We have the painter Hokusai to thank for the first ever image of the ninja dressed all in black, which may have been based on the garb of stage hands in the Japanese theatre – who wore dark colours so as not to be seen on set. Come to think of it, the idea of some guy running about the place dressed in black does seem kind of conspicuous… Perhaps the first image of the stereotypical “ninja” Most often, ninja would be dressed inconspicuously – as farmers or priests for example – so that they could act as scouts and observe the enemy without being rumbled. What did they look like? Clue: not like thisĪll this sounds exciting, but as Matt Alt points out in his book Ninja Attack: True Tales of Assassins, Samurai and Outlaws, being a ninja was probably much more about gathering information than assassinating people in the dead of night. Our current conception of the ninja has been reinforced over time – not only by western movies like American Ninja, but also by Japanese media and folklore. Not much about them is known for certain, but what we do know is that the modern-day image of a ninja is a far cry from the historical reality – as Kotaku explains in this interesting blog post. Just like the samurai, they were employed by powerful clans to do their dirty work. Where the samurai adhered obdurately to their principles, the ninja were a very different story, using covert means to achieve their ends. Ninja 忍者 (known as “shinobi”忍び in Japan) were essentially ye olde equivalent of secret agents, whose role involved espionage, sabotage, infiltration and assassination. The samurai class was eventually abolished in the Meiji Reforms of the 19th century, after enjoying hundreds of years of power and influence. During the long peace of the Edo Period (1603-1868), samurai gradually lost their military function and expanded their roles as courtiers, bureaucrats and administrators. Samurai were not only fierce warriors, but they followed strict codes of honour and combat. The shogun presided over a bunch of powerful clans, called daimyo, each of which controlled its own small portion of the country and hired samurai to act as its guards and warriors. They lived during a time when the Emperor of Japan was little more than a ceremonial figure, and the country was actually ruled by a shogun, or military general. Samurai 侍 (usually called “bushi” or “buke” in Japanese) were the military nobility of Japan. We’ve all heard of them, but what do you actually know about these famous assassins and warriors? It’s time for the epic showdown of the ninja and the samurai! A variation of this stage with rainy weather serves as the primary location of Story Mode: Chapter Two.Two of the most evocative images of historical Japan are the ninja and the samurai.One half of the stage is a heavily urban locale based on modern-day Japan, and the other based on traditional historical Japan. Shinobi City appears to take inspiration from cities such as Tokyo (the word "TOKYO" can even be seen on a large sign leading into the metropolis) and Kyoto. They act like Jump Pads and will propel the player upwards.
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