is a series of

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "historical drama, period dramas", it refers to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, crafts ...

novels written by Tomoyoshi Murayama originally serialized in the Sunday edition of the newspaper '' Akahata'' from November 1960 to May 1962. Shinobi no mono is the long form of the phrase meaning ninja, see the

Ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

article for details.

Novels

Set during Japan's

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

, the novels depict Goemon Ishikawa, a famous outlaw hero who was boiled alive at the end of the 16th century by order of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, as a

ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

who fought against

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 ...

warlords.

Films

Between 1962 and 1966, a series of eight ''Shinobi no Mono'' films (aka ''Ninja, a Band of Assassins'', aka ''Ninja Spy'') starring Raizo Ichikawa were produced and released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company. The first three films are based on the novel, while the five subsequent films are based on four original screenplays by Hajime Takaiwa (also the screenwriter on the first three films) and one original screenplay by Kinya Naoi. ^* Following the death of series lead Raizo Ichikawa in 1969, Daiei attempted to revive/continue the series with a 9th film entitled 忍びの衆 ''Shinobi no Shū'' (''Ninja Spies'') starring Hiroki Matsukata, who also replaced Ichikawa in their other popular series Nemuri Kyoshiro.

Television series

The novels were also adapted into a 52-episode television series starring Ryuji Shinagawa and co-produced by the

Toei Company , simply known as Toei Company or Toei, is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movi ...

and television network NET (now known as

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

) and broadcast from July 24, 1964 to July 30, 1965. Only the first episode remains in existence.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Shinobi no Mono''''Zoku Shinobi no Mono''''Shin Shinobi no Mono''''Shinobi no Mono: Kirigakure Saizo''''Shinobi no Mono: Iga-yashiki''''Shinobi no Mono: Shin Kirigakure Saizo''
an
''Shinsho: Shinobi no Mono''
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Shinobi no mono - Oni no Hana ProductionsShinobi no Mono - Vintage Ninja
1962 films 1962 Japanese novels 1964 Japanese television series debuts 1965 Japanese television series endings Japanese black-and-white films Films based on Japanese novels Japanese film series 20th-century Japanese novels 1960s Japanese-language films Jidaigeki television series Jidaigeki films Ninja films Sengoku period in fiction Television shows based on Japanese novels Novels first published in serial form Works originally published in Japanese newspapers 1960s Japanese films