Do Ninjas Have Magical Powers?

Articles - From The Archive

This article was first published by Martial Arts Illustrated in the June 1992 issue.

What is the one thing which separates Ninjutsu from all other martial arts? What is the thing which makes it unique in a time when there have never been so many different styles available to the general public? That thing is NINJA MAGIC! Ninjutsu is the only martial art which lays claim to, and even, in a way, boasts about, the use of magic.

The phrase itself has a strange sort of power, doesn't it? Read it again. What do you see? Some people will just see two words, nothing more, "Ho, hum, I wonder what's on the next page?" and move on. Others will see the word Magic and automatically think of magicians and tricks, sleight of hand and cutting people in half, pulling rabbits out of hats and disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Things that cannot possibly be real. Or can they?

The third group of people will see the title Ninja Magic and be drawn by the promise of mysticism and the esoteric nature of the art. It will bring to mind all the fantastic myths and legends surrounding the Shadow Warrior and create a stir of intrigue in the soul. This article is for you.

Ninja magic can be separated into two specific types: the physical and the mental. We'll take a look at the physical side of the Ninja's magic, this is the easiest aspect to observe and, in some cases, explain.

I intend to look at specific, mythical, abilities. Skills which legend has attributed to the Ninja over the centuries. I doubt that it will satisfy everyone's curiosity, and if I have omitted to explain some aspect in which you are directly interested, I apologize.

Invincibility: Many times Ninja have been known to sustain apparently fatal injuries yet get up and continue to fight, or wait for their enemies to leave and then appear at a later date as ghosts to strike terror into those selfsame enemies. At this point, I want to make it crystal clear that I do not mean the multitude of machine gun wounds, explosions or decapitations depicted in some of the more questionable 'Ninja' videos. They are over glamorised exaggerations brought about by the use of film trickery and special effects, and bear no resemblance to reality whatsoever. No, the situations I am referring to are realistic accounts of Ninja being cut or slashed by the razor-sharp blade of a Samurai's katana. Such feats of invulnerability did occur and had quite simple explanations.

Ninja were often employed as battlefield troops, and vastly outnumbered. Faced with the prospect not only of superior numbers but of mounted soldiers, the Ninja were quick to take corrective measures in the form of chainmail. The chainmail was designed so as not to greatly restrict freedom of movement and could easily be concealed under the traditional black garb. This 'invisible armour' could provide valuable protection from all but the fiercest of assaults while, at the same time, giving the Ninja a great psychological advantage. it both boosted his own confidence, knowing that he was not totally unprotected, and caused panic and confusion in his foes when confronted with an enemy they, seemingly, could not defeat.

Flight: The belief that Ninja possessed the power of flight obviously stems from the legend that they were descendants of Tengu. The legendary creatures, half man half bird, said to inhabit forests and mountainous regions. In reality, the Ninja's arsenal contained many useful climbing instruments such as grappling hooks and rope ladders. The most famous, or infamous, climbing tools employed by the Ninja were shuko and ashiko, hand and foot claws. Generally speaking, these claws were made from spiked bands of metal and leather which were slipped over the hands and feet to provide a better grip when climbing trees or sheer walls. They were easily concealed and, with practice, a Ninja could climb almost as quickly as he could run, thus giving an appearance similar to flight or levitation.

The ability to walk through walls: This is a little documented ability, but really quite easy to explain. The point you have to bear in mind is that many ancient Japanese dwellings were constructed of rice-paper screens rather than brick walls. When our super powered Ninja was being pursued, his never-ending array of concealed, razor sharp weapons made it an easy task for him to slice a very neat doorway or hole through which to escape. Ah, but the hole would be seen and the Ninja followed, wouldn't they? By simply wetting some, or all, of the edges of the paper it would be relatively simple to effect an instant, though, realistically speaking, short-term, repair which could easily go unnoticed in the heat of the chase. True, the repairs would be spotted sooner or later, but by that time the Ninja would be long gone. And if some superstitious servant spread rumours of miraculous escapes, all the better.

Striking down enemies from a distance: This situation was common enough and usually encountered by sentries on duty. To gain entry to guarded encampments or fortresses, it was necessary to get past the guards. If this could be done without any confrontation whatever, then this would be done. Unfortunately, this was not always an option. Under these circumstances the Ninja would attempt to subdue the guard without any direct confrontation as this could, easily, lead to noise, a scuffle and eventual detection. Something the Ninja would rather avoid. Usually, blow darts tipped with knockout potions would be used, although some less subtle agents preferred to simply eliminate guards by killing them with a well aimed arrow from a compact, short-range bow.

Seeing the future: This subject has two explanations. One will be dealt with in the mental section of this article but for now I will stick with physical tricks. One aspect of the Ninja's ability to predict the future was assuredly his mastery of the very ordinary, yet little known, skill of Ten-Mon, or meteorology.

Weather forecasting: Ninja were trained from an early age to recognise natural phenomena which would give reliable clues to approaching weather. Another aspect was their uncanny ability to predict unnatural, man-made, phenomena. The truth is that many of these occurrences were orchestrated by the Ninja themselves, either working singly or as a part of a team, and activated on a prearranged signal. Thus giving the appearance of uncannily accurate predictions.

Shape changing: This ability is, again, supposedly inherited from the demonic figure of the Tengu. Its physical aspect is explained by the Ninja's prolific use of masks, cloaks and numerous disguises. With all the skill of a great actor, the Ninja could easily take on the physical and mental attributes of different types of people. A technique favoured on dark nights was that of Onibi no Jutsu, the Art of the Demon Fire. The Ninja would employ fireworks, flammable chemicals, smoke bombs and, of course, demon masks, to strike terror into the hearts of their adversaries.

Invisibility: This skill was learned from an early age and would fall under the heading of disguise, as I have just mentioned, or camouflage. The Ninja would learn about the use of foliage and natural surroundings. They were also taught to be aware of shadow and movement when hiding. The most obvious example of this is the traditional black garb which would allow the Ninja to blend in with shadows or move freely at night time.

The above are not meant to be interpreted as the only explanations of Ninja Magic. They are, in fact, just a small portion of the many different methods employed. Another explanation brings us on to the mental aspect of the subject which is the power of Kuji.

Kuji has been misinterpreted, exaggerated, misunderstood and misrepresented for centuries. Never more than today with the vast number of films making such fantastic claims for the powers of Ninjutsu. Kuji means '9 syllables' and can be separated into two forms. There are the Kuji-in, '9 syllable seals', which are the intricate finger weaving hand postures. The other form, Kuji-Kiri or '9 syllable slashes', is the power grid movements made by the right hand.

The Kuji power is thought to have reached the Ninja from the ancient mystics of Northern India and Tibet. It was developed over centuries, and finally reached Japan at the time of the T'ang dynasty along with such Mystic Sages as Kain Doshi. Said to have been one of the first Ninja, Kain Doshi was reputed, merely by the power of his mind, to be able to make himself invisible to the sight of his enemies.

Many people will have read of, and seen pictures explaining, the finger weaving postures of the Kuji-in. Yet when they try them nothing happens. So is it just a fraud? No! And if you look at it logically, no teacher of Ninjutsu would allow such information to be printed in full because of the damage it could cause. I am no different. What I will say is that the Kuji is only a part of the Ninja mind skills. Without the other parts, and the knowledge of how to apply them, it is of no use. Although, having said that, knowledge of the Ninja mind control could cause immobility through fear in itself. Imagine being confronted by this black-garbed spectra weaving mystic signs. The visual aspect combined with deep rooted fear, enhanced by exaggerated stories, would be as effective as any well aimed blow.

The hand movements and finger weaving are, actually, only a third of the concept which is Kuji. They are a representation of the physical body in action. To make them effective they must combine the will in action and the intellect in action. These three elements combined, successfully, give the Kuji its power. The Kuji is a system for focusing intention until it becomes successful action. Once mastered, it produces the ability to turn will into reality by intention alone. Cause and effect fuse until there is no distinction between the two. This focusing of intention does not give the Ninja any extra abilities, it merely removes the obstacles which limit the natural abilities we all possess. We all have the potential to harness these abilities, we just need to find the key which unlocks them.

The first step on this long road is to see such abilities in action, and experience, at first hand, the physical aspects of Ninjutsu. To this end, a special one day course has been arranged which will cover some aspects of the Ninja mind. See the ad which accompanies this article for more information.