The Book of Ninja
Analytic Lessons from the Bansenshukai
Ninja’s are shadowy figures of ancient mythology and legend. They are members of secret societies whose origins and teachings have been lost to posterity. Only they have a book… actually a few.
The Bansenshukai was written in the late 1600’s and is one of few major writings on the ways and practices of the Ninja or Shinobi. It details much of the wisdom and knowledge of this ancient sect. It is composed of a myriad of chapters, that one might figuratively call rivers merging in a sea of knowledge. Actually, that is what Bansenshukai means.
Also surprisingly, Shinobi and Ninja translate roughly into patience and stamina. This may seem odd for a title describing dark assassins, though it did evolve much later. If you read the Bansenshukai, you get a sense of why those descriptions may be more accurate than fictional tales and popular anime adaptations. Ninja were first and foremost analysts.
Ninja Techniques
The Book of Ninja is over 21 volumes long and fills more than 500 pages. It features a Q&A, guides on equipment, strategy, philosophy, and stories that predate every major bit of Hollywood intrigue and plot twist ever created. It also has more than its share of disappointing disclaimers, where the reader is told to refer to their local Ninja master for certain training.
It is also filled with techniques for intelligence gathering, including infiltration and disguise. It provides guidance on meteorology and forecasting. It teaches communication and behavioral science. It includes geology, geography, and architectural assessment. It is a textbook for observation, engineering, philosophy, and much more.
Lessons in Strategy
One of the popular refrains of the Bansenshukai is that the winning commander will be the one with the greatest intelligence available to him. It is a how to guide for setting up an intelligence organization, complete with guidance on structure and feedback systems for assuring loyalty and competency.
The book also features instructions for finding an enemies weaknesses and exploiting inefficiency in their communications and organization. It offers techniques in determining the truth of evidence and testimony. There are paragraphs on interrogation techniques, methods for testing and evaluation, and methods for recording and forecasting. There is even advice on password creation and change.
The Shinobi Were An Intelligence Service
The Shinobi Legend as master assassins certainly has some credence. But after reading this ancient manual, you will realize that more importantly, they were one of the world’s first intelligence services.
They prized mathematics and calculation as much, if not more than, their secret tools and spying techniques. They studied architecture and engineering as much as martial arts. They were masters of remote sensing, communications, encryption, and even negotiation.
Ninja were certainly impressive, but not because they could walk on water or fly across tree branches. They were impressive because they were an intelligence apparatus centuries ahead of any other. They were a community that developed and embraced its practices over dozen of generations of war and political intrigue. Even today, there is plenty of wisdom to be found in the Bansenshukai.
So If You Need Some Analysis
Ask A Ninja, well not this guy, though he is funny as hell. He also has his own book. Or check out his channel on Youtube.
For further insight read:
