The Ninja: Warrior Assassin or Deceptive Thief?

There are many mysteries surrounding the ancient warrior known as the shinobi (ninja). Hollywood depicts the ninja as a masked assassin which is known for brutality and deception. So was the ninja an assassin? Thief? Spy? Con artist? Murderer?

Ninja could be accurately described as all of the above and much more, depending on the situation at hand. To become a ninja, one had to be extremely intelligent in many areas, which included anything from combat to persuasion.

Ninja were masters at manipulating any situation to their advantage using various tactics such as flattery or diversion. They did not operate within the same moral boundaries as the rest of society. Instead, ninja would do whatever was necessary to complete a mission, whether it be lying, stealing, or even killing.

Another misconception surrounding the ninja is the belief that they would be willing to sacrifice their life in order to complete a mission. Samurai were known to sacrifice their life for missions, even taking their own life if they were disgraced. The ninja were known to have no ego or anything to prove. They would gladly escape with their lives, even at the expense of failing a mission. Ninja considered themselves to be valuable commodities, not to be needlessly sacrificed if it could be avoided.

Despite their deadly perception, ninja were mainly used as information gatherers. Instead of walking around in all black suits and masks as seen in the movies, ninja would dress in whatever clothing is worn by the locals in whichever province he may be gathering information. Shinobi (ninja) were masters at disguise. They would have multiple types of clothing to blend in with the surrounding community. Not only would ninja dress the part, but in order to be a true ninja, dialects and facial expressions also had to be mastered to avoid detection.

Many valuable lessons can be learned from the way of the shinobi (ninja). Ninja’s had no ego, and would always think outside the box in order to accomplish their goals. They spent their entire lives learning as much about anything they could in order to increase their intelligence. Shinobi truly believed that knowledge is power, and the more knowledge one could acquire, the more powerful the ninja becomes.

Author: Jason Gandy

Published: May 29, 2013

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