The Palladium Book of Weapons and Assassins-manteshwer

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Copyright 1983 & 2002 by Palladium Books Inc. & Kevin Siernbieda, All rights reserved, worldwide under the

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the USA.



Palladium Books® Presents:

WA P O N SA N D

A S S A S S N SFor use with any game system

Written & Compiled by: Erick Wujcik

Editor: Pallia Leasure

Illustrator: Michael Kucharski

Cover Painting: Scott Johnson

Back Cover &Maps: Michael Kucharski

ContentsIn troduction- . . . . . . . . . . .

G uilds and Societies of A ssassins'

The O rder of Assassins . . . . . .

H istory of the O rder of A ssassins'

M ap of the M iddle East .

A lamut Stronghold· .

Arab & lndian Daggers' .

M iss io n o f A ss as sin atio n'

Costumes oflhe Assassins .

The Thugs' .

Ceremonial P ickaxe' . . . .

The Temple at K a J i-Ghat ..

Thug Background- . . .

A Typical Thug K illing·

T hu g T ec hn iq ue s

R um al- .....

River Thugs' . .Thug Costumes .

M ap ofThugee India'

· 2

· 3

·4

· 4

· . 6

· . 6

· . 7

8

9

10

J O

11

12

13

1 4

15

1617

18

· 19

· 20

· 21

·22

· 23

The Ninja· .

N in ja W in ter T ech niqu es'

M ap of N inja Japan'

N inja Training- .

The Ninja Costume . .

N in ja E quipm en t & Supplies'

N inja Swords . . . . . . .

Naginata & Other Spears .

Kusari-Gama .

Shurikens & Tetsubishi ..

· . 24

· . 25

· 26

· . 26

· ·27

· . 28

· . 29

· . 30

· . 32

· . 34

· . 36

· . 37·40

· . 41

· . 46

... 47

Ninja Bow & Arrow ' . . . . . . . .

C laws , S hik om i- Zu e & Blowpipe .

Picks & Climbing Tools . . . . . .

N inja C lim bin g & Water Techniques' .

Feudal Japanese C astles'

S am urai W a rriors'

Poisons' .N inja Poisons' .

D ictionary of A ssassin Term s'

Bibliography

Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1



Introduction to

Weapons & Assassins

IH"tory telis 0f inn ume r-ablea ss as si na ti on s f ro m the e ar li es t r ec or ds atthe dawn of' history right through to today'"ne.. .pa.pa r headi Ine s . No era has beenspared the work of madmen and fanatics as

they corrt 1nue to att.ampt, to change the pa thof l!1story with singular acts. It 19altogether too easy to track downbiographles of the slain ones. Informationon the slayers is u su al ly " pa rs e.

Over and over again hi.story records thatthe captured a saaaaa rn wa.s immediately pu tto death, e~ec~ted, tortured, or simplyaacaped , Those assassin·.,of our own ageseem to fall most ly in t0 the two c a t.ago riesof madmen (who get some warpedsatisf,.ction out of killing a publlo figure) Drconspi rators (terroris ts Dr rana ties who ar-efar from pro f assi onal in the i.I' pur-auLt 0f th ev tc e rm) ,

History feels the influence of theseindividuals. POI' just one example, whatmight the world have become had no t thefather of Alexander the Great, Phillip II ofMacedon been assassi na ted? I f there hadbeen no Locusta (the poisoner) might theRoman Empire have flourished under a goodl ea de r l ik e B ri tt an lc us ?

Knowing that suoh ohange can be easilyand quickly ".rought in modern times it is nowonder that w e of ten hyp othe siz. ~conspiracies and plotters who ared el i b er a t ly at t empting to influence eventsto suIt sOme diaboloc .. plan. It is easy forte r-r-or-Lst s and fana·tics to get anel useeffioient killing weapons in the modern

world. The historical assassin needed far. mo re e f fart and train! n g to pe rfo r m murder ..

Assassination has a direct and immediateeffect. It is a simple and economical actioncompared to the difficult ~ask ofconat rue tLve political 0"[' social act ion. Inorder to disable a political body, H issimpler to remove the head than to destroythe entire body. To kill an idea byeliminating Its foremost opponent - the coldlogic is apalUngly easy to understand.Governments often ~ccuse each other ofthese tactics although successful agencieslire known as execut ioners rather thana ss as si ns . .

B ef o. re g un po wd ·e r m ad e a s s aa a. In atLon II

possible career for any lunatic ihere weremany obstacles to efficient killing. Thisbook describes the ancient methods and theeec z-etar t. 9 0f murd e r pe rfec t ed byprofessionals.

2



Guilds and Societies of Assassins

"The man who kills for a p:rice regaNlsindiscriminate killing as foolish andunpr ofitab le.. He is as 11ke1y to kill anyonewithout gelting paid for It a" a banker ls tolend money at no interest.-

~B.J. Hurwood. Soc iety and theAssassin

Wnen speaking of organi~ationsdedicated to the fine art of skillful murdertnerae are

rea11y on.1y

t

hree pr-ope r

hist

oricalexamphs, The Order of Assassins, TheNinJa, and The Tn"gs o·f India. In ea cn ca aevhe se gr·oups were ded icated to trainingmembers in the precise techniques forquickly and silently dispatching their ehosenvictims.

Although no other historical examplesare well-documented there may be a simplereason ror th1s1 sucoess~ We can easilyimagine an efficient and dedicated socretgroup of Assassins living in By~antium,Rena iS9"nce Italy., 0r slxt een th cen turyEurope. No doubt there would be " SUfficientdemand for their services. but how would weknow about the existanc·e· of any trulysuccessrul group. Consider that any suchgrol.lll would have to rely On complete

secre·cy In o rde [' to prevent theirexterminatIon by the lawful authorities. Totake another point of view, iL would beequally profitable to wo['k for theestablished government, as hmumera.bleIl;0vernment .agencies ha ve done (and., nodoubt. continue to do).

The iiestern ·European hued assassinstha·t hi:st 0ry naa descri bed are I.lsually

am a teur kiUer.". and known criminals. Theas saaakna tion of Thomas Be eket by a

drunken mob 0f King Henry the Se co.nd"s

Barons was a typical medieval killing.G O ! t t ing a few strongaI'm ,"wod men toge the rand ambuah ing the vic tim Wa9 I.lsually theheight of technique.

So as~ume that other "Guild9" ofA aea s s i ns exist ed and you' 11 find no ['ea1disagreement from the historical record .•lou'll simply find that there is nOco"f irma ti011 and tha e any de ta 11s eoncer-na ngthe m mus t be Le f t to ,Y.ol.lrimag i.na t ion.Perhaps the method.s of the groups ~I!scri bedin tills book will Inspire that imaginativeeffort.

3



T 1 7 & b R l> & R OF A.SSASSINSHistory of the

Order of Assassins

After tne :l.eatn of Monammed, tnePropnet of Islam, confusion over a proper

successor led to tne raltgion's separationinto SUNNI and SHIITE factions. Tnedominant Sunni raction believed tnat the

leadership or IMAJI should fall to aqualified leader e ectad by the Iaitnful. The

Sh iite s bel ieve d that succession should fall

~o tne family of Muhammed (speoifically to

Ali. tne husband of Mo~d's daughterFatima) .

After Mohammed'~ deatn in 6)2 thesuccession became more and more a matter

of contention between the mainstream

Sunnites and the minority Snlites. Finally. in

765 Musa l-~zim Waa reoognized by themajority of Shiites as the seventh lman or

legitimate aue e e a e e r- t o / II oh ,a m: me d.

!iowever, lilusahad an older brother. Ismail,who had been dislnherlte~ by their rather.

The Shiite extremests clung to the beliefthe Ismail and his c Je sc en de nt s w er e theonly true 1mans that followed. ThelleISMAILIS became a strong secret sect ann

later established the Fatimid Empire.

In 10 94 the Fetimid Xhalif. Mustansir.died leaving behind three sons. Although the

eldest, Nizar, was not successful in seizing

power he Wall the inspiration for tne Nizari

Ismail! sect which came to be known as the

Order of AlIlIaasins.

HASSAN-I SABliAH became the leader of

the Ismaili. movement in Persia and Iraq and

created a well-organized underground of

many fo !lowers. In 10 90 he had himselfsmuggled into the formidable, castle of

ALAMUT, The former owner eventually

realized tnat his ~ortres8 was oompletelyinfiltrated and was allowed to leave (with a

draft for J,OOO Dinars in payment). Hassanspent the next thiTty-~ive years in Alamut

directing the Order of Assallsins.

Having no organized army and no great

wealth, Hassan was unable to fight an

effective war. Asaassination had a long

history in rslam and Hassan had no shortage

of fanatics willing to die ~or his cause, In1092 the first assassination was completed

and it set the pattern for all the subsequentacts.

Bu Tanir IIrrani disguised himself as aSufi holy man and approached the litter of

the Vizir Ni~am al-Mulk. On the pretext of

presenting a petition Bu drew a ~nife and

killed the Vizir. He Was "lain in turn afterhe tripped on the tent ropes whileattempting to escape.

Hassan establisned the title of Fidais

who were to be trained in the use of the

dagger, 1n disguisell, in languages and in

court etiquette. Tnese devotees were taughttotal obedience to tne Master and were toldtnst ordinary religiou6 baliefs were for the

masses and that only the lman had true

eternal knowledge. The Masterdemonstrated nis power to the Sultan'semissari.es by nodding to a young Pid,,! wn oimmediately drew a knIfe and slit his own

thr-oat. Th is was fo !lowed by ano ther Fidaijumping to his death from a parapet on

command. In reaponse to the ambassador's

demands ne explained that anotner 6 0 , 0 0 0men would obey him with the same

enthusiasm.Hassan was just as ruthless in his

personal dedication to his Order. He

repelled invasions of Alamut by trickery.

assassination. bribery. and out-and-outlies. He banished all women from the

Lortress in 110 8 (including his wife and

daugnters). All three of nis sons were

executed, two for disobediance and the third

for having a drink from a wineskin.

The largest threat ever raced by liasean

was the SelJu.ks led by SuHan l~uhammadTapar. liis death led to a brief pause in

hostilities and the removal of a seige atAlamut. As his successor. Sanjar. wasproceeding to reSUme the assault he was

delayed. One morning he awoke to ~ind adagger planted in his pillow and a note from

Hallsan offering peace, Sanjar found it

convenient to agree.

Hassan appOinted BU:l.urg Umid to be his

successor before his death in 1124. lImid

broke with the will of Hassan by appointing

his own son and creating II dynasty that

lasted until 1256, Each of tne seven

members of the dynasty differed greatly inphilosophy and their capacity to rule. It was

probably the inconsistency of tnei,r various

reigns that prevented a vast expansion of

th eir fa, ith .

4



Marco 1'010 described a trainin,!:" groundfor the Assassins as a copy of Paradise'taken from the Koran. Prior 'te beLng givenan assignment the Fidai would be drugged.He wculd then awaken in 'Paradise'surround ed by beaut ifu,l women and gardens.After describing his 'dr'eam' he would betold that it was" foretaste "f what wouldhappen to him atter he committed anassassination. Many commentators have alsodescribed the Fidd as being high on hashishduring thier assaults. Neither of these

st"ries is as convincing , , - s the real religiousfana ticism exhibaed by the Assassins.

1\1th"ugh A'ssassins would II" to greatlengths to hide themselves prior tooommittin,g tn,eir murders they were alwaysvery open abou t the cr Ime itse If. The Orderseems to have used s.s,sasalnations asa toolof terrorism as much as a way of i!'liminatingtroublesome persons.

It Ls ironic tllst tile Assassins Wer!!even tually f'e lled by rot t en lead ..rship.

Khurshah who had aaee ndad tot he rman in1255, dEtoided to SUbmit to the three t of tn'"MongoIs. Tra ve 11ing with the mongoL leadershe ordered the surrender of over a hundredAssassin fortresses_ In 1256 Alamut wasSUrrendered. Although it was recaptured bythe rellllL1ning As,s",ssins Ln 1275 it held ,,\It

:for only another year,. ASSassins continued1n name and oecas1onally in deed forcenturie .. but were broken 813 8 major :powerin the world.

5



Map of the Middle East of the Order of Assassins

ALAMUT

STRri lGHOLCI ()IC THE (}P .In .R OF TJ.IF A5"~m;.ls

C D ALAMUT

C D TEHERAN

Q)SA61-10AD

G)ISFAJ.Wo/

®MASJlAP

6



KHlWJ"I 'oR" ,J1A6 OA~M

PffH-KABZ

A DR""EiI COMMfJN TONOII.THEP.N /NOJA.

Af(ABIAIJ VAMER5

VARIOtl.5 ARAB/AN AND INOIANKNIVes LlSEO BY THE ORDER OF TN[ A~5AS511\LS.

Kf?:IS

AN .. ~ rWl"J)WIt;C~DAGt.E.<! 13 IIVOiEJ (.~ .....llONG.

O M14C iE R ATIN G FO R ALL T H E S EKNIVES IS... ONE

HAL AOI£"'OVSLe flLAPEP KNIFe

COMMON TO 80TH ,ARABS AND INPI/INS.

SM18/yA

A M " . . . . " KNIFES;

7



Mission of Assassination

Surrounded by bodyguards the GrandVldr of Khurasa.n, Fekhral-l~ulk, was

approached by a lone begger holding out a

petition, Allowing the begger to comeforward he. was just starting to read thepetition when the 'begger', actually a fidaisfrom the Order or Assassins, brought out a

dagger and fatally stabbed the Vizir.Alt~ough immediately seized by the

guards, the assassin was not through withhis mission, Under tortUred he ~evealed thenames of twelve accomplices in his crime, He

died with the satisraction of having killedthirteen enemies of the Order of Assassinswi th a single dagger thrust.

8



Costumes of the Order of Assassins

AIthough the Order "f Assa s sins fa vorsdthe wearing of pure whits ganne:ntstheywe're trained in disguhing themselves asany conceiva ble member 0f 1..1amio sc 0Le ty.Ti:sining emphsshed tha use of the daggerand it WSa their exclusive weapon. Inaddition ellch I'idair was trained in speakingall the neellSSIi ry diala at a liS we11 a s lIow to

behave in court and :formal situatio:ns so as

not to allp""", out of place.

.5W TrI A RA BIA N W ARRIM

SYRIAN BAll A CH I5TNJ

Arc.HANI5TAN

9



Thug History

As early as the eighth century there have

been acoounts of Islamic extremest groups

engaging in ritual stra"ngUng. Although

these early incidents mayor may not have

any connection with the nineteenth century

Thugs 1~ is certain that the Thirteenth

Cen ury saw at least a thousand thugsexiled from Delhi. No doubt the killings of

the Thugs had been going on for centuriesprior to the British crack-down inthe early

1800s,

Thugs are worshippers of Keli, ona o~

the gods of the Hindu pantheon, KalithIrsted lor blood and her ugly black statuewas often ritually coated in the blood o:fsacrificial animals. She is usually shown

holding a drawn sword. a noose and a cluband wreathed in human skulls. According to

Thug lore she originally came to eat all the

bodies 01: the victims. Unfortunately. one

Thug violated her most sacred taboo - helooked back and saw her eating. As it wasnot a pretty sight she vowed that she wou.ld

n a V e l ' eat that way again. Bu.t ascompensation :for her devout worshippersshe gave them one of her teeth to be used as

a pickaxe for the digging of graves.T'lle Thugs we r- e also known a s Thugs e s ,

Phansigers (the Hindustani word for noose

is p n a n s i ) . Ari Tu~ucar (in Temul) and TantiCa~leru (in Canaresel. The word Thug meansdeceiver in northern India. In oontrast with

the extreme religious seperation that

divides India to this day. the Thugs have

always consisted of different proportions of

Hindus an d Moslems workin~ to~ether.

'CEP£MONIAL PICKAX£.

. . . ,TH IS TH //(" TO OL W ASUS[O TO 0 16 G R4 !1L J.

ACCOROINGTO LEGENO

TH E PICK AXE IS A CTU AU Y

ONEOF KAU'5 TUTH,

ANO W ILL MAKE NO

5 0U Nl> W H IL E D /G {,/N C,.

10



Although some fOTty thousand people

mysteriously vanished in India in a single

year (1812 ), the British authorities did nothave the sl igh tes t sus pic ion that the Thugs

existed. Had the Thugs continued in their

extreme ritual killing they might never have

been d lsc ov~ red . Ac cor din g to trad1 tioncertain castes, disfigured persons, womenand other people involved in activities like

Durial rites could never be killed.

The modernization of the Thugs lead totheir discovery by the British General Sir

William Sleeman. Through his dedication and

carefUl investigative work the whole secret

society or the Thugs wa" eventuallypevealed. By 1848 the extermination of the

Thugs was com~lete. Sleeman was intelligentenough to provide alternative education and

careers to the Thug~ and their sons, thereby

completing the elimination 01' the cult, Therit ual s tra ngu. lat ion pe rsi ste d in Bengal and

may s t ill occur t ne re from time to time.

TIlE TEMPLE AT

KAL/- GHAT, CALC(JTrA.

STATUe OF KALI

11



Thug Background

At the age of thirteen or sO the father of

a young Thu& would bring his son along on

the yearly expedition. They would wait until

the last rains of the monsOon season wereover and venture out to the household of a

respe~ted Thug leader.The b~ng would gradually drIft In to the

hcuae of the leader. 'IIhenall were presentthe ceremonies would begin. A priest I)f Kali

and "four o r the Thugs of highest character

would Bit on a carpet reserved for therituals. 'rhe others would 91 t areund the

r"oom awaitln~ the results with somearucie ty. !Ute r- be Ing handed a brass platefilled with rice, wheab and trwo silVer coins,

the prieat would be asked what the day, hour

and d ir . .Lion of the next expedition shouldb e. The priest would contemplate a ndeventually supply the proper informationand the gang would go back to heir halOesurrt il that Ume.

On tlte seleoted day th e pr evio us

ceremony would be repee~ed with a brass jug

)f waLer and a white hankerchief containg

one "llvar co~n. two copper coins. :five pieceso r tumeric and the consecrated pickaxe '

prepare . The priest would tead the group to

secluded place outside the village and the

ceremony would begin. The leader of the1'hugS~'Hlld cry out to Kall asking for a

si.gn. After en,gaging in group prayer all

would 'Nait for some kind o:f slgn. If no sign

was observed within thirty minutes or if a

bad oll1enoccure then the expedltion was

canc~lled and the priest selected a new day,

Once a favourable omen was received the

Thu~ leaders and the priest would remain

and meditate on the goddess for the next

se v en ho ur-s, ~teanwhile II11 the 0the rs wou~d

make e ll the p(eparations :for the long

trt<vel. Even atter leaving ~ny bad. Omenbe:for~ the next day's mid-day meal meant

hat the expedition must be cancelled.After the second day of the journey the

group 'Nould split up into amall groups. A

pair of Thugs disguised as beggers assignedto scout ahead might leave four or six hours

be I 'cr'e the rest. The next, group of eight

dressed as soldle~s wo~d then leave. Then

larger ~oups posing as merchants orpilgrims would leave at intervals until the

full 0 to 150 Thugs were in motion on theroads.

Whenever a group found an appropriate

set of victlms they would leave marks in the

grOund ind ice t ing wh en and how the 0t he rgrou pa We r e to Join them. A pro pe 1" killing

would not take place until the Thugs

outnumbered their victims by at least threeo one, Thugs were constantly on the watch

for bad Omens and were forbidden to kill a

~reat variety of people including certain

holy men, sweepers, maimed or sick people

and wOmen. There were a great variety Of

peculiar rules to be followed. People

wearing gold ornaments could not be killed

in the first week oJ: a n expedi tion, the

braying of a donkey indicated a definite

victim, and a rabbit running across the road

from right to left meant that all currently

marked victims wer"e to be let go.

The new Thug recruit saw none o:f themurders. Having a fun time and riding on

ponies while scouting he would a.Iwaya be inthe company of other young Thugs. By the

end of the first expedition he wIll only knowthat the Thugs engage in robbery. It won't

be until the third expedition tJlat he will beallowod to see an actual strangling.

Onoe exposed to the reality of the Thugs

live9 he will be allowed to dia graves andbutcher the bodies. EVen at this stage they

are rewarded with a share in the loot.£v"ntually they are allowed to hold the :feetof the victims being strangled. The rank ofSHUMSEEA is given to someone Who act ua Ll.y

directs the vIctim before death and holds

their hands While they are strangled.

TUPONEE is the ritual where the raw

sugar GOOR is eaten after a murder iscompleted. No one but Thugs who havestrangled with their own hands are a"llowed

to eat the sacred Goor which represents the

:flesh of the tiger.If a youth wishes to become a strangler

or BHURTOTE then he must seek out a

GURU Or" teacher and become an apprentice.Lf aoeepted there wi~l be a period of years

when he is taught the proper method offolding and knotting the yellow or white silk

scarf. One end must be knotted around asilver rupee such that it is tight but without

an end showing.When the young Thug has finally lear"ned

to Uge the RUMAL with speed and strength a

victim wIll be selected. The first victim is

usually an elderly traveller. Several older

Thugs wll1 obser"ve the omens for a timewhile the viotim sleeps. When Kali is

believed to have given the proper signal

then they will quickly shake the victimawake hold him for the killing. The youth

now whips tha Rumal around the victim's

neck. catches it. twists and then turns his

knuckles inward toward the neckbone until

dea th a rriv es.

The :first kUling 19 a time of great

rejoicing and ceremony. Delighted with his

ne w st atus . the new Bhurtote gives a feast

for his Guru's family and is accepted BS a

full member of Thug societv.

TRADITIONS OF A THUG

Thugs were orten prominent or trustedmembers o~ Indian society. One elderly

gentleman was chosen by a BritiSh Governor

as a companion for the Gove,rnor' s youngchlldren. Every year the old Thug would

request a month off to 'visit his agedmo the r' and leave to commi t do z e ne o:f

stranglings. He was de9cribed as completely

gentle and trustworthy by his employers.

Thugs engaged in their trade because ofholy duty to KalL As to their viotims, "Their

destiny is written on their foreheads."

Thugs were quick to defend themselves as

upright members of society.

"A thie:f is II contemtible being, but aThug ... Never! If a banker's treasure were

baf'or-e n e , and entrusted to my care, 'tho inhunger and dying r would spurn to steal."

said one Thug. But he continued wi t h , "But

let a banker go on a journey and I wouldcertainly murder" him."

'rhuga 'Nere persistant in pursuing avictim marked by Kali. One Muslim officer

travelling from Punjab to Oudh with two

servants was approached by Thugs in a

var~e~y of disguises. Warned about Thug

act~v~ty he refused to travel with any of thevarious groups who approached him. PinalLy.in a remote location he ound a group of

soldiers wailing around a fresh grave. They

expleined that they had just burled their"leader but, because they Were not literate.

t~ey could not r"ead the proper Buloay from

the Koran. \~ould the kind officer help them?

Yes, and when kneeling over the holy bookfor preyer the Thugs on either side o:f himfound good use for the fresh grave.

12



A Typical Thug Killing

A group of prosperous Indian merchants 1s

travelling on the long road from Dackar to

Hlndustan. The trip will take at leastfifteen days and in many ways is dangerous

and urrpred l.ctable. Na tu.ally, meeting any

other party heading in the same direction

can be quite a relief - the more people in a

particular group, the less chance there will

be of bandits attacking.This particular group of newcomers is

welcome because they are of the same

religion and caste. They also seem to be

Quite famUiar with the road and can

confidently give helpful directions. Within aday or two it is difficult to tell which

individuals belonged to which group. The

newcomers have been extremely friendly andhelpful - surely a good sign that such

comrades have been enoo~ntered.

SUddenly, one of their n~mber yells out

"Tombako kha 10 ·, 'get out your tobacco'.

Coiflcident;ly, each of the original party is

sea tad d i rec t ly in front of one of the

newcomers and all are instructed to look

upwards ... Just in time to have a scarfthrown aroufld their necks hy the person

behind thejll.

Strangled from the rear, their hands are

seized by the one with whom they were just

conversing. Their legs are pulled out by yet

another of the thugs. Within seconds all the

original party is dead. Their bodies are

dragged over to a shallow grave where they

are stripped and otherwise prepared. To

assure that the grave will not be discovered

deep slashes are made in the abdommen (to

prevent swell. ing) and all the major joints are

slashed (to prevent rigor mortis). II d agger

is aleo thrust into each eye, thus

guarantying the death of the victim.Minutes after the fatal call the bodies

are concealed and there is no trace whatever

of the crime that has occured. The Thugs

then continue their trave Ls, looking for the

next lIkely group of victims.

13



Thug Techniques

'fechnique is irn.portant. With most or theThugs tile appr'ent Lce spent many yearslearning to tie the pe r:fac t kenot. After

fold ing the Bcar 1', one end mU9 t be t ledaround a coin tightly, yet withouC ~ne endprotruding. Then the strangler holds th e

other end and t09se9 the knotted end arnund

the vic t im' s throat. This knot is c"ugllt withth e ire,,, hand, toge'the l' the hands Ugh tenwith it quick twist sndthe final pr-aaaur-e isexert.ed by pushing the knuckles o f ' b ot hhands inward on the baok of the victim'sneCk, p re f' er ab le d ir ec tl y on top of' the neckbones, .

With other Thug grollJ's tll"r" werevaria t10n e. Two popular varia tionamentioned in the literature include us:ing acc rd wien .. Loop tha:t could be tightened andthe lise of a continuously tw.lsteCl andtightened scarf'. The River Thugs usedanothe·r method lone thug would toss thecord around the viotim's neck and anotherwO u.Ld ca teh it. Tiley would the" pull inopposite directions while a third Th..g pulled

the victim's head backward.

i((JI(RI

IIPAWl{ COMMON TON O I? T H E IW IN D IA

Starting at as yOlUlg an age as ten, th e

Thug apprentice must harn the proper careof the sacred pickaxe. Digging 0:[' graves and

th" preparation of bOdies were also of greatimportanoe, Fina.lly. ne Thug traini ng wouldbe complete wi thollt learning the dtualprepara tion of Gocr. a raw sugar treat eatenI'It everyo.!remonial occasion.

14



RU /' II AL OR R IIHMAl "LVfR KIlPCE TlEf) IN

A riGHT KNOT WITH END COVERn?P IILL E P TIG HT

sWlAVC AROUNU THE vrCTlM·j THROAT

AT L lC JiT/N G 5P £E /7 .

FULL R lH vIA L

ONly A WHlrE ~ YELLOWSILK

SCMF OR H4NDK fRCJ.llfF W AS

USED 8Y THE THU$.

CAU 6HT W ITH FREE HAND TWIST I'IIJHES KNVCKUJ INTO NECK BON£5

15



R ive r 'Thugs

f.JDf 0" SOAT ~

~

W4T~ us«

'Fhugs who plied their trade on the

well-travelled rivers of lndia weredifferent from their land-based brothers inseveral ways. Unlike the other Thugs. whousually went on expeditions on a seasonal

basis, the River Thugs engaged in a

year-round trade. Their method ofstrangulation was different (see ThugTechniques) and they prepared the bodies bysimply breaking the backbone and attaching

weights.River Thugs took great pride 1n their

boat and travellers were often attracted to

"the superior quali ty and appearance of theThug craft. These boats were also speciallymodified with concealed openings at thewater line used for disposing of the bodies.

In addition to t;he c rew there would be

groups of Thugs posing as well-offtravellers at the dock areas. By offeringadvice about the quality and price of thedirferent boats they would persuade thetravellers to take passage on the Thugcraft. When the captain found "the rivercleared of other "raffie he would signal by

tapping three times on the deck.Land Thugs often worked together with

the River Thugs and used their boats in

their expeditions. Because of the tightsecurity of the River Thugs they might never

have been detected had it flot been for their

relationship with the others.

S UREr H ATCHO PE NS A T W A TtR U IIE .

16



Thug Costumes

TH IIM O FTEN O IS 61L1S £DTHfMSftVfS IN THE OIITRT.5 N VIE

VUIM5 TIle r STALKED.

HINDU

I<A5HMIR- NORTHNVJ5T INVIM

NOR TH INO IJW RAJAH

17

NIQ5LEM

PAK I5TAN GA l? !;



Map of Thugee India

19



Ninja History

As is typical. 01' many of' the arts am!tradi tLons of Japan, the folkh.ero Yoehi t s:una

bcredited with starting the .first Ninja

school. Yosh!tsune is also credited by selmeJapanese source s as be lng Oengi.s Khan. Thetr ..th of these legends 19 equally dubious.

During the long period B 01: t u.rmo!l andeonfusion between the twelfth and thesi xt een ttl centuri eat he Ninj a wer,e in realdamana. Grad ~ally ovez- this - t 1ma the 1crdB

of the Iga and Kogs clans devoted mere andmore e1'fort to training speeiali~ed Ninja.These agents could than ba IIired 0utpro rita bly for e spi ortage , aaaaas lnat Ion andmilitary purposes.

Tha strongest of the NinJa lords werestac!on"d 1n 19a Province and eVentuallyinspired the wrath of rhe christian forces.In 1581 General Oda led a ~O.OOO man forceto riest!;"oy ~. 000 Ninja and all of the,ir uaauain Ige.

Ninja activity 11'1Koge had always beanfar less ol'ganhed (witll up to 50 competingcLana}. Betwe..1 "1 the Igs !;"e:ugaes and tile){oga cLana num.re"s Ninja s.upplied tileneeris of tile feud ins lords. In 16)7 the Ninjaplayed out tlleir last major war role wh'~ntile T'o!rugawa Shogun' s a.rmy de! ea ted the!;"abel cllrist iene of Ky\lehu..

Afte!;" Ja])8nese society stabilized, theNinja gradually drifted into civilianoccupations. Manybecame law-enforcementsnd government intelilgeno,e ag,ents. Forseveral generations t h'''' gardeners' or theSlIogun remained Iga Ninja.

Ninja

After travelling :for weeks in a vartety o:fguises ranging 1'.t"omiten erant so Idier towandering prie.st to simple peasant tile time1'1na lly comes to don tha black IIinJ a garb.Looming over the landscape is the localDaimyo's castle. Surrounded by a moat andhigh walls and gua,rded by ever presentguards, it presents an imposing §acade toanyone 0 tiler than a tr!llned Ninja,.

The firs't step to penetration consists ofcrossing the moat. This is easilyaccomplished with the use of breathingtubes that leave only a tiny wake in thewater lndieating passage.

Long hours spent in learning to climb a!;"sprofitably used to scale tile Hrst portion o'fthe escarpment. The final high wall 1sconQu.e'red once a padded grapplin,g hook hasbeen secured to the edge.

A passing guard require's a few momentsof the Ninja's time - not to attack butmerely to assume the position or stillnessand invisibility while he passes.

Moving silently thr,ough the innersanctum, the rJ in j-a. finally loea tee his prey.Several bodyguar-d s pr-e sent 1itt Ie diff i cuI tya.s the Ninja r a.Lsea himself up above theae,iUng beams and travels directly ove r the

aLeeping Deimyo. Once over-he ad a th inthread is lowered down to the sleeplngman's mouth. The,n small drops of poison aredrlbbl'ed down the thread. -

lIn1'ortuna te ly, the DEIimyo awakesatthis point. As he calle the alarm, the ninjamust flee tile awakening stronghold. SwUtlythe Ninja mOvee to the opposite side of tnecastle. Caltro psare' tossed on tile floorbehind him ae he passes, either crippl1ng or

slowing his pursuers. When tile enemy isactu.ally in eight seve!:"al Shuriken areswiftly tossed in the;'r direction.

Onoa on the ramparts there are guardsdirectly blocking the .Ninja. Far fromretraating ne charges directly towards ene,obe tae Le , .rust as he reaches 8word range hedives 1'oJ;"WardInt 0 a r-o11 the.t take shimbehind the two guards. Drawing his shortsword on rising, he dispatches one guardbefore he he's comple tely tu.rned around. Tileotiler gua rd is more' ~au tLoua butisdistracted by a hand:ful of stinging dustpulled f'ro,"- a hidden pocket and throwndireotly into his eyes.

Diving OVer the wall into the moat heseems to oompletely disapaar. In spite oftile earnest searohing 01' g'ua'rds no trace isever 1'ound. Among the usual tra veLe r s yetanother buddllist beggar-priest walks "thedua ty road toward s the cast Le the nextmorn.l.ng. At the castle gate he demamdssanctuary in the nSme of the theuaand eyesand anna 0:[ the merciful Kwannondai-bosatsu. He is admitted whsn yetanother batch of tired Samurai ride out inpurault of the missing Ninja.

I - IOKKAIOO TYI'ICAL JAPNIESEWAROROBE

19



Teamwork was an important oomponent inNinja stra~egy. By using the best skills ofeach Ninja in seperate plsces the enemy was

often intimidated with the feeling that all

Ninja were superhuman. Ninja also likedusing a team in such a way that it appeared

that only one Ninja was responsible for agreat dea~ of destruction. The use of Ninja

agents already placed inside an enemy camp

wss also quite eLfective.

One effective Ninja ta ctic involveddelivering a talse message ~o an enemy lord.

The message would call for a reply and the

Ninja would "'!litfor the response. He would

then deliVer the response or a carefulSUbstitute to the other enemy lord. Once theNinja establ ished hlmssl1' as a messanger he

might go on indef\nitely While intercepting

valuable Inrorma Ion and oreating

misinformation or dissention between the

enemy 10rosr.ruGEI-MI1MElN D .ruTSI1 refers to the

l Ii nj a t ac ti c (If anonymity. Every ninja was

supplied with at least two identities from

childhood. This enabled a Ninja easily slipCrom One per"ona~lty t.o a nother. Ninja

typically maintained two or more separateeareers and fam~ies in order to provide safe

retreats and better information on enemy

aotions. In several cases n inja leaders

actually sat up imaginary campe~lng Ninjaorganizations so they could be employed by

both sides in a conflict. T he most successful

NinJj!,""I '' ' so secretive that no one eVerdiSCOVered their real identities.

Another Ninja technique involved the

use o r KI1JI-KIRI. a series o r ringer

movements with magical significance. Asidefrom helping the Ninja to concentrate or

restore energy. it could also be used to

hypnotiZe or stun an enemy into momentary

inaction. Th . . eighty-one finger motions

could also be used as a kind ofcommunication when silence was necessary.

Spiritually the Ninja were trained inS} [UGENOO Buddhismtha t stressed using

th~ inner resources of the mind and body. As

with most of the Samurai Jutsu,practicioners of Ninjutsu felt t ha t s pi ri tu al

enlightenment wss nec essary for exceptional

physical activity and awarenesS.

Ninja Winter TechniquesChanging from his typical black garb the

Ninja could become an equally effective

winter assassin or fighter. Every piece of

the NinSa c0 3tume would be duplicated in

White. Even the sword scabbard and hiltwould be ch anged to pure w hite materials.

To walk on the surfaoe of hard-pscked

sncw or ice a device with five metal blades

would be attached to the w hite Cab!. After

proper training a Ninja could run over the

surface of the snow Leaving behind only a

sa tor PUl:zl L ng paralled marks.

POI' travelling over .ice-covered lakes andrivers the Ninja used specially designedblades. The device consisted of rwo bladeson each rce e , one in the front near the toes

and the other in the back near the heel. lI'i;;h

these blades the Ninja had superb balance.Training took place at every cppo r euuf ty

with the wearing of GETA or wooden cLogson the ice. Wearing these ackward and

slippery shoes. the Ninja developed surebalance that served him well in a variety of

situations.The OOKA was e pocket heater made of

an outer shell of me tal. This was filled with

hot coals and made a convinient hand

warmer. It was also useful for se t t ing r ires

and touching off flame-arrows.

20



Map of Ninja Japan

21



Ninja Training

THE NINJA LlFELONG TRAINING

In order to become a Ninja one had to be

born into one o~ the olana. Training began assoon Il8 p ossible and very young childrenwere taught how to d isloca te bone s in ord.sr

to slip free of bonds.Located in secret mountain locations, the

Ninja conducted training away from society1n general as well as from rival Ninja clans.As w1th any Japanese martial art form, themasters or SENSEI of NinjutBu wereaccorded great respect. Training was alsobased on TORtMAKI, secret documents

relating to the heritage and techniques of

each Ninja family.

Training in the various fighting arts(JUTSU 0 , JTTSll means still or art) was a

life-long pusuit. KENJUTSU orsword-training; KYUJUTSU or arohery I

YARIJOTSU or spear-training) BOJITSU or

st1ck-flght ingl and IAIJUTSU or the art ofquiCk-drawing the swordr were all part of

standard Ninja training. Since a Ninja might

be called on to serve as an spy in an enemyarmy for years it was necessary that heknow all the skills of the vario~s soldiers.

Sword training concentrated on thespecial Ninja short sword (similar to aWakazaahi). In archery the Ninja speicialized

in the short bow. Different RYU or schoolshad different specialties. The Kyushin Ryu

was noted for BISENTO, or wide-bladedspear, techniques. In the Pudo Ryu, Iaijutau.

or fast-draw techniques, were used withswords and daggers to great effect.

The Ninja also had to learn horse-ridingand a variety of courtly skills In order topass for one of higher rank when disguised.

A Ninja had to be mOre than simply literate.he had to be able to pass for different

members of society and be able to forgedifferent styles of writing.

Climbing was a seperate art for the Ninja

and meant years of training and practice. Inaddition the Ninja had to learn to jumpacross wide gaps, to run for long periods of

time. and to escape fro •• various bindingsand types of rooms.

A Ninja spent a lifetime learning new

ways of escaping detection. Holding

perfectly still for hours was mandatory.

Hiding in gaps between large objects, in

trees end roof spaces, and blending tnto

shadows were all necessary skills. Imitatinganimal sounds and learning to distractattention by throwing small objects alsohelped in evading notice.

Disguising himself in a variety of ways

meant tbat the Ninja must be well versed inthe typical small-talk of those professions.In order to safely fit in the mainstream of

Japanese society other skills likecaligraphy, musio-making. a.nd art had to be

learned. A Ninja had to be able to speak as a

equal to merChants, priests, Samurili, and

peasants in order to pass undeteoted.~\inor abillties like being able to hide

small objects after being captured or beingable to judge the authenticity and depth of a

pe r-aon'a s L e ap by listening were· important

perts of Ninja training.

Unarmed combat was another specialty ofthe Ninja. Special techniques ["or striking an

opponent (inoluding the TOGA.DURE-RYUtactic of striking both ears with open palms)

were continuously practiced. Methods ofstriking the enemy with feet, hands, knees

and hips were all employed, Ninja alao had

special bone-breaking secrets. Rollingtowards or aways Irom the opponent inunexpected ways saved many Ninja from the

otherwise dead~y swords strikes of the

Samurai.St.rategy and tactics were es s ent I a l, to

successful Ninja operations.GOJO-GOycrKU was the study of the fivefeelings and desires of" an enemy. Whenever

a Ninja cO'-lldde teot sloth. lust,

soft-heartedness, short temper, or thesigns of a coward then he knew how to takeadvantage of it. Using bribes, threats,flattery or insults could either persuade Or

prod the enemy In c o favorable activity. Byprovidin& for the desires of an enemy they

could be easily manipulated.

22



BLACK ClIJTI..NINJA OIJTFIT

CLIMBING. TOOLOF ROPE AIVP fjAMf3{)O

\

ROPE ANO GRAPPLEUSE FOR CUMBING. "ND

AS A WEAPON.. S H{JR IK ENS AN£)

T HROW ING S PIK E S- OWN MAIL COIF

COVERS HlAO ANO SHot/ l.PERS

JACKET

A l T HO U GH N lM TA W O RE C HA IN A IQ I1O V,.o ;t,

THO U SU A ll Y WORE cLOTH OR f'MJ/)[{)

GUll T ARM.oUR FOR MAXIMUM STEALTH.

H A R M 1 AUNOER PIlOOWC.

MAIL COIF

8ElT/ GIROLE

THE NINJA COSTUMES, Por fighting operations on the

battlefield there were chain mail Jackets andleggings. Chain mail guards Jor the wrists,hands and neck along with a metal chin guardcompleted the armor.

Every Il1nja Was trained in sevenstandard disguises. Each Ninja had to beable to dress, move, speak, and act in a

conVincing fashion 1n each of the disguiees.Roles included that of monk, commOn

peasant, Yamabushi priest, travellingmagiCian, strolling magician, merchant anditenerant priest.

The Ninja had a variety of o~tfitsdeveloped for special work. The basic

costume consisted of a body protector, a

hakama (loose pants), groin protector, belt,tab! (socks with a gap next to the big toe),sandals, and heed-mask. For night

operations the entire outfit wouid be inblack. Winter operations meant a completelywhite outfit.

23



Ninja Equipment and Supplies

In order to travel alone through enemy

territory for extended periods of time the

Ni nj a d ev el op ed a variety of special

equipmen and supplies. In order ~o carry

the various weapons and devtces all of the

Ninja clothlng was out~ltted with secret

pockets and compartment ... Special pouches

crriad in8ide the clothing, next to the body,

were also verI useful.

A typica Ninja would carry arope-wIth-hook combl..nation, a slaCe pencil

with rice paper, ahuriken, "pare hOOks andnails, small metal weights and some kind ofshovel or digging tool. Hie sword could be

carried on his belt or conceaed under his

clothing on his back. A three-foot-Iong

towel and a canteen of green tea were also

standard.

TETSUBISKI, four-pointed caltrops,

were essential for making quick escapes.

They could also be scattered around a hall,

path or doorway if the Ninja needed somekind or warning that his work was about to

be Lnte r rupt ed ,

Maps, a compaaa , and .forged passes anddocuments were useful items on many of the

Ninja assignments. Chainmail armour was

usually only used when the Ninja wasengaging in actIons on the battlefield not

during a secret infiltration or

assassination. Poisons and healing potions

were carried in hollow bamboo tubes or

small ceramic bottles.Typical food rations would consist of

bleached rice, wheat flour, dried fish, dried

plums and a powder made from pine trees.

Other high-energy foods were a paste o~

soybean curd, a juice made from unpolished

rice and a mixture of plums and raw bamboo.

In addItion various herbs were available to

help curb hunger or thirst.Other weapons might include a small

quiver containing a small or disassemble

bow and a number of arrows. A travelling

stafr could hide a fighting chain or blade.Small, easily breakable, egg-shaped

containers would be filled with blinding

pOWder for emergency escapes.

Finally, most Ninja always carried

whatever clothing and equipment were

necessary to slip into another role or

disguise.

Ninja Weapons

T~e Ninja usually did nof atrempt to ar m

himsolf for fooB-fo-face comea! .ith fhe

farmidae/B Samurai. RaTher his Intentionwas fa arm n'fflselfwiTh man, weapons or5uprisB and distraction. His pr{mory weapon~Q$ a sword curved bladB about t~entvt ncnes long. Tile r etat l ve t y snor t langtn

allowed for rile ~eapon to be easil y hi dden.Because of I n e voriet, of odd ploces andpostures w n e r e t ile Ninj a fo ugh! t i l e sllorter

blade was more flexible In irs motions.

Staff weapons were also very pop\llarwith the Ninja. The Ninja's favorite weapon

for open combat (when concealment was not

n e ce Ssary) wa s "the broad b la.ded spear 0rpolearm known as a lIISENTO. Travellers indisguLse carried a hollow bamboo staff. An

opponent would be entrapped by a metal

chain that couid be .released from one endand hit with the lead-filled opposite end. A

SHIKOMI-ZUE was a staff or cane used bythe Ninja when imitating a blind man. Thecane became a deadly weapon when a spring

loaded blade was released rrom one end.

Some spear-weapons were designed to be

assembled or even designed like a tel esc ope

for quick extension.The Ninja bow was shorter than standard

and could sometimes be disguised as another

object or dlsaassembled into two or more

pieces. Spacial fire-arrows were very useful

in setting firee and distracting the enemy.

Other Ninja pro ject ils weapons includedblowguns (disguised. as smoking pipes, sword

scabbards or walking staves) and II largevariety of throwing knIfes, daggers and

bladee. SHURIKEN or SHAKEN had anywherefrom two to ten points and were tossed like

overhand, underhand or straight-armed like

modern-day frisbees. The Ninja often

carried a sling of five or more metal darts

t.hat could be thrown accurat.e Iy or even

tossed backwards at a rapid rate.The class of chained weapons were also

very popular wi th Ninja. Easily concealed,

the KYOTETSU-SHOGE consisted of a metal

ring at one end and a dcub Le blade on the

other connected by a long cord of wovenhUman hair. Metal chains with ends ranging

from small blunt weights to heavy axes were

used with great skill. A cord with agrappling hook attached WaS not only useful

in combat but also as an affective climbing

tool. Any of these weapons could besubstituted for the garotte, another popular

Ninj a we apon .Peculiar Ninja weapons also included

sharp metal claws inserted in the finger and

toe nails and used for slashing the enemy.

The TEKAGI or SHUKO was a pair of metal

bends worn around the wrist and palm. Pourmetal points in the palm could be used for

striking or climbing. Connecting the two

cricular bands was II metal bar that dropped

down from the palm to the wrist across the

inside of the arm. This bar could be \lsed as

a block against an enemy sword strike.

Another favod te Ninja; weapon consistedof a blinding powder that could be thrown

into the eyes of an opponent. This powder

Was made of a variety of ingredients

includlng pepper, metal shavings, etc .. The

blinding powder would be thrown directly

from a hidden pocket or released by crushing

a shell-like container.

With the exception of the sword. spear

and chain weapons most Ninja weapons were

used more to distract than to kill.

Well-trained as the Ninja were. they were

usually not willing to face an armed Samurai.

The great Ninja used his mind more than his

weapons. Most of the weapons pictured are

typical Ninja specialties but there are

hundreds of other Japanese weapons that a

Ninja would be trained ~o use while indisguise or in emergency situations.

24



IVINvA :;HOKT 5WORD

SIZE .0,..., (tt) I N c H E 5 )

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size. 1 0 m ( Z . . r . t )

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p.!11AG£ RATINGS

THE H I(.H [R T HE

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3- ONE B 510[0 ()IE

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NA61NATA .3

rAIN 2

'fAil I""':'f BUlOf :rBI.5ENTO :3

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51lJ< lE - E 'N ,O

THE LENGTH OF TlfE CHI/IN

V ARJf5 W fTH fA lH /NOW /()V AL W&lFI?N,fROM AS uttu lIS .1.", TO 2 .u;

, I ISA IfI- c.AII'IAC /oW N NY!) SICK LE

(FFfCTlV E IN OPEN S PACt:s TH E W HIRLING W EI& HT.5 AN!) CH IlIN AR£IISEP TO ENSNA RE THE OPPONENTS W EAPON f)fIAM1ING HIM, OR. TOTRIP O I ? TO PP LE A N O PP ON EN T.

PICKS WER£ A LS O LlS£PIN PLACE OF TII£ SICKLE.

O. .. .. .-MG[ RATING.

WEiGHTS I

S ICK LE 2

26



SHIIR/!([NS OR T HROW ING S TARS

THROWING5P1KE5

o

SIirIRIK[N5 W[RE IIJIJIlLt'1 KEPT IN AaAND ({)f(TAIJVlH6I1f TO5 OWL Y MlSfl.ES

PM1A6E RArtt({., I

T£TSU8ISHI

CALTR0P5: MfTAl &o:RBS nll?OWN CW THE

G K O V N D IMPALING 7J(E HET OF TilE /.IN-

5VSPfmN6 ~lTR(Jp5 ALWAYS PaNT UP1I0-M /lT(fR H ()W TH EY W ER E TIf/? OW f'l

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OMW.( RAr/NG

C AL TR OP S

YAR /O IJS . fH I JR I I( CN Tl)SS£5

BACKHANDOil '''15SEt THMW

Ct/ /?V[()R lJ.iSI()! TlfftI)W

27



WHALE 80NE BoW

NINJA WITH SHORT BOW

A l V P FLAM£ ARROW,

RIMANKYrJ

UATHERO IJIV ER H OLO S

IZ ARROWS

SJ.{ORT Bl)W AND ARROWS

H£LO IN (WE C OMP AC T Q UIY ER .

THfSE GU/VEI?5 W ERE OES Ir.N [f) FOR

EASY CONCEALMENT.

SAMURAI .LDNG BOW11-115 W AS THE MOST POW ERFU L

lONe. BOW IN THE WORLD

~ : = : : : : = = : : : : = = = = = : : : : : : = = = = = = : : EFfECTIV E RANGE: 120m~ ~T/NG:2

SIZE" 2./"" 70 2 ¥"" (7 -Sh UWc.)

NINJA 5HORT BOWCO IILD BE OISASS{MBLED.

~SIZE." 0.' /YO TO 1.2"" ( ; Z - 'I!. lllllG)

crrrcn« RANGE : ~O,. ,

OAMAGE RA T/ Yr ._ -

BOTH BOW5 WERE CONsrRUCTED OF

WlbllE BONE OR 6AI)18oo AJ{{) WOOD.MOST WERE COMPOSITE eows COMPQSED OF

SEGMENTS ANP fA51L Y OI5A55EMELfP.

28 ,



NINJA BLOWPIPE

MAOI OF BAM800 OR FRQ.\1 5WOROSCA8iJ1lRP OR SMOKING PIPE.

RANGE lIMfTEP TO /lSOVT ;30 FEET.

'?AlaR ;:,HARP ClAW_}

SHARP M£T/iL CI..4W5

INSERTW fJNPEf( NAIL '5IJ5lP TO SLASH..w 6VEM y.LIKE MANY NINJA 7:4CTl(5.

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29



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31



Ninja Climbing Techniques

TILe primary assistance to the Ninja's

femed abili cy to climb wall the usa of ve.ry

80 ft Tabi (split-toed socks) that allowed himto u .. his tQe" and feet While climbing wood

or stone surfaces. Each Ninja was expectedto be able to c~mb a variety of surfaces

unasat s tad .Ylh..n the climb was to be made very

quickly or over difficult surfaces then ~heNinja could his specially designed climb1ng

tools. Ladders would be made of rope orbamboo and commonly had a nee k or •rake'built into the top for attaching to the edge"f the wall. The ladders often consisted of a

single vertical rod with the cros3pieces tiedor pegged in place. There were sometimesmetal spikes attached to each crosspiece so

that the Whale ladder oould be driven into a

wall. Another device was an eight foot oak

staff fitted with metal crosspieces and a

large hook that doubled as a weapon.Rope ladders came in a variety of styles.

Some were simply knotted at intervals to

prov ide handho Ids. Wo o d pieces could ba

inserted into loops or knots. Metal ring,s

would be provided 80 that crosspieces couldbe easily inserted. Ropes could also be runthrough a whole series of hollow bamboo

sectlons. These bamboo sections could then

be grabbed and turned at a right angle to the

ropa to create better support.

Ropes were the main choice for Ninja

working alone. At one end would be agrappling hook used to catch tree.branches

or the taps of walls. These grapllng hooks

eeu l d have one, two or three ee pera te ho oka .

Another type of grapple was the KUMADE or

rake made up of four or fIve long metal

pieces ending in hooks.TEKAOI or SHUKO (see weapon

descriptions) which were worn an the handa

allowed the N 1.nja t,o c l I rnb 0therw i sa .

difficult surfaces with eaae. Another dev1cewas made of a spiked section of wood or

metal with card on each end. The Ninja would

put this around a tre" trunk or wood pillar

to pull himself up and then 'hug' the base

while lining the spik,es up furt"er.The ropes of the Ninja were often

strengtlmed by braiding women's hair ~nto .them. Ninja could also use any of thelr cha~n

or rope weapons effectively as climbing

tools.

Ninja Water Techniques

In order to infiltrate enemy territory orcastles the Ninja often had to cross bodiesof water or moats. There were many

techniques developed to accomplish these

taSKS including swimming and the use of

water-orossing devices.Ninja were required to leern how to swim

well and, could trave 1 under w",ter for a

lengthy period of time. By using a hollowreed, sword scabbard or smoking pipe the

Ninja could stay completely subme~ged and

escape de~ection. Some authorities alsoclaim that Ninja would take down an inflated

animal skin 1n order to take occasional

breaths while swimming a great distance.Another device to speed the Ninja'sprogress through the water Was a /~lZllKAKI

or webbed flipper that could be warn on the

feet.

Being totally submerged in the water was

orten nat desired because of the possible

damage to the many powders Shd odd

supplies that the Ninja carried. Crossing the

surface of the water like Water Bugs lead to

the rumors of Ninja being able to "walk onwater". The simplest device was a set offour inflated skina that were used as a

complete life jacket. With a ekin on eachside and behind him the Ninja Would then

balance on the fourth skir1 and hold it

between hia legs while paddling with a

bamboo oar.

Another rart-like device was theKYOBAKO-.I'UNE. a collapsibl e we terproof

box used as a small boat. The KM1.ElKADAwas made of crossed bamboo floated an four

sealed ceramic pots. By filling the pots with

water the whole thing could be submerged

and hidden out of sight.

Legend has it t"at the Ninja usedMIZUGUMO or water spiders to actually'walk' on the Burface of the wate~. Each footwas inserted in a seperate barrel or floating

device. The Ninja would then make his way

o ve.r-the water with the help of a long pole

or flat-bottomed paddle used to keep hisbalance.

32



HOATATION O£VICES

AI R ruuo SK IN 5FOR FlOAUTION.

MIZV6t1MO OR WMER <;PIPEif

BREATHING TI/BEA SWORD 5CAB8ARlJ OR REEO OR SMOKWC. PIPE.

33



Feudal Japanese Castles

Sneaking l.nto castles In FeudalJap an w as r ar f r<l l1 las y. "F irs t the Ni njawould have to ~akB his way past S expanseof cleared land that waS constantly undercareful scrutiny by alert Samurai. This firstobstacle could be avoided but only by goingthrough sheer cllff faces. across ocean orriver streches or over dense swampsbecause these were usually faoing the 'backdoor' of a castle.

Once the Ni.nja r eaches the actualperimeter of tbe castle he would have tocross a deep moat. The next step would bethe outermost wall or rampart. Dividing thisoutside wall etructLlre f rom the rest of thecomplex there were well-lit pasaages wlthregular guards on patrol. These passages

wo.,ld o ften be oonstructed in a bewilderingma:!. and might be trapped in a variety ofways. There were arrow and balistsopen.ings to be avoided and deadly trapdoorathat would release a torrent of rocks on thecareless Ninja. This outside perimeter isknown as the SANNOMARU and housed theliving quarter of the garrison.

Now the Ninja was faced with anotherwall, much steeper and taller than the lastone. Once over the second wall there wouldbe yet another piece of open ground,sometimes suppUed w!t·h an add I tional moat.This second section (the NINOMARU)contained the storerooms of the castle.

Next, the Ninja would have to climb thewalls to the innermost courtyard -this onsbeing the tallest and steepest yet. rnsidethh wall. the elite bodyguard of the Daimyowere constantly watching. This third sectionwas called the HOMMARU and held the mainre sid en ce of th e w arl or d..

Pinally. the Ninja would be faced withthe in YAGURA (tower) itself. Thisstructure rose three or more levels up andwas heavily fortified. As a further hazardthe top level was an observation post thatov erl oo ked th e e nti re co mp lex . It is nowonde.r that the Ninja w1m penetrated aOaimyo's castle was credited withs u pe r na t ur al p o we r s.

34



• •

• • •

• •

35



Samurai WarriorsTHE JlIl~JA' S FOE, SA!.ruRAl!

[n the study of the history of war~are

''''orldwlde there is one element of the

Japan!!s" flghLing ethic that differsdramatically from the ~Iest. In Japan there1s no concept of 'prisoner of war', The

Samurai warriol' does not surrender and istrained from birth to accept death as an

~nevitable and sometimes desirable

conclusion, Suicide is not only acceptable

but heroic and the Japanese mythos honorsmos. th~ 'fallen hero' who bravely dies

before submitting to the humiliation ofcap u..e,

The Samur i are the warrior class of

Japan. Each Samurai warrior is entitled to

wear tile DAISHO. a set of two swords. to

indiea te hi s rank , The sword s consi s t 0 f th~

larg~ fighting KATANA and the smaller' IIAKAZASHI, Trained as superb warriors

they would often devote an entire lifetimeto perfecting their martial Skills. Their

strict code was that or BUSHIUO. aphilosophy of behavior and combat that

dominated their lives.

Consider some of the Samuraiae hi venen ts , r,ragnifIe nt Ze n A r-c he r s were

trained t o pull bows seven and a half to

eight r"et long with remarkable speed andprecision, Master archers demonstated their

skill by s ho ot in g b li nd fo ld ed or On horseback

while at f~ll gallop, Westerners visiting

Japan would be stonished by a Samurai who

could bring down a bird ~nharmed or shoot acluster of arrows into a post across a yard

at night ' . ile seated inside and seperated

from the target by two or more walls. In the

design o r Japanese armour it wasacknowledged that it was useless to attempt

to shield against a close- range" dir""t arrow

strike,The training also extended to spiritual

and philisophical awar~ness of one's

surroundings. Catching a well~trained

Samurai orr-balance was extreme1lydifficult, Masters would often go to a state

of full readiness when a retainer or student

would simply consider an at tack against him.

Faoing this kind 01' martial art and skill theNinja was forced to resort to the use of two

primary weapons, unorthodox fightingtechniques and a w il li ng ne ss to use the rigid

codes and behavior of the Samurai against

him.In addition to all these formidable

abilities the Ninja also had to be wary ofthe Samurai's eagerness to adopt the specielt ri ck s a l' ldd ev ic es 01' the Ninja. \~alkways

near the edge of a castle wall might be

scattered with the Ninja's own type of

caltrops, a real threat to sOmeone wearing

soft tabi, Some Samurai were also devoted

to the study of Jaijutsu, or the q~lck draw,that involved instantly slashing out at ~he

first sign of danger.Ninja had to ~eep their wits about Chem

and continuously develope new trieks and

techniques in order to keep the Samuraioff-guard, There WaS a deliberate attempt

by the Ninja to cultivate rumors of the Ninja

superiority. So long as Che Samurai regarded

the Ninja as a dangerous foe they mightmore easily put them off balance and escape

testing their fighting skills directly,

36



POISONS

There has been a ~a9ci~ation with poisonthat extends beyond recorded history.Primitive peoples are (and presumably were)co.nstantly trying new formulae to effective

po isons. Por e:o:ample,the're are 0ver )0 0, 0 00different plants to choose from and eachh av e q ui t. e d i rf er en t p ro pe rt ie s.

However, it is not until reoent times thatany real understanding or either thefunction or ingredients of toxins cameabout. People often believed that a plantwas poisonous for fanciful reasons like foulsmell or ev11 lOOks. The tomatoe wasregarded 9S deadly poison since beingintrOduced into Europe in the mid 150 0s.Tales of people being hideously murdered bya ripe 'love apple' or tomatoe introducedinto thelr food "eem pretty silly tOd.ay.

Real ~oxins exht everywhere in nat ur -a,Before refrigeration or prope.rf oo d-p res erv at ion t ec hni que s m Bn y p eop le

were done in by rood poisoning. Bacteria andalgae in untrea~ed drinking water were ortenfatal. Improper food preparation and the useor risky herbs were also hazardous. EVentoday millions of people experiencepoisoning every year. It's really a wonderthat anybody survived at all.

But attemptIng to pOison SOmeoneintantionally is a difficult proposition. Thetoxicity of any plant or fungus can depend onWhen it is picked, what part is used and howit is prepa red , Even when a sure poison isrefined there is still the problem Qfdelivery. Too much poison and there may be~ell-ta1e flavors or severe rejection thatw il l r es ult in simple discomfort. Too littlepOison will not only cause no harm but mayactually contribute to the building up of an

immunity in the intended victim. Tocomplicate matters it is impossible topredict how susceptible a person may be to aparticular. poison. Some indiViduals will diefrom an accidental trace of a relativelyharmless herb while others can easilywithstand pounds of supposedly deadlypoison.

I~'s interesting that The poison thatkilled Socrates, hemlock, was also usad as as<licide po tion by ce r ta In American Indians.While this proves how effective it was, itseems unlikely that anyone could drink alethal qua.ntHy without suspecting thelethal properties of the contents.

Rumors of poisonings were common inancient Rome. According to some sources

entire families were dispatched to assure~hey '1ould not attain the posi-tion orEmperor. The poisonings of RenaissanceItaly eventually had the rest or Europedefining a poison victim as having been·italianated'. The punishment for poisoningat the time Was boiling alive and it wasimplemanted from time to time until the endof the seventeenth century,

r ~d on na T eo fa ni a eli Adamo brought massmarket techniques to the sale of poisons inthe sixteenth century. She marketed a'potion of succession' called variously AquaToffana, ~quetta di Napoli or Manna of St.NiCholas 0 1 Sari. It was sold as a 'cosmetic'and directions indl~ated that it could beused as a cur-e r or troublesome or unwantedhusband s. The arseni c in t he mix t u re

eVentually claimed 6 00 victims.In 1676 and 1679 there were two

celebrated poisoning cases that scandalizedFrance. In the first the Marquise deBrinvilliers apparently used her hospitalcharity work as a way of experimenting witha variety of different poisons. Sheeventually killed both her father and hertwo brothers with her discoveries.

In the second case, the Affair of thePoisons, dozens of prominent French figureswere rumoured to have participated inp u r- eh a s i n g p o1s ons a hdp ar t 1cipa ting in

Black !~sses. Catherine Deshayes wasburned alive for her part but when theinvestigation touched upon the r11.istrsssrLouis XI V the entire investigation wasdropped.

HEMLOCK

POISON ARROW AND SPEAR POINTS,

The most famous poison arrOWS weretipped with a Curare mixture. The SouthAmerican Indians would colect Strychnos andother plants and ·boil down a dark brownresin. This would almost instantly paralizebirds or small animals. Humans required twoor more shots for complete paralysis. Ninjaused the body fluid of a blowfish for thesame kind of effect.

Almost every warrior 1n the world knewenough to smear dung on e b.lade to assureB Or net im e s f at al i nf 'ec t ions. Horse dung isknown for transmitting Lockjaw through

p un ct ur e w ou nd s.

37



BCLlAIXWNAPllolIL' NIGHTSHADI

POISON PLANTS

CHRISTMAS ROSE

Helleborus niger grows year-round in any

high woodland area. Heart failure.hypertension and dropsy are treated with

this plant. Used by Celts and Gauls forpoison arrows.

Active Toxins, Cevadine, Jervine,

Veratralbine and Veratridine.

Lethal Dosage. 2-4 leaves - 40 % Fatality

D EA DLY NIG HT SH AD EAtropa Belladonna grows wild allover

woodland and meadow areas. Used as amedicine for eye disease, COlic, ulcers,

kidney stones and asthma. The effect of the

plant is initially narcotic and leads to

euphoria and halluclna t ions.

Active Toxin. Atropine.

Lethal Dosage. 1-4 berries - 85 % Fatality

FOXGLOVE

Digitalis purpurea is found in loamy

woodlands and is a very pretty and :fragrant

flowering plant. This is the source of the

Digitalis drug used for heart attack victims.

It is also a cure for dropsy (related to

kidney disorders). One murderess killed atleast eleven paople with Foxglove in this

century.

Active Toxins. Digitoxin. Digitalin and

Digitonin.

Lethal Dosage. 2 -6 leaves - 6 0 % Fatality

HEMLOCK

Cicuta maculate is water hemlock round

1n damp meadows or marshes. Conium

macula tum is poison hemlock and has a

different poison and grows in drier ground.

No curative value. It has been used as a

suicide drug by the ancient Greeks and the

American Indiana.Active Toxins. ConBne (in Coniu.m)

Lethal !J.osage. Powder made from the

oenter of the stem mixed with water - 95%Fatality

HENBANEHyoscyamus niger is part of the

nightshade family commonly found ingarbage dumps and waste heaps. It 1s used

as a medicin ...for asthma, bronchitis, nervedessaee end rheumatism. An interesting use

for the plant is as a crude 'truth serum'.This latter arreet is created by inhaling the

smoke of the roasting seeds.Active Toxins. Hyoscyamine, Hyoscine

a nd a tr op in e.

Lethal Doaage. 2 0 seeds - 50 % Patality

MONKSHOODAconitum napellue is also known as

buttercup and grows everywhere - including

in many ornamental gardens. It can be usedto treat arthritis, fibrositis, and nerveproblems. It has been used as a poison for

spear and arrow points.Active Toxins. Aconitine and aconine.Lethel Dossge. A mouthful of any part -

90 % Fatality

!N JN KS H DC OACDNrre

38





ZOOTOXINS or ANIMAL TOXINS. Insectslike Wasps and Bees produce toxins that are

not usually .fatal in small quantities.

However, a single sting can kill an allergicindiVidual. The spider ramily, especially the

Tarantula, the Scorpion, and the Black

Widow, have evolved poisons that can be

fatal even in very s ma ll q ua nt it ie s,

Toads and Salamanders secrete poisonson their skins. Simple contact with the skinof some toads can kill. Snake Venom containshighly sophisticated nerve poisons capableof parlyzing or killing a human 1n minutes.

Poisons are rare among mammals but some

shrews have poison gl ands.

Sea and water dwellers have many

different poisons. Another favorite ~Lnjapoison source was Blowfish. As many as 100

people die every year inJapan from eating

improperly prepared Bl"wfish.

NINJA P01SONS.

Aside from the usual kinds of plants theNinja relied on a number of other interesting

poisons. Green tea mixed with soybean

paste and buried for ~O days was supposed

to kill any sick person within two or threedays. Green, unripe fruits auch as plums and

peaches could be mixed into other foods and

were rumoured to kill instantly,

Ninja also had recipes for two types of

poison gasses. The first inclUded newt, mole

and snake. Paper was used to absorb themixture and the burning of the paperproduced sleeping fumes. The second

witches' brew called for rats, tree leaves, acentipede, cotton seeds and cattle dung.

When a ball made of the paste was burned 'tproduced another sleeping gas.

40



Dictionary of Assassin Terms

ADJiORBEA - Thug term for an """apedvictim.AIKUCHI -Japanese or Ninja daggers.A IS J{ II- N in ja t ri ck o f' t a. ki ng a dv an ta ge 0·1'

sympat he tLc feel ings.

M1ETORI NO JITSU - Ninja trick LUlling a

p er so n' s s up po "i ~l on that a raincoati nd ic at es S Om eo ne is p res en t i ns id e l~.

BAJ£ED - Thug' all "l"ar' signal. called out..hen the· murder "it e ia safe. a nd re Oldy.BAN~J - Thug merchandise. .llAROO - II Thug ..i tit e i ther illus triouaancestors or one who is highly respected.B EL :E S - " rn ug b ur ia l g ro ve s.BFfLHA - Thug who chooses the plaoe ofmurder.BHU!!TOTE - Thug's honoured rank 01 'strang.ler.BISENTO - Ninja broad bladed spea'r.OrSUL PIIRNA - Thug term for an inoorrectstrangling position, "uch as the Rumalmissing the neck and getting around the

head. This is cauae for 10sB o f B hu rt ot e r.ank.'BO STICK - A cOmmon Ninja or Japaneseweapon.BOJHA - Thug who cakes the murderedeorps.. tot he ,grave.BOJITSU - Ni.nJa training i.n the use of afighting stick: or sh.f1'.BORKA - Thug who has b e e n inHlated.SUNlJ - Thug term for merchandise orproperty, used to describe a person worthm u" d~ rl ng .BURGEELA - Thug acoomplice from outsideth e g ro "p.BURKA - Thug chief or leader.BUSHTDO - The Samurai code of chivalry.Often used by Ninja in disguising their truens.ture.CHA!{UZEN NO JITSU - Ninja skill of lliding

in an enemy camp prior to the start of ab a t t l e .

CIIEEHA - Thug name for a cowardly (n' timidT hu g . .CIIIKAI.RINO JITSU - Ninja infiltration ofenemy lines during a war ..•CIIIK!U NO JITSU - Ninja trick ofp re t en d i n g ta be t.ray nis own lord a f't e rbe i.ng captured.CIIOOKADENA ~ Thug term 1'0r the a. c t, ofdirecting the victim's attention upwards,performed by poin~ing to th" sky or someo bj ec t a bo ve .·CHUN IN - A N in j a g,roup 1ead.er.OAIMYO - Term for a Japanese fe<.lda1lord.DAIS - Ismaili roiasionaries orpropagandists.

DIIACA - Th<.lgterm far negotiation, usedeither to find out information abouttravellers or when obtaining protect ion froml oc al o ff ic ia ls .

DHONKEE - Thug term for a guard Orp ol ic em an . .DHURDALNA - Thug term for strangling avictim.DINAR - An Islamic coin consisting ofroughly four grams of gold.DOKA - A pocket heater used by Ninja i'orco rw in ie ntl y s ett i. ng i 'i re s . M ade " li th a s hel lof iron and filled with burning coals.DOOH!! - Thug term for a victim's screamfo·1' help.

DOSHA - Ninja triCk of talting advantage ofanger or short tempered persons.EMIR - Islamic pr-ovInc i.aI governo.r.

ENNYU NO JITSD - Ninja skill or entaringan enemy camp by trickery.FrDAIS - Members 0 1' the Order ofAssassins spec iI'Lca.Ll y trained for act's ofterrorism.

41



FUKIYA - Ninja pins or poisoned darts shotthrough blow guns.FUKUMI-BARI - Ninja darts concealed inthe mouth and blown out at an enemy.FUKURO-GAESHl NO J!TSU - Ninja skill ofdo uble c ....as w il e. .. .t he l or d i s b et . .. .yed and

the Ninja joins the enemy as a double agent.CAN KIJRNA - Thug technique whe ....oneThug would pretend to be violently ill and

the others would convince the victims that aspecial ceremOnY must be perIormed. all sothat the victims could be properly positionedf or m ur de r.GEINYU NO JITSU - Ninja skill ofperform~ng terrorist acts inside an enemycamp.GENIN - A Ninja agent. the lowest levelr an ki ng N in ja .GENMAI - Ninja rice drink.CETA - Ninja wooden clogs used Ior walkingon ice in order to practice balance.GISHO-CIIN NO JITSU w Ninja art offorgery.GOllBA - Thug circular grave wnere acentral pillar of earth 1s l ef t s ta nd in g,around whicn tne bodies are packed. The holeis actually doughnut snaped.

OQJO-GYOKU - Ninja ptlilosophy ofm .a ni pu lat io n t hr ou gh t he use o f c ha ra ct erflaws.GQOKHEE - Thug term for a person carryingbones to the holy river and is there~oreexempt from murder.GOOR - Thug's ceremonial sugar to be eatena ft er e ve ry s tr an gl in g.ODOR CHAUNT - Thug's special kno t aroundwhich the Rumal is tied.GOOR PONCH - A Thug who is capahle oftying the DOOR G~AUNT knot.OONEEAIT - Thug term for a person who isdisfigured by the loss of a hand, nose orother body part and is considered bad luck tokll.

G Y O KU 1I O - N in ja poisoned t aa .HAKAMA - Ninja/Japanese split skirt orl oo se t ro us er s.HENCEN-KASHl NO JITSU - Ninja skill ofdisguise.HILLA - Thug tHle o~Thugs res~onsible forthe goor (sugar). andsite.HOKA NO JITSU - Ninja art of arson.Sometimes involves the use of fire arrows.HOTARUBI NO JITSU - Ninja tactic ofallowing capture o~ a false or mislea dings eo re t m es sa ge .~UJJA - lslami" term for a person having adirect link to the Iman.IAI JITSU - Ninja art of fast-drawing asword.IMAN - Islamic term for the rightful

spiri t.ua and tempor al r,Her of Islam. In theIslamic (aith there is no division betweenpolitical and religiOU S l eadership.INPO - Ninja skill of hiding.IS~lAlLIS - Islamic sect believing in Ismail(died 760) as the proper successor toMohammad.ITAK - Thug sign of good fortune.JHIRNEE - Thug signal to kill.JINN - ISlamic creatures of magic.JIRAI - Ninja land mine.JOBI NO JITSU - Ninja tactic of enlisting inthe enemy army and serving as secret agents.JONIN - Ninja leaders.JYWALOO - Thug v.icti.mdiscovered to bestill alive after heing strangled.KALI - Thug god of djath.KALIP or KHALIP - Islamic term for theproper successor of the Prophet Mohammad.K A I. IA - Ninja figh ting scy the.

honor for the threethe K UB ee ( pi ck ax e) ,choosing the murder

42



KAMEIKADA - Ninja One-man rafts madewith bamboo or wood and watertight ceramicjugs.KANKALI - Thug term for the god Kali.KANTHUNA - Tllug term for cutting up thebody of the victim to prevent swelling.KAWA-NAWA - Ninja fighting or climbingrope with a grappling hook on one end.KEN - Ninja term tor II sword or blade,

KENJITSU - Ninja art of swordmanship.KINSHA - Ninja bribe that takes advantageof a known desire or weakness.KITSUNE GAKURE NO JITSU - Ninja skilloj" hiding in water by imitating a fox.KO-OATANA - Ninja knife.KOMUSO - Ninja role oj" itinerant priest.KOPPO - Ninja bone-breaking techniques.KORAN - Islamic holy bOOK written by theP ro ph et M oh am ma d.KOZU~A - Ninja knife.KUJI-KIRI - Ninja use of finger movementsto hypnoti~e or confuse an opponent.KUJJEE - Any non-Thug woman. Womanforbidden as a victim.KUKI SIILN-RYU - Ninja techniques for thea is en to s pe ar ,K.UMADE - Ninja rake of hooked metal

pieces.KUMI-UCHI - Ninja martial art based onw re st li ng t ec hn iq ue s.KUNASHI - Ninja digging device.K. UN OI CH I - N in ja f em al e ag en ts .KUNOICKI NO JITSU - Female Ninjat ra in in g t ec hn iq ue s.KUSARI - Ninja fighting chain.KUSARl-GAMA - Ninja skill with the chaina nd s cy th e.KYOTETSU-SHOGI - Ninja weapon made ofwomen's halr with a metal ring on one endand a double-pointed knife on the other.KYONIN NO JITSU - Ninja tactic of takingadvantage of !'ear o r superst ition.K: !O SM A - Ni nj a t ac ti c o f' ta ki ng ad va nt ag 'so f c ow ar ds .KYUJITSU - Ninja skill of arohery.

LUOHAE - Thug position of gravedigger.MAHOr - Islamic term for messianic Imans.MAMELUKES - Islamic term for slavesraised to be warriors.MANRIKI-KOSARI - Ninja techniques offighting with a chain. •MAULEE - A Thug who takes money home tothe families before the expedition is over.JtUSO-SHIRU - Ninja food used to make soup.MIZUGUMO - Ninja water-crossing devicemake of curved wood and cord.MIZUKAKI - Ninja webbed foot-gear usedf or s wi mm in g.MI ZU -T AI MA TS U - i' li nj ato rc h d es ig ne d toburn in the rain.MONOMI NO JITSU - Ninja skill of findingweak spo ts in enemy defenses.

MUFT! - Islamic official trained in PubllcLaw.~WOEI-MUMEI NO JITSU - Ninja art ofsecrecy.r,WLLA - Islamic teacher of law.NAOINATA - Japanese spear.NAWANUKE NO JITSU - Ninja technique ofescaping bonds by dislocating bone joints.NINJITSU - The art of the flinja.

NIZ~RIS - Islamic term for beleivore in theriglltful succession of Ni~ar (died 10 95) asIrnan. Ano·ther term :for the religious sect ofI'.ssassins.NYUDAKI NO JITSU - Ninja skill ofd.iscovering an enelllYweakness.PHlJR J HARNA - Thug term for cleaning themu rd er si te .POLA - Thug signs made in the road to

in di ca te di re ct io n a nd u rg e~ cy .PUNGOO - River Thug of Bengal.PUTORA - Thug term for a bad omen.

43



RAKUSHA - Ninja tactic of taking advantage

01' laziness.RAMADAN - Islamic month o r fasting.

RAr~SEE - Thug language or dialect.

RONIN - Samurai who are without a lord,

wandering warriors.RUMAL or RUHMAL - Thug hankerchief or

scarf used for a strangLing cloth.

RYAKUHON NO nTSU - Ninja techni.que of

infiltration by disguise.RYOHAII NO JITSU- Ninja technique of

kidnapping enemy officials for hostages.

SACCHI-JITSU - Nin ja t ec hn iqu e o r usingnatural geography to advantage.

SA~ruRAI - Warrior class of feudal Japan.

SASHIMI - Raw fish, a main dish for the

Ninja and all Japanese.SATOBITO NO JITSU - Ninja tactic or

inciting rebellion in the enemies camp among

t he d is sa ti sf ie d.SHIBA GAKURE NO JITSU - Ninja technique

of hiding in or among common Objects.

SHXKOMl-ZUE - Ninja sword-cane used when

posing as a blindman.

SHINOBI-ZUE - Ninja stafr with a chain

h.l,dan in one B nd and a 1e ad weight Ln the

other.

SHOGUN - Military ruler of feudal Japa<1.SHUGENDO - II J apsnesl! sect o:f 'Buddhism

based in mountain monestaries. Closely

af1'iliated with the Ninja.

SHUKA - Ninja device used for climbing and

righting. Consists of a metal band with rour

sharp spikes that is worn in the p a li n o f : the

hand.SHUMSEEA - ThuB who holds the hands or

:feet of the victim.

SHURlKEN - Ninja throwing weapons.

SOON - Thug who is not yet a strangler,

SOTHA - Thug who convinces the victims.

SURBALUN D KflAN - ThUll leader's commandfor the assumption of proper positions.

TABI - Ninja or Japanese socks that have a,

split for the big toe.

TANIIGOKORO-TAI MATSU - Ninjapalm-sized torch.

TANIIRI NO JITSU - Ninja tactic where ateam of' N inja pretend to betray their lord in

order to join an enemy camp.

TANTO - Japanese dagger used by Ninja.

TANUKI GAKURE NO JITSU - Nlnja

teChnique of climbing trees.

TAQ!YYA - A doc~rine of Shiice Islam that

makes secrecy and Li e s legitimate for thepurpose of' guarding the religion.

TEEKULA - Thug term for a stolen object

frOm a victim which may be dangerous in that

ie may be identified.TEKACI - Ninja device used to grip wells or

trees for Climbing.

Tb~SU-BISHI - Ninja four-pointed caltrops.TOFU - Japanese food made of soyoeen curd.

TOGAKURE-RYU - Ninja f ig ht in g t eCh ni qu eof slapping both ears of an enemy

silnultaneously,

TOMBAKO KIiA LO - Thug signal formurder, it means 'get out your tobacco',

'raNK! - Ninja throwing daggers.

TONPO - Ninja escape techniques.

TSUNE NO r.tIZU - Ninja ood made from

pickled plums.

TORHI!AKA - Se c r-et Nin ja d oc um en ts.

TUPPUL - Thug term for II path or side-roadconvenient for lIIurder,

UKIDARU - Ninja water-crossing device

made o:f waterproof reed pots.

USTIID - Thug term for a tutor or teacher.

UZURA GAKURE NO JITSU - Ninja technique

O f hiding in small gaps between objeots.

\~AKIZASHI - Japanese short sword.

44



YMIABIKONOJITSU - Ninja tactic ofjoining an enemy lord after pretending to

f1ght with his own side.'tA t,IA IlIKO SJ{IC IiO NO JT 'l'SU - N inj a

technJ.que for discovering an enelllYagent hyreavealing false information.

YMoiA BU SIiI - A warrior priest from themountains of Japan. A frequen~ Ninjadisguise.

YARI - Ninja spear.YARIJITSU - Ninja art of fighting with thespenr-.

YOJANO JITSU - Ninja tactic ofpene tra ting Bn enemy Une by p...e tending to

be a beggar or cripple.,(OJI - Japanese toothpiok.YOJI-GAKURENO J!TSU - Ninj(l tactic ofdistracting" guard by throwing a ~mallahject.YO~10GAMINOJTTSU - Ninja practice ofmaintaining two separate identities.

'fORU1 - Jap'''ti!se chest protector.YU BI - N inja m artial stdke to an en!!my' sright kidney .•

ZAGARASIiT-YAKU - Ninja poison made ofgre"n .fruit.

45



Bibliography

ANDREW ADAMS, Ninja, The Invisible Assassins, Ohair, 1970.

JOST AM/I1.AN I< HANS SACHS., The Boo k or Trades, Dover, 197 J .

MATTKEII' BALENT, Weapons II < Armour, PalladiWll Books, 19BI.

MATTKEII' SALENT, Weapons II < Cas & Iea, Pallad.im Books, 1982.

GEORGE BRUCE, The Stre.nglers, Harcourt, Hz-ace'" World, 1968.

HUBERT CREEKMORE.. Da ffodil s Are Dangerous, Walker, 1966.

ENtia FRANZlUS, Hbtory of' the Order of AS!lassins. Funk'" Wagnalls •. 1969.

SAMUELB. CRU'PITH. Sun T~1..l·s The Art or War. Oxford UntversHy, 196).

IUYOSHI HI RAI, Feudal Arc hi t.ecture of Japan, Waa the rh ilL, 197).

BERNIiARDTJ, lIURWOOD, Society and the Assassin, Parents' Ma.gazine Press, 1970,

FRANCIS JOHNSON, Famous Ass!lssinat ions or l'Iistory, A. C. McClurg, 190).

JOHN M. KINGSBURY, Deadly Harvest, Holt, Rinehart, 1965.

CHARLES H. LAWALL, Four Thousand Years or Pnarmacy , J•.. L.ipp.i.ncott, 1927.

JOHN HERON LEP PER, Famous Secret Societies, Sampson Lew, 1940.

BERNARDLEIrII S , The Assassins. Oct agon , 1980.

E. PII,PINOT, Historical "'rld Gec.graphical Dicticnary o:f Japan, Overbeck, 1948.

OSCAR RATTI & ADELE WESTBROOK, Secrets of tile Samurai., Ohad"s E•. Tuttle. 197)·

A. J. WIGHTMAN, No Friend Fo r Tra ve ners. flo be r t Hale, 1959.

0 1 1

46



Chronology

CHRONOLOGYOF THE WORLD'S ASSASSINS

600 Legendary beginning of the Ninja632 - Death of Mohammed, tbe Prophe t of Islam

760 - Ismaili Sect eStablisbed in Islam

1090 - Hassan Sabah takes tbe Fortress of Alamuc1092 - Nizam aI-Hulk is the first vicrLm of ehe Assassins

HIB - Sanj ar make s peace witheh" Assassins

1 L21 , - Urnid becomes, rhe second Mas tex of tbe Aa s a s s ins

1138 - Muh,a,"",ad becomes ehe third Master of the Assassins

1162 - Hasan II be"omes the first lwan of the Assassins

1166 - Muhwnmad 11 becomes the second Iman of rhe Assassins

1192 - Yor itOlIlO be come. [ he .fir" r Shogun of Japan

1210 - Hasan III becomes the third lwin of the Assassins

1221 Aladdin becomes the fourth Im"n of the Assassins

1252 - Tmperial Prince Munetaka becomes Sbogun,

Nin.l a services come into gT'eat demand

L255 Khurshah becomes the fifth Irnan " of the Assassins

1256 - Alamut is sLlrIendered to the Mongols

1251 - Khurshah is put to death by the Mongols

1290 - 1,000 Thugs captured at Delhi

tJ04 - Gompowder is intrniluced to the \,Test

1)38 - Ashikaga S);oganate be61n61581 - Destruction of the Iga Ntnj a by General Oda

1603 - leyasu becomes the fits t Tol<ugswa Shogun

1679 - French Affair of the Poisons1812 - Fiut British sol dieT UUed by Thugs

1848 - De s true e iOI1 0f the Thug Cu It in India

[

Dedicated to the memoryof Dan laFleche,

the best warrior I have ever known.

Hewould have enjoyed this...

----

47



Steps in Donning Japanese Armour

48

M E MPD r:A¢I M4{.1(

. & N O JfABVTO ,l.!'ClM{T



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