Chasing a Rat down a Hole

After some discussion on the Historic Ninjutsu Research Facebook group regarding an image of the “shinobi” from the Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会) written in 1712, there had been some disagreement around it.

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  Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会) written in 1712

Several people got caught up on the fact that the individual who is leaping over the wall in the illustration is wearing some sort of animal costume. This had been speculated to be inferring a connection to the Katō Danzō (加藤 段蔵, c. 1503 – 1569), a shinobi who was said in folk myth to be able to transform into a rat. One source (currently unavailable for reference) states that he was a rat breeder as his main daily occupation.

Most concluded that it was some form of canine costume, however, when looking at the ears, shape of the head, and tail, it as quite evident that it is a rat, particularly a spotted rat, which was considered special or lucky in the 17th century.

Existence of Spotted Rats

There was some dispute about spotted rats in Japan at that time, as one individual claimed that the spotted pattern came form a popular breeding practice in Europe in the 19th century. However, this was easily disputed with a quick google search, where I found two manuscripts regarding rat breeding. the first, Yosotama no kakehashi (養鼠玉のかけはし), was from 1775, and the second, Chingan Sōdate Gusa (珍玩鼠育草), was from 1787. Both documents provided illustrations of spotted rats. At this point all three documents in regard to this investigation was from the 18th century.

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  Yosotama no kakehasi 養鼠玉のかけはし was from 1775

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  Yosotama no kakehasi 養鼠玉のかけはし was from 1775

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  Chinganso Date Gusa 珍玩鼠育草 was from 1787

The Wakan Sansai Zue also has a section focused on rats, in which we can see a spotted rat in the first volume as well. it has been speculated that the previous two texts drew some inspiration from this text.

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  Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会) regarding rats.

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  Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会) regarding rats.

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  Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会) regarding rats.

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  Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会) regarding spotted rats.

Nomenclature of “Shinobi”

An interesting note regarding the term used to refer to the shinobi here has the kanji 游偵 (Yūtei), while there’s hiragana next to it saying しのびのもの (shinobi no mono). This name appears in the Bansenshūkai as one of the names the Chinese had referred to spies by. In the Bansenshūkai, however, it is written as 遊偵 (found in the Q/A section of the preface, still read as “yūtei”), but then written as 游貞 in the first volume of Seishin.

In other sources (citation unavailable at the moment), yūtei has been shown to have several variants of the first kanji, such as 斿, 游, 浮, 遊. All of which expresses a sense of floating, drifting, or roaming. And Tei (偵) means to investigate, spy or acquire protected information. Thus, yūtei means to travel or roam around gathering information.

Note: ukitei (浮偵) also suggests a principle of movement called ukimi (浮身) found in the classical martial arts, that can also be seen in the judo movements of the late Kyuzo Mifune.

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  Yutei (遊偵) as found in the Bansenshukai, chapter on Questions and Answers.

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  Yutei (游貞) as found in the Bansenshukai, chapter on Seishin.

Under the heading for shinobi in the Wakan Sansai Zue, there is listed a few other terms:

課者・細作・邏候・探伺・間諜

Wakan Sansai Zue 和漢三才図会 (1712)

Kasha (課者)

The first of these terms is kasha (課者), which was an interesting one to dig into. Dictionaries generally define this first character as “chapter; lesson; section; department; division; counter for chapters (of a book).” But when we break it down, we have “[to get] results (果) with words (言) [in order to obtain results]”; investigation. and with the second character (者), it becomes “those who investigate“.

Saisaku (細作)

The first ideogram can be read as hosoi (細) which means, “work meticulous, fine, delicate, precise,” The second ideogram, (作), means: “to manufacture, make, build, work, or harvest.” One can translate saisaku as, “One who manufactures [creates] with meticulousness [a plan]” or “One who collects what is fine, delicate [quietly perceives essential information].”

Rakō (邏候)

Some very old characters here, and digging did not get me to far; apparently this is connected to Edo period police investigations but I don’t have a reliable source for this at this moment. the first character can be broken down quite far, but for this well only divide it into 辵 “to walk or move” and 羅 “to surround like a net. This I understand to grow to refer “patrolling”, though one dictionary also suggests a borrowed definition of “concealment”. The second character, (候), means: “expectancy, make an attempt, sign, season, or time.” Breaking it apart however starts to suggest something conspicuous or clue-like. in medicine it has been used to refer to “symptoms”. Thus I understand this to mean something like “one who waits and watches clues to grasp the truth like a net.“

Tanshi (探伺)

The first ideogram (探) means: “grasp, grope; deep, intense, to deepen.” the second character is made up of a “person (人) who peers through a hole (司).” Though nowadays 司 is defined as as sort of government administrator, but we can understand that to be someone who oversees things. Thus tanshi means “one who perceives deeply.“

Kanchō (間諜)

One of the earliest names for a spy, the first character means a space between things, and the second character means something “flat” (葉) like a leaf, and words (言); spy ended up being a borrowed definition that has endured to today. Thus, kanchō can be understood to mean “one who acquires words by going between people.” though it also gives the image of being able to slip through small or impenetrable spaces.

Togakure-ryū Connection

It should also be noted that the “San”(of Togakure-ryū’s Santō Tonkō Gata (鼠逃遁甲型) can be read as “nezumi” and means rat. This isn’t the first time that I’ve heard of ninja being referred to as rats, in 2008, I was looking into how these kata could be expressed in a “squirmy” way like a fleeing rat. And then Takamatsu Toshitsugu’s favorite story was said (by Masaaki Hatsumi) to be “Neko no Myōjutsu” (猫之妙術), a story about a rat that fought off all cats except an old cat that had nothing left to live for.

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  Shinjin Ichinyo no Maki (神人一如), containing the Togakure-ryu Santo Tonko Gata – including usage of the Shuko, Shuriken, and mitsubishi.

The Santō Tonkō gata consists of twelve techniques in response to being grabbed by the arms, back of the neck, and when your cornered or surrounded by enemy (picture a rat being cornered by a cat, and just the same this is depicted in Neko no Myōjutsu). Each of these techniques finish with the statements of using one of the goton (五遁) of escaping using fire, earth, water, wood, or metal, as well as that of blinding powder, throwing blades and so on. True to the teachings of the tradition, they strive to avoid killing, aiming to only distract, escape and hide. As such none of these techniques describe lethal techniques – though they can certainly be made to be.

Yet another interesting connection is the depiction of a falconer just before (to the right) of the entry for shinobi. It has been established rather thoroughly by Sean Askew that the Toda family that had been the head of the Togakure-ryū tradition of ninjutsu for generations, were also well known for their falconry. So within this text we can see three correlations to the same tradition of ninjutsu:
1) Falconry – the trade of the Toda family
2) Connecting rats and ninjutsu
3) Reference to the Goton used by this tradition (see next section).

Chinese Link

The above entry about Yūtei, describes another text called Wǔ zá zǔ (五雜組), written sometime between 1567‐1624 by Xie Zhaozhe, with an additional preface added in 1616, that talks about Tonkeijutsu (遁形术), methods of hiding the form, just like we see in books such as Ito Gingetsu’s Ninjutsu no Gokui. Both these writings describe Tonkei/Tonko (遁形/遁甲) as using the five phases of wood, water, metal, earth, and fire (Ch: Wu Xing, Ja: Gogyo; 五行).

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  Wǔ zá zǔ (五雜組) that talks about Tonkeijutsu (遁形术)
  

Review

What has been presented here is my own collective knowledge on this subject based on historic primary sources. We can see that the depiction in the Wakan Sansai Zue is quite evidently that of a man in a rat costume (for what reason, I’m not at all sure), the existence of spotted rats and specialized breeding methods go back at least as far as the 16th century (and the same document hints at “ancient times”). w can also see that the author of the same document had a comprehensive grasp of obscure names for spies. We can also see clear correlation to the Togakure-ryū tradition of ninjutsu, and even its hints at a relationship with falconry. And the connection to Goton no jutsu was traced at least as far back as the early 16th century, and surely traces further back.

Sources referenced (chronological)

• Wǔ zá zǔ 五雜組 (1616~), by Xie Zhaozhe
• Bansenshūkai 萬川集海 (1676), by Fujibayashi Sabuji
• Wakan Sansai Zue 和漢三才図会 (1712), by Terajima Ryōan
• Neko no Myōjutsu 猫之妙術 (1727), by Niwa Jurozaemon Tadaaki
• Yosotama no kakehasi 養鼠玉のかけはし (1775 ), unknown author
• Chingan Sōdate Gusa 珍玩鼠育草 (1787), susposedly by “Tei-en-shi”
• Ninjutsu no Gokui 忍術の極意 (early 1900~), by Ito Gingetsu
• Togakure-ryū Shinjin Ichinyo no Maki 戸隠流神人一如の巻 (mid 1900~), by Masaaki Hatsumi

Tsuki no Sho 月之抄

 

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Author: Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi 柳生 十兵衛三 厳
Title: Tsuki no Shô
Year: 1642

Author Yagyû Mitsuyoshi (柳生 三 厳) in the original language Title: “月 之 抄” (Other spellings mentioned in the original language: 月 之 抄 / 月 の 抄 / 月 ノ 抄 / 月 之 書 / 月 の 書 / 月 ノ書 / 月 之 諸 / 月 の 諸 / 月 ノ 諸 / 月 見 之 抄 / 月 見 の 抄 / 月 見 ノ 抄 / 月 見 之 書 / 月 見 の 書 / 月 見 ノ 書 / 月 見 之 諸 / 月Titre の 諸 / 月 見 ノ 諸).

Japanese title: “Tsuki no Shô” (or sometimes “Tsukimi no Shô”) Title in French: “Written in the moonlight” Title in English: “Annotation (s) ) in the moonlight

The “tsuki no sho” is a strategic and philosophical treatise mainly about kenjutsu (saber warfare technique), written by one of the most famous fencers in Japanese history:

Yagyû Jûbei Mitsuyoshi (1607 – 1650). You will find here the complete transcript in modern Japanese. This transcription in modern Japanese comes from the book of Yoshio Imamura, published in April 1995: “Shiryô Yagyû Shinkage-Ryû (Vol.2)” (史料 柳生 新 陰 流 (下 巻)), of which she occupies about the first 70 pages (Pages 9 to 80).

Link download: Mitsuyoshi-Yagyū-Jūbei-Tsuki-no-Shô

 

Nata 鉈

My Introduction to the Nata

Many years ago (about 15~) in my days of obsessively playing the Tenchu series of video games, I was exploring every nick-and-cranny of all the levels, and in one of the levels that took place in the mountain-top Buddhist monastery, I noticed a small detail where there was this sort of chopping blade sticking out of a block of wood just like a hatchet might.

A few years later I became quite interested in this short battle royal type of anime and manga called Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Cho (and later the novel that it came from). In it I was drawn to  a character named Yashamaru from the Iga clan, and besides his distinct long-distance fighting style, he also carried as similar short cleaver, though between the three forms of media he never uses it, in the anime adaptation he does draw it so that you can see the angle and length (screen shots provided in the slideshow below.

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Finally, in around 2008, when I started to take studying Japanese and the ninja more seriously, I acquired a copy of the Shinobi Hiden (or Ninpiden), and before even having a translated copy, I knew what the illustration I was looking at was.

Etymology

I have seen two different ways to write Nata: the first seems to be the most common way 鉈, and seemingly less common way, 屶.

The first, the dictionary tends to translate as “hatchet”, but that is an evident transliteration to English based on it’s general use. However, when we break the radicals apart we find “stretch” (它) and “metal” (金). In my mind, this gives the image of a simple elongated piece of metal; which could stretch back in history  as a tool quite some ways.

The seal script of the kanji 會

The second way, I cannot recall where I got the kanji from initially, but a quick google search shows the very same tool. One doesn’t need a dictionary to see that this kanji easily breaks down  to “mountain” (山) and “blade” or “sword” (刀), so some form of mountain blade (see the Tenchu reference above). However, the Japanese dictionaries that I have don’t have this character. Instead, Wiktionary shows that 屶, is a variant form of 會. So in looking at that…

The relevant seal inscription form (see image to the right) is a variant form (through phonosemantics) of 介 “reduce” and 曾 “pile” or  “mass” (That’s a bit of an adventure on how it gets there, but current dictionary’s go in a different direction as usual). Thus this character can refer to reducing a pile of something.

Interestingly, 會, which has come to refer to “reducing the space between things”, and as such nowadays means something like “gathering”, “to meet”, etc., and is usually simplified to “awasu” or “awaseru” (会).

Nata in the Shinobi Hiden

The “Testsu” (鉄), found in the second volume of the Shinobi Hiden.

In the Shinobi Hiden, it is listed as a “Tetsu” or “Kurogane” (鉄), which basically means “Iron”. I’m not yet sure if the name changed at some point, but the common term for it is currently a “Nata” (鉈), referring to something like a hatchet.

In the Shinobi Hiden, it primarily details the proportions and materials used for it and it’s scabbard. It is even detailed at the end that a hole should be in the end of the scabbard and a “thieves gimbal lantern” can be attached.

What can be inferred

A point of interest is that it details to “Be sure the iron blade is well forged. Do this in case it is used in place of a sword, and thus the blade is of the most importance.” (Cummins, 2011). Though there is a growing opinion that the ninja would not have their own martial art, one can note that a machete or hatchet handles very differently from a sword or spear. As a result, in order to treat this tool as a sword, the biomechanics of ones martial tradition would have to allow for more than a familiarity with swords, spear, halberds, etc. but also a unity of combative methodology between any weapon.

This is precisely what we see in traditions such as Gyokko-ryu, Koto-ryu, Togakure-ryu, and similar traditions that have some part of their history in the Iga region of Japan.

The single edged Silky Nata

Conclusion

It is important to remember that though such a tool can be weaponized, it is not in itself a weapon and is to this day used by foresters and gardeners alike. Used like both that of a hatchet and a machete. I have herd several accounts now of North American outdoors-men (and women) now preferring the Nata over that of their choppers or hatchets for their every day use.

How the Nata ended up being associated with the ninja in a few video games and anime is honestly beyond me, but for those guys dressed up in black masks and running through the bush with their Filipino machetes, this would be the direction that they would want to go.

Sources

• The Ninpiden – True Ninja Traditions: And the Unknown Ninja Scroll
• Etymological Dictionary of Han/Chinese Characters. By Lawrence J. Howell, Research Collaborator Hikaru Morimoto

Kiraku-ryu and the Toda Family

Kiraku-ryu (氣樂流) is a composite tradition including the use of the sword, grappling, chained-sickle, and more. Some of its secret teachings involve the Kuji, various mantra, accupressure, kanashibari spells, and so on.

According to the Menjo (diploma; 免状) of the school (my source is written sometime between 1862 – 1870), the founder was Toda Echigo no Kami, though there has been research that suggests that this is not accurate: possibly Watanabe Mokuemon (according to Serge Mol (2001: 209)) or Izuka Garyusai Okiyoshi (according to Watatani and Yamada (1978: 233). The Menjo simply lists these individuals in it’s list of past soke, or reputable practitioners, along with short biographies of each.

It is interesting to note that under the heading for Izuka Garyusai Okiyoshi it is stated that Kiryaku-ryu and Toda-ryu are one and the same and both founded by Toda Echigo.

Similarly, there are a number of other members of the Toda family found in this listing including Toda Naiki Yoshinori (戸田内記義則) and Toda Hayato Yoshitoshi (戸田隼人義敏). Though not likely to be expressly related, for those following Sean Askew‘s work on the Toda family, I have added the passages regarding these two Toda’s (Some of the other headings discuss parts of the Toda family, but they are seemingly further off topic).

The biography of Toda Echigo no kami Shigenori as found in the Kiraku-ryu Menjo (1862 – 1870)

Toda Echigo Morinobu no Kami (戸田越後守信)

“As for the the Toda family line, its ancestors also possibly called themselves the Tomida family (富田派) line originally; being the clan of the family of Gōshū Sasaki, many living in the generation of the family of the ranked official Asakura. They themselves, afterwards, were acting as public master instructors of swordsmanship under Toyotomi Hidetsugu (1568-1595), with the resignation of 70 years teaching in various provinces on the forefront of the field. With 400 households, they presided over swordsmanship with three blossoms: the tradition of the unrivaled Muteki-ryū spearmanship, the Tomida-ryū family tradition of jūjutsu and Toda-ryū family tradition. Mastering three traditions of inner technique, they went about serving in battle out of the province in Echizen /  tsuzen with the family of Lord Maeda Toshiie, during which they faced 138 famous unequaled rivals. Later to defeat other first class parties and obtain the title of a Chief  family with seven classes, due to having a myriad of battlefield deeds, the Toda family was honored with Sanzengoku, becoming known as the ‘Protectors of Echigo’. Being the aforementioned founder of Toda-ryū jūjutsu at the time, he was 70 years old when he passed away.”

Toda Naiki Yoshinori (戸田内記義則)

“Regarding the Toda family line, its original name was Yamada / Kumada family line at  Shiro / Jo province, natives of Fushimi, with Lord Yodo appointed as an official after his wanderings with Shindo Uunsai. Therein refining his character by diligence, the product of the merits of his actions, he, in the end, evolved into a topnotch master of the secrets and founder, venturing deep to the source of Toda-ryū. In both modern and ancient  times, the advantage of such personas, wandering alone unequaled in good name throughout the country, is the notable trace they leave. This master died at age 72 years.”

Toda Hayato Yoshitoshi (戸田隼人義敏)

Biography of Toda Naiki Yoshinori and Toda Hayato Yoshitoshi found in the Kiraku-ryu Menjo (1862 – 1870).

“Regarding Yoshitoshi, he was a legitimate son of Toda Naiki / Uchiki, wearing his father’s badge upon his leather garments, engaging in intense active practice himself, unceasingly in the house of (?) Koemoto (?). He was a person of recreational diversions, his name carried near and far, but he was repeatedly emotionally volatile. Yet in service to Lord Yodo, he was chief instructor, who, before long, increased that family’s  prosperity. This master died at age 82 years in Yodo’s feudal domain.”

The Shukō of Togakure-ryū

Introduction

In the Bujinkan organization’s vast collection of teachings, techniques, and tools, there are a wide assortment of unusual weapons and tools that have been adopted, adapted, and re-purposed to fit new needs and intentions. This isn’t new for the martial arts, a tertiary glance at Okinawan martial arts will illustrate that. However, one of the more exotic and supposedly specialized tools has a great wealth of mystery and misconceptions – the shukō.

This is a highly misunderstood tool that has had much of it’s qualities exaggerated, and even it’s place in history re-shaped to fit many people’s conceptions and ideals of farmer-warriors and the ninja. Some of the things that are misunderstood:

• The shukō are unique to ninjutsu,[1]
• The name means “tiger hands” (手虎),[1]
• The shukō were designed for climbing trees,
• and so on…

In regards to these things, they aren’t always easy to source, but they do tend to have a certain logic about them so I’ll peel them off quickly: The notion that the shukō are unique to the ninja don’t generally make much sense as anything visibly unique to the ninja would simply give up one’s cover; as such, like many such interesting tools, they originate in agricultural practices (elaborated on later).

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The name means “hand hooks” (手鉤) not “tiger hands” (手虎), though a viable homonym, there are literally no reputable sources for this way of writing the name. One may take some artistic license in regards to such things, and the connection is an easy one to make, but neither the history of the tool, nor any prevalent sources support this. One source that we can look to is in Takamatsu Toshitsugu‘s own writing, one of the densho of the Togakure-ryū (see the above slideshow), where by his hand, it is written 手鉤. This kanji is also reproduced in Masaaki Hatsumi‘s “Way of the Ninja” (page 48).

History

The foundation and evolution of the shukō begins in the agricultural fields of ancient Japan around the Kofun period (c. 250 CE – 538 CE), when the establishment of iron tools really started to take hold in rural Japan. At this time, the source tools we can find is that of the Asakagi (fiber hook; 麻鉤), also called the tekagi (with the same spelling as shukō; 手鉤), used for hooking bails of straw, hay, wheat, and in early times, bundles of rice, for manual moving and transportation.

There was also the Asanō (shallow agriculture; 浅農), a three-to-five pronged claw on a shaft, used for hand plowing gardens and smaller crops. This could also be used for the same purpose as the above mentioned asakagi in moving bails of various horticulture product.

Quite a while later, during the Heian period (794 – 1185 CE), there was a certain merger to this tool in certain regions of Japan[2]. At this point, the development of the tekkō kagi (claws that cover the hand; 手甲鉤) can be seen (source waiting for release [3]). This was used similar to that of a pitch-fork, a tool used for scooping up hay, straw, and wheat manually.

Sometime in the Sengoku period (1467 – c. 1603) certain regions developed a variation of the tekkō kagi, but with the hooks worn on the inside of the palms, often with cloth or leather sleeves similar in use to chaps in order to protect the bare skin from whatever produce was being handled (see figure 3). This allowed better leverage and handling when lifting and moving bails (koku; 石) of rice by hand. The version made popular by Togakure-ryū ninjutsu is made of a metal band that wraps the palm, and a wrist band. The hooks are located on the inside of the palm (see figure 2).

(Figure 2) Evolution of the shukō

(Figure 3) The use of shukō and manipulation of rice bails by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎, 1760 – 1849).

Usage

Within the martial arts of Togakure-ryū ninjutsu, there are three particular ways to go about it:

1. Applying this to augment one’s unarmed fighting (taijutsu; 体術),
2. Usage for fleeing techniques (Taijutsu Ukemi Gata; 体術受身型),
3. Kata that are specifically made to utilize shukō (Santō Tonkō Gata; 鼠逃遁甲型)

With Taijutsu

The first approach, and most common one it seems, is to explore one’s taijutsu while wearing shukō. This, however, requires that you understand the qualities of the tool. For example, one can assume that you could simply slap the enemy with the claws and have some exciting results. However, what then happens when the claws get stuck in bone? Now this slows you down; this is also where one can quickly see where this was a tool before it was a weapon – the hooks are designed for fibrous produce, not human… consumption.

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Instead, one uses the weight of the metal band and the shape of it in various ways, while moving in an exceptionally light way[4], including changing how one delivers strikes. the forms of boshiken (thumb fist; 拇指拳), shutō (edge of hand; 手刀), and even fudoken (clenched fist; 不動拳) are forced to change to accommodate the shape of the shukō. As such the following gokui is relevant:

“Sutemi also contains a sense of moving as though empty handed,
even while holding a tool.”

– Masaaki Hatsumi

Ukemi Gata

The second way draws from the more acrobatic section of Togakure-ryū, from the Togakure-ryū ninjutsu hidensho (戸隠流忍術秘傳書), which is shown in Figure 1 above. This details some vague forms of evading sword attacks and takes into account matters such as striking the opponents vitals with the metal band of the shukō as well as using it to catch a sword blade in the hands and hoist the weapon away from the enemy.

The Escape Forms

Finally, there is the Santō Tonkō gata (鼠逃遁甲型) found in the Shinjin Ichinyo no maki (神人一如之巻)[5]. This writing lays out the primary techniques of the shukō, shuriken (throwing blades; 手裏剣), and metsubushi (blinding powder; 目潰し). These forms are derived from Hajutsu (破術)[6], and deal with dire situations where one is detected and forced into combat. This is different from conventional kata dealing with the defeat of the enemy in that these kata detail how to escape from various grabs, stun or weaken the enemy and flee or hide.

the second section deals with being unarmed (or with shukō and various other tools) while facing an armed assailant. These techniques again don’t necessarily deal with killing the enemy, but stunning or disabling, and then fleeing or hiding.

The third section is regarding situations where you are discovered, cornered, and outnumbered. Then things like stones, metsubushi, and misdirection is deployed in order to survive and escape.

Figure 4. Shinjin Ichinyo no Maki (神人一如), containing the Togakure-ryū Santo Tonko Gata – including usage of the Shukō, Shuriken, and mitsubishi.

Conclusion

As can be seen above, although certain groups have weaponized this uncommon farm implement, it is not inherently a weapon. Shukō are not weapons for war, they are soto no mono (improvised weapons; 外の物), but before being a weapon, it was a tool for carrying things on the back. So a warrior or samurai who is working in the fields is suddenly attacked by somebody and he used the tools by accident. That is to say the shukō wasn’t something you necessarily carried (though see the photos at the end of this article to see how they were carried), unless that was a planned thing.

And the techniques involved further exemplify this, as well as a very important gokui of Togakure-ryū:

抜かず勝て、抜けば切るたよ、ただ忍べ、命をたるは大事とぞ知れ

“Win without drawing; if you must draw, don’t cut. Just forebear. Know that it is a grave thing to take a life.“

Sources:

• Hatsumi, Masaaki. The Way of the Ninja: Secret Techniques. (2004).
  
• Hatsumi, Masaaki. Shinjin Ichinyo no maki 神人一如の巻.
• Source for Tekkō kagi: http://winners-auction.jp/productDetail/14595
• Toshitsugu, Takamatsu. Togakure-ryū Ninjutsu Hidensho 戸隠流忍術秘傳書.
• Zoughari, Kacem. Ninja: Ancient Shadow warriors of Japan. (2010)

footnotes:

[1] It has been stated in other sources across the Internet, but here is an example where a notable amount of misinformation has been cast. I don’t know where this information comes from, but according the “About” page, it is linked to To-shin-do. I emphasize that this is not a slight against Stephen Hayes at all, but the information has been clearly inaccurate.

[2] Even in North America, though notably later (circa 16th century), I personally can attest to seeing tools similar to the Tekkō kagi for the purpose of moving handfuls of hay and straw before the bundling of hay bails with large scooping movements, having grown up on a horse farm in an French Acadian family (the initial European settlers of the country to be known as Canada).

[3] I have translated several primary sources on commission, and this is one such one that is under a confidentiality clause; it is regarding agricultural tools and their usage during the Kamakura (1185–1333) or Muromachi (1336–1573) periods. I can say that this is a long gap in history, and there was tremendous developments and improvements in metallurgy during this time as there has always been two major influences in historical development: military, and entertainment – in this case the Sengoku jidai (warring states period) stretched from 1467 to 1603; a very long time, but a very scientifically influential time.

[4] “Smooth is slow; slow is hidden.” (滑らかさは遅いです、遅いが隠されている。)

[5] This particular scroll teaches not only the fighting techniques of the tradition, but also the philosophical principles of “harmonizing with nature”, that is to say, Shinjin Ichinyo. As I have explained elsewhere, the notion of the kami (神) in the Shinto faith, are like the manifestations of the elements of nature; and like that, this scroll teaches how to escape and hide with the five phases (gogyo; 五行) as inspiration. As such, learning to rely on and harmonize (become one with) the phases of nature is becoming one with the kami.

[6] “Hajutsu no hō is a very violent method of combat, which requires a deep understanding of the human anatomy as well as the ability to move with fluidity. Hajutsu no hō allows the practitioner, among other things, to incorporate the use of the various types of weapons. It encompasses the likes of kosshi-jutsu and koppō jutsu, the art of kyūsho (急所) and kyūsho (求所 or 救所). Here, the two words have the same sound, but the characters are different. They are complementary sciences, which shows why kosshi-jutsu and koppō-justsu were always transmitted together.” (Zoughari pp 77)

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And here’s the TL;DR version:

From a hunt for Azuma-ryu

This morning I had been hunting around for information about the Azuma-ryu (東流) school of hojojutsu, for extra information on my translation of Zukai Hojojutsu, and really there’s next to nothing available online about this tradition. But, as a result of digging around through various Japanese libraries, I did manage to find some interesting things bout Japanese ghosts!

Hagaimeno no Koto ハガイノ事 of the Azuma-ryu 東流.

According to David Hall, the author of the Encyclopedia of Japanese Martial arts (Nihon Budo Jiten 日本武道事典), this may refer to three different ryuha:

1. A school of espionage (ninjutsu) that was apparently still preserved during the Taisho era (1912-1925). The only practitioner from that time known today is Azuma Taro Uemon.
2. A school specializing in swordsmanship (kenjutsu) with the standard sword (katana) and dagger (tanto) in the area of Fukuoka domain in Kyushu. The only known practitioner is Suyama Ichiemon.
3. A school specializing in arresting-cord arts (torinawa) that was a splinter tradition of the Nanba Ippo-ryu 難波一甫流.

An that’s about all I’ve managed to acquire on this particular ryuha. However, when drudging through the Wasada University archives, I found numerous books on folk stories, plays, and other miscellany (including a modern school of two string guitar under the same spelling as this tradition).

One of the picture books I found had many illustrations with interesting points to ponder called Azuma Sodachi Satsuki no Ochigiwa (東発名皐月落際). This appears to be a story novel following a warrior of which I haven’t deduced the name of, written by Bakin Kyokutei and Toyokuni Utagawa in 1799.

Shukke and the Yurei 出家と幽霊

A monk facing a Yurei 幽霊 (feint spirit ghost) in the azuma sodachi satsuki no ochigiwa

It appears that this first part of the story centers around a traveling exorcist meeting various ghosts and demons, whole later on it focuses on a warrior and his interactions (violently) with various demons. Whether this is one and the same person, I’m really not sure as I find it very difficult to read this type of literature.

In the above illustrations, the ghost (Yurei; 幽霊) is depicted as an old woman, which narrows down what type of ghost she is, though I have also not been able to deduce his particular type. Though this category of ghost is commonly depicted with a sort of willow-wisp ghost orb nearby (Davisson, p. 215), it is omitted here, but plays a notable part later in the story.

Because my own background tends to be in the interest of ninjutsu, any time I see a monk depicted in such situations, I think of one of the main disguises of the ninja, though I know this particular story to not be the case here.

Baphomet?

Depictions of various Japanese spirits and demons, interesting to notice the depiction of a goat headed demon here looking very much like the Baphomet demon of Christianity.

The next interesting illustration shows an oni (demon; 鬼) with the head of a goat, something that isn’t too commonly seen in Japanese folklore, to the extant that I couldn’t find much of anything about it.

Having it look straight on in the manner depicted gives it some alarmingly similar features and presentation as the often referenced pagan goat god, Baphomet, feared in Christian sources for it’s comparisons to the modern conception of Satan (some consider them one and the same). I’ve personally never seen another depiction of a goat demon in any sort of Japanese sources, but this is really not my field. A brief search through various sources that I have on hand and available on Amazons Kindle libraries for terms like Yokai (妖怪) and Yurei (幽霊) and buying three different encyclopedias on the subjects revealed nothing including the terms “goat” or ‘sheep”, so this continues to be an elusive subject.

Hitodama 人魂!

Some depictions of oni (鬼) with a tetsubo (iron club; 鉄棒), and a swordsman armed with a tachi and daito, and surrounded by rats and some form of orb ghosts.

I’ve always had a personal curiosity about will-o-whisps, and their various cultural iterations. So when I come across illustrations of Japanese warriors being surrounded by ghostly orbs like this, it catches my attention, and I have to say I didn’t expect this kind of Yokai to have it’s own category; it turns out that depending on where they come from, they have different meanings, demeanor, behaviors, and so on, but they all fall under the category of Hi no Tama (orbs of fire; 火の玉).

I can only speculate what these particular ones with the kanji for heart or mind (心) written on them. So I’ll briefly describe a few different ones here:

Hitodama 人魂

Hitodama from the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by Toriyama Sekien

This seems to be one of the more common of the various spirit orbs, characterized by a floating orb, sometimes with a faint flame around it, ad with a tail trailing behind.

They seem to levitate fairly close to the ground, and unlike other orb-like spirits that are created by other supernatural beings (such as foxes and demons). This reminds me of the practice of having familiars in European pagan beliefs. Hhitodama are said to leave the body of a dead human two or three days after death.

The kanji used in the name 魂 implies yang energy, somewhat like the yang energy leaving the body upon death and only yin being left behind.

It’s also interesting to note that this spirit is mentioned in the Man’yoshu:

“When you are alone and meet the complete blueness of a hitodama, you would naturally think of it as the sorrow on a rainy night”

Man’yōshū (Amasaki book) Chapter 16

Onibi 鬼火

“Sougenbi” from the “Gazu Hyakki Yagyō” by Sekien Toriyama

These are orbs that appear along side various oni and are said to come from the souls of the dead who are violent or maleficent.

According to the work of Matthew Meyer, “Onibi does not create much heat, but the orbs possess a different danger. Living creatures that draw too close are sometimes swarmed by dozens of orbs, which quickly drain away the life force from their victims. Soon nothing is left of the victim but a dead husk on the ground.”

As such it appears that this is one of the more dangerous iteration of the hi no tama class of spirits and ghosts.

Kitsunebi 狐火

Kitsunebi illustrated in the Ayakashi Monogatari (阿也可之譚), written by Gyokuzan Okada (玉山 岡田), in 1790. A story about the Kitsune’s mischief.

Most depictions of Kitsunebi (fox fire; 狐火) show them as thin wisps of flame, though some show as orbs like the others. The kitsunebi themselves are not dangerous, the fox spirit it came from can be really quite malicious, and in some myths, exceptionally dangerous. It seems that they have also been called “Reiko” (Spirit Fox; 霊狐).

Kitsune have been an ongoing fascination of mine, particularly the nine-tailed versions. Kitsunebi orbs are formed by foxes, which breath the ball of fire out from their mouths and use it to light their way at night. It is most often a sign that a large number of kitsune are nearby – often during yokai events such as the night parade of one hundred demons, yokai wedding ceremonies, and other processions or meetings. (Meyer, “Kitsunebi“)

Killing the Oni

A warrior depicted smashing down an oni with a large trunk of bamboo, notice a sort of restrained spirit orb next to him seemingly on a leash.

So a switch back to the original review here, now were looking at an action shot with the protagonist killing a demon with a rather large trunk of bamboo. I have noticed a tendency that when theses warriors are depicted in killing or fighting demons, it is usually with an exceptionally large weapon. I imagine this would be because of the expectation that demons tend to be much stronger than humans, so something a little bit more impact-full  would have to do the trick.

It’s also interesting to see the hitodama in the picture seemingly tethered or leashed by its tail, almost in a comical way.

The Wisdom Kings

Depictions of the Wisdom kings (myohi ;明妃) of esoteric Buddhism, note the famous Fudomyoo in the middle.

Now we see not just the illustrious Fudomyo, a rather “notable” figure in most esoteric systems of Buddhism. Here, he is also depicted with two boy servants who is usually depicted in attendance to Fudomyo: Kongara dōji (矜羯羅童子) and Seitaka dōji (吒迦童子). I’ve included this page simply because it is a rather clear and decent depiction of Fudomyo, there not much more to say about him that hasn’t been stated in great length elsewhere.

Conclusions

Well, this has been an interesting way to spend the day, exploring Japanese ghost stories, and looking at some pretty interesting illustrations from several different sources. I hope it was an interesting read to go through such randomness. It’s kind of a strange tangent from looking up a hojojutsu tradition, to reading about ghosts all day. But, with any luck something will pop soon!

References:

• Davisson, Zack (2014). Yūrei The Japanese Ghost. Chin Music Press. ISBN 978-09887693-4-2.
• Meyer, Matthew. the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. (2015), 2nd edition.
• Kyokutei, Bakin; Utagawa, Toyokuni. Azuma Sodachi Satsuki no Ochigiwa 東発名皐月落際. (1799). Wasada University.

Ninja Juhakkei 忍者十八形

Ninja Jūhakkei (the eighteen disciplines; 忍者十八形) were first identified in the scrolls of Togakure-ryū 戸隠流, or “School of the Hidden Door”, said to have been founded during the Oho period (1161–62) by one Daisuke Nishina (Togakure)[1], who learned a life view and techniques (ninjutsu) from Kagakure Doshi[2]. Togakure-ryū Ninjutsu Hidensho[3] is a manuscript in Hatsumi’s possession that is said to document Togakure-ryū. It is the purported origin of the “18 skills of Ninjutsu.”

Ninja jūhakkei was often studied along with Bugei jūhappan (the 18 samurai fighting art skills). Though some techniques were used in the same way by both samurai and ninja, others were used differently by the two groups. The 18 disciplines are:

1. Seishinteki kyōyō (spiritual refinement; 精神的教養)
2. Koppojutsu Tajutsu (unarmed combat; 骨法術体術)
3. Kenpo (Swordsmanship; 剣法)
4. Bōjutsu (longstaff; 棒術)
5. Shuriken (throwing blades; 手裏剣)
6. Kusarigama (chain and sickle; 鎖釜)
7. Yari (spear; 槍)
8. Naginata (halbred; 薙刀)
9. Bajutsu (horsemanship; 馬術)
10. Suiren (water training; 水連)
11. Kayakujutsu (pyrotechnics; 火薬術)
12. Hōryaku (tactics; 方略)
13. Chōhō (espionage; 諜報)
14. Shinobi-iri (Infiltration; 忍入)
15. Inton (Concealment; 隠遁)
16. Hensōjutsu (disguise; 変装術)
17. Tenmon (meteorology; 天門)
18. Chi-mon (geography; 地門)

Notes:

[1] Zoughari, Kacem. (2010) The Ninja: Ancient Shadow Warriors of Japan. Tuttle Publishing. Pg. 87.

[2] Hatsumi, Massaki. (1988). Essence of Ninjutsu. McGraw-Hill. pg. 173.

[3] Here, “hidensho” simply refers to the secret manuscripts of Togakure-ninjutsu. In this particular case, it is referring to Buhi Kanjin Kanami no Maki (武秘神眼要巻). This particular scroll details a sort of mokuroku for the Togakure-ryu, and has been made publicly available in Masaaki Hatsumi’s publication “The Complete Ninja: The Secret World Revealed” (2013, p. 98-99).

Buhi Kanjin Kaname no Maki 武秘神眼要巻

Atemi – Background

Firstly, there’s a number of ways in classical Japanese to describe the act of striking, hitting, smashing, thrusting, and pushing in regards to jujutsu. One common term to describe punching, for example, is ‘tsuki’ (突), which emphasizes a thrusting, or stabbing through. While a term for hitting, in the sense of striking with a stick or hammer, is ‘uchi’ (打). For some reason during my various translation projects, I have come to have an appreciation for ‘ate’ (当). This character gives an impression of striking sharply, such as with a specific knuckle, finger, or toe. a sort of “stabbing into” rather than “stabbing through” as with tsuki.

And the ‘mi’ (身) of ‘atemi’, is commonly translated as ‘body’, or sometimes “self” as in the term ‘sutemi’ (self-sacrifice; 捨身). So together ‘atemi’ (当身) can come to mean “striking the body”. However I wouldn’t be much of a researcher were I to settle on simple modern translations when referencing classical texts on jujutsu…

Ateru 当てる

The character ‘ate’ (當) is derived from a combining of ‘kuwaeru’ (尚), meaning “to add to”, “further”, or “increase”; and ‘den’ (田) which means a field or farm. It can be a little difficult to see first how 尚 and 田 come together to make 當, only when you overlap, and also recognize the context in which the two characters were used together in classical literature, then you can see the merge to what transforms into 當 “to hit”, “aim”, “put or place against”, and even “to expect”. The form of 當 had been simplified in the early Edo period (1603-1868) to become 当, which is the writing that I prefer for aesthetic reasons.

Mizukara 身ずから:

身 on the other hand, is kind of interesting because it is the pictograph of a pregnant woman, with the fetus adhering inside. However, it’s been over a thousand years since it referred in any way to a woman or pregnancy. Nowadays, it refers to the “self”, but not simply of the physical body, but the entire self. Everything that makes up the person, the self, the being. Including the psychology, anthropology, sociology, the psycho-physical relationship, the ego, the id, the super ego, even the extended being (the influence that the being imposes on it’s environment. 身 is the consistent part of the human being.

Therefore, we can interpret ‘atemi’ (当身) as “the action of striking the deepest part of the being in front of you”.

In it’s context, the classical jujutsu method of atemi is to strike in a very exact way that not only inflicts physical percussive harm, but also allows for one to attack the psyche, the balance, the energy (meridians), or even to strike in a subtle way that inflicts no pain or injury at all, but with the same end result of unbalancing, breaking the posture, shifting the position, harming or even killing.

Shingyoso in Calligraphy

In Japanese Calligraphy, the primary modus peregrinations of Shingyōsō from ancient India to present day Japan, we find the styles of writing divided up generally into three categories of formalities. The first (shinsho 真書, which is also referred to as Kaisho (correct, square writing; 楷書)) being quite crisp and font-like, often times with sharp serif while other times without any such flourishes. This would be used for more clerical situations such as temple administrative documentation.

The second (Gyōsho), semi-formal style, would be the equivalent to general handwriting found in English, commonly used for daily communication, note-taking, and illustrates a bit of character from the author.

The third (Sōsho), least formal, would equate to cursive writing in English. This grade of calligraphy is the most expressive, generally thought of as most beautiful and art-like, and usually requires tremendous practice to be able to reproduce, while also requiring special training to be able to read correctly, even then one is usually expected to simply appreciate the qualities rather than try to understand them (Tathāgata; तथागत).

Each of the styles of writing is expected to be used in the appropriate context: Shinsho for official and government documents and archival purposes; Gyōsho is for common communication, and often used in advertising to allow leeway for some eye-catching flourishes and colors; and Sōsho which is used almost exclusively in the artistic expression of Shodō. From this, the term Shingyōsō can come to be thought of as a system of observing appropriateness.