" II " - Ninja Transformation

Ninja Transformation * I * Clothing

Ninja generally wore the same attire as bushi. However, when on a spy mission ninja wore dark, close-fitting clothes, the ninja style of shinobi syozoku that is so commonly depicted on television period dramas and in movies.

Shinobi syozoku don't interfere with the movement of the body, nor do they stand out. People usually think of the ninja costume as pitch-black with a typical ninja mask, but in reality ninja clothing was not black. Contrary to expectations, black clothing stands out in darkness.

The color of ninja wear, mouse gray or navy blue, was made from tea and persimmon dyes, and colors were made to match the tones of the surroundings. The inside and outside of the costume were made with different colors and patterns, so it could be turned inside out and worn twice. A white costume was used in snow.

The jacket had many pockets inside and in the collar. Long and slender objects, such as shikoro (a small double-edged saw) were hidden in pockets; a mirror, tanned paper, oiled paper, and Japanese paper were placed in the chest area for protection. The long and slender pockets in the leggings could obtain a cylinder-shaped shuriken. The ninja costume could also be transformed into a tool for defense or attack.

Ninja Transformation * 2 * Art of Disguise

To hide their identity, ninja used seven different disguises called shichihode. Ninja were able to gather information without suspicion by employing these disguises with flexibility. They also were adept at acqiring the tools, the vocabulary, and the gestures suitable for each disguised occupation. Moreover, to fool the other party, ninja applied smells suitable to their appearance. The seven disguises were:
1. Buddhist monk
2. Yamabushi (mountain ascetic)
3. Komuso (mendicant Zen priest)
4. Hokashi (street performer)
5. Sarugakushi (comedic actor)
6. Merchant
7. A common farmer or samurai
It was not possible to cross a border during the Edo period unless one had a proper traveling pass. However, yamabushi, komuso, and merchants were exempt from this system and were able to move freely about the country.



Pretending to be sick or handicapped
In places where strict precautions were necessary and many acquaintances might be found, ninja used the arts of "henso (disguise)", hentai (abnormality)", and "hensei (altered voices)".

Henso-no-jutsu : Ninja altered the color of their face with special paints, and when they applied pigments made from a poisonous plant, their face would become swollen. Using fish scales as contact lenses, they could feign an eye disease, or by fasting, growing long hair and long fingernails the ninja could appear to be sick or in a bad way.

Hentai-no-jutsu : Ninja also altered their physique, for example using a walking stick to feign a bad foot, or dislocating a shoulder to appear to be physically handicapped. The purpose of pretending to be sick or handicapped was to make the other party relax their guard. This is the essence of the art of ninjutsu - to take advantage of an enemy's inattention.
Hensei-no-jutsu : Ninja were able to use many kinds of voices and were skilled in ventriloquism.

Imitating animals
Ninja observed animals and employed their behavior to ninjutsu.

Fox hiding : When a fox flees from hounds he will enter water to erase the scent of his trail. When chased by an enemy, a ninja would sometimes hide underwater and use a bamboo pipe to breathe.
Tanuki (asian raccoon-dog) hiding : When hunted, a tanuki will climb a tree and hide himself in its leafy branches. Ninja could climb large trees quickly by using equipment like a kaginawa, a kind of grappling hook.
Tanuki escaping : A ninja will wait for a pursuer and then send him in the wrong direction, or leave som clue or object for the pursuer to find to misdirect him. Ninja applied the clever behavior of raccoon-dogs to their arts.

Uzurakakure-no-jutsu(literally, "the art of quail hiding")
Uzurakakure-no-jutsu is the art of making oneself invisible in full view. This simple skill, which may appear comical from the perspective of modern people, was used to deceive enemy eyes by burying the face in the sleeve, pulling the hands and feet into sleeves and pant legs, crouching and breathing quietly, becoming silent and perfectly still. But an excellent ninja, wo has "no sound, no smell, no name," was able to erase any sign of his existence completely.
According to a famous tale, one ninja who had snuck into an enemy castle in Iga and encountered a guard, momentarily employed the uzurakakure-no-jutsu. When a guard came across this strange object, which was really the ninja, he bacame suspicious and poked it with his spear. However, the object didn't move at all and so the guard left. The ninja kept still, enduring the pain from the spear wound to his belly. After the guard left, the injured ninja still managed to set fire to the castle and succeed in what ha had set out to do.