The Misunderstood Legacy of Ninjas
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- čas přidán 8. 11. 2023
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The Edo period marked the start of 250 years of peace for Japan, but it came as a death sentence for shinobi. These highly trained spies mastered the art of deception and infiltration, and some even worked as assassins. But when these talented figures started dying out, legend and mythology took their place, and eventually turned into the classic ninja characters we see in movies and TV today.
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Chapters
00:01 Ninjas in Western Cinema
00:33 First Records of Ninjas in 10th Century
01:38 Real Ninja Disguises and Tools
03:27 Public vs Hidden Shinobi
05:42 Skills in Ninjutsu
06:45 Origins of Black-Clad Ninja
07:59 Why Real Shinobi Disappeared
The idea that historical shinobi no longer exist is exactly what the shinobi want you to think.
Q: What ninja would admit to being a ninja?
A: The ninja that wants eyes pointing in a particular direction.
Always said that they're still around, just hidden somewhere
The greatest Ninjutsu the shinobi ever pulled off was convincing the world the shinobi no longer exist.
@@goddessblade Yup!
I hear you can't throw a rock without hitting a ninja
I feel the true sign of ninja prowess is that they knew the value of a towel even without access to the hitchhikers guide
The more I learn about ninjas the more I learn that the characters in naruto don't just have random names but are named for real shinobi
I read somewhere that the 'classic' black outfit with a mask actually came from No theatre; specifically, the crew, which did dress like that.
The bunraku puppeteers wear them. So like with the muppets they put the puppeteers down below and they use sticks, well with the bunraku they just have them wear all black and they perform against a black backdrop.
Beautifully done! And I really love the art choices for this ep from the historical sources, as well as the art used for the animations. Just gorgeous, as well as respectful and carefully worded. It's actually really interesting to think of the shinobi as being like super-heroes, too! Especially given the ways in which the comic-book superhero of the West has always had a...shall we say complicated relationship with the law, haha -
Great episode, thank you!!!
better than any ninja show I've seen!
Even in the Naruto story, Sasuke Uchiha was named after Sasuke Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's dad,/Grandad.
Fine historical accounting. Shinobi did in fact become spies, not warriors. Their origins appear to be from peasants learning to protect their villages through deception rather than open conflict. For those curious about shuriken, they were more likely to be used by throwing them into the ground to create dangerous terrain to cover their escape or used to deliver a toxin. And the toxin were not likely to be some fancy poison, but something available to peasants, like letting the shuriken rust in a pile of manure. Injury from such a weapon could lead to an infection that was hard to treat in the era of its use.
No those were caltrops, it was to cause injury to people or animals like horses. They mainly would target arms or legs to slow down them in attacking or chasing them, but it was used not with the intention of harming the opponent that was just a plus what it did was to make them dodge the throwing blades which allows the ninja those extra seconds to escape
Speaking about shuriken, it is unlikely that the shinobi wield like lots of them, because they'd be so noisy.
ninjas, vikings, pirates...... childhood cartoons sure do mislead you 😂
“Ninjas, Vikings, Pirates”-🤔sounds like an idea for some sorta screenplay, don’t it?…
All walk into a bar
What childhood cartoons had vikings in them besides gargoyles?
@@Sedgewise47😅true
@@denny414 Mighty Max (Norman was Thor) and Hägar the Horrible (the newspape comic) come to mind, but also viking episodes exist for shows as diverse as Duck Tales to Baywatch!
This was such a fascinating breakdown. I want to also read that stage crew in japanese plays like Kibuki would wear all black when moving items in the background to not bring attention to themselves. Then one day, the story hid one of the main characters as one of the stage crew to reveal himself making the kill of another character which shocked the audience as it was someone hiding in plain sight all along. This is what led to popularizing the idea that the ninja wore all black and performed assassinations.
Love this. We need more accessible accurate and surprising bite-sized history segments for modern youth. History teaching in America wasn't great even when I was in school, and things haven't gotten better in recent years. Modern kids weren't taught how to properly research and do their due diligence on what they hear online, and the algorithm rewards AI channels for cranking out sensational and wildly inaccurate info. We need you now more than ever!
And if y’all want more breakdowns of how good or not various pop culture ninja are, one of my other favorite channels is Gaijin Goombah who has a series called Which Ninja that analyzes various pop culture ninja and evaluates them based on accuracy. There have been many surprises both in which characters can be considered modern ninja and how accurate some depictions are! :D
#WormHoleAlert! Okay just looked it up after your recomendation and wow! "Which Ninja" was deep and love how he connected movies/tv representations in gaming, and how that fed back into deeper trope reinformence. Also added a layer of 'well that was just a USA Phnom, so what about Japan?"
@@gregjeskeep4511yes! I’ve been supporting Gaijin Goombah for the better part of a decade now (I found him when the Alola Pokémon games were just releasing so yeah), and he’s been an absolute treasure. Definitely worth sticking around, even if I don’t fully get the recent ork thing lmao.
He should make a video on Ghost of Tsushima.
His series is horrible.
@@apocalypse487 tbh from what I understand, he loves the game, so I’m amazed there isn’t more from that (I do believe at least one video was made on it, but not for Which Ninja, specifically).
Shinobi: sneak, silent killers
Shinobi in Naruto: wear bright colored clothings, scream at the top of their lungs when attacking
And they are well known by everyone
Using magic
As Gaijin Goombah always says, "Real ninja wear blue!"
When they were infiltrating by night, ninja would don navy blue, which blends in better at night than jet black does.
The moon and stars would still provide some degree of light in those days, so it was more prudent to dress in that manner.
On a side note, I got into a huge argument on the subject with a self-proclaimed Japanophile.
Of course, this guy also claimed the Illuminauti were after his grandfather's 'secret forging techniques,' so he's probably not all there to begin with.
Makes sense. I worked with some coast guard guys at night. The seas are dark as hell by the way. Could barely see those dudes.
They could use those shoes to walk in marshy lands but not on water. Mythbusters tried it long ago
How fitting since Ninja was the Wordle yesterday
There is a famous pro wrestler from Japan who was inspired by the tales of Sasuke and created his in ring persona as "The Great Sasuke " he has been wrestling all over the world since the 80's.
Just like to share that bit of info
czcams.com/video/yDwA_DvsX8Y/video.htmlsi=GdCYcrV8Rl-44Xuh
Wow Sasuke Uchiha was so popular they even made stories after him 🤩🤩
Loved this episode as someone who studied ancient Japan in school. But curious to know why the Iga and Koga clans weren't mentioned in this episode?
Good point
Indeed. Those clans themselves had members who survived beyond the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki....
Why mention that? Some clandestine history "suggests" that one reason those bombings occurred was to destroy evidence of shinobi being used to assassinate high government officials and members of royalty across Europe in the early 20th century.
Probably for the same reason they don't mention the combat skill come from a tribe in the middle east, not at all Japan.
Disappointed to not see revered novelist Futaro Yamada mentioned. His works are so influential he's the reason they put ninpou in Japanese dictionaries. Anime such as basilisk and ninja scroll are adapted from his work
Ninja scroll is one of my favorites
Damn
Good video separating facts from fiction 👍🏾
I heard dark blue was the standard for night infiltration. The water walking to my knowledge has yet to be proven.
Enlightening
Very quality and well-made video. Hope it blows up. 🎉
Hmmm… Shinobi sounds like it would have been the perfect name for my undersized, overly curious and sneaky tuxedo cat.
Yes! Always thinking about cat names!
i am 30 seconds into the video and am quite impressed and enthralled with the narration and visuals. please keep up the polish.
Y'all need a whole series on this.
This is a surprisingly really good video about the Shinobi. The fact that they were spies and not some mystical warrior as often portrayed. Avoided a lot of pitfalls like shurikens, chain sickles, and other weapons often associated with the ninja. I'm very impressed. I could nit pick a few things but they were extremely minor in all comparison. For example Shinobi directly translate "Heart like a Blade" which means one who endures. This later became a synonymous for sneaking. Another sword that was very popular among the shinobi was the taichi sword which was longer and more curved than a katana. It was a more common side arm among the people. But they did use Wakizashi's as mention. One of my favorite methods was to put the wakizashi in a katana scabbard. This allowed you to store things in the scabbard like secret messages and if you are attack your draw cut would be much faster due to the shorter blade. Giving the illusion of a lighting fast draw cut.
Though you missed a great opportunity to circle the whole thing around. We have this larger than life myths of the ninja kind of like how James Bond and similar spy movies romanticizes the western spy.
Bit of a misconception. The character 忍 is made of the radicals 心 (heart/mind/feelings) and 刃 (blade), but that's not really the 'meaning' of the word. That's just how it's written.
In this type of Chinese character, one radical points to the meaning (in this case, 心 - heart/mind/feelings) and the other is more like a pronunciation guide (for 刃 - nin, or sometimes jin, in Japanese).
忍 (nin) means endure/bear/put up with.
The associated Japanese verb is 忍ぶ (shinobu).
The character suggests something like 'feeling/thinking something on the inside but showing no sign on the outside.'
So it's not hard to imagine how the secondary meaning of 'concealment/hiding/sneaking' came about.
A real ninja like myself, gives this video a like 😊
This was a great topic to cover. I really enjoyed this video and look forward to more!
This was a great watch on so many levels.
Man I so look forward to you and this series of videos, glad to see you again :)
Great storytelling!
Love this series so much!!!
love this one! always been obsessed with Shinobi & NInjutsu :) More of this kind of contents like famous samurais like Musashi Miyamoto
This is awesome, so well done!
I enjoy this type of content! Keep bring it forward PBS 🎉
I remember watching Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman/ super why!/Arthur/cyberchase happy to see pbs is still kicking
This was well done, thanks for the narrative.
Don't forget about Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru were based on the fictional ninja characters from the Kabuki play.
"Ninjas gotta practice" is an excellent axiom. Not that I'm a ninja.
Q: What ninja would admit to being a ninja?
A: The ninja that wants eyes pointing in a particular direction.
This was an awesome watch
Informative, as always!
Beautiful documentary
Nice job Good sir
74 year old black Vietnam veteran. Was that a typewriter and telephone on his desk ? 😊 ❤️☮️ & Happiness 😎🇺🇲
Awesome story and story telling 🤝👏✌️
Having Frederick Douglas tell me about ninjas is wild
*Really good.* 👍
Awesome!
Shinobi are just a type of Samurai. They just specced into stealth, and preferred to use Wakasashi with large handles to make them look like regular uchi-katana.
Nicely done
First time watching origins. I love your voice
Great video!
❤ Awesome as always thanks naruto is my favorite anime and manga good to learn more about what inspired the franchise!
My role playing games are going to be updated.
NinjaEye 007 - Bring it!
Thank you
Love the video.
As a child I was both inspired by and terrified of ninja, As a way to combat the overflow of "American media" I was taken to chinese video stores where i could rent ninja films (many actually by Western film studios). This video was very informative.
very good
Please, continue speaking on ninjas. Great work !
very cool
This is pretty awesome. Glad to see actual informative/educational material instead of the usual nonsense.
The First Special Forces 💯
0:13 iirc the all black uniform came from theatre where stage hands and puppeteers would wear all black as it was a cue they weren’t part of the scene themselves. There was one play where one of these folks became a part of the scene and killed a character. Honestly amazing use of fourth wall type stuff.
well presented
Kopo jutsu is still taught today good video mate........
Awesome vid ty
I was waiting to see if the Bujinkan got mentioned and what judgement would or would not have been passed on it.
In Val Kilmer's "The Saint" he plays an evil shinobi. (Why evil? 1. He's a thief, and 2. His carelessness (or, lack of mindfulness) gets innocent people killed.) But it's a fun movie.
This was a dope, concise overview. Appreciate all involved.
It's funny that One Piece actually had more historically correct usage of Ninjas in the series
I love ninja movies
YOOOOO! This was great!
A lot these types of spies are still alive today..
You description of the hidden and open shinobi reminds me of the PECHIN WARRIORS OF THE RYUKYU ISLANDS now known as okinowa. Who are the ones who invented practiced and taught KARATE. They were the security, Police soldiers and bodyguards for the Sho king and would disguise themselves as servants in order to protect the king simple undercover work same as ninja we still use these methods today...
"I'm Joel Cook, and _this_ is me ruining your childhood heros."
To say that they never wore black ninja outfits is a bit of a misnomer too. As illustrations of that era still depict it. The ninja black costume would probably be worn mainly during night time reconnaissance. Ninja would hide in bushes or areas of shadow and sit motionless for hours. You wouldn't wear this outfit while you walk amongst people or indoors. It's something you would employ strategically, using it for some missions while not for others. It's like saying that snipers never wear ghillie suits, or that they always wear ghillie suits. The mission dictates the outfit.
PLEASE, I hope u delve more in depth on shinobi techniques and lifestyle. This is the First concise video I see that mentions the schooling and techniques of ninja. Except the few semi realistic accounts in anime videos by a “bro” who read 3 pages of historical material. You mentioned more tools, techniques and lifestyle aspects of ninja in 10 minutes than I’ve seen in years. Specifically they sound genuine and documented. I would absolutely want to hear more in depth talk, a longer video.
6:01 anyone know the title and artist of this art? youtube needs a bibliography to credit sources used
For more on Ninjas and samurais, the Metatron, a HEMA and Japanese martial arts you tuber had lots of video on the topic.
Metatron is okay.
The channel run by Anthony Cummings a historian who has studied the ninja (and produced books based on their scrolls) is a good resource on the historical ninja.
That guy is a fraud and it is recommended to stay away from his works by actual historians.
He got outed as a fraud a few years back, loads of receipts from multiple sources.
Jujitsu sorcerers next
The only reason I am watching this is to reward you for the thumbnail
1:48
You do know that the as you say outlandish stories of ninja powers where actually spread by the ninjas. If I can make a hand sign which will scare you from giving chase or to mislead you the fear and weariness of them is a plus as they will use it to escape or make you make a mistake. Few people mention that they used a lot more physiological warfare than actual physical fighting. By the way there was no open ninjas there was a samurai who everyone knew was the spy master but he would never admit it and yes there was samurai who also were ninjas.
Shinobis back
Never thought I’d see Naruto on a PBS video
Gotta get those basketball anime fans...😂😂😂
I actually hold a green belt in *Ninjutsu*
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
REAL NINJA WEAR BLUE!
The burakumin shall inherit this earth
Great video. I remain unconvinced that "historical" ninja existed rather than just being the duties of samurai and their ashigaru (foot soldiers).
One of my favorite roasts of america is mentioning some random fact about history and adding “this is btw older than your country”.
Don't tell him about nagasaki...
Organization like the Ninja has always existed probably as long as warfare the Hashshashin was a similar organization just as secretive amongst others throughout history with so much paperwork I think today's operatives forgot the secrecy part can't have information leaks if you destroy the information just saying.
one for karate
after watching i started reading under ninja the manga cause they talk about this
Not enough tmnt talk smh jk good ass video pbs
How were Japanese castle's designed?
Ninja were a propaganda tactic that worked even if the lore is shaky. Culturally not as significant as the West represents but still everyone has fun with it nowadays
So........ No sexy jutsu huh?....
I learned all i.needed to abount ninjas from this show where they livedbin a sewer and ate 🍕
Hey, you sass that hoopy Chuck Norris? There's a shinobi 🥷 frood who really knows where his towel is!
Who knew Towelie was a ninja? 😂