堀渡舟之事
Hori Watashi Bune no Koto
Moat crossing boat
Hori watashi bune no koto—make four boxes that slot into one another and cover them with a thin wooden plate like that of the hasamibako—clothes carrying box. These can be [connected together] to make the shape of a boat.
Latches and plates should connect them with each other. The oar should be jointed like a fishing rod.
A basic mock-up of the boat latched together
浮沓之事
Ukigutsu no Koto
Floating aids
This should be made in the same manner in which a lantern is made with rings and should be made of whale fin*—there are oral traditions.
Ukigutsu—this should be made of leather and coated with tung oil. It should be attached onto the waist and to the wakizashi.
第四之巻
Dai yon no maki
Part Four
忍之火持之事
Shinobi no Himochi no Koto
The shinobi method of carrying embers
♦ Charred sheaves of young bamboo shoots – 1 momme 5 bu
♦ Camphor – 4 bu
Mix the above and solidify it with thin glue. Next, cut bamboo into a five sun section and make a hole in the end. When the mixture is truly dry, push it into the cylinder and ignite it at the open end—if you carry it in this fashion then it will last three days and three nights.*
Shinobi no himochi no daiji—Scrape the surface of the bamboo and apply [paper] with glue, with persimmon tannin mixed in.† The bamboo cylinder should have joints both on the top and the bottom. Pierce a hole in the joint on the bottom and ram a mixture of the two ingredients in tightly. Put a small hole on the top joint as an air vent. This is also called Kaichu no hi—“fire within the kimono.”
忍之薬
Shinobi no Kusuri
The Shinobi substance*
♦ “Crow snake”
♦ Hoya—[to be found on the roots of Artemisia capillaris].
♦ “White snake”
Mix equal amounts of the above and soak in “oil of [unidentifiable ideogram]”† for seven days and dry it in the open air. Powder the mixture and place it into a bag made of paper; light it to a windward direction.
Shinobi no kusuri is sleeping powder. “Hoya”‡ can be found on the roots of the Artemisia capillaris. Put [the mixture] in a paper bag and have a woven bamboo [cover] for it, then wind it with thread and cover it with paper.
♦ Karasu hebi—“crow snake” means black snake.
♦ Hakuja—“white snake” means a snake that is white.§
If you burn this substance from the windward side, everyone will fall asleep and their defense will be insubstantial; in this way it is easier to steal in. There is a way to keep you from going to sleep while doing this—put the ginger mentioned in part three onto your belly button so you will not sleep, as is shown in the drawing.
手負ノ血留
Teoi no Chidome
Stopping a wound from bleeding
Fold paper so that it has eight layers* in total and apply it with pressure to the injury. There are oral traditions for the holding of breath while doing this.
[The oral traditions are:]
To stop the bleeding of the injured, trace the ideograms [unknown ideogram] and 冬 for Yamabuki on the forehead of the injured person while holding your own breath. Then hold the bleeding part with the above-mentioned paper and add pressure.
忍火手内ニ持事
Shinobi Hi Te no Uchi ni Motsu Koto
Holding shinobi fire in the palm†
Take eight or nine spines of the feathers from a Japanese crested ibis bird and cut them to the length of the width of your fist and tie them together with string in a bundle. Pour mercury to the amount of eight tenths in each of the [stripped feather] cylinders.
Shinobi hi te no uchi ni motsu koto is also called Enmyoko (“round bright light”), or Shinobi no tebako (“the shinobi’s portable box”).
Imagine this as a collection of feather spines, filled with mercury that have been tied together in a buddle with the string in this image.
The box should be 2 sun 9 bu square in size and 2 sun 5 bu in height. Spread mercury* in a thin layer on the inside of the box. Then paste five layers of good quality gold leaf over it. Cut the spines of the feathers of a Japanese crested ibis (Nipponia nippon) to the length of the box and in such a number as can be laid within. Next, add mercury into the spines to a measurement of eight parts in ten. Put them together by entwining them with thread and place the bundle in the box. This gives off light when you wish to observe something.
壁外之火取事
Kabesoto no Hi Toru Koto
To take fire beyond the wall
Connect twelve pieces of Yoshino paper together and apply oil from the castor-oil plant. Let it dry in the shade for about thirty days. When you see a small light coming through a gap, paste this paper over the hole.
Kabe no Soto no Hi no Torukoto—the drawing shows how the paper should be put together.†
福嶋流心意工夫之巻
Fukushima-Ryu Shin’i Kufu no Maki
Fukushima-Ryu—A scroll for the improvement of your mind and will
Shinobi-mono do not [only use] myo (“wondrous magic”), however; before they use [myo] they should first utilize the five constant factors* alongside wisdom, benevolence, and then bravery to execute their tactics. If they try to obtain results with [only] wondrous skills, then they will be trapped in their own fabrication, losing honshin—“original mind.” Thus in shinobi no jutsu [it is correct] to obtain results with righteousness.
Shinobi-mono observe the enemy. Then with the element of surprise—and by working independently—they strike at that which is insubstantial in the dark of night. They contemplate with fidelity and reach the truth. “Correct bravery”† should not be restrained while “brute courage”‡ should be admonished. [This means that] a little cowardice [and caution] should be applied and used as a “medicine for ease.”
When the skills [recorded here] have been mastered, in addition with the [the above] short set of principles, your ki will be enhanced. Benefits will be acquired. To defeat an army, contemplate and use the “established path,”§ and know that to obstruct the enemy’s plans is an excellent military skill—there are countless cases of this.
Obtaining victory through attacking is not a way of excellence. However, if it is not possible [to obstruct the enemy’s plan], you need to attack. [Even with] “brute courage” you can win a hundred out of a hundred battles if you perform using the “principle of emptiness”¶—in this way the original mind will not be lost and benefits will still be obtained.
The above scroll is the foundation of the shinobi and contains the essential elements needed in disciplining your mind. The previous four scrolls contain those elements that are myo, and also include reasonable skills.
Nojiri Jiroemon Narimasa
Okita Sukeshiro Naomichi
Nojiri Saburoemon Masatsugu
Okimi Jirobei
Miyake Juzo
The annotations state:
1. Benevolence 仁
2. Righteousness 義
3. Courtesy 礼
4. Wisdom 智
5. Fidelity 信
Govern with these virtues.
[All the annotations within this scroll were written] on an auspicious day of the fourth month in the summer of 1797—the year of the Snake.
By Terasawa Naosaku Yukihiro—the ninth descendant of Hyogo no Kami and transmitted to Ishikawa Yamato Minamoto no Ason Kotoku and kept in secret.
Further transcribed on an auspicious morning of the tenth month in the winter of 1824—the year of the Monkey.
Kept in the collection of Fujita Seiko—the fourteenth generation of Koka-Ryu.*
The deep secrets of Sekiguchi-Ryu
Sekiguchi-Ryu was discussed on page 65 along with its headmaster, Yamada Toshiyasu. Mr. Yamada is the
inheritor of Sekiguchi-Ryu Battojutsu—the sword-drawing branch of the school. Sekiguchi-Ryu was founded by the Sekiguchi family and was a comprehensive martial school. However, it was later divided into separate sections, some taking over the grappling skills, while others took over the swordsmanship, etc., allowing for multiple branches to form. Mr. Yamada—and one of his predecessors—have endeavored to rediscover the “lost” parts of their school and in doing so the have had the opportunity to transcribe different Sekiguchi-Ryu manuals. One of Mr. Yamada’s predecessors, Mr. Aoki Norio, transcribed some manuals from a branch school transmitted in Awa province (present-day Tokushima prefecture). Those manuals include gokui (“deep secrets”), which were transmitted directly from Wakayama Katsumasa—who was a direct inheritor from Sekiguchi Ujimune, the founder of the school. These manuals have some very shinobi-like skills yet the word shinobi is not used in the manuals (apart from the shinobi torch). Skills such as walking at night, sleeping powders, poisons and blinding powders are all extremely shinobi-orientated. Therefore, some of the following selections of skills are the most shinobi-related, while others are on the boundry of the shinobi arts (and have been translated here for the first time). Luckily Mr. Yamada—with his assistant Takara Takanashi—still teach and welcome students from all over the world. For more information search social media sites for Sekiguchi-Ryu Battojutsu or see their website www.sekiguchiryu.com
Mr. Yamada of Sekiguchi-Ryu Battojutsu and their scrolls.
The deepest secrets of Sekiguchi-Ryu presented by Yamada Toshiyasu:
軍中忍松明之伝
Gunchu Shinobi Taimatsu no Tsutae
The tradition of the military shinobi torch
Part 1:
Saltpeter – 20 momme
Sulfur – 14 momme
Ash – 10 momme
Part 2:
Camphor – 12 momme
Part 3:
Pine resin – 1 momme 8 bu
Ground tea – 5 bu
Mouse droppings – 1 momme 7 bu
Part 4:
Cattle dung – 2 momme
Mix each of the above recipes and then mix together; now firmly ram it into a bamboo cylinder. Scrape the surface [of the bamboo thinly] with a knife. If it is extinguished, it will flare up again if it is swung. If you want to put it out, stub it against a wall or the ground and the fire will immediately go out. This torch is a tradition used by Soga brothers* from ages past.
鶏卵ニテ敵一時殺之法
Keiran nite Teki Ichiji Korosu no Ho
The art of temporarily killing an enemy with an “egg”
Remove the contents of an egg, clean [the inside] with shochu liquor and fill with the poison [below]. Twist paper [into a string] with gunpowder wrapped within it [and put it into the hole of the egg] then ignite around the hole.
The recipe of the powder is as below:
Mix equal amounts of:
♦ Saltpeter
♦ Lime
♦ Pine resin
♦ Sulfur
Mix the above and powder it finely. Put it into the said egg and throw it at the enemy after igniting the fuse; this will shoot out poison and all your enemies will be “killed” [fall unconscious] for a while. To protect yourself from this, keep 3 bu of crystal sugar in your mouth, applying the oil of the Japanese anise tree onto the nine openings of the body.
眼昧之法
Ganmai no Ho
The art of blinding the eyes
Char the livers of boars and moles and powder it down.† Mix these two ingredients and powder them finely. Wrap with silk cloth or paper and carry it in your kimono at all the times. [When needs arise] blow it over the enemy or throw it. Make sure to do it very quickly.
毒酒茶水知法
Doku Sake Cha Mizu Siru Ho
The art of detecting poison in your sake, tea or water
Look at the reflection of yourself in the sake, tea or water. If it has poison in it, you cannot see your reflection. Know [if it is poisonous] with this method.
修利法之口伝
Shuri Ho no Kuden
The oral tradition of on the way Shuri
This is about a paper cylinder.
♦ Alum – 2 momme 5 bu
♦ White lead – 1 momme 3 bu
♦ Marble [“smooth stone”] – 2 momme 1 bu
Powder the above finely and mix it with starch of the “devil’s tongue” plant. [Apply this and] wrap the paper [into a cylinder] so that there is a hole in the center. This is also called harideppo—the paper musket.
The bullet should be made of rice bran. Shoot it at the face of the enemy [to render them helpless].
聴中三日火縄之事
Chochu Mikka Hinawa
The chochu three day fuse
♦ Sweet hydrangea (Amacha) – 20 momme
♦ Camphor – 8 momme
♦ Moxa 120 momme
♦ Alum 10 momme
Powder the above and add it to a roll of sugihara paper, then glue it to secure it. Use rice glue with alum mixed in to make this fuse.
水鉄砲ヲ以テ敵ヲ生捕事
Mizudeppo wo Motte Teki wo Ikedoru Koto
The art of capturing the enemy with the water musket
♦ Saltpeter
♦ Ground tea
Use an appropriate amount of each.
Put an appropriate amount of water in a cylinder and shoot at the enemy.
If the caliber of a musket is a 3-momme bullet, use 3 momme of the two ingredients. For all amounts, apply this ratio. Shoot it at the enemy’s eyes and while the enemy is unconscious, capture them alive.
走時息之切ヌ法
Hashiru Toki Iki no Kirenu Ho
The way of not losing your breath when running
There is a secret skill orally transmitted.
Say the word “kuma” (bear) three times when running. Keeping ginseng in your mouth should also work.
竹松明之事
Taketaimatsu no Koto
Bamboo torch
There is an oral tradition for this.
Scrape the surface skin of bamboo that is 6 or 7 sun in diameter.
Mix camphor with oil and apply it onto the surface of the bamboo. Next put paper around it and use it as a torch. If it is lit, it will not go out, no matter how windy it is.
夜歩行之法
Yoru Hoko no Ho
The method of walking at night
This is an oral tradition.
[Untitled skill]
我是鬼
Trace the above three ideograms on your gate. Then write them again with your right little finger onto your left palm and pray with your hands above your head and then sleep. This works wondrously well, you will not be bewitched by transformed raccoon dogs.
水松明之法
Mizutaimatsu no Ho
The way of the waterproof torch
There is an oral tradition for this.
Skin an eel and put camphor into the [tube of the] skin and secure it with strings. Place sulfur at the ignition end—it will not go out when wet.
人ヲ眠ラス法
Hito wo Nemurasu Ho
The art of making people sleep
There is an oral tradition for this.
Sprinkle whale baleen by crumpling it onto the person’s breast—that person will fall into a deeper sleep. This works divinely.
雨中火縄之事
Uchu Hinawa no Koto
Rainproof fuse
Apply lime onto a bamboo fuse with persimmon tannin. Cut paper to an appropriate length and roll it with two or three layers. Use this fuse for the above “old” water musket.
雨中松明の事法
Uchu Taimatsu no Koto Ho
The art of rainproof torch
♦ Saltpeter – 2 momme
♦ Sulfur – 12 momme
♦ Ash – 2 momme 5 bu
♦ Pine tree knot – 5 momme
♦ Moxa – 3 momme
♦ Pine resin – 2 momme
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br /> ♦ Camphor – 3 momme
♦ Sawdust – 3 momme
♦ Mouse droppings – 3 momme
霞之佃
Kasumi no Muchi
The rod of mist
The rod of mist is a cane or rod with poison embedded in its tip.
♦ Flowers of a thistle
♦ Powdered whitewash (calcium carbonate)
♦ Iron filings
♦ Unslaked lime
Mix the above and powder finely, then insert the mixture into a rod. Swing and flick the rod towards the enemy while considering the “wind and the wave.”* Use this in war or in combat.
團扇霧霞之法
Uchiwa Kiri Kasumi no Ho
Fan of mist
Tie a maw worm (intestinal parasite) to a branch and above that place a red and white insect/worm—the one which lives in drainage systems and which hide in water and flutter about when human footsteps pass. Catch this worm and place it above the maw worm, tie them by winding with string. Next wait until mushrooms grow around it. The first mushroom should be thrown away; take the second one and dry it in the shade, then powder it down. Next powder Japanese tiger beetles and mix it together. Blow this powder with a fan over your enemy and they will immediately die. The worm is not a leech or the larvae of a mosquito. If a human hand is placed near it, it will submerge.
満地之佃
Manji no Muchi
Rod of Manji
♦ Put arsenious anhydride in half [of the inside of the cane]
♦ Put arsenopyrite in the other side [of the inside of the cane]
Place the two ingredients into the tip of a rod or cane and swing and flick this at the enemy.
Further Shinobi Quotes
The following short selection of quotes from historical manuals will further help to illustrate the shinobi and the tasks that they perform. Each one comes from different backgrounds and purpose but all shed light on the shinobi.
A lord should not try to fulfil his appointed tasks without knowing the job of the shinobi. Lord Takeda Shingen used to make his plans with ease and had complete victory in every battle he ever entered throughout his life. His retainers Baba mino no Kami, Yamagata Saburobei and Yamamoto Kansuke had a secret meeting about [the teachings of the shinobi]. Lord Shin-gen told them to pass on their suppa (shinobi) family traditions to others.
Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique Page 21
