Ancient Ninjas
Ninja is the on yomi early middle chinese influenced reading of the two kanji 忍者.
Ancient ninjas. Ninja were ancient warriors that hailed from japan during times of war. The most common first mentions of ninja warriors were in the 15th century during the ancient wars of japan but more than likely the ninja was around before training in secret for when they were needed. The underlying connotation of shinobi means to steal away. It is believed that the ancient ninjas may have been yamabushi mountain priests who adapted the sonshi a chinese martial arts manual to their own purposes.
In feudal japan two types of warriors emerged. Among the factual stories of the original ninjas is the tale yagyū munetoshi 1529 1606 a renowned swordsman of the shinkage ryū school s grandson jubei muneyoshi told tales of his grandfather s status as a ninja. Samurai ninja drama the origins of ninjas is unclear. And ninjas often from the lower classes who carried out espionage and assassination missions.
The word shinobi appears in the written record as far back as the late 8th century in poems in the man yōshū.