“…a successful ninja is one who uses but one tool for multiple tasks”

-The Bansenshukai c.1676



Ninja scene from – Iwami Buyuden by Hirosada, (Act 1) 1855

Sensimilla Shinobi

The Ninja’s of Feudal Japan were arguably history’s greatest assassins. The most feared assassins in the world had a secret weapon…

Hemp…

Every aspect of a Ninja’s life involved hemp starting with how they would blend into society, unnoticed…

Ninja’s were often farmers, which when in their peasant cloths would help them disappear into the crowd without raising concern.

The crop of choice for Ninja’s to grow… Hemp…



ninja, from a series of sketches (Hokusai manga) by Hokusai. Woodblock print on paper. Volume six, 1817.

“Sow hemp seeds, raise them, and jump over the shoots every day”

-Ninjutsu secret jumping training from -the Bansenshukai c.1676

One of the Ninjutsu secret ability’s was even centered around growing hemp. The ability to leap inhuman heights…

The Ninjutsu teachings of ‘the Bansenshukai’ tell us how this is accomplished, “Sow hemp seeds, raise them, and jump over the shoots every day”.

So after planting hemp seeds, they would daily jump over the plant. Hemp, being one of the fastest growing plants, would not be noticeably taller day by day but over just a short couple months would improve the ninja’s jumping to a reported 6meters…

This hemp training also teaches the ninja some great life lessons…

If you look at the hemp plant at the end of season, it would seem impossible to leap. But if you work hard and practice everyday from the start, it becomes a natural ability.



Ninja ‘Kaginawa’ (grapnel) with hemp rope

Even when the hemp jumping training is too much for a unpassable object, hemp again makes it possible for the Ninja…

One of the most important pieces of a ninja’s equipment was his hemp rope…

Tied around his waist under the baggy farmers cloths, the ninja’s Kaginawa (grappling hook) literally translates to “hooked hemp”.

The Ninja’s would carry enough length of hemp to climb a 40 meter object.

Another ninja climbing tool was the hooked ladder, made of bamboo and hemp rope with grapnel like spikes. This tool would be employed on walls while still being able to break down into a pile of sticks if they needed to blend in without being detected.



Three archers with ‘yumi’ bows made of hemp

The Ninja’s weapons also revolved around the use of hemp…

One of the most recognized weapons was the “Yumi bow’s”. These long bows had superior distance utilizing a bow string made of hemp.

Used by the Samuri as well, these long bows were a formidable weapon at long distance while serving as a pole type weapon in close defense…



The ‘Kyogetsu-shoge’, ninja hemp throwing weapon

Many of the ninja’s weapons also used hemp rope to extend their deadly reach…

The ‘Kyogetsu-shoge’ was a good example utilizing many different design’s for whatever they had to attach to the rope.

The Kyogetsu-shoge is a simple length of hemp rope with a sharp hooked blade at one end and a heavy iron ring at the other.

The Kyogetsu-shoge and similar weapons utilized by ninja could go undiscovered using just rope and simple farm like implements that could be quickly put together. Assassins 101…



Edo period Japanese hemp and chain armour called Kusari Katabira. This would be worn under peasant or farmer clothing to blend in, the hemp made the armor flexible.

Everything the ninja needed and wore, was to be made of hemp.

The undergarments made of hemp, the under armor made of hemp and chain called ‘Kusari Katabira’, the kimono or farmers clothing to blend into society would be made of hemp.



edo period – hemp Shinobi-katchu (ninja armor) displayed at Ninja Museum of Igaryu

The outer armor or battle armor called ‘Shinobi-katchu’ would be made of hemp (just like the samurai would wear) and even down to their shoes in many cases would be made of hemp…



Left side of the third display case exhibiting Shinobi-katchu, and the right side of the display case exhibiting Kusari katabira

One interesting clothing item the ninja’s would use was their ingenious ‘Waraji’ shoes. Made of woven hemp, ninja’s would weave metal spikes into the souls of the sandal. This would give the ninja’s superior traction in slippery or snowy conditions…

For extreme conditions the ninja would also use ‘Ashiko’ cleats. Iron spikes were held onto the underside of shoe’s with hemp rope. This would enable the ninja to climb walls or on extreme ice while in seconds blending back into society.



Ninja’s – Ashiko cleats made from hemp rope – Edo period

One of the 6 necessities of ninjas, called the ‘shinobi-rokugu’ in the Bansenshukai, was the ‘Hidane’ which translates to fire-source.

Most of the recipes outlined in the ‘Book of Ninja: The Bansenshukai’ includes hemp ash while using hemp fiber as the fuel and hempseed oil as the binding agent…

A ninja device called ‘Cherry blossoms at dawn’ is a grenade like device that uses hemp ash mixed with other ingredients binded by hempseed oil put into a bamboo cylinder with a hemp cloth fuse…

“…a successful ninja is one who uses but one tool for multiple tasks”

-The Bansenshukai c.1676

If the ninja’s needed one tool for multiple tasks, it could be none other then Hemp…



Edo period wood block print showing a samurai holding a yumi and wearing a kusari katabira under his kimono