Presentations by 2001 -> 2002 ICC Classes

ICC class period 4 Thursday

Topic: Ninja

Activity of Ninja

1. Typical Activity

Typical activity of Ninja are that investigate enemy's information and secret ,circulate rumor to into panic their enemy ,capture article, set fire to architecture , sometimes they assassinate their enemy, hide themselves in strange place, steal into strong enemy's castle to see and hear secret, so they inform them to their ally, depend on intermediary to settle down the destination and see and hear information on the spot wearing general clothes , not always run wearing black clothes.

2. Concrete Activity

There were espionage activities to investigate violation of prohibition. But in fact, there were these to investigate condition of strong federal lord. During the first period of the Tokugawa Shogunate , their roles were chiefly control of feudal lord, but at the latter term of the Tokugawa Shogunate, their roles were extended as guard peasants' riot that occur frequently in those days, countermeasure against Christians and control ideology, learning, publication and play. In the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, they investigated Kurofune (big black Ships which in the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, came to Japan from U.S.A to Negotiate with the Tokugawa Shogunate ).

3. the actual condition

After a turbulent age, in Edo period, condition of society became calmly, activity of Ninja became plain. They became person in charge of discipline,guard of inner palace, keeping sword and Key, so they loitered in castle. People who were called Akeyashikiban aided the work that manage palaces and vacant houses which owned by Shogun, Ohiroshikiban visited to temple and shrine with high rank court lady who representation of Shogun's wife, Kobushinkata repair temple or palace. Moreover, in January, when snow fall, at the inner palace, maidservants played snowball fight dispersing red team and white team, then both team's boundary line was made by Iganinja, they wore black clothes and stood on white snow, then they turned their back to maidservants, so maidservants threw snowballs at them to enjoy. Actual condition of Ninja is almost all pretty plain and be different from image that today we have. These image that always run wearing black clothes, jump over high wall by superhuman power, throw Shuriken were made by novel, movie and comic after Ninja had disappeared.

Ryouhei


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Last updated 6-Dec-2001