Ninja: The Invisible Assassins [Paperback]

Andrew Adams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1970

Ninjutsu has been variously described as the 'art of sneaking in', the 'art of stealth' and even the 'art of invisibility', and this book reveals the ninja's way of life that few outside of Japan have experienced. Ninja were the cloak-and-dagger artists of Japan's feudal era, from the late 13th century to the early 17th century. Japanese youths were trained within the Iga and Koga ninja networks, which were run like armed camps and turned out only espionage agents. Iga and Koga youths were born ninja and died ninja - there was no other way of life open to them. They were thus able to devote all their time to training, and they were considered full-fledged ninja when they were still in their teens.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Black Belt Communications (September 1, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089750030X
• ISBN-13: 978-0897500302
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #840,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A general Ninja overview, September 18, 2000

By 

Grant Meredith (ballarat, victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninja: The Invisible Assassins (Paperback)

What we have here is a general overview of traditional Japanese Ninjutsu, the author has even featured and spoken to Grandmaster Hatsumi. The book has large B/W photos of Ninjas in various posers and off the unique weaponry of their warrior class. The book opens up with two chapters on the origins and history of the ninja, then its onto weaponry and some ingenious tools of the trade.Following chapters include : poisons and curatives, physical and mental training, strategy, espionage, warfare, penetration of enemy strongholds, tricks, escaping and hiding,famous ninjas in history and the modern day ninja. The book is generally quite informative and anybody interested in the art should be encouraged to read this. No specific techniques are shown and as I have said the book is very general in nature. Enjoy the read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book That Introduced Ninjutsu To The English Speaking World, November 15, 2005

By 

Michael Chesbro (Rainier, Washington USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninja: The Invisible Assassins (Paperback)

Ninja: The Invisible Assassins is one of the first books to introduce ninjutsu to the English speaking world. My copy of this book was published in 1973.

"Cloaked in black from head to toe and concealing a small arsenal of deadly weapons and secret devices, these medieval masterminds of espionage, sabotage, arson and assassination moved stealthily but relentlessly across the pages of Japan's turbulent era, from the 13th to the 17th Centuries." Ninja developed the strangest and most chilling art ever to be brought forth from the vast reaches of Asia.

The ninja studied the skills of all of the martial arts of the day, as well as mastering a wide range of unique weapons. Andrew Adams explores many of these weapons, such as the `shinobi-zue' (a staff concealing a hidden chain), the kyoketsu-shogi (a hook-knife with a long cord and attached ring), the well-known shuriken (throwing stars and spikes), and many other weapons that fill the ninja's arsenal.

Poisons and curatives were part of the ninja's skills. The ninja's training allowed him to prepare gunpowder and explosives, medicines, poisons, and even concentrate and dehydrate foods to be used on long missions.

The ninja were also masters of strategy and espionage. Andres Adams gives us insight into these principles, and their historical application by the various ninja clans.

Finally, we are introduced to the leading ninjutsu masters of the modern day (the early 1970s), men such as Yoshiaki Hatsumi, Norihiro Iga-Hakuyusai, and Yumio Nawa.

If it can be said that there is a `classic ninjutsu book' it must be Ninja: The Invisible Assassins by Andrew Adams. This book is very well written, illustrated with several photographs and makes a strong effort to be historically accurate while still providing interesting and entertaining reading. If you could have only one book about ninjutsu, it should be this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad, May 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Ninja: The Invisible Assassins (Paperback)

Not bad for being published about 30 years ago (my copy says 1970,if I read it right) The author researched it well, citing several sources with the photo's provided by Soke Masaaki Hatsumi. Information on history and the development of the art while not exhaustive is useful to anyone researching Ninjutsu and it's origins. It does have sections on the weapons and other tools used by the historical ninja and does attempt to dispell some of the myths by explaining how the myths were possibly started. If you are a new student to the Bujinkan then you should consider taking a look for the historical perspective. Not a bad book overall, a bit dated in publishing technique and definatly not an exhaustive source of information but worth a look.