Ninjutsu

Histoire

Ninjutsu is linked to the shinobi (ninja) of feudal Japan, especially from the Iga and Koga regions, who worked as spies, scouts and raiders between the 15th and 17th centuries. Their methods were written in manuals such as the "Bansenshukai" (1676).

Much of the ninja image comes from later theatre, novels and films. In the 20th century, schools such as the Bujinkan of Masaaki Hatsumi spread modern ninjutsu, and the "ninja boom" of 1980s films made it world-famous.

Le saviez-vous ?

• The black ninja costume probably comes from kabuki theatre, where stagehands dressed in black to be "invisible".
• Hattori Hanzo, a famous samurai from an Iga family, served Tokugawa Ieyasu.
• Real shinobi skills included disguise, gathering information, explosives and medicine.
• The Iga-ryu Ninja Museum is in Iga, Mie Prefecture.

Glossaire des techniques

Taijutsu

unarmed combat

Hensojutsu

disguise

Intonjutsu

escape and concealment

Ukemi

rolls and falls

Armes et équipement

Shuriken

throwing blades

Kusarigama

sickle with chain

Makibishi

caltrops

Kaginawa

grappling hook

⚔ In the Arsenal

KusarigamaShuriken

Figures clés

• Hattori Hanzo (1542–1596) — samurai of Iga origin, leader of Iga shinobi for Tokugawa
• Masaaki Hatsumi (b. 1931) — founder of the Bujinkan

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica · Iga-ryu Ninja Museum