Prologue

JP

Last time, we talked about ninjas who appear in entertainment and ancient ninjas.

お菊

It was interesting that ninjas had their characteristics since ancient times.

JP

This time and next time, we will introduce the tools that ninjas used.

お菊

I’m curious about the tools that ninjas used.

JP

Let’s talk about them right away.

The truth about ninja ①

Why ninjas did not wear black

When you think of ninja clothing, you might imagine a black ninja costume.
However, in reality, they wore colors such as navy blue or brown.
One possible reason for this is that there was no need to wear all black clothes during the Sengoku period, when there was no bright lighting.
Another reason is that when a ninja wears black clothes, his image stands out in the dark, making it easier for enemies to find out where he is.

How ninjas disguised themselves

Also, of course, they would not wear such clothes all the time, as it would be like saying “I am a ninja”.
It would be like a spy wearing a spy costume.
Therefore, they usually disguised themselves as people of other occupations or roles.
For example, they dressed as ordinary people or peasants to avoid suspicion, or as Buddhist monks to make it easier to cross borders.
They also sometimes dressed as merchants to make it easier to collect information.
In this way, ninjas changed their clothes according to the purpose of each occasion.

Why cross-shaped shuriken were rarely used by ninjas

You might think that shuriken are famous as ninja tools, but they are said to have been rarely used.
This is especially true for cross-shaped shuriken, which do not match the popular image of ninjas.

There are two main reasons for this.
One is that shuriken could expose their identity as ninjas.
Ninjas had to hide their identity and pretend to be someone else, but shuriken were a distinctive tool for ninjas.
Therefore, it was dangerous if the enemy found out that you had a shuriken.
The other reason is that cross-shaped shuriken were difficult to carry and throw.
The cross-shaped shuriken had sharp blades sticking out in four directions, and it was hard to hide them in clothes or on the body.
Also, it was hard to adjust the force and angle when throwing them.

Therefore, ninjas often used a tool called “kunai” instead of cross-shaped shuriken.
A “kunai” is a metal rod shaped like a dagger, with a pointed tip.
It can be used as a dagger, but it can also be thrown.
A “kunai” was a handy tool that travelers and craftsmen also carried.
For example, it could be used as a shovel or a peg.
Therefore, having a “kunai” did not reveal that they were ninjas.

Makibishi were effective for hindering the enemy’s feet.

One of the famous ninja tools was makibishi, which were used to hinder the enemy’s feet.
Makibishi were metal pieces with sharp needles sticking out in all directions, and they injured the enemy’s feet by scattering them on the ground.
This was effective when they were chased or escaped.

The name makibishi comes from the fruit of a water plant called “hishi”.
“Hishi” is a water plant that produces tetrahedral fruits, which become hard when dried.
Ninjas first used the dried fruits of “hishi” as makibishi.
In other words, makibishi means “maku” (to scatter) and “hishi”.
However, the effect of using only the ‘hishi’ fruit was weak, so eventually wooden ‘kibishi’, bamboo ‘takebishi’, and iron ‘tetsubishi’ came to be used.

Farm tools were also used as weapons by ninjas.

Ninjas modified agricultural tools to use them as weapons.
For example, they attached a chain to a sickle and made it a kusarigama, or used a tool that was used for weeding as a tekko-kagi.
The kusarigama could be used to snatch the enemy’s weapon or attack from a distance.
The tekko-kagi was a rod-shaped weapon with blades on both ends.
These agricultural tools looked ordinary, but they became powerful weapons when ninjas used them.

Epilogue

JP

In this episode, we introduced the tools that ninjas used.

お菊

I was surprised to learn that shuriken were not used very often, because I had the image of ninjas using shuriken.

JP

In the next episode, we will continue to introduce the tools that ninjas used.

お菊

What kind of tools will you introduce next time?

JP

Next time, we will introduce the concealed weapons that ninjas used, and the shinobi rokugu, which are the essential items that ninjas carried.

お菊

That sounds exciting.

JP

We hope you are looking forward to it too.

お菊

See you next time.