The ninjas knew a number of technical movements that helped them to quietly and swiftly move around different kinds of places. One of the movements they learned was ‘nuki ashi’. This step helped them to tread on wooden floors undetected. In Japan, most floors had a special mechanism incorporated. This technique ensured a squeaky or [...]
They may seem like two totally different classes, but the backgrounds of these two military classes actually had a lot in common. The most important factors that unite them is their sense of honour; both classes lived by, and for, honour. Neither would perform an act that was contradictory to their rules and they would [...]
The word “origami” originates in Japan and it comes from the union of two words, oru = fold and gami = paper. Actually, paper is “kami”, but there are cases in which the Japanese language changes the second word, just like they did with this one. Although the word originates in Japan, the art began [...]
Everybody knows that the samurai were a respected class in Japan. They were so respected that the law allowed them to kill somebody if they showed no respect to them. The samurai sword needed to be equally as good as them. Because of that, a Japanese sword had to be extremely sharp and durable. To [...]
The Hensojutsu is a skill developed by ninjas; it meant that the ninjas would disguise themselves in such a way, that they could walk around completely unnoticed and fulfill their mission. This explains why ninjas got the reputation to be invisible. The truth is that ninjas mastered many techniques that helped them to pass by unnoticed, they could walk very slow and without noise, these techniques made sure no one [...]
In the world of ninjas, silence was their main ally. It is true that a ninja was always prepared to fight face to face and deal with several enemies at one time, but the ninja also knew how to minimise any risks. A samurai could not engage in a fight without advising his enemy; this [...]
Chiyome Mochizuki was the wife of a samurai. When he died, Chiyome started a new life as a sensei for female ninjas. Chiyome’s biggest potential was her close connections to one of the ninja clans. This gave her access to their way of life. Soon, Chiyome decided to recruit women who could not have a [...]
If you or someone else you know admires Hello Kitty, then it might not be a bad idea to give them something involving this character, like this original present which boils your eggs in the shape of Hello Kitty. Of course, it would be nice to know if this person likes eggs, otherwise the gift [...]
In some places were we went to eat in Japan, they would put some kind of pot containing rice from which we would take the amount of rice we wanted. The truth is that the rice tasted great and was kept at an ideal temperature. This “pot” is really a machine that makes rice and [...]
Ninjas mastered different techniques of walking, as the success of their missions depended on it. Although we have already discussed some of the most common methods in an earlier post, there are some other stealth techniques that were important to control and helped them moving around appropriately according to their surroundings. Ko ashi The ninja [...]