Читать книгу The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art онлайн

13 страница из 32

[no image in epub file]

7. Old book showing ninja weapons.

Most of the ryu of ninjutsu grew up in the mountains of south central Honshu island, including the two largest ones: the Iga-ryu and the Koga-ryu. The Iga-ryu, which like the Togakure-ryu operated in Iga Province, was under the control of the Momochi, Hattori, and Fujibayashi clans. The Koga-ryu, located in Koga Province (in modern Shiga Prefecture), took in 53 lesser-known families, including the Mochizuki, Ukai, Nakai, and many that adopted the name Koga.

[no image in epub file]

8. Shuriken.

There were also many smaller schools of ninjutsu, each with its own specialities, and each handed down through the members of a family that guarded its secrets with their lives. For example, the Koto-ryu specialized in techniques of bone breaking known as koppojutsu, which later evolved into jujutsu and karate. The Fudo-ryu relied heavily on shuriken (steel throwing blades) to hinder adversaries. A vast network of spies was maintained by the Kusunoki-ryu to gather and pass along information. The Kukishin-ryu developed many unorthodox methods of utilizing standard weapons of the period. The specialty of the Gyokko-ryu was the use of koshijutsu, the attacking of nerve centers with pinching or striking finger-drives. The Togakure-ryu’s secret was the shuko, a spiked iron band worn around the hand, enabling the ninja to stop sword blades or climb trees and walls like a cat. Another device utilized by the Togakure ninja was the tetsubishi, a small spiked weapon used to slow pursuers or protect doorways. Made with spikes sticking out in all directions, the tetsubishi were scattered on the ground to be stepped on by the unsuspecting. In addition to these, dozens of other families such as the Taira, Izumo, Toda, Kashihara, Abe, Sakaue, and Mori were active in the secret arts collectively known as ninjutsu.