The ninja is a mainstay of ancient Japanese culture and owes much of its enduring legacy to the times in which the shadowy warriors would use only the tools available to them as weapons. Their legendary run lasted from the 14th century to the early 1800s. They emerged when conflicts between various landowners had moved to secretive combat as an alternative to flat-out war. The samurai of the time lived by a strict code of honor that forbade them using such tactics. This created a need for the ninja, who was free of such a code and could employ any means necessary to satisfy his employer.
The ninja is known to be cloaked in black from head to toe, wearing a cowl and hood to conceal his face. In truth, the ninja likely wore nothing of the kind. In fact, most historical experts agree that the ninja likely wore clothing no different from any of their contemporaries in the rural Japanese community they protected.
The concept of the ninja wearing his famous black outfit came from the early kabuki theater. It was common to have stage hands dress all in black to distinguish them from the main cast. If patrons saw these shadowy figures on stage, they knew to ignore them due to their clothing. When it came time to portray the ninja onstage, they had a ready-made outfit that meant concealment and invisibility to the audience. Thus, the all-black outfit was born.
Ninja "magic" refers to the use of distractions and illusion to provide the aura of invincibility and other-worldly powers. We are distinguishing between the real-life art of ninjitsu and the Hollywood portrayal, which has gone to great lengths to provide the ninja with powers beyond that of a normal man.
Gunpowder was a commonly used tool in the ninja's arsenal of tricks. With it, the ninja could create small explosions and tremendous amounts of smoke. With these two diversions, the ninja could make quick escapes, create distractions and even blind their opponents and aid the element of surprise.
The ninja were sometimes thought to be shape-shifters, or to posses the abilities to control wild animals. Some of this mystique was due to a very simple trick the ninja would employ to cover their tracks: They would attach small wooden pads to the soles of their feet, carved in the shape of an animal's paw print. They could then make an entry and escape, leaving only the prints of the animal behind in the sand.
In addition to magical illusions and sleight of hand, the ninja warrior is well-known for weaponry. The bo staff, kitana and kama made their way into martial arts through ninjitsu. These weapons were derived from the farming tradition, and it was their practicality, rather than their mystique, that made them great weapons of choice for ninja warriors.
There is also the throwing star, which has become as much a symbol of the ninja as the black hood and face cowl. These would often be coated with a poison of some kind, in order to bring death and injury to a victim more quickly. Historians believe they were seldom thrown at all; indeed, they were used as short-range weapon, much like a knife.
Our primary source of all things ninja has been the world of pop culture. Here is a sampling of some of the more popular uses of the ninja in the world of fiction:
Comic books: "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" had its origins in the pages of comic books before taking off in feature films, TV cartoons and video games. The "GI Joe" comic books often featured ninja warriors as antagonists for the Joe clan, though this was downplayed in the more popular television and toy line series.
Films: "3 Ninjas," featuring a trio of young boys who have been trained in the art of ninjitsu. There is also "Batman Begins," where we are introduced to the story of Bruce Wayne being trained by a host of ninjas. "American Ninja" was a popular series of B movies in the 80s, featuring a lone white ninja warrior.
Video games: The popular Mortal Kombat series, Ninja Gaiden, Street Fighter, Tekken and many others have featured at least one ninja in their game play.