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Naruto is based on real mythology and beliefs
Real Life Shinobi
Real Life Or Mythical Abilities?
Fictional & NonFictional Tales
Real Life People In Naruto
Meanings Of Shinobi
Real Life Shinobi
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A ninjao (忍者) or shinobi (忍び) was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan who specialized in unorthodox warfare. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, and open combat in certain situations. Their covert methods of waging war contrasted the ninja with the samurai, who observed strict rules about honor and combat.The shinobi proper, a specially trained group of spies and mercenaries, appeared in the Sengoku or "warring states" period, in the 15th century, but antecedents may have existed in the 14th century, and possibly even in the 12th century (Heian or early Kamakura era). In the unrest of the Sengoku period (15th–17th centuries), mercenaries and spies for hire became active in the Iga Province and the adjacent area around the village of Kōga, and it is from their ninja clans that much of our knowledge of the ninja is drawn. Following the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate (17th century), the ninja faded into obscurity, being replaced by the Oniwabanshū body of secret agents.A number of shinobi manuals, often centered around Chinese military philosophy, were written in the 17th and 18th centuries, most notably the Bansenshukai (1676).Real Life Or Mythical Abilities?
Ninja figured prominently in folklore and legend, and as a result it is often difficult to separate historical fact from myth. Some legendary abilities purported to be in the province of ninja training include invisibility, walking on water, and control over the natural elements Most ninjutsu techniques recorded in scrolls and manuals revolve around ways to avoid detection, and methods of escape.These techniques were loosely grouped under corresponding natural elements. Some examples are:
Hitsuke – The practice of distracting guards by starting a fire away from the ninja's planned point of entry. Falls under "fire techniques" (katon-no-jutsu).
Tanuki-gakure – The practice of climbing a tree and camouflaging oneself within the foliage. Falls under "wood techniques" (mokuton-no-jutsu).
Ukigusa-gakure – The practice of throwing duckweed over water in order to conceal underwater movement. Falls under "water techniques" (suiton-no-jutsu).
Uzura-gakure – The practice of curling into a ball and remaining motionless in order to appear like a stone. Falls under "earth techniques" (doton-no-jutsu).
Hitsuke – The practice of distracting guards by starting a fire away from the ninja's planned point of entry. Falls under "fire techniques" (katon-no-jutsu).
Tanuki-gakure – The practice of climbing a tree and camouflaging oneself within the foliage. Falls under "wood techniques" (mokuton-no-jutsu).
Ukigusa-gakure – The practice of throwing duckweed over water in order to conceal underwater movement. Falls under "water techniques" (suiton-no-jutsu).
Uzura-gakure – The practice of curling into a ball and remaining motionless in order to appear like a stone. Falls under "earth techniques" (doton-no-jutsu).
Fictional & NonFictional Tales
Ninjutsu is a martial art: In fact, ninjas considered the art of espionage far greater than that of fighting which was always a last resort. Ninjas were skilled in espionage and defeating foes using intelligence, while swinging a sword was deemed a lower art.
Ninjas could disappear: Ninjas couldn't vanish in thin air, but being skilled with explosives, they could make smoke bombs to momentarily misdirect the gaze, then flit away. This myth has come about because the first ninja rule was if they got spotted, they must immediately get away. If a ninja could avoid fighting, he would. In order to achieve this goal, a ninja might had to create a diversion of some kind, such as throwing shuriken, setting off a smoke bomb, or throw sand in the opponent’s eyes. By the time the opponent recovered from the distraction, the ninja would be gone.
Ninjas wore black clothing: Ninja clothing was made to be light and hard to see in the dark - but jet-black would cause the form to stand out in moonlight, so a dark navy blue dye was usually used.
Ninjas could fly: Ninjas moved quietly and swiftly, thanks to breathing techniques which increased oxygen intake, but mostly kept their feet on the ground. The ninja's alleged adaption of kites in espionage and warfare is another subject of legends. Accounts exist of ninja being lifted into the air by kites, where they flew over hostile terrain and descended into, or dropped bombs on enemy territory.Kites were indeed used in Japanese warfare, but mostly for the purpose of sending messages and relaying signals.
Turnbull suggests that kites lifting a man into midair might have been technically feasible, but states that the use of kites to form a human "hang glider" falls squarely in the realm of fantasy. However, references to man-lifting kites do exist in works dating to the relevant era and before, including Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Ninjas could walk or run on water: In reality, ninjas used "water shoes" called Mizugumo which were circular wooden boards or buckets and a bamboo paddle for propulsion, but doubts remains over their historical effectiveness.
Ninjas could disappear: Ninjas couldn't vanish in thin air, but being skilled with explosives, they could make smoke bombs to momentarily misdirect the gaze, then flit away. This myth has come about because the first ninja rule was if they got spotted, they must immediately get away. If a ninja could avoid fighting, he would. In order to achieve this goal, a ninja might had to create a diversion of some kind, such as throwing shuriken, setting off a smoke bomb, or throw sand in the opponent’s eyes. By the time the opponent recovered from the distraction, the ninja would be gone.
Ninjas wore black clothing: Ninja clothing was made to be light and hard to see in the dark - but jet-black would cause the form to stand out in moonlight, so a dark navy blue dye was usually used.
Ninjas could fly: Ninjas moved quietly and swiftly, thanks to breathing techniques which increased oxygen intake, but mostly kept their feet on the ground. The ninja's alleged adaption of kites in espionage and warfare is another subject of legends. Accounts exist of ninja being lifted into the air by kites, where they flew over hostile terrain and descended into, or dropped bombs on enemy territory.Kites were indeed used in Japanese warfare, but mostly for the purpose of sending messages and relaying signals.
Turnbull suggests that kites lifting a man into midair might have been technically feasible, but states that the use of kites to form a human "hang glider" falls squarely in the realm of fantasy. However, references to man-lifting kites do exist in works dating to the relevant era and before, including Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Ninjas could walk or run on water: In reality, ninjas used "water shoes" called Mizugumo which were circular wooden boards or buckets and a bamboo paddle for propulsion, but doubts remains over their historical effectiveness.
Real Life People In Naruto
Fujibayashi Nagato (16th century) – Considered to be one of three "greatest" Iga jōnin, the other two being Hattori Hanzō and Momochi Sandayū. Fujibayashi's descendents wrote and edited the Bansenshukai.
Hattori Hanzō (1542–1596) – A samurai serving under Tokugawa Ieyasu. His ancestry in Iga province, along with ninjutsu manuals published by his descendants have led some sources to define him as a ninja.
Momochi Sandayū (16th century) – A leader of the Iga ninja clans, who supposedly perished during Oda Nobunaga's attack on Iga province. There is some belief that he escaped death and lived as a farmer in Kii Province.Momochi is also a branch of the Hattori clan.
The boy spy Koharumaru was killed for spying against the insurgent Taira no Masakado.
Hattori Hanzō (1542–1596) – A samurai serving under Tokugawa Ieyasu. His ancestry in Iga province, along with ninjutsu manuals published by his descendants have led some sources to define him as a ninja.
Momochi Sandayū (16th century) – A leader of the Iga ninja clans, who supposedly perished during Oda Nobunaga's attack on Iga province. There is some belief that he escaped death and lived as a farmer in Kii Province.Momochi is also a branch of the Hattori clan.
The boy spy Koharumaru was killed for spying against the insurgent Taira no Masakado.
Meanings Of Shinobi
The word shinobi appears in the written record as far back as the late 8th century in poems in the Man'yōshū. The underlying connotation of shinobi (忍) means "to steal away" and — by extension — "to forbear", hence its association with stealth and invisibility. Mono (者) means "a person". It also relates to the term shinobu, which means to hide.
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