About this episode
This episode explores the true nature and historical role of ninjas in Japan, contrasting myths with reality.
A relatively common trope today is that of the noble and honorable Samurai warrior opposed by their shadowy brother from another mother, the mystical and morally corrupt, black garbed assassin warrior known as the ninja. These fabled shadow warriors of Japanese history have been a staple of modern pop culture since around the 1960s when super-spy James Bond encountered them on a trip to Japan in You Only Live Twice. Prior to this, ninjas were something few people outside of their homeland were aware of. This has contributed to the real-world history of the ninja and their origins being rather chock full of admittedly awesome myths and legends, all surrounding them like a thick, shadowy fog. Something we feel the ninjas of history would feel proud of. Afterall, hiding and remaining unseen is sort of their whole deal… And, indeed, even in their time, they seemed to like to play up some of the stories that arose around what they were capable of and how they did what they did. This all brings us to the topic of today- just who were the ninja and what did they actually get up to in reality? To begin with, in a nutshell the ninja were elite, mercenary spies that also doubled as a type…
Topics covered
- ninja history
- Japanese culture
- espionage
- myths and legends
- Samurai
- mercenary spies
Keywords
- ninja
- Samurai
- espionage
- history
- myths
- Japanese culture
- assassination
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Cloud10
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