To Be A Ninja
Content
To Be A Ninja
To be a Ninja, indeed to even contemplate the Silent Way, one must be a hunter. This means that he knows the ways of his prey. He studies their habits, patterns of movement, and routines. In this way, he can strike when they are most vulnerable, or trap them in their own habits. To be a Ninja, an invisible assassin, one must be a warrior. This means that he accepts responsibility for his actions. Strategy is the craft of the warrior. To be a Ninja, one must be a wizard. This means that he can "stop the world" and "see with the eyes of God." This is the essence of Mugei-Mumei No-Jitsu, which is translated to mean, "no name-no art." Secrecy is the hallmark of being a spy. To be a Ninja, one must be strong, one must know, one must dare, and one must be silent.
Uniform of the Ninja
The costume of the Ninja is basically that of the stage handlers of the Kabuki theatre, who sneak on stage during scenes to help actors with costume changes, move scenery, or remove props. He is not noticed, even though he may remain in full view for an entire act. He seems a part of the landscape. And, when he does move, it is accomplished so swiftly and unobtrusively that he escapes notice. This symbolism applies equally to the actions of an agent in the field. For our purposes, the Ninja uniform consists of: (a) Black Ski Mask, as camouflage paint or "blacking" of the face is time consuming and cannot be quickly removed. (b) Black overjacket, often reversible to disguise the appearance. (c) Black Belt or sash. (d) Black Coveralls, with blousing ties at the wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. And, (e) Black Tabi, split toed socks made for wearing with sandals. The soft sole of these protects the feet and helps muffle the sounds of walking. The traditional uniform also included the hakima which is a divided skirt for formal wear, leggings, and a light tunic of chain mail. My Sensei also employed a large, gray, hooded cape which was used to distort the silhouette, a true "cloak of invisibility."
The costume of the Ninja was called Shinobi Shokozu. The blousing ties at the joints could serve to slightly numb the body to take impact in hand to hand combat by tightening them slightly. Or, as tourniquets to stop bleeding if the agent were slashed during swordplay. Black is considered the "traditional" color because it was used by the Kabuki stage handlers. Theatregoers were expected to ignore the "shadow" figure, who used many of the same techniques employed today for espionage, to move invisibly about the stage. But, solid black "stands out" at night among the true shadows cast by moon and torchlight. Therefore, most Ninja schools used brown, gray, or red uniforms. Red had the advantage of being black at night, with no sunlight to reflect the crimson color; a fact known only to those who studied light and shadow as a Neolithic science. When it came into the firelight, however, the color returned. And psychologically intimidated the enemy through the association of red with the fear of blood. 6
To be a Ninja, indeed to even contemplate the Silent Way, one must be a hunter. This means that he knows the ways of his prey. He studies their habits, patterns of movement, and routines. In this way, he can strike when they are most vulnerable, or trap them in their own habits. To be a Ninja, an invisible assassin, one must be a warrior. This means that he accepts responsibility for his actions. Strategy is the craft of the warrior. To be a Ninja, one must be a wizard. This means that he can "stop the world" and "see with the eyes of God." This is the essence of Mugei-Mumei No-Jitsu, which is translated to mean, "no name-no art." Secrecy is the hallmark of being a spy. To be a Ninja, one must be strong, one must know, one must dare, and one must be silent.
Uniform of the Ninja
The costume of the Ninja is basically that of the stage handlers of the Kabuki theatre, who sneak on stage during scenes to help actors with costume changes, move scenery, or remove props. He is not noticed, even though he may remain in full view for an entire act. He seems a part of the landscape. And, when he does move, it is accomplished so swiftly and unobtrusively that he escapes notice. This symbolism applies equally to the actions of an agent in the field. For our purposes, the Ninja uniform consists of: (a) Black Ski Mask, as camouflage paint or "blacking" of the face is time consuming and cannot be quickly removed. (b) Black overjacket, often reversible to disguise the appearance. (c) Black Belt or sash. (d) Black Coveralls, with blousing ties at the wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. And, (e) Black Tabi, split toed socks made for wearing with sandals. The soft sole of these protects the feet and helps muffle the sounds of walking. The traditional uniform also included the hakima which is a divided skirt for formal wear, leggings, and a light tunic of chain mail. My Sensei also employed a large, gray, hooded cape which was used to distort the silhouette, a true "cloak of invisibility."
The costume of the Ninja was called Shinobi Shokozu. The blousing ties at the joints could serve to slightly numb the body to take impact in hand to hand combat by tightening them slightly. Or, as tourniquets to stop bleeding if the agent were slashed during swordplay. Black is considered the "traditional" color because it was used by the Kabuki stage handlers. Theatregoers were expected to ignore the "shadow" figure, who used many of the same techniques employed today for espionage, to move invisibly about the stage. But, solid black "stands out" at night among the true shadows cast by moon and torchlight. Therefore, most Ninja schools used brown, gray, or red uniforms. Red had the advantage of being black at night, with no sunlight to reflect the crimson color; a fact known only to those who studied light and shadow as a Neolithic science. When it came into the firelight, however, the color returned. And psychologically intimidated the enemy through the association of red with the fear of blood. 6
