The ''Shōninki'' ( Japanese 正忍記) is a medieval

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp ...

document from Kishū province. Written by

Natori Masatake Natori Sanjurō Masatake was a samurai and an exponent of ninjutsu. He is most noted for having written the ''Shōninki'', a ninja training manual, and for founding the Kishū-Ryū school of martial arts. Natori was a samurai of the Kii branch of ...

in 1681 it describes the

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tang ...

strategies of the

shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21– ...

from Kishū. Together with the Bansenshukai and

Ninpiden The ''Ninpiden'' (a.k.a. ''Shinobi Hiden'', or ''Legends of Ninja Secrets'') is an authentic ninjutsu manual written by Hattori Hanzō in 1560. It is regarded as one of the three key historical texts of ninjutsu, along with the ''Shōninki The ''Sh ...

it is one of three major extant writings of the ninja."Martial arts of the world: an encyclopedia, Volume 2: Ninjutsu", 2001, Thomas A. Green An original copy of the Shōninki is in the State Library of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

The Shōninki is divided into Preface (Jo), three

scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyrus ...

s (Shomaki, Chumaki, Gemaki) and an epilogue (Okusho). In the preface, the author discusses the different types of spies and the principles of espionage."Following the True Path"
Mar 3, 2011, Metropolis magazine The first scroll addresses basic skills, such as disguise and concealment, house-breaking and information gathering. The second part deals with defense against enemy spies,

human nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

physiognomy Physiognomy (from the Greek , , meaning "nature", and , meaning "judge" or "interpreter") is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general ...

, recognizing and eliciting the true intentions of people and laying false trails and clues. The final scroll is concerned with one's own emotional states as well as those of other people (including godai).

References

Bibliography

* * * Jon E. Graham, trans. ''Shoninki: The Secret Teachings of the Ninja; The 17th-Century Manual on the Art of Concealment''. With commentaries by Axel Mazuer. Rochester, Vt.–Torono: 2010. *

External links

Shoninki online web.archive.org (Japanese / English) at ninpo.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoninki Japanese non-fiction literature Japanese martial arts

Contents

References

Bibliography

External links