi who will fight a different type of war.
As was shown earlier, the ratio of one to every two hundred men is a fair approximation for those who officially hold the position of shinobi within an army. However, the number of shinobi-trained personnel unofficially listed in the army is unknown. It can be assured that some of the “standard” samurai in the force have performed as shinobi, though they are not recorded in army listings. The knowledge that they did in fact possess shinobi skills is now lost. Both of the aforementioned official and unofficial shinobi-trained men can be divided into various subsections.