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Shinobi-iri (忍び入り, Shinobi-iri) is a stealth technique and system of methods for infiltration – particularly that studied in Ninjutsu. It was used by ninja agents secretly entering an area such as an enemy camp. Techniques for silent movement and climbing were combined with a range of specialized tools agents could rely on for their mission. Shinobi (忍び, Shinobi) means full-fledged ninja.
Entry methods: A system of five methods was used to enter an enemy zone. These Shinobi-iri are:
- Nyukyo no jutsu - correct
timing
- Monomi no jutsu - finding
weakness in defenses
- Nyudaki no jutsu - finding
psychological weakness
- Yoji-gakure - distraction
- Joei-on jutsu - erasing light
and sound
Nyukyo no jutsu involved the correct use
of timing to make entry. Monomi no jutsu is
to discover a weak place in the defences.
Nyudaki no jutsu is finding and using a
weakness in the psychological makeup of the
guard, da referring to idleness, and ki
means a dislike for being industrious.
So essentially it was to find the point
where the guard would not be bothered to
respond. Yoji-gakure no jutsu involved the
classic move of throwing an object in order
to distract a guard's attention. Yoji means
"toothpick" though commonly a
stone or coin was thrown. Toothpick refers
to the distraction being minor. When the
guard went to investigate the noise the
agent would slip past. Joei-on jutsu dealt
with obliterating sound and light.
It involved such things as keeping light
sources between themselves and the guards,
moving downwind to avoid alerting dogs and
to reduce the likelihood of being heard. For
example, by keeping a light between
themselves and a guard in order to distract
him, the ninja would also make it harder for
any guard to see them, due to the difficulty
of seeing beyond the light into the dark
background where they were. So in Joei-on
jutsu, light was being used to obliterate
themselves, and sound was erased by
positioning themselves where it travelled
away from their targets.
Stealth arts: Further, the Stealth skills of the Shinobi or arts of invisibility are these:
- Inpo – the art of concealment
- Tonpo – the art of evasion
and escape
- Shinobi-iri – the art of
silent movement in darkness
| Guidelines
for Stealth Walking by Stephen K.
Hayes |
| 1. Maintain balance control by
allowing your body weight to sink and
be carried by deeply flexed knees. |
2. Remember to breathe along with
your movement. Unconsciously holding
your breath can unwittingly produce
unnecessary muscle tension, and could
result in gasping release of breath if
startled or accidentally unbalanced. |
3. Stay alert to the entire scene.
Do not become so engrossed in watching
your feet that you do not notice other
people or a new element entering the
surroundings. |
| 4. Use all joints for movement,
emphasizing fluidity through the
engagement of the ankles, knees, and
hips for stepping. Avoid the lazy and
dangerous habit of stiffening knees
and swinging the entire leg from the
hip. |
5. Maintain your weight and balance
on your grounded leg while you move
the other leg into position to bear
the weight. When absolute silence is a
must, avoid distributing your weight
over both legs at the same time. |
6. If practical, allow your hands to
float lightly in front of and beside
your torso, one arm higher and one arm
lower, to detect possible obstructions
before your committed body weight
encounters them. |
| 7. Pause and hold your position if
you feel that you have accidentally
caused too much noise. Listen for
signs that you were heard, such as the
movement of others or the immediate
silencing of background noise
following your slip. Sink a little
lower on your knees to physically
relax muscles that could normally jump
with alarm. Take a deep breath and
release it slowly to further relax.
Continue your pause for as long as you
feel is necessary to regain composure
and allow possible listeners to decide
they did not hear anything after all. |
8. Be as patient as possible. If
speed of travel is not important, take
as much time as you can. Impatience
and the resultant hasty movement that
it encourages are the greatest dangers
to the person who must move silently
without detection. |
9. Keep your movement appropriate to
your surroundings. Do not go to
greater lengths than necessary to
conceal your movement, while at the
same being aware of what others
entering the area may see if they
cannot hear. Total silence may not be
needed when moving through wooded or
densely populated areas where
scattered noise is a natural part of
the environment. Also be aware that
low profile crawling or sliding may be
the only way to move silently without
being seen in some locations. |
Clan structure: Shinobi means fully fledged ninja with the clan comprising Kage, Tokubetsi Jonin, Jonin, Chunin and Genin. The pyramid structure of their organisation is as follows:
| Five Levels of the
Shinobi |
| Kage (kage,
Kage):
The Kage was the leader of the ninja
clan they belonged to, their identity
guarded by secrecy, no one knew who
this person was, frequently not even
the Chunin. This was to protect the
ninja agents and the clan. Jonin would
be the ones to decide a mission and
pass on its particulars to the chunin. |
| TOKUBETSI JONIN (tokubetsi
jonin,
TOKUBETSI
JONIN):The
Tokubetsi Jonin very very specialist
ninja, whose skills in the area they
practised on, were unmatched. These
elite ninja were only called upon,
when other ninja needed extremely
greater level of skills. |
| JONIN (jōnin,
JONIN):
The Jonin of the clan were elitist
ninja, much more skilled than a
chunin. although very skilled, they
were also perfectly rounded in these
skills. They were often called upon to
be bodyguards of the Kage, as
tokubetsi jonin are too specialised.
e.g, its no use having a explosives
expert in your own clan base. |
| CHUNIN (chūnin,
CHUNIN):
The Chunin were the seniors of the
ninja groups, responsible for taking
the orders from the Jonin and
deploying the ninja genin, or agents,
into missions. Most chunin were
responsible for mission designs,
mission guides, setting up strategy.
The chunin was also the one who helped
in the training and selecting the best
ninja agents for the job. |
| GENIN (genin,
GENIN):
The genin was the ninja agent, sent
out to perform the duties they would
be employed to do. This stage in a
ninja's life came during their young
adulthood, after their elders felt
they were ready to undertake ninja
missions. Ninja at this stage either
made it or didn’t. If they did not,
it meant they died during the course
of their missions. |
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