In Search of the Ninja The Historical Truth of Ninjutsu

by Cummins, Antony

• ISBN13: 9780752480930
• ISBN10: 0752480936
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-10-10
• Publisher: Spellmount
• More Book Details
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Summary

Lost in modern myth, false history and general misinterpretation, the Ninja have been misrepresented for many years. More recently, a desire for a more historical view of the ninja has become a popular theme in the history/martial arts community and Antony Cummins is the primary driving force behind that movement. In Search of the Ninja is based upon the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team's translations of the major ninja manuals and consists of genuinely new material. Little historical research has been done on the Ninja of Japan. Here for the first time the connection of the famous Hattori family warriors with the Ninja is explained. The Samurai versus Ninja myth is dispelled.The realities of Ninja skills are analysed. How did a Ninja work underwater when mining castle walls? How can a bird be used to set fire to the enemy's camp? The book explores newly discovered connections to ancient Chinese manuals, lost skills and the 'hidden' Zen philosophy that the Ninja followed. In Search of the Ninja is the first and only historical look at the shinobi of ancient Japan.

Author Biography

Antony Cummins is a ninja historian and a regular contributor to magazines such as Combat and Military Arms and Regalia. He runs the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team with the goal of translating historical ninja manuals, and is the author of True Ninja Traditions: The Ninpiden and The Unknown Ninja Scroll and True Path of the Ninja.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. 7
Introduction	p. 9
Notes on the Text	p. 11
What Is a Ninja?	p. 15
The Origin of the Ninja	p. 19
Naming the Ninja	p. 37
Putting the æ&Chinese character;' in Ninja	p. 39
The Samurai v. Ninja Myth	p. 47
Medieval Japanese Scouting	p. 53
Bandits, Thieves and Criminals	p. 57
The Chinese Connection	p. 61
Unknown Ninja Skills	p. 85
Similar yet Dissimilar	p. 113
Ninja Magic	p. 125
Oral Traditions-The Ninja Way of Kuden	p. 133
The Famous Ninja Families of Hattori and Natori	p. 137
The Prowess of the Men of Iga and Koka	p. 151
The Female Ninja	p. 155
The Gateless Gate	p. 159
The Fringes of Ninjutsu	p. 161
The Death of the Ninja	p. 171
The Ninja Found	p. 173
Historical Ninja Manuals	p. 175
Bibliography	p. 223
Notes	p. 225
Index	p. 237
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