In Search of the Niinja (10 page)

A ninth-century example of the ideogram ‘
nin’
can be seen in the centre, third ideogram down from the top.

Nin
can be seen on the right-hand side and is the fourth ideogram down.

The ideogram
nin
can be seen on the right.

There are three basic ways to investigate the ideogram,
, which help identify if it has anything to do with the ninja. The two phonetic ways to read Chinese ideograms in Japanese are known as
Onyomi
and
Kunyomi
, the mock-Chinese pronunciation and the Japanese respectively. It is not always known which way they are to be read.
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For example, the famous manuscript in the Hattori family is commonly known as the
Ninpiden,
however the alternative (and most likely correct) reading is
Shinobi-hiden
. Also,
shinobi no mono
is the correct and older reading of
nin-ja
. It is not always so simple! The ninja manual the
Sho-
nin
-ki
can only be read as ‘
nin
’ and not in an alternative way.

The following quotations highlight three main areas to consider when reading the ideogram
and show how there are situations where this symbol represents a ninja, where it may do, and where it most definitely does not.

The following is an example of
being used directly to mean ninja as a person and in the capacity we would understand.

The shinobi crept into the castle undetected

The following is an example of
where it is ambiguous and means ‘stealthy’ and could either relate to a ninja or have connections to infiltration. Remember here, it is unknown if this is a ninja, or someone acting in a stealthy manner.

A castle taken by a stealthy action is captured only when strong secondary forces come to secure the occupation.

The following is an example of
devoid of any connection to the ninja
at all:

To go on a date in secret

One example of misunderstanding the ideogram for ‘
nin
’ is in a martial arts scroll for a school called
Shinobi-ryu or Nin-ryu
(1627), which led to the idea of a possible ninja style of fighting. The possibility soon fades as on closer inspection the ideogram means ‘determination’ or ‘diligence’ and uses the character for ‘
nin
’ as ‘perseverance’ and describes no relation to the Shinobi.
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