Ninja

Ninja (??) or shinobi (??) (literally, "one who endures") were agents of espionage in feudal Japan. Some modern practitioners of budo ninjutsu argue that ninja were used primarily as spies, not assassins. It is popularly believed that the ancient ninja were peasants, forbidden under law from studying the samurai swordplay techniques because of feudal Japan's caste structure. Others contend that many ninja were also samurai, operating as spies in the service of their daimyo. The latter is more likely as there aren't any records of peasant ninja, while there are many samurai families who are recorded as being ninja. Contrary to popular belief, bushido didn't in fact stop samurai from being ninja.

Etymology

The word ninja originated 800 years ago in the mountains of Japan to mean someone who practiced ninjutsu, a kind of martial art often called "the art of stealth" or "the art of invisibility". It derives from the Japanese phrase shinobi no mono. This phrase is written with two Kanji (Chinese characters), pronounced r?nzh? (??) in Mandarin. The first character, the same one used for ninjutsu, means endurance or persevere, however the meaning was later extended to mean conceal and move stealthily. The second character means person. The ninja are sometimes referred to by another Chinese term ?? lín g?i, "forest devils". They were Chinese counterparts of the Japanese ninja or shinobi, and were believed to be one of the many aspects that helped influenced art of ninjutsu in Japan.

Related Topics:
Ninjutsu - Shinobi no mono - Kanji - Chinese character - Mandarin

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