Editing Ninjutsu (section)

==Training==
The skills required of the ninja have come to be known in modern times as {{nihongo|''ninjutsu''|忍術}}, but it is unlikely they were previously named under a single discipline, rather distributed among a variety of espionage and [[survival skills]]. Some view ''ninjutsu'' as evidence that ninja were not simple mercenaries because texts contained not only information on combat training, but also information about daily needs, which even included mining techniques.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Ninja: Ancient Shadow Warriors of Japan (The Secret History of Ninjutsu)|last=Zoughari|first=Kacem|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|year=2010|isbn=978-0-8048-3927-3|location=North Clarendon, VT|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ninjaancientshad0000zoug/page/47 47]|url=https://archive.org/details/ninjaancientshad0000zoug/page/47}}</ref> The guidance provided for daily work also included elements that enable the ninja to understand the martial qualities of even the most menial task.<ref name=":2" /> These factors show how the ''ninjutsu'' established among the ninja class the fundamental principle of [[adaptation]].<ref name=":2" />

[[File:Bansenshukai-v8-diagram.jpg|thumb|This diagram from the ''[[Bansenshūkai]]'' uses [[divination]] and [[Religious cosmology|esoteric cosmology]] (''[[onmyōdō]]'') to instruct on the ideal time for taking certain actions.]]
The first specialized training began in the mid-15th century, when certain samurai families started to focus on covert warfare, including espionage and assassination. According to Turnbull, the ninja was trained from childhood, as was also common in samurai families.

Outside the expected martial art disciplines, a youth studied survival and scouting techniques, as well as information regarding [[poison]]s and [[explosive]]s. Physical training was also important, which involved long-distance runs, climbing, stealth methods of walking<ref name="Green 2001 359-360">{{Harvnb|Green|2001|pp=359–360}}</ref> and swimming.<ref name="Deal 2007 156">{{Harvnb|Deal|2007|p=156}}</ref> A certain degree of knowledge regarding common professions was also required if one was expected to take their form in disguise.<ref name="Turnbull 2003 14 15">{{Harvnb|Turnbull|2003|pp=14–15}}</ref> Some evidence of medical training can be derived from one account, where an Iga ninja provided first-aid to [[Ii Naomasa]], who was injured by gunfire in the [[Battle of Sekigahara]]. Here the ninja reportedly gave Naomasa a "black medicine" meant to stop bleeding.

With the fall of the Iga and Kōga clans, ''[[Daimyo|daimyō]]s'' could no longer recruit professional ninja, and were forced to train their own ''shinobi''. The ''shinobi'' was considered a real profession, as demonstrated in the 1649 ''[[Shogun#Shogunate|bakufu]]'' law on military service, which declared that only ''daimyōs'' with an income of over 10,000 ''[[koku]]'' were allowed to retain ''shinobi''. In the two centuries that followed, a number of ''ninjutsu'' manuals were written by descendants of Hattori Hanzō as well as members of the Fujibayashi clan, an offshoot of the Hattori. Major examples include the ''[[Ninpiden]]'' (1655), the ''[[Bansenshūkai]]'' (1675), and the ''[[Shōninki]]'' (1681).<ref name="Green 2001 358">{{Harvnb|Green|2001|p=358}}; based on different readings, ''Ninpiden'' is also known as ''Shinobi Hiden'', and ''Bansenshukai'' can also be ''Mansenshukai''.</ref>

[[Modern schools of ninjutsu|Modern schools that claim to train ''ninjutsu'']] arose from the 1970s, including that of [[Masaaki Hatsumi]] ([[Bujinkan]]), [[Stephen K. Hayes]] ([[To-Shin Do]]), and [[Jinichi Kawakami]] (Banke Shinobinoden). The lineage and authenticity of these schools are a matter of controversy.<ref>Ninja Skills: ''The Authentic Ninja Training Manual by Antony Cummins'', Watkins Publishing {{ISBN|1-78678-062-3}}</ref>

===Tactics===
Most ''ninjutsu'' techniques recorded in scrolls and manuals revolve around ways to avoid detection, and methods of escape.<ref name="Green 2001 358" /> These techniques were loosely grouped under corresponding natural elements. Some examples are:

* ''Hitsuke'': The practice of distracting guards by starting a fire away from the ninja's planned point of entry. Falls under "fire techniques" (''katon-no-jutsu'').<ref name="draeger smith 1981 125">{{Harvnb|Draeger|Smith|1981|p=125}}</ref>
* ''Tanuki-gakure'': The practice of climbing a tree and camouflaging oneself within the [[Leaf|foliage]]. Falls under "wood techniques" (''mokuton-no-jutsu'').<ref name="draeger smith 1981 125" />
* ''Ukigusa-gakure'': The practice of throwing [[Lemnoideae|duckweed]] over water to conceal underwater movement. Falls under "water techniques" (''suiton-no-jutsu'').<ref name="draeger smith 1981 125" />
* ''Uzura-gakure'': The practice of curling into a ball and remaining motionless to appear like a [[Rock (geology)|stone]]. Falls under "earth techniques" (''doton-no-jutsu'').<ref name="draeger smith 1981 125" />

===Disguises===
The use of disguises is common and well documented. Disguises came in the form of priests, entertainers, fortune tellers, merchants, ''[[rōnin]]'', and monks.<ref name="Crowdy 2006 51">{{Harvnb|Crowdy|2006|p=51}}</ref> The ''Buke Myōmokushō'' states,

{{quote|''Shinobi-monomi'' were people used in secret ways, and their duties were to go into the mountains and disguise themselves as firewood gatherers to discover and acquire the news about an enemy's territory... they were particularly expert at travelling in disguise.}}

[[File:Komuso Buddhist monk beggar Kita-kamakura.jpg|thumb|upright|A ''[[komusō]]'' monk is one of many possible disguises.]]
A mountain ascetic (''[[yamabushi]]'') attire facilitated travel, as they were common and could travel freely between political boundaries. The loose robes of Buddhist priests also allowed concealed weapons, such as the ''[[tantō]]''.<ref name="Deal 2007 161">{{Harvnb|Deal|2007|p=161}}</ref> [[Minstrel]] or ''[[sarugaku]]'' outfits could have allowed the ninja to spy in enemy buildings without rousing suspicion. Disguises as a ''[[komusō]]'', a mendicant monk known for playing the ''[[shakuhachi]]'', were also effective, as the large "basket" hats traditionally worn by them concealed the head completely.