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But as political turbulence and war increased after the battle of Onin no Ran in 1467, there was more call for the ninja’s deadly skills throughout Japan. They were employed by powerful rulers such as Shogun (military dictator of all Japan) Yoshihisa Ashikaga, and many lesser warlords. The mystics of the mountains began to stress military tactics, and emerged as a force to be reckoned with. No longer content to remain aloof in their secret villages, performing at the whim of others, the ninja extended their own influence in Japan by assassinating hostile lords and attacking their forces.

One result of this increased activity was the blossoming of popular tales about the ninja, which portrayed them more as sorcerers than as commandos. Able to walk on water, pass through solid walls, read minds, know the future, disappear at will, or transform themselves into wolves or crows, the ninja of the sixteenth- century legends seemed fearsome and invincible foes to their adversaries.

The tales were the result of a mixture of imagination, exaggeration, and deception. The original ninja were mystics, in touch with powers that we would describe as psychic today. Their ability to tune into the scheme of totality and thereby become receptive to subtle input from beyond the usual five senses was strange and terrifying to the common foot soldier. Thus, confronted by a single ninja with fingers entwined in one of the mystic kuji-in (energy-channeling hand positions), a superstitious opponent might indeed feel weakened by his own subconscious fear. The opponent naturally attributed this weakness to ninja magic. Furthermore, by using their knowledge of the laws of nature and the character of an adversary to anticipate the outcome of a series of events, the ninja developed the reputation of being able to know and guide the future. Unique and imaginative weapons and tools, special methods of walking and climbing, and completely unorthodox combat techniques all intensified the awe in which the ninja were held.