Ninja Myths?

[Anbu Alex]

"the silent wind of doom....

Otherwise known as the cool head-band thing-ie"

Greatest 'making fun of ninja' reference ever.

lol

[Draven]

Historically ninjutsu has been seen in three forms or successive types.

1st The Kobuki Theater and Carival Ninja seen post Edo Period. Basicly the Japanese versions of the gypsies who claimed to know ninjutsu.

2nd The bandit/commers variety which is very much a reality no matter what the Bujinkan guys say. That evolved from Shinto and Buddist monks and Ronin who became mercenaries and bandits.

Rarely codified into a distanct style, and since during bigger battles many Damyo would buff an army with concripted farmers there was some concept of warfare among the peasants. The samurai were oftem officers, by modern standards, Ashigaru; foot soldier, did the walk and carry a spear thing.

3rd That which is seen in the Bujinkan, Jinjenkan and Genbukans is a bujutsu, war art form practiced by many samurai. Many high level samurai would train for stealth and assassination type methods. This ment the lower officers were oblivious to the full workings and responsibiliies of their seniors. Several styles used ronin, masterless samurai, as spies and assassins and thus various schools of ninjutsu were born.

A ninja means either a sneaky/stealthy person, an enduring/surviving person or hiding person. Many Japanese records show tweaking such as people being 10ft tall or being half demon to frighten enemies should they see those records. The problem with the ninja/ninjutsu thing is that allot of "misconceptions" on what ninjutsu is comes from the Japanese themselves. Who at different points labelled any bandit, outlaw or conscipt who use stealth and surprise in battle a "ninja" or one of the 200+ other terms for the same...

I think that covers it...

[Anbu Alex]

Bandits were bandits just because someone sneaks around doesnt make them ninja thats like saying a cat bugular is a navy seal and its not just bujinkan, Jinenkan, or Genbukan think that other styles with nino elements agree and like i said be for translated ninja translates to one who survives shinobi means one who hides in stealth but that was a smaller part the stealth in the big picture