Use Appropriate Tools
Ninja possessed a wide variety of tools. Most people may imagine “shuriken” or “kunai,” but in reality, they did not always have a specific tool with them, but used the best tool for the situation. In the ninjutsu book “Bansenshūkai,” it is written that “you should carefully consider the enemy’s situation, and take what is appropriate for that situation.
The Six Tools of Ninja
When traveling far from home to gather information on the enemy, ninja often took with them tools called “忍び六具 Shinobi Rokugu (six ninja tools)”.
They carried an “編み笠 Amigasa” to hide their faces and protect them from rain, a “石筆 Sekihitsu” to write with, a “鉤縄 Kaginawa” to climb high places, an “打竹 Uchitake” to make fire, an “印籠 Inro” to keep medicine in, and a “手ぬぐい Tenugui” for various uses such as dressing injuries and disguises.
It is likely that they needed convenient tools to use during their long journeys.
Many Firearms
Among the many tools used by ninja, the most common were tools used to sneak into enemy castles and houses. These include “登器 Tōki,” which were made on the spot and used to climb high places, such as the “結梯子 Musubi Bashigo (ladder)” and the “鉤梯子 Kagi Bashigo (ladder)”, “水器 Suiki,” which were used to cross moats and rivers, such as the “水蜘蛛 Mizugumo” and the “浮橋 ukibashi”, and “開器 Kaiki,” which were used to break and open door locks, such as the “しころ Shikoro” and “くろろ鉤 Kurorokagi”.
Among these, the most numerous types are “火器 Kaki (fire tools)” used for lighting, signaling, and setting fire to enemy positions, such as “松明 Taimatsu (torches)” and “大国火矢 Taikokuhiya”, and the “Bansenshūkai” describes how to make and use over 200 types of fire tools. Ninja were probably very good at making and using fire-related tools. (Takamasa Fukushima)
