The espionage equipment evolved together with the advance of technology, along the history. At the beginning, when the espionage relied almost entirely, on human resources, the equipment was not really sophisticated, rather ingenious. Some of it, actually was so ingenious that it was further improved and used until modern history. This is the example of “scytale”, a cryptographic device used by the Spartans. This was a secure way of communication and was nothing but a rod. Only it took a rod of the same size, to wrap a piece of paper around it, in order to read the message on it. Otherwise, the message was unreadable. The single-key-paper cyphers and the Enigma, the German cryptographic machine used in World War II are some of the scytale successors.

Also for communication, a form of delivery was the “dead drop”. The dead drop is used even today and means leaving a message in an unsuspicious place, like a crack in a tree or a building. Another unsuspicious object may be left underneath, to mark the existence of a message, in that place.

Animal horns were used as listening devices, to amplify the sound. They were used not only for spying but also by the deaf people.

Lenses have been used, as surveillance equipment, in monoculars, binoculars, since their apparition but before them, any building may have had hidden chambers, with tiny holes, in the walls. From the secret chambers, one could spy, seeing and hearing anything that was happening, supposedly confidentially, in another room.

The surveillance equipment developed tremendously, once the photographic camera was invented. This way, the espionage equipment became easier to use, carry and more difficult to detect. From cameras built in pens, regular glasses and watches, to the cell phones commonly used today, the espionage equipment has also become widely accessible and thus, leading to the apparition of regulation laws, due to privacy concerns.

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Sarutobi Sasuke is probably a fictional character that appeared in many children’s stories in the early 20th Century. His life and story is probably based on a Kozuki Sasuke, a famous ninja of the Meiji era. The word “Sarutobi” means “Monkey Jump”, and like many Japanese names it is actually a nickname that describes the qualities of a person. Sarutobi Sasuke was renowned for his acrobatic abilities. He could dodge the fastest warrior, ducking and jumping around a sword slash.

According to the legend, Sarutobi Sasuke began training at the age of ten. It is said that he met his sensei (teacher) when he was practicing fencing on a tree. An old man happened to come by and laughed at the child’s efforts. Sasuke got angry and rebuked the old man for having laughed at him.

“Child, practicing swordfight with a tree is like fighting a dead enemy!” the old man said.

Hearing these wise words, Sasuke was immediately alert, recognizing that the old man was probably a master swordsman. Sasuke pleaded to the old man to teach him sword fighting. The old man revealed himself to be Haakunsai Tozawa, a prominent Ninja of that time. Thus, Sasuke gained instruction as a Ninja.

After instruction, Sasuke joined the Sanada Clan, led by Yukimura who was at that time fighting against the forces of Tokugawa. Yukimura formed a group of ten Ninjas, called the Sanada Ten Braves, who took active part in the battles between the Sanada Clan and Tokugawa’s forces. During the Siege of Osaka, the Sanada Ten Braves were a crucial element of Yukimura’s strategy as they spied and brought forth instrumental information to their master.

In one popular story, Sasuke was sent to spy Tokugawa in his castle. He made a successful entry into the castle and overheard conversations of a plan to attack his master. However, when leaving, guards caught him. Sasuke was a master of evasion, having gone through many such situations in the past. He easily jumped over a high wall.

Unfortunately, there was a bear trap on the other side. Sasuke fell right into the trap. Before the guards arrived, Sasuke amputated his leg in order to get out of the trap. Realising that escape was impossible in this condition, Sasuke committed suicide rather than being caught.

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No ninjitsu school in Japan would openly acknowledge Ishikawa Goemon as one of their students. This is because, Ishikawa Goemon is considered to be the greatest thief in Japanese history. Goemon was probably a Ninja, since many sources claim that he was born in the Iga Province, the home of the Ninjas. Yet, he perverted ninjitsu in the sense that he used the Ninja techniques to steal from others. Other sources claim that he was a samurai born to So Sekei, the chief retainer of a local warlord. He quit being a samurai after the assassination of his father and became a thief in Kyoto.

However, despite being a thief, he was well liked by the common people. Goemon was a sort of Japanese Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Goemon lived in the Edo era, in the 16th Century. The Civil War (Warring States Period) had just ended. This period was characterized by massive differences between the classes of people. Much power and wealth were in the hands of the daimyo (the leader of a province). There was a rich aristocratic class who were powerful landlords. The common people were peasants, condemned to forever work the lands of their masters for a meagre pay. Ishikawa Goemon sought to iron out these differences using his own radical method.

In 1594, Goemon entered the castle of the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the regent of the emperor. It is not clear why he did so. Some say to steal; which does not seem to be a good reason because of the risks. Others say that he planned to assassinate Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who at that time was perceived to be a despot and who oppressed the common people a lot. Still others claim that the aim was to avenge Goemon’s father who had been killed by Hideyoshi (this is the version of the popular plays by the Japanese kabuki).

Whatever the case, Geomon entered the master bedroom of the regent. According to popular legend, there was a mystical incense burner in Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s room, which sounded a shrill alarm whenever an intruder comes in. The samurai guards of the regent were quickly roused and caught Goemon in the act. A more logical explanation would be that he tripped over something that raised the alarm…but hey, who are we to challenge history?!!! When caught, Goemon was brought before the regent for interrogation, where he gave the following statement:

“It is you who are the thief, for having stolen the whole country!”

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was furious at this, since it was well known that he had came to power after a series of battles, intrigue and even political assassinations. He ordered that Goemon and his whole family be put to death by boiling in hot oil at the front gate of the Nazenji temple in Kyoto. While Goemon was unable to save the rest of his family, he saved his young son, Gobei, who had been put in the same cauldron as him, by holding him above the boiling oil.

Joyce

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All Ninjas of the olden days were attributed supernatural powers, sometimes greatly exaggerated. Many were associated with witchcraft or black magic even. The illustrious Kato Danzo was also well-known for his capabilities as an illusionist. Who else can boast of being able to swallow a whole bull in front of a crowd of over twenty persons? Who else can throw seeds onto the ground and have them sprout and flower in front of the very eyes of the onlookers? Kato Danzo mastered the techniques of illusion to such an extent that even the powerful lords of Japan were in awe of him.

Kato Danzo lived during the Sengoku period in Japan. The Sengoku period was a period of civil unrest (15th to 17th Century). This period marked the rise of the daimyo or regional lords and the erosion of centralized power. The daimyo held considerable powers and thus, like other Ninjas, Kato Danzo sought employment from one of these lords: the powerful and respected Uesugi Kenshin. Yet even Uesugi Kenshin was afraid of Kato Danzo.

Under the pretext of testing the abilities of the great Ninja, Uesugi Kenshin charged Kato Danzo of recovering a prized sword of one of his vassals that had been stolen by a rival and kept in a guarded castle. Yet, unbeknownst to Kato Danzo, the daimyo had alerted the rival of the arrival of the Ninja. There are many versions on how Kato Danzo escaped this trap.

One version is that he distracted the guards who had caught him with one of his magic tricks. Historical documents have it that he caused several little dancing dolls to spring out of a gourd. While the astonished soldiers watched, Kato Danzo leapt off the window and escaped.

The other version is that Kato Danzo had sensed the trap beforehand. He consequently sent in a dummy with his Ninjitsu outfit over the hedge of the castle instead of going in himself. The dummy was attached to a rope which he held from the other side. The soldiers, on orders from the daimyo, shot their arrows at the dummy. Kato simply pulled the rope causing the dummy to levitate in mid air. This caused much bewildered the soldiers and gave Kato enough time to escape.

In both situations, Kato Danzo became famous as tobi Kato (Flying Kato). He did eventually bring back the sword to Uesugi Kenshin but, because of the latter’s betrayal, did not continue to work as one of his vassals. Instead he went to Uesugi’s arch-enemy, Takeda Shingen. However, the latter also found Kato Danzo to be more dangerous than useful. Kato Danzo died by decapitation on the instructions of Takeda Shingen.

There is a saying among Ninjas that goes:

“A competent Ninja cannot be loved by his Master”
This is certainly true in the case of Kato Danzo.

Joyce

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Ninjutsu involves using every part of the body – hands, feet, elbows, knees, and forearms -as weapons. Training with weapons such as swords and chains is also a major part of ninjutsu. The original ninja were born into ninja families and trained from childhood in the arts of horse riding, archery, espionage, and assassination. Three main types of ninjutsu are: Bujinkan, Genbukan, and Jinenkan.

Bujinkan, headed by Masaaki Hatsumi, is a system of nine separate martial arts traditions. Several of the martial arts taught in the Bujinkan can be traced back to the Iga region of Japan. Bujinkan training consists of both armed and unarmed fighting methods

A variety of weapons are taught, including:

1.       Swords

2.       Bamboo

3.       Nawa (rope)

4.       Kusari-fundo (weighted chain)

5.       Kusarigama (scythe with chain)

6.       Yari (spear)

7.       Tessen (iron fan)

Students are encouraged to use any available weapons in self defense, and learn to hide weapons to surprise their enemy. Bujinkan emphasizes stealth and deception.

Genbukan was founded in 1984 by current grandmaster Shoto Tanemura. Genbukan means “place that nurtures the professional martial artist.” The Genbukan’s specific purpose is propagation and preservation of the Genbukan Ninpo Bugei, or martial arts techniques.

Genbukan taijutsu consists of five major types of training:

1.       Dakentaijutsu (emphasizing striking techniques)

2.       Jutaijutsu (emphasizing throwing techniques, locks, and chokes)

3.       Koppojutsu (emphasizing nerve and pressure point attacks and bone breaking)

4.       Kosshijutsu (similar to Koppojutsu in emphasis)

5.       Taihenjutsu (emphasizing body movement and placement to counter or avoid attacker)

Jinenkan is a Japanese kobudo (old/ancient/classical martial way) organization. Jinenkan means “Hall of Nature,” and emphasizes natural movements and strength found in nature and natural surroundings.

The Jinenkan was begun in 1996 by Manaka Fumio, who had been a student of Bujinkan master Masaaki Hatsumi. All training is done strictly in keeping with the Densho, or the written legacy of tradition made to be passed on from teacher to student.

It was ninja’s intensive physical and mental training that created the impression that ninja had magical abilities. Stories of such magical techniques were promulgated by people who feared what they could not understand. The ninja were happy to let the stories spread because it made them appear to be a more frightening force to be reckoned with. Other articles in this section will focus on Bujinkan, Genbukan, and Jinenkan individually.

Joyce

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Many of you out there were introduced to ninjas when watching popular TV shows like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.
They often represent the ninjas as the brave warriors who are strictly against the evil and wrongful affairs. They are the savers and often eradicate the unlawful activities from the society. This is surely an attractive way to depict them but the real facts are far away from this.

The origin and historical background is absolutely different from the overgenerous stories told about the Ninjas. The real Ninjas developed in Japan and gradually they became quite popular in western countries. But there are no solid evidence found to support the exact time when they originated.

According to many people Ninjas have become almost obsolete now-a-days. It is pretty tough to find a class of people who can be called the modern Ninjas. But their unconventional war techniques still exist as they were quite effective. There are some modern Ninja organizations which teach the Ninja techniques. One of them is the Bujinkan.

It was established by popular “Ninja Grandmaster”, Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi. The techniques taught by him are the unique methods of Ninja which are also known as “Ninjutsu”.

“Parkour” and “free running” are both forms that are associated with ‘Ninja’ techniques which involve agility and strength.

These modern ninja methods are what we know as espionage (spying). W.O.N. recommends these books to learn about espionage activities of the CIA and other modern organisations. This is a great way to supplement your understanding. Follow the links to read a few pages of the books on Amazon.

• Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA’s Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda
• Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence, 3d Edition
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Spies and Espionage

Modern Ninja methods are mostly used by the Military organizations and sometimes by terrorist groups as well. But the average ninja enthusiast can learn about them here.
CWS

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The history of Japan describes the ninjas as the best combatants who used to be perfectly trained in martial art that involves strange but effective techniques. Few of the unconventional methods, which were used by the Ninjas were stealth, surveillance and disguise.

They had some special weapons and tricks up their sleeves that were simply inescapable. The actual origin of the Ninja is not clear. Yet it seemed they evolved as an opposing force to the samurai.

Where the samurai had the code of bushido (aka honour and loyalty), the ninja followed Ninjutsu. Bushido was noble. The samurai would state their challenge against a single opponent and announce his clan name. But this wasn’t effective. The ninjutsu code, on the other hand, prized the accomplishment of a mission by any means necessary above honour.

Ninja, therefore, were the olden day’s spies and assasins. It was the ninja who promoted the “Guerilla” technique of war, influenced by Sun Tzu and his Art of War manual.

The method of “Stealth” originated in Japan approximately at 522 AD. This was linked with the religion and the priests were the ones to practice this. There was no violence involved and the priests used to practice this in order to support the ruling power of that time. At around 645 A.D these priests mastered the art and realized the need to use it for their self-defense.

Later during the 1192 A.D. many of the wealthy and established clans emerged. They fought and killed for reasons that included survival and power. Gradually there was need of using techniques like stealth, surveillance and disguise. Who better to seek help from than those who had already mastered the art. This was how ninja slowly evolved.

According to the historical facts the ninja groups were developed in small villages or around the elite families. They were into protecting the residents of the villages and communities from external enemies. Women had the privilege to become the Ninjas, like men. While male ninja were called shinobi, female ninja were called kunoichi. It was said that female ninja were used to seduce enemies while accomplishing the task of spying on others.

There were various rules decided solely for the ninja and they were often kept as secrets. The facts that have been retrieved about the origin and purposes of the Ninjas are mostly the records kept by the outsiders who observed and scripted the history. But if you are looking for assured historical proofs for this, then they are not discovered to date.

CWS

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