Lecture No.1: The Spirit of Ninja
The Spirit of Ninja
Lecturer: Yuji Yamada
During Sengoku period, ninjas may have infiltrated enemy castles, ambushed, disturbed, fought, set fire and so on, but their most important job was to deliver information about the enemy to their master. In order to complete such missions, they needed to avoid combat as much as possible, to survive, and to return alive. Even during peacetime, they had roles such as finding out the circumstance of other countries and delivering information to be used for better governance.
During the Edo period when the necessity of combat had become rare and the society was at peace, a ninja's professional function was focused more on information gathering. Additionally, a ninja's spirituality was emphasized, the concept of enduring everything by restraining oneself and prioritizing loyalty to one's master was clarified, the meaning of the character min was explained, and perseverance began to have more significance.
Various bujutsu (martial arts) were born during the Edo period and they all emphasized the spiritual aspect. The reason for this might be because there was very little actual combat, the Shogunate government control during the Edo period was stable, and Confucian moral principles permeated. Furthermore, unless spirituality was emphasized, ninjutsu could have been abused.
Ninjas do not loudly appeal their presence or achievement, but rather focus on executing their mission for their master quietly and with a high level of spirituality. Some people might enjoy the idea that a ninja's mission is kept secret from public but might be significant enough to change the world.
The real life of ninjas has been kept under a veil, but with so many elements to stir our imagination. Because of that, there have been many different images of ninja created in different time periods as well as by different ethnic groups. But fundamentally, because the presence of ninjas that matched the values of Japanese people, ninjas have been accepted in Japan as well as throughout the world to this day.
