Editing Ninja (section)

=== Activities under Tokugawa ===
After the assassination of Oda Nobunaga, Iga and Kōka ninja, according to tradition, helped Ieyasu undergo an [[:ja:伊賀越え|arduous journey]] to escape the enemies of Nobunaga in [[Sakai]] and return to [[Mikawa Province|Mikawa]]. However, their journey was very dangerous due to the existence of [[:ja:落ち武者狩り|"Ochimusha-gari"]] groups across the route.{{efn|According to Imatani Akira, professor of [[Tsuru University]], and Ishikawa Tadashi, assistant professor [[University of Central Florida]], during [[Sengoku period]] a particularly dangerous groups called [[:jp:落ち武者狩り|"Ochimusha-gari"]] or "fallen warrior hunter" groups has emerged. these groups were disenfranchised peasant or [[Rōnin]] who has been displaced by war. They formed self-defense forces which operates outside the law, while in actuality they often resorted to hunt samurais or soldiers who has been defeated in wars.<ref name="SAMURAI HUNTER1">{{cite book |author1=Fujiki Hisashi |title=刀狩り: 武器を封印した民衆 |date=2005 |publisher=岩波書店 |isbn=4004309654 |page=29･30 |language=Ja |quote=[[Kunio Yanagita]] “History of Japanese Farmers”}}</ref><ref name="SAMURAIHUNTER2">{{cite book |author1=Kirino Sakuto |title=真説本能寺 (学研M文庫 R き 2-2) |date=2001 |publisher=学研プラス |isbn=4059010421 |pages=218–9 |language=Ja |quote=Tadashi Ishikawa quote}}</ref><ref name="SAMURAIHUNTER3">{{Cite book|author= Akira Imatani |date= 1993 |pages=152–153, 157–158,､167 |quote=Akira Imatani“Practice of attacking fallen warriors”; 2000; p.153 chapter 4 |title=天皇と天下人|publisher=新人物往来社|isbn=4404020732}}</ref>}} During this journey, Tokugawa generals such as [[Ii Naomasa]], [[Sakai Tadatsugu]] and [[Honda Tadakatsu]] fought their way through raids and harassment from Ochimusha-gari (Samurai hunter) outlaws to secure the way for Ieyasu, while sometimes advancing by usage of gold and silver bribes given to some of the more amenable Ochimusha-gari groups.<ref name="SAMURAIHUNTER4">{{cite book |author1=Mitsuhisa Takayanagi |url=https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000039-I2973958 |title=戦国戦記本能寺の変・山崎の戦 (1958年) |date=1958 |publisher=春秋社 |page=65 |language=Ja |quote=[[Luís Fróis]];''History of Japan''..; Nihon Yoso-kai Annual Report”, Japanese historical materials also show that Ieyasu distributed a large amount of gold and silver to his subordinates) A certain “ Ishikawa Tadashi Sosho |access-date=9 May 2024}}</ref> As they reached Kada, an area between [[Kameyama, Mie|Kameyama town]] and Iga,<ref name="fujita">{{Cite journal |author=藤田達生 |date=2005 |title=「神君伊賀越え」再考 |url=https://doi.org/10.24707/aichikenshikenkyu.9.0_1 |journal=愛知県史研究 |publisher=愛知県 |volume=9 |pages=1–15|doi=10.24707/aichikenshikenkyu.9.0_1 }}</ref> The attacks from Ochimusha-gari finally ended as they reached the former territory of the Kōka ikki, who were friendly to the Tokugawa clan. The Koka ninja assisted the Tokugawa escort group in eliminating the threats of Ochimusha-gari outlaws then escorting them until they reached [[Iga Province]], where they were further protected by samurai clans from Iga ikki which accompanied the Ieyasu group until they safely reached Mikawa. The ''[[Matsudaira Ietada (Fukōzu)#Legacy|Ietada nikki]]'' journal records that the escort group of Ieyasu has killed some 200 outlaws during their journey from Osaka.<ref name="IetadaNikkiIgacross">{{Cite web |author=Masahiko Iwasawa |date=1968 |title=(Editorial) Regarding the original of Ietada's diary |url=https://www.hi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/publication/syoho/02/syoho0002-iwazawa.pdf |accessdate=2022-11-16 |website=東京大学史料編纂所報第２号}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Morimoto Masahiro |url=https://bookmeter.com/books/20204283 |title=家康家臣の戦と日常 松平家忠日記をよむ (角川ソフィア文庫) Kindle Edition |date=1999 |publisher=KADOKAWA |access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref>

The Kōga ninja are said to have played a role in the later [[Battle of Sekigahara]] (1600), where several hundred Kōga assisted soldiers under [[Torii Mototada]] in the defence of [[Fushimi Castle]]. After Tokugawa's victory at Sekigahara, the Iga acted as guards for the inner compounds of [[Edo Castle]], while the Kōga acted as a police force and assisted in guarding the outer gate.<ref name="Adams 1970 43" /> In 1603, a group of ninja warriors from Iga clan led by Miura Yo'emon were assigned under the command of [[Ii Naomasa#Ii clan's Red Demons brigade|Red Demon brigades]] of Ii Naomasa, the daimyo of [[Hikone, Shiga|Hikone]] under Tokugawa shogunate.

In 1608, a daimyo named [[Tōdō Takatora]] was assigned by Ieyasu to control of [[Tsu Domain|Tsu]], a newly established domain which covered portions of Iga and [[Ise Province]]. The domain at first worth of to the 220,000,{{sfn|Nakayama|2015}} then grow further in productivity to the total revenue of 320,000 koku under Takatora governance.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Yuji Yamada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2FwUDgAAQBAJ |title=THE NINJA BOOK: The New Mansenshukai |date=2017 |publisher=Mie University Facultyof Humanities, Law and Economics |language=En |translator=Atsuko Oda |access-date=11 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="Gaku">{{cite book |last1=Oishi |first1=Gaku |title=江戸五百藩-ご当地藩のすべてがわかる |date=2020 |publisher=Chuokoron-Shinsha |isbn=978-4128001354}}{{in lang|ja}}</ref> It was reported that Tōdō Takatora employs the [[Iga-ryū]] Ninjas. Aside from Ninjas, he also employs local clans of Iga province as "Musokunin", which is a class of part time Samurai who has been allowed to retain their clan name but does not own any land or ''[[Han system|Han]]''. The Musokunin also worked as farmer during peace, while they are obliged to take arms in the time of war.<ref name="Kenji Fukui 2018 165">{{harvtxt|Kenji Fukui|2018|p=165}}</ref><ref name="Iga Musokunin; Todo Takatora">{{cite book |url=https://www.rekishikaido.gr.jp/catv/2018/906/ |title=254: 藤堂藩を裏で支えた無足人 |publisher=Rekishi Kaido Promotional Council |language=Ja |access-date=11 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="Count Todo; 695">{{harvtxt|Iwata Nishizawa|1917|p=695}}</ref>

In 1614, The Iga province warriors saw action during the [[siege of Osaka]]. Takatora brought the Musokunin auxiliaries from Iga province to besiege the Osaka castle during the winter phase.<ref name="Kenji Fukui 2018 165"/><ref name="Iga Musokunin; Todo Takatora" /> Meanwhile the ninja units of Iga province were deployed under several commanders such as [[Hattori Hanzō]], and Yamaoka Kagetsuge, and [[Ii Naotora]], heir of Naomasa who also given control of Ii clan's Red Demons ninjas after Naomasa died. Later in 1615, during the summer phase of Osaka siege, The Ii clan Red Demons ninjas led by Miura Yo'emon, Shimotani Sanzo, Okuda Kasa'emon, and Saga Kita'emon saw action once again during the [[Battle of Tennōji]], as they were reportedly fought together with the Tokugawa regular army storming on the south gate of Osaka castle. In 1614, the initial "winter campaign" at the [[Siege of Osaka]] saw the ninja in use once again. Miura Yoemon, a ninja in Tokugawa's service, recruited ''shinobi'' from the Iga region, and sent 10 ninja into [[Osaka Castle]] in an effort to foster antagonism between enemy commanders.During the later "summer campaign", these hired ninja fought alongside regular troops at the [[Battle of Tennōji]].