Natori Sanjurō Masatake (died c. 1708) was a

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

and an exponent of

ninjutsu , and are terms for the techniques and skills used by spies and scouts in pre-modern Japan known as ninja. Some of these techniques are recorded in ninja scrolls, some which have been published and translated. The study of these scrolls have c ...

. He is most noted for having written the ''

Shōninki The Shōninki (Japanese 正忍記) is a medieval ninja document from Kishū province. Written by Natori Masatake in 1681 it describes the espionage strategies of the shinobi from Kishū. Together with the Bansenshukai and Ninpiden it is one ...

'', a ninja training manual, and for founding the Kishū-Ryū school of martial arts.

Biography

Natori was a samurai of the Kii branch of the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty which produced the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. It was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of ...

, a house which was directly related to the ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

''. His family joined the clan in 1654, and his father, Natori Masatomi, served under

Tokugawa Yorinobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Born under the name Nagatomimaru (長福丸), he was the 10th son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, by his concubine Kageyama-dono. On December 8, 1603, Yorinobu received the fief of Mito, then rated at 2 ...

as the head of undercover military operations. Masatake was originally employed as a page, but on reaching adulthood became a foot soldier for the clan. His elder brother inherited his father's position, but despite this Masatake rose through the ranks to the position of ''ogaban'', a senior retainer. He published the ''Shōninki'' in 1681. In this work, he set down his thoughts on the role and techniques of the ninja, and the teachings of his family's military arts, focusing primarily on moral character.

Aliases

Natori went by a number of names during his life, including Natori Masazumi, Fujinosshuishi Masatake and Fujibayashi Masatake.

Reported time of death

His date of death is uncertain, but has been given in some sources as 1708.

References

17th-century births 1708 deaths 17th-century Japanese writers 18th-century Japanese people Samurai Ninja {{Japan-martialart-bio-stub