Ninjas are one of the most iconic figures in Japanese culture and history. They are often portrayed as stealthy assassins in black robes with magical abilities and deadly weapons. But how much do we really know about the real ninjas and their origins?
The history of ninjas is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and folklore. Originating between 600 to 900 A.D., the skills that became ninjutsu, the ninja’s art of stealth, began to develop. The first known ninja school was formed by Daisuke Togakure and Kain Doshi around the 12th century. Ninjas were often ordinary villagers and farmers who learned to fight by any means necessary for their own self-preservation.
Ninjas were more than just assassins; they were masters of espionage, their skills in stealth, medicine creation, bomb making, and endurance were more useful than outright being able to fight. They were often recruited by samurai and governments to act as spies. However, the practice began dying out in the 17th century, though some families, like Kawakami’s, held on tight to their ninja heritage.
In modern Japan, ninjas are a national myth that stems from folk tales and continues through modern-day popular culture. Despite their depiction in movies and comic books as stealthy assassins in black robes with magical abilities, the historical reality of the ninja is somewhat different. Today, the last known ninja, Jinichi Kawakami, continues to uphold this rich and enigmatic tradition.
Jinichi Kawakami, born in 1949, is known as the last sōke (heir) to authentic ninjutsu. He is the head of Banke Shinobinoden and claims to be the 21st head of the Koga Ban family, a lineage of Iga and Koga Ninjutsu. Despite having no ninja bloodline of his own, he learned his art as a boy from a man named Masado Ishida, a medicine peddler who claimed to be one of the last remaining ninjutsu practitioners alive.
Kawakami is also the honorary director of the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum and was appointed a professor at Mie University in 2011 to research ninjutsu. However, in 2012, he decided that he will not appoint anyone to take over as the next ninja grandmaster. He believes that the art of ninjutsu has no place in the modern age, given the advancements in technology and medicine.
“We can’t try out murder or poisons. Even if we can follow the instructions to make a poison, we can’t try it out,” he says in the article.
He also said that he does not teach his skills to anyone, except for a few basic techniques to some martial arts enthusiasts. He said that he does not want to encourage violence or create trouble in society.
“I think I’m called (the last ninja) as there is probably no other person who learned all the skills that were directly handed down from ninja masters over the last five centuries,” he said.
Kawakami is a living legend and a rare link to the past. He is the last of his kind, a man who dedicated his life to preserving and studying the ancient art of ninjutsu. He is the last living ninja and a retired museum director.
Relevant articles:
– Jinichi Kawakami – Wikipedia
– Meet Jinichi Kawakami, Japan’s Last Ninja – Smithsonian Magazine
– Jinichi Kawakami – Wikiwand
– The History of Japanese Ninjas – ThoughtCo
– Jinichi Kawakami :The Secrets Of Last Ninja Will Die With Him