Customer Reviews

Shoninki: The Secret Teachings of the Ninja: The 17th-Century Manual on the Art of Concealment

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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'll give my background to clarify things, then I'll give my review.

I'm a 6th kyu in the Divine Warrior House (Bujinkan) led by Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, and have a great enthusiasm of historical ninjutsu. I have researched and studied the history of our art to great lengths.

This manual, the Shoninki, is one of the most important books of ninjutsu to ever have been written. It was written in the 17th century by a master Natori Masazumi, a teacher of the now-extinct Kishu-ryu ninjutsu. The book's forward was written by Bujinkan shihan Bernard Bordas, a respected martial artist. He talks of how the Shoninki's importance can be compared to the Banseshukai, the Ninpo Hikan, or the Nipiden. In feudal Japan, the Shoninki was even seen as a sort of recognition point for ninja. I.E., if you could show the other person you had a copy of the Shoninki, you could prove you had learned ninjutsu. This book was kept secret for centuries, so we need to take into account how lucky we are that we can now read this book in English. We need to respect the techniques in this book, for they were once a dear secret to our diceased bushi.

The techniques covered in this book aren't any magical things, only small tips of stealth walking, hiding, espionage, strategy, and psychology. The book doesn't go into a great load of detail, the reason being it was more of a reference book for the field for ninja who had been formally trained in the art.

This book is essential for anyone's library who has an interest in ninjutsu or who practices it in their lifestyle. It has a good cultural context as well that is educational on the history of Japan, so even someone who just likes studying about feudal Japan should get this book.

Gambatte.

Really liked this book. Was expecting a bit more on techniques and training but was still impressed nontheless. Focuses very heavily on information gathering and the ninja's role as spy. Nice to read something historically grounded in the practices and outlook of the shinobi. Definetly worth the read.

The Shoninki is considered of the three know major historical works on Ninjutsu. Originally intended to go along with oral transmission of various techniques, it doesn't go into specific detail about these techniques. Strategy and tactical considerations are, however, covered in great depth. As such expecting this book to go step by step through how to do stealth walking is akin to expecting Sun Zi's Art of War (Bing Fa) to teach you how to wield a sword or how to provide basic training to a foot soldier. This manual give us examples of the types of missions Shinobi No Mono would conduct, the tools used, Ninja mindset and the strategies for conducting covert surveillance, espionage, arson and siege breaking.

The translator seems to be enamored of Asian spiritual traditions and talks about ancient astrology (Ten Mon) and other somewhat esoteric areas. If you are new to such topics then the notes provided may almost be enough to understand the points being made, although you may find additional research useful.

There are no illustrations in the book and it does not show any of the original Japanese writing either, so checking the translation for yourself would be impossible. Some photos from a Ninja Museum or historical collection would have improved the look of the book.

I bought this along with Cummin's translations of the Ninpiden and Shoninki. These books do have some of the Japanese text reproduced and in the case of the Ninpiden, also quite a few illustrations of equipment. I am currently reading the Ninpiden and then will proceed on to Cummin's Shoniki, so I cannot compare the two versions of the Shoninki at this stage. I will however review the other version once I've finished it.

All in all though, this book provides a look into the historical Ninja. For those with an interest, despite any shortcomings, the Shoninki is still required reading.

This book is one of those historical references that shinobi enthusiasts will read with rapt attention from cover to cover, and then use as a reference again and again. After reading this I had a much better idea of what it was like to be a ninja in the 17th century, what their role in warfare was, and what tools and techniques they used. As Hagakure was to the samurai, Shoninki was to the ninja.

No, this book will not teach you to fight like ninja or how to climb walls and jump high like them. No book can teach you that, and anyone who bought this book believing that it could didnt think things through very well. that sort of thing can only come with practice. If however you wish to learn the more subtle aspect of ninja-craft, such as face-reading and how to deceive, then I would highly recommend this book.

Seems to be a lot of fluff, someone flashing their creds with very little if any meat to it.
As for "Secret Teachings", if you count memorizing every Japanese word or term that was ever used and EVERY/ANY sur-name ever associated with Shinobi, THEN, as a historian or purely on the research level this MIGHT be of some use.
Beyond THAT, . . . ???
In glancing at other reviews, I'd say they might all be contributors or buddies of the author.
Summary: BUY ANYTHING from Soke Hatsumi.

"A 17th Century Ninja Manual" wow, how much cooler could it get? Well... if "walk stealthily so as not to be noticed" is enough for you, this tiny book might be worth while, but if you want to know HOW to walk stealthily, look else ware. I don't know what was worse, the fact I read it, or the fact I paid for it.