Are there ninjas today

Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Are ninjas real? When were the ninjas active in Japan? What did ninjas do? Wonder What's Next? Try It Out Are you ready to fight like a ninja? Find a few friends or family members to help you explore the following activities: Based upon our modern concept of the ninja, if you were to draw a ninja or describe one in depth in a story, what would he look like?

What weapons would he use? What characteristics and skills would he possess? How does the modern version of the ninja differ from the historical version you learned about in today's Wonder of the Day?

Feeling crafty? Check out these 25 Stealthy Ninja Crafts for Kids online. Choose a craft or two to make with friends and family members. What do you notice about the crafts?

Do they reflect the modern idea of what ninjas were or the more-accurate historical account of the ninjas? How are ninjas and samurai similar and different? Read more about the samurai. Then, write a paragraph explaining how they're similar or different from ninjas.

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Join the Discussion. Combat Dec 6, Dec 9, No, Combat! We are not a bot. Nov 13, Thanks for letting us know, salty. We'll get that fixed ASAP. My father plays b ball and asked a question about when do people become prodgeys?

Apr 25, Salty Ninja Jan 2, Do you know my brother Salty Dark? If so the next time he comments on a wonder tell him that I got a wonder made for me before him! And thanks for making this wonder for me 8. Jan 3, Employed by samurai warlords to spy, sabotage and kill, they are relics of an ancient code that have all but died out in the modern age.

All but one. As the 21st head of the Ban clan, a dynasty of secret spies that can trace its history back some years, year-old engineer Jinichi Kawakami is Japan's last ninja. He is trained to hear a needle drop in the next room, to disappear in a cloud of smoke or to cut a victim's throat from 20 paces with nothing more than a two-inch 'death star'.

Death stars: Jinichi Kawakami demonstrates the traditional Japanese concealed weapon the 'shuriken' at the Iga Ninja Museum. An engineer by trade, Kawakami started practicing the art of Ninjutsu at the age of six before he began training under the gruelling regime of Buddhist master Masazo Ishida. To improve his concentration, he would spend hours staring into the flame of a candle until he felt he was inside it. Silent and deadly: Kawakami is trained to hear a needle drop in the next room, to disappear in a cloud of smoke and to cut a victim's throat from 20 paces with nothing but a three-inch death star.

Tough training: As part of his training, Kawakami climbed walls, jumped from heights and learned how to mix chemicals to cause explosions and smoke and was also trained to withstand extreme heat and cold as well as go for days without food or water.

To hone his hearing he would practice listening to a needle being dropped onto a wooden floor in the next room. Ninjas, also known as shinobi, have been feared and revered throughout history for their talents as assassins, scouts and spies. They are mainly noted for their use of stealth, their dark outfits usually covering everything but their eyes, leaving them virtually invisible in shadow, until they struck.

But they were also known for their amazing powers of endurance. The ninjas themselves were noted for being able to walk long distances without stopping, jump over seven feet and dislocate their joints to escape from small spaces. But they were not only ruthless killers as depicted in so many Hollywood movies.

In fact, ninjas considered the art of espionage far greater than that of fighting which was always a last resort - ninjas were skilled in spying and defeating foes using intelligence, while swinging a sword was deemed a lower art. And they were also skilled at making poisons as well as potions and medicines. He climbed walls, jumped from heights and learned how to mix chemicals to cause explosions and smoke.

All that material was bullet proof. Ninja invented different tools to protect themselves from the enemy. There are still students training in the 49 ninjutsu schools in Japan today. Courses include ancient body control methods, castle architecture, and ninja no shokumotsu —the clean diet of these lean warriors designed to improve mental focus and fortify the body to fight injuries and fatigue.

By providing your email, you agree to the Quartz Privacy Policy. Skip to navigation Skip to content. Some ninjas are believed to have been farmers, and others pedlars who used their day jobs to spy. As for the 21st Century ninja, Kawakami is a trained engineer. In his suit, he looks like any other Japanese businessman.

The title of "Japan's last ninja", however, may not be his alone. Eighty-year-old Masaaki Hatsumi says he is the leader of another surviving ninja clan - the Togakure clan. Hatsumi is the founder of an international martial arts organisation called Bujinkan, with more than , trainees worldwide.

It is a small town and not a place you would expect to see many foreigners. But the dojo, big enough for 48 tatami mats, is full of trainees who are glued to every move that Hatsumi makes.

His actions are not big, occasionally with some weapons, but mainly barehanded. Hatsumi explains to his pupils how those small moves can be used to take enemies out. Paul Harper from the UK is one of many dedicated followers. For a quarter of a century, he has been coming to Hatsumi for a few weeks of lessons every year.