Foreign Student (hereinafter FS): I became interested in ninja through reading “Ninja-Hattori-kun” and “Naruto” manga. What were real ninja like? Teacher (hereafter T): Ninja were hired either individually or in a group, by daimyo (feudal lords) or other influential people. Ninja specialized in two kinds of tasks. One was to sneak into enemy territory to find out the situation on the ground, to carry out acts of sabotage, or to assassinate leaders. The other was to work like a present day spy; by pretending to be an ordinary person, they cooked up plots. FS: In ninja stories the names “Iga” and “Koka” often come up. What were they? T: These are places where groups of ninja lived. Iga is located in present day Mie Prefecture and Koka in Shiga Prefecture. They fiercely defended their territory from enemy attacks by using special skills. They lent their skills to other powers, and many daimyo made use of these ninja groups. There was a faction of thieves amongst the ninja, but they had extensive knowledge of animals, plants, and science. The Hattori-kun in the manga was named after HATTORI Hanzo, a famous Iga ninja who really existed in the Warring States period. FS: Our image of ninja is of a figure dressed in a black hooded costume that hides his face. Were they really like that? T: People generally picture ninja in a black costume, whereas in fact this was either navy blue or reddish-brown. FS: What stealth and combat techniques did they have? T: In terms of tools, the most well-known are throwing stars, but conical hats to hide their faces, medicines, and implements for starting fires, were also indispensable. The art of conversation was also tactically important: flattering others, provoking them, demonstrating one’s own abilities, planting fear, and so forth. Techniques such as lighting a fire to create a smoke screen, distracting your enemy with the sound of water or scattering money around, throwing stones or mud at your enemies, hiding in grass or trees, were used when fleeing from an opponent. FS: I heard there were also female ninja. T: Female ninja were called “kunoichi.” This is because, when you separate the strokes used to make the kanji character “onna” (woman), these become the hiragana “ku,” the katakana “no” and the number “ichi”(one). They infiltrated their enemy’s lair by posing as maids, or by using their sex appeal to extract secret information. Modern day female spies also use the same techniques. FS: I have heard that the famous haiku poet, Basho, was a spy. Is this true? T: The rumor sprung from the fact that Basho came from Iga and often traveled. FS: Ninja movies starring Sho KOSUGI sparked a ninja craze in the USA, and ninja have become fascinating characters for non-Japanese. T: Ninja do not exist anymore, but there are ninja museums in Iga and Koka. Besides this, other regions have attempted to use ninja as a sightseeing attraction. FS: I’ve been to a ninja restaurant in Tokyo. It’s fun to see ninja in a modern setting.