Ninja go! The elements in action

Ninja are immediately recognisable in the west, their imagery and behaviour in most cases only loosely based on the original Japanese qualities. Movies, TV series, comics, video games and a whole world of merchandise demonstrates the continued interest in these mysterious action heroes. Not surprisingly my interest in the ninja is their connection to the elements. That gave me a reason to see the 2017 Lego movie ‘Ninjago‘, ostensibly a movie for children, where the elements are featured. My interest has also lead to reading translations of the original ninja manuals and sourcing other information from Japan. Comparing the different representations of the ninja (west and east, modern and traditional), the ninjutsu they practice, and their relation to the elements has been intriguing – and complicated. These are my impressions so far.

Another connection between ninja and taiko, apart from both being related to the elements (see ‘The way of the drum‘), was my visit to Mie University in 2015 as part of a taiko tour in Japan. Mie University, which is located in Iga prefecture, is a centre for ninja research. During our visit we were told about the online book on ninja shown here. Sub-titled ‘The New Mansenshukai‘ it presents itself as a modern version of the Bansenshukai, translated in ‘The Book of Ninja’ above. Museums devoted to ninja are found elsewhere in Japan