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True Path of the Ninja: The Definitive Translation of the Shoninki

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By Ross Davies

For hundreds of years, the classic ninja training manual known as "Shoninki" has served as an inspiration for aspiring ninja. Now the work finally sees the light of day in English.

The "Shoninki" has a history as colorful as the furtive agents it was meant to instruct. Originally written in the 17th century, on a now-lost scroll, the book offers tips on everything from the art of camouflage to “reading someone’s character by his face” to recipes for self-defense that include using burnt frogspawn as a blinding agent. On March 1, Tuttle Publishing released what is being described as the first authoritative translation of the "Shoninki" in English.

When we last spoke with Antony Cummins in 2009, he was in Tokyo to promote "True English," a down-in-the-gutter phrasebook for Japanese learners. Since then, he has been hard at work on a rather different project: investigating Japan’s ancient ninja history. The result is "True Path of the Ninja"—the first definitive English-language translation of the "Shoninki."

Cummins’ quest to translate the ancient manuscript has taken him from his native UK to Tokyo and Hiroshima, collecting information from luminaries in the ninja field. So, where did this obsession with all things ninja begin?

“I was a product of the ninja boom of the 1970s and 1980s, when there were a number of films depicting this strange and mystical art,” he says. “Later, I realized that they were purely Hollywood depictions, so I began reading historical accounts in a bid to learn more on what the true life of a ninja entailed.”

The "Shoninki," a revered and mystical tome whose original 1681 scroll is long lost to history, first came to Cummins’ attention in 2008. With the “invaluable help” of translator Yoshie Minami, he managed to locate one edition of the text—thought to be a 1743 transcription of the original manuscript—in Japan’s National Diet Library. But procuring it came at a price.

“I forked out roughly 67,000 yen for the text, including recent notes by Dr Nakashima Atsumi, a ninja historian,” Cummins recalls. “To gain a better understanding, I flew to Hiroshima to spend a few days with Dr Atsumi in the Chugoku Mountains, where we worked closely on determining the true meaning of the script.”

Armed with new information, Cummins next headed to Chiba to meet Risuke Otake, the celebrated teaching master (now retired) of Tenshin Katori Shinto-Ryu, one of Japan’s oldest swordsmanship schools. Otake, who provides the book’s foreword, allowed Cummins the sacrosanct privilege of hearing the script through the ancient ninja oral tradition—a 500-year-old lineage.

“It was certainly a humbling experience to be in the presence of one of the greatest sword masters of all time,” the author says. “We sat in his house, dotted with plates of armor and scrolls hanging from the walls, whilst he also told us the incredible story of how he began ninja swordsmanship during the Second World War in preparation for the ancient act of dying for his country.”

Despite the notable feat of translating the "Shoninki," Cummins—himself a trained martial artist—has come to be seen as a dividing force in the international martial arts community, thanks to his belief that "ninjutsu" is an ancient form of Japanese espionage, as opposed to the combative martial arts taught today. To the casual observer, the differences may seem small, but according to Cummins, the debate remains enormously contentious.

“I find it a shame that so many supposed ninja dojos have become profit-led conglomerates, whilst failing to remain true to the ancient art,” he says. “I hope this translation provides an insight into what life as a ninja was really like.”

This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


10 Comments
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“I find it a shame that so many supposed ninja dojos have become profit-led conglomerates, whilst failing to remain true to the ancient art,” he says. “I hope this translation provides an insight into what life as a ninja was really like.”

This new translation will inspire film studios to produce the international Ninja movie.

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I read in metro. Very complicated like sumo cheating rules.

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All I got to add he has an interesting background and it is interesting to read what other MA practitioners (genbukan & bujinkan) think about him.

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Forgot.

Don Roley will also be releasing a translations of the shoninki very soon.

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Ninjitsu is really a "combative martial art"? What do they do during tournaments, throwing star capture the flag? Ceiling drop obstacle courses?

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Historical facts and true events were recorded in different forms, but we hope to have a most accuracy, not perfection. Entertainment products are also imitated at a certain image to reach Audience. Ninjitsu is Japan's legendary martial arts, but most of Ninjitsu masters have not passed on their martial art assets to their followers or students. That is a reason we don't see many dojo of Ninjitsu in Japan and the world like judo, karete and akido.

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“I find it a shame that so many supposed ninja dojos have become profit-led conglomerates, whilst failing to remain true to the ancient art,” he says. “I hope this translation provides an insight into what life as a ninja was really like.”

Most people don't care what it was like to be a ninja, they just want to be taught the techniques of self defense as it applies to todays world. Don't care about the metal fang gloves and stuff, you can't use them legally. Just teach some joint techniques, basic kicks and strikes. Noone really cares about the other stuff and if they do.. why?

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Alphawolf, some people are interested in history, even if what they learn can't really be applied to present-day life. Sometimes knowledge is its own reward.

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Sometimes knowledge is its own reward.

That's okay if it is learned through books, but to dress up like a ninja is laughable, almost like trying out for a movie part or play!

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would you say a karate gi is laughable?

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