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Ninja-kanji-1-

Ninja (忍者) written in kanji.

A ninja (hiragana: にんじゃ, lit. "one who is invisible") is a person trained in ninjutsu. A synonym for ninja is shinobi (忍び), the full term being shinobi no mono (忍びの者). Female ninja are popularly called kunoichi (くノ一). The term "ninja" is associated with the modern era as historical examples of usage show that the term "shinobi" dominated while "ninja" emerged later in the 19th century.

History[]

Ninja were historically mercenaries, spies, and assassins in feudal Japan, their first formal appearance being in the 15th century during the Muromachi period. With the development of dozens of families that specialized in ninjutsu training in the late 15th century arose professional ninja who were military forces. Although acting as a spy (間諜 "kanchō") was the primary function of a ninja, one could have the role of scout (偵察 "teisatsu"), surprise attacker (奇手 "kishu"), and agitator (混乱"konran"). The underhanded tactics of ninja contrasted with the moral code and transparency of samurai, even so, samurai and daimyō hired them. Ninja instruction didn't stop at martial arts, but extended to skills for survival and education on other occupations as such knowledge was needed to execute convincing disguises, thus adaptability was valued by ninja. What attire they historically wore beyond a vast array of civilian disguises, particularly the stereotypical black "ninja" outfits, is debated among experts.

In 1487 during the Sengoku period, ninja from Kōka and the Iga Province became quite famous for their successful assaults and in the following decades, their employment was highly demanded. Ninja serviced the Tokugawa shogunate, but in the early 18th century, the Tokugawa shogunate created an organization dedicated to espionage called the Oniwaban. While the Oniwaban and ninja are commonly conflated in Japanese popular culture, the Oniwaban being the same as ninja is unsupported by written evidence.

Ninja emerged from the unceasing discord of the Muromachi and Sengoku period and were hired to participate in large-scale covert warfare, but the Edo period's establishment of peace caused ninja to progressively lose relevance. In turn, some ninja retired and used their training for other occupations, such as pyrotechnics manufacturing or bodyguarding. The Tokugawa shogunate's most recent documented use of ninja was ninja in 1853 allegedly being assigned to investigate the Perry Expedition. Japanese legends and folktales of ninja, like the tales of Ishikawa Goemon and Sarutobi Sasuke, flourished from the Edo period onward and some supernatural myths were spread by ninja themselves as a calculated method to retain secrecy on techniques. Kabuki also aided the mythicization of ninja as portraying them with fantastical powers was common. The interest in ninja in Japanese popular culture eased and surged throughout the centuries, like the 1960s spike in popularity.

In TMNT[]

The four main characters of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael are a squad of ninja with differing degrees of proficiency from iteration to iteration. Hamato Yoshi is commonly made to be one of the greatest ninja in his clan and/or in the world. The Ninja Turtles routinely resist the Foot Ninja who are often depicted as human but have also been depicted as non-human. Foot Ninja are commonly portrayed as easily-bested enemies who individually don't pose a true threat despite their schooling or programming.

Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation[]

In Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, "shinobi" and "ninja" are portrayed as different classes altogether instead of the interchangeable terms that they are.

Ninja in TMNT[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. Only within the continuities for Archie Comics, the 1990 film series and the 2012 TV series
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