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@kingkuroneko7253

Жыл бұрын

Good video man

@metatronyt

Жыл бұрын

@@kingkuroneko7253 thanks!

@protogenxl

Жыл бұрын

Do Ninjas Make it Ice? kzread.info/dash/bejne/hJN_mJtwYbrTcdY.html

@arnijulian6241

Жыл бұрын

ninjutsu more specifically was instruction or written-drawn guidance that is studied much like how Europe had medieval martial treatises but could pertain to anything from speech craft- tincture's to deception even 1 I read covered how to correctly swim in full armour of all things. Ninjutsu is a very broad term being a conjunctive of nin=talented/person & Jutsu meaning technique/method. Jutsu is literally (The talented way to X) Most surviving ninjutsu surviving documentation is very extensive & broad. Sometimes depending on the writer is just daft but interesting non the less an insight to the past. The best ninjutsu I read was how to brew green tea for ceremony but I skip the ritual steps just to learn to make a better pot of tea.

@ezrafaulk3076

Жыл бұрын

@@metatronyt Here's a few thoughts I wanted to share with you on this video Raff; first off, I totally agree that it'd be absolutely *stupid* for a ninja to use a weapon associated *specifically* with them, as, like you made clear, that'd be a dead giveaway, and so even if some ninja *did* use a sword like that, it wouldn't be associated *specifically* with them, and thus wouldn't be called a Ninjato; I *do* think I know what it *would* be called though. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but to *my* understanding, the Tanto was *also* single-edged and straight bladed, which means that that type of sword would essentially be a sword sized, and thus, compared to a *normal* one, *big* Tanto; that's why I think that that kind of sword might've been called an Otanto (Big Tanto, like how Odachi, according to use, translates as Big Fat Sword). Second, is that *your* Japanese weapon collection that I saw in the background when you were talking about that myth? Because If so, it's *awesome* to see that you had a Nyūbū Ono there; *another* popular myth regarding historical Japan as a *whole* , is that they *didn't* use battle-axes, and I *doubt* For Honor's Hitokiri hero does the truth any favors; that's why I honestly think you're *next* video should be on the top 10 myths about historical Japan as a *whole* people think are true, another one of those myths being that *all* Japanese swords across its history were single-edged and curved (which'd be the *perfect* way to expose viewers to the Tsurugi). Third, while I *do* agree that ninja probably *usually* dressed the same way as everyone else, I can think of *one* situation in which an outfit *similar* to that iconic black outfit would be the preferred thing for a ninja to wear; if they *are* in fact sneaking around at *night* , and trying to stick to the darkness, black's actually a very *good* color to wear to disappear into the darkness. *Obviously* ninja wouldn't be doing their ninja work *only* at night, but if they *were* doing it at night, black *would* in fact be a good color for sneaking around as long as they stuck to the darkness. Forth, while you're no doubt right in that ninja weren't *specifically* trained as assassins, I honestly don't think they weren't trained in assassination techniques at all *either* ; I would say that, rather than *purely* either one, ninja were meant to serve as spies who *could* in fact perform assassinations when it was *necessary* , and thus they were in fact trained in a *handful* of *tried and true* assassination techniques so that they *could* in fact do so if it proved necessary. Kinda like the CIA; *primarily* spies, but *able* to assassinate if they *need* to. Of course, pretty much all the *other* myths are pretty ridiculous, but my overall point is, some of the *others* you said were ridiculous might be a little more nuanced than you think, just *made* into something ridiculous by pop culture.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you seriously telling me that no turtle has EVER been mutated and taught ninjutsu and martial arts by a giant mutant rat?!?!?!?!

@viictor1309

Жыл бұрын

No way, that one must be real!

@ChadKakashi

Жыл бұрын

I no longer wanna live in this world.

@ChadKakashi

Жыл бұрын

Wait a minute I think Metatron is up to something. The new Ninja Turtles comic is called Ronin. So Ninja and Samurai can be the same!

@Kevc00

Жыл бұрын

Never thought I'd say this but Megatron is completely 100% wrong, he is part of the global conspiracy to hide the truth of the turtles from us. Stay true to the cause brothers, Turtle Power!

@velazquezarmouries

Жыл бұрын

@@Kevc00 kame no chikara

The ninja suit comes from the outfits worn by theater stagehands. They wore black to blend into the backdrop. Then it became a trope for stagehands to pull a knife to "kill" an actor indicating they were killed from out of nowhere. That morphed into ninjas in general being portrayed in that full black bodysuit.

@eagle162

Жыл бұрын

No that's a Theory but it doesn't hold water when ninjas were in the story they were the guys in colorful outfits not the ones in black suits.

@tjvista8177

Жыл бұрын

In real life, ninjas could pretty much wear normal, everyday attire just to blend in with everyone else just to avoid standing out while performing missions.

@torg2126

Жыл бұрын

@@eagle162 The "ninja suit" myth came about because of kabuki stagehands, as did a lot of other ninja myths. Kabiki being a continuously popular form of theater ensured that certain stereotypes and legends continued long after their originators where gone, but also ensured that everything was extremely dramatized. As the commentator below you said, actual ninja wore normal clothes. Additionally, i'm fond of the idea that a kabuki actor was assassinated on stage by a supposed stagehand, perpetuating the myth.

@InnerDness

10 ай бұрын

​@torg2126 some wore normal clothes, but infiltrates, saboteurs and assassins probably wore nighttime camouflage. The thing is, nighttime is still somewhat bright, especially when there's no light pollution. The stars and moon are fairly luminous. Solid black would have stood out almost as much as solid white. Navy blue or grey would have been more effective camouflage and it would've been cheaper. I'm not saying they all ran around in those ninja outfits just colored blue or anyting, I'm just saying that if the situation called for it they probably used nighttime camouflage of some sort

"no turtles have ever become ninja" this is actually sort of wrong. In like the real sense of "ninja". Governments have put cameras on sea turtles shells and used them for recon. That is a ninja. Stealthy because nobody would ever suspect a turtle.

@emmitstewart1921

Жыл бұрын

Ah, but those weren't mutant turtles.

@mrkiky

Жыл бұрын

Turtles aren't real.

@Klaaism

Жыл бұрын

US Navy and the Russians trained dolphins for covert work.

@dannyhussain5489

Жыл бұрын

@@emmitstewart1921 with the way we pollute the sea, they probably are lol

@emmitstewart1921

Жыл бұрын

@@dannyhussain5489 That's certainly possible in a fantasy fiction. Trash from Chernobyl tossed into the sea could float to the great plastic sargasso in the North Pacific where turtles could mutate. Then a rat could have been chased of board by a ships cat and traveled quite a distance over the floating plastic. If it were a rat born in Hiroshima escaping from a Japanese ship, it could have learned Martial arts by watching the crew practice.

Brothers and sisters are natural enemies, just like Ninja and Pirates, or Ninja and Samurai, or Ninja (Iga) and other Ninja (Koga). Damn Ninja! They ruined Ninjutsu!

@EatWave

Жыл бұрын

That may have been true once upon a time ago but now is the era of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance!

@anonymoose4669

Жыл бұрын

You Ninja sure are a contentious people

@just_radical

Жыл бұрын

@@anonymoose4669 You just made a Teki for life! Translators Note: Teki means enemy.

@Ujiyo

Жыл бұрын

You forgot the Yagyu and Aizu.

@user-ct8dm7ez4r

Жыл бұрын

Ey, easy with the N-word. Shinobi's a politically correct term.

This is very validating for me because I had so many people tell me I was wrong when I argued Wolf from Sekiro could be of the samurai class while still being a shinobi.

@AntonDeMorgan

Жыл бұрын

If you go on wikipedia you'll find this " Their covert methods of waging irregular warfare were deemed dishonorable and beneath the honor of the samurai. " , meanwhile 17:35 to 19:00. Wikipedia is the main source of information for many and yet on this chapter it falls short

@LynSain

Жыл бұрын

The history has been stained too much by pop cultures that it becomes very difficult to clean. Perhaps only people who have interest are the people who will kindly open their minds to the truth. In my opinion Sekiro is a balance between historical and fictional ninja (or shinobi to be precise).

@johnapple6646

Жыл бұрын

@@AntonDeMorgan Wikipedia being scholarly accurate is something I wish were true

@Ujiyo

Жыл бұрын

Of course he would. He had a katana given to him by a daimyo. Well, technically, he was a retainer, but still, he was given a katana by his lord. If he wasn't samurai before that, he was afterwards. Moving up the social status ladder.

@loneshinobi2682

Жыл бұрын

@@Ujiyo this is one point I tried making but it fell on deaf ears. Clearly I was among bad company lol

I learned a long time ago that the origin of the myths of ninja vs samurai was a result of the battle of Iga, where the people from a small village there were specially trained in guerilla/asymmetrical warfare, and caused Nobunaga a lot of problems. These guys were very skilled at small ambushes, hitting hard and disappearing before anyone could react, and seemed to always know what the samurai were going to do. It's been a long time since I read about that stuff so I may be a little foggy on the details. But supposedly that battle and the accounts of it are the inspiration for the "modern ninja" In movies.

@tjvista8177

Жыл бұрын

There could be samurai clans that can employ ninjas to do missions that the samurai couldn't or are unable to do.

@Cretaal

Жыл бұрын

Version I heard involved Iga and Koga, one was small but their tactics made them seem much greater in number, the other was great in number but made themselves seem small. It worked, and Nobunaga focused his sights on the former who seemed bigger than they were, and upon finding them sent an army he thought would equal theirs, only to outman them 10 to 1 and wipe them out while the other clan escaped and went underground. Can't remember which one was Iga and which one was Koga, but I'm pretty sure Iga was the one who got wiped out while the Koga went into hiding, but maybe that's just Zelda: Breath of the Wild making me misremember, or maybe it's helping me to remember... great, now I'm craving bananas.

In 1180, the Hattori clan participated in the Genpei War as a samurai. In the 12th century, the Hattori clan became the lord of the Iga region in cooperation with the peasant samurai jizamurai and became independent of the shogunate. They were armed and defending their territory. They became mercenaries in various parts of Japan. They later became known as the Iga-ryu. In the 14th century, the literary work Taiheiki has a record of Sinobi. In the 7th century, the Hattori clan in the Iga region wore black costumes at the Shinto ritual of Aekuni Shrine. They were called Kurondo (Black Party). During the Muromachi and Warring States periods, shinobi were excellent spies or mercenaries, so the Tokugawa Shogunate hired them. They were called Oniwaban. They infiltrated the territories of various daimyo, searched for their movements and secrets such as politics and military, and reported them to the Tokugawa Shogunate. There are records of the Ronin as they were from China to India as pirates or mercenaries. Shinobi was hired by the shogunate because he was trained and strong. The Ronin were not hired by the Shogunate. According to British explorer Sir Edward Michelbourne (1562-1609), the Japanese were feared throughout Asian countries. "The Japons are not suffered to land in any port in India (Asia) with weapons; being accounted a people so desperate and daring, that they are feared in all places where they come." A Dutch commander wrote (c. 1615) "they are a rough and a fearless people, lambs in their own country, but well-nigh devils outside of it". Min's General Qi Jiguang (1528 - 1588)'s military book Jixiao Xinshu "This was the first time I knew this when a Japanese samurai attacked China. They moved like a dance, and the forward rushing force seemed to flash light, and our Ming soldiers were just distracted. The Japanese are very active and move about 3m at a time. Since the length of katana is 1.6m, it will be attacked even at a distance of 4.8m. It is difficult to approach with my soldier's sword, it is too late with a spear, and if I encounter it, everyone will be cut off and killed. This is because their weapons are sharp and they are free to use powerful and heavy swords that can be swung with both hands. " Min Martial Artist Cheng Zongyou (1561-1636) Martial arts book Dan Dao Fa Xuan "We call that Japanese weapon dandao. Use a swinging sword with both hands. This is a technique unique to Japanese people. The technique is well trained, precise and solid. Japanese swords are easy to handle, and each one makes sense, including the handle and scabbard. No other sword can match the Japanese sword. A well-polished Japanese sword reflects the light of the sun and hits our eyes. The light makes our hearts cold. In Japanese swordsmanship, the change from side to side is strange and mysterious, and it is not predictable to ordinary people. Therefore, even if you use a long-handled weapon such as a spear, you will always lose to the Japanese sword. " Chinese History Book Guangdong xin yu by Ming Dynasty Poet Qu Dajun (1630-1696) "When the Japanese move with all their might, they move like the wind. They are always in small numbers and enter enemy territory, and even many soldiers cannot resist. Their use of katana is to protect with a long katana and stab an enemy with a short katana. They move low as they crouch and never retreat. They will be dealt with no matter how many people there are. It is a skill only for those in the Japanese archipelago. " 其人率横行疾斗。飘忽如风。常以单刀陷阵。五兵莫御。其用刀也。长以度形。短以趯越。蹲以为步。退以为伐。臂以承腕。挑以藏撇。豕突蟹奔。万人辟易。真岛中之绝技也。

Love this debunking of known myths ... mostly just common sense, but not everyone has common sense these days. Debating the pirates vs ninja specifically made a great story, because "Don't all good stories involve pirates?"

@sethdusith6093

Жыл бұрын

You would be surprised about how many youtube channels still push these myths, like "Lets ask Shogo", and actual japanese person who practices iaido. Not to imply he is correct because of this, how many americans still believe medieval europe was these dirty stinky bastards wearing leather and living in pig shit with big heavy swords and armour still ? Too many is the answer

@eldorados_lost_searcher

Жыл бұрын

A fellow fan of the History Guy, I see.

@whitewolf3051

Жыл бұрын

I love to see the Metatron take a look at Gaijin Goomba's take on ninjas.

@wolfensniper4012

Жыл бұрын

Are Ninja still “special” in a historical accurate context comparing to their foreign counterparts? I've had this question because from an Eastern Asian countries that have complex relationship With Japan, people in my community often thinks that “bruh ninjas are just petty spies comparing to our versions of espionage, and they're famous only because of anime and movie”. It's partly true because most medieval (or pre-modern) society have their own versions of undercover espionage, broadly speaking there's not so much differences between historical ninja and a normal medieval Chinese or Korean spy that also disguised as a monk or peasant that grabs military intelligence. How I may have this impression only because I knows less. So do ninjas actually have no difference between contemporary foreign espionage agents and are just normal spies, or there were something special to them that makes them really different from the rest of the world?

@eagle162

Жыл бұрын

@@wolfensniper4012 every culture dealing with spies or Espionage have something unique about them that makes them interesting or stand out, honestly the whole "it's only popular because of anime and movies" is BS it's often used regarding anything Japan related the fame came around long before that kind of entertainment, on that topic ninja were much more than just spies the closest modern-day comparison would probably be CIA S.A.D(Special Activities Division).

The other problem with Pirates verses Ninjas is the Pirate has that parrot to watch the Pirate's back, so that negates the Ninja's stealth.

I’m pretty sure Pirates vs Ninjas is an ancient meme. I remember chat room debates about it when I was in college. And that was 20 years ago

@jamesfrankiewicz5768

Жыл бұрын

Yep, The Deadliest Warrior was just following silly internet forum debates that preceded the show.

@jellyfishjones4741

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I remember it was referenced on REAL ULTIMATE POWER.

I think ninja assassinations were probably quite common...of pickets, couriers, sentries, enemy spies. Of daimyo or their lieutenants? Probably pretty rare, like everyone else in history it happened. But I would bet you my entire worth that there were ninja who were specifically used not just for recon of the enemy camp or supply movements or whatever, but also as counter-intelligence and to kill off the early warning systems of camps, because a huge part of Sengoku warfare was cutting off enemy supply lines and lines of communication. attempting to keep the enemy in the dark was just as important as gaining your own intel. It is why the Iga and Koga even come down to us in history, I would bet; they weren't just a spy network, but a spy network that had been given resources and emphasis like never before under Oda, Toyotomi and Ishida then Tokugawa. They didn't have some incredible special skills, other than the people having come from rugged land probably would have made excellent scouts. I think this is probably where the "ninja are assassins!" thing comes from; I think they just happened to kill more sentries and spies and couriers and things than ever before in Japanese history because they were emphasized so highly by Oda and his successors; he made BRILLIANT use of intelligence.

@alfrancisbuada2591

Жыл бұрын

One thing can be agreed on, is that they used the shuriken as a distraction

@Nick-hi9gx

Жыл бұрын

@@alfrancisbuada2591 They also frequently used your mom as a distraction.

@alfrancisbuada2591

Жыл бұрын

@Nic777 Like Bushido. Don't believe all that honor and discipline, its true motivation is to achieve victory at all costs.

@alfrancisbuada2591

Жыл бұрын

@Nic777 Hence why Bushido teaches you to achieve total victory.

@tjvista8177

Жыл бұрын

Plus, it's possible that ninjas/shinobis did do assassinations and managed to cover their tracks. Even still, anything could happen though.

Most of the historical references I have seen about shinobi no mono are referring to arsonists who infiltrated castles in siege situations and set the castles on fire.

I read a book called Black Medicine written by Mashiro. It was about vulnerable points of body. There was nothing about wonder pressure points where you can toch an enemy and he will explode. It was rather about where it is better to punch with a fist and strike with a club or rifle stock.

Love this video. Keep up the great content. Also, showing you and your wife trying the snacks sold me on the sponsor’s stuff more than anything. Great idea!

The more I learn about the historical ninja the more I have to discredit all my ninja martial arts books from the 80’s and 90’s. I am extremely skeptical now when someone claims to be studying ninjitsu that has been handed down through a centuries old unbroken chain of masters.

@gaia7240

11 ай бұрын

I practiced ninjutsu but my sensei was clear about just being a mix of various martial arts

I wish you would also mention the "kunoichi" or the "female ninja" even though you have already debunked it. I think it's still worth a mention knowing how popular it is in pop cultures.

@gui.a.bbeckers941

Жыл бұрын

He already did! in a 2015/17 video

@LynSain

Жыл бұрын

@@gui.a.bbeckers941 You missed my point, buddy.

@19Pyrus70

Жыл бұрын

So there weren't any female masters of stealth & subterfuge who caused death by snu snu?

@nathanielcrosby2426

Жыл бұрын

@@19Pyrus70 Now that's a fine way to go.

@19Pyrus70

Жыл бұрын

@@nathanielcrosby2426 Death by succubus-jutsu!😁

I like the fact that most of the assassination attempts in the waring states period were large firearms and sharpshooters, not some ancient voodoo but high tech modern newly invented techniques that improved over time. They used multiple guns and often got away, at least initially. The tied under the nose "ninja" are the stereotype thief, which ninja also sometimes includes- a variety of sneaky people. I think it is a hilarious version of a bandit mask at one point in japan. I'd like to hear you talk about the "trained ninja" groups and also the few quite amusing deaths that were probably natural causes but lead to some of these contemporary myths like the stabbing from in the toilet and so on.

@thundermarkperun1083

Жыл бұрын

Ambushing someone who is on the toilet is actually really smart tactics for assassination. The target is in a very vulnerable position with their guard lowered, they have to remove at least some of their armor & weapons in order to do what they came to do. You literally catch them with their pants down.

I once heard a convincing explaination why we think ninja-outfits look the way they do: They are actually stage-hand outfits. In Japanese theater stage-hands we present on stage during performance to move or animate objects but because their all-covering black outfits blended them in with the background they weren't that intrusive and the audience could easily ignore them and treat them as part of the scenery. However, if the plot called for a secret assassination of a character, it became a trope that one of the ignored and barely visible stage-hands would separate himself from the shadowy background and become the assasin-character, much to the shock of the audience. And so a stereotype was born.

@eagle162

Жыл бұрын

No that's a theory but it doesn't hold up

Nice video - only wish it were longer. The mythology around them has been something that’s fascinated me for the last couple decades. I’ve come to understand that the word “ninja” is relatively new, and refers to the older “shinobi no mono,” or the even older “mononofu.” The “ninja” used any and all tools available to them, including early guns, weaponizing farm implements, with apparently early shuriken being large washers - or simple rocks - mostly used for distracting purposes, but most of what they did involved gathering information. Occasionally they may kill some specific target. Some were samurai in addition to their clandestine activities, many were farmers, carpenters, merchants, mistresses... representatives from every class in feudal Japan. They dressed accordingly, and a “uniform” was unlikely, unless you’re talking about the Shugenja, who would travel into the mountains wearing white and emulating the way the dead are buried. The practitioners of Shugendo who were also “ninja” appear to have given rise to many of the myths about the shinobi being demons or shapeshifters, with the less-travelled, dangerous mountains being themselves naturally wrapped in mystery. “Ninjutsu” itself is translated as “the art of perseverance.” The kanji apparently indicate “blade” over top of “heart” or “spirit,” the message being said to be, “Though my enemy holds a blade above my heart, I will endure and prevail.” There are martial arts systems touting themselves as teaching “ninjutsu,” many of them being garbage. There are good ones, however, which in fact encompass a variety of arts which were used by the warrior class in Japan, the oppressed “mountain mystic” Shugenja who were not permitted to have weapons or learn to fight and so trained in secret, and some more recent schools based on earlier schools, whi ch have been field-tested by covert operatives over the last hundred years or so during the more modern wars. Yes, in the true spirit of what “shinobi” once were, those good schools pull from every tried and true source available for their training - embracing the very essence of the Art of War as the shinobi once did by using whatever’s at hand, ignoring things like “rules” or “scoring points,” but rather focusing entirly on being victorious, or “surviving,” where the first defense to any danger is always, “if possible, don’t be there.” Glad I stumbled on this channel while ago.

@jonathanwessner3456

Жыл бұрын

So the Shugenja were the Scottish of Japan?

@julietfischer5056

Жыл бұрын

It wouldn't surprise me if the shinobu spread some of the supernatural stories themselves, even using those beliefs against their targets. A man half-convinced there are ghosts or oni in the darkness won't react the same as a man who knows there are mere humans skulking about.

@siyacer

6 сағат бұрын

heard under blade

A lot of this stems from our tendency to treat peoples of the past, especially "exotic" ones, as weird aliens ruled by honor codes and strange mysticism instead of human beings for whom practicality and pragmatism played a heavy role in their decision-making process. The same people who spout these sort of myths probably think 18th-century archetypical european ground warfare involved bright uniforms and rigid formations because of "gentlemanly codes of conduct" and not the need to maintain command-and-control and positive identification in an era where there was no battlefield telecommunication more advanced than a bugle and signal flag and everyone's primary weapon vomited a plume of black smoke with every use. On the topic of feudal Japan, though, I'd be very interested in seeing something focused on the Ashigaru. Their role in contemporary militaries, how they fit into the social hierarchy, and what ultimately became of them as a result of reforms around the start of the Edo period.

I like to think that thing about Ninjas being assassins not only encompasses Ninjas, but all of the mythology of spywork. Now i'm no expert but i'm relatively sure most spywork mainly consists of... spying on people and not mainly killing someone lol.

@gustavotriqui

Жыл бұрын

The quintessential fictional spy, James Bond, famously has "license to kill". So yes, I agree, most of the spywork mythology revolve around trained killers, when in reality a spy's job is espionage

Since pirates were mentioned in a video about ninjas, a cool topic for a next Japan related video could be Wokou/Wako pirates.

I absolutely love these type of videos!!! Hope to watch some more in the future!!

Love your channel. Very informative and fun. Subscribed

No turtles ever became ninjas? How do you know?! If there are no ninja turtles, where does my pizza keep disappearing to?

@kaltaron1284

Жыл бұрын

Cockroaches

Metatron, I love your channel and appreciate you, not only for your content and dedication to what you put out for us, but for the quality of man you both have explained and shown yourself to be. My best friend is also a Sicilian (from New York born to a native Sicilian father), and is also a linguist. He laments the inevitable death of the Sicilian language, given that it is his first language and the "voice in his head", his "inner voice" is Sicilian and he will never truly hear it again. I don't know about others, but I would personally love if you would ever make any co tent about the Sicilian language. It is a fascinating language, given the island's unique history and geography, and I believe that soo er than later, that language (and culture, by extension) will become history as much as Latin is.

Your videos always cheer me up

One way to throw a curveball in the Ninjas vs Pirates silliness: it probably wouldn't be unheard of for ninja to commit acts of piracy as a form of asymmetrical warfare. Thus one could argue that some ninjas were pirates as well.

I actually knew about all of these myths and I knew the truth behind them, just like you describe it! Thanks for getting this out there.

hello! I really love your videos and your efforts to spread historically accurate knowledge! in this regard I'd like to ask the accuracy of the scene at 11:45. as a Katori shinto ryu practicioner (a newbie though) I've bee told that a Bo staff is quite hard to be cut with a katana and that you should avoid to direcly contrast (at least not perpendicularly) a Bo strike with the sword because it will most likely bend. For this reason in seriai no bo, that is the only bojutsu kata I've studied so far, all the Bo strikes are absorbed/deflected in a very specific way. How was that scene filmed? was that a proper Bo? did it strike a real sharp katana? just curious, I'd like to hear from you about this. keep doing your awesome job! saluti da Monza ;)

Ninjutsu practitcioner here. Interesting how you explained the difference between modern and period kind of Ninjutsu. Today we indeed practice taijustu, kenjutsu, yari and naginata, bo and hanbo. But also hiking and climbing in the mountains, been to the myticas top of the Olymp. One instructor, who was in the British army, took us to a gun range and had us shoot AK's. For me it was more about the practical instead of maybe the actual connection to what the ninja did and stand for. I always had the feeling my master was trying to show me a variety of things that are important, not everything has to be measured by strength or kill power. The spying aspect for me is the least important when it comes to self defense, which is the other kind of reason for doing this today. Also how would you train it. Some things unfortunately get fallen behind because the field is so big. Whether togakure ryu or kukishinden ryu are from the middle ages can be debated, but I always felt there was a good connection between the historical spirit and modern applications.

I imagine the pirate in the "Ninja vs Pirate" would be likely referring to the pirates from events that I hope are true because I've believed them for so long: when the anglo-spanish war ended in 1763, a lot of the extra soldiers that were hired on for that war were just dropped when the war ended, and now these guys are just there and they've been attacking and killing and they no longer have a cause, so they just keep it up. If those events are true, they would mostly have been trained sailors and marines, meaning that a ninja who was not an actual fighter would nearly always be killed in a fair fight, but one who was would be on equal footing, right? Or am I just dumb?

@AnggoDoggo

Жыл бұрын

Sounds good to me

@loquat44-40

Жыл бұрын

Piracy was an ongoing thing for a long time off the Asian coasts and at times were a real challenge for coastal regions of china. I saw somewhere that some samurai did become pirates.

@Knoloaify

Жыл бұрын

I mean, pirates existed long before, during, and after that war, all over the world. So why should we assume that it would be that specific kind of pirate over another? Also sailor =/= fighter. Yes, most sailors on pirate ships probably had experience fighting, but they weren't warriors or even soldiers. I think you're severely overestimating the number of soldiers becoming pirates, as far as I know, many pirates were just people who happened to own a ship. Pirates didn't spend their time fighting on ships they just boarded, pirates usually went for soft targets that would be easily overwhelmed: villages, undefended cities, lightly defended ships, etc. That's very different from fighting a siege or a naval battle. In short, your conclusion is right but incomplete: It would also depend on whether the pirate is actually a trained marine or just some schmuck from a port town in England who wanted to make some money.

@RealSeanithan

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@@Knoloaify the reason why I would assume that's the type of pirate people would be thinking of is probably an incorrect reason, but my reason was because most of the weird historical inaccuracies I've seen have been pushed by Americans, and that type of pirate is what Americans typically think of when they say "pirate". As far as sailors not necessarily being soldiers, I agree and I apologize for my poor wording: when I said "sailors and marines", I meant there would likely be some of each on a vessel of war, not that each person would be both of those. Additionally, I was referring specifically to those persons who (according to my, possibly inaccurate, understanding) were once sailors and/or marines who found themselves on the wrong side of the Atlantic without a job when the war was over. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of pirates were relatively untrained, but those aren't the ones to which I was referring in my comment. Which, since I mentioned untrained ninja, was a very unfair comparison for me to make anyway, I suppose.

@kaltaron1284

Жыл бұрын

Nah, they should pit a Somali pirate with an AK against a Ninja posing as a peddler. Sounds like a fair and realistic fight to me. Or the cook of a pirate ship during the Age of Sail against a Ninja posing as a Ronin.

I love that I knew like 5 of these were myths by 14 or something I didn’t even think anyone thought the last one was true at all

I had read that traditional theaters in Japan didn't have the kind of curtains common over here. So during scene changes stage hands wearing all black would change or move the furniture on stage. It was customary to ignore them as if they were invisible.

@biohazard8295

Жыл бұрын

They should do it today with those super black paints. You would just see the furniture moving.

Pressure points, and acupuncture, can do some very interesting things and it can be surprising how much of an effect they have. That being said, the most one could do with a pressure point is make someone rush to the next toilet

@Metatron I trained in ninjutsu for 5 years, and yes pressure points are a thing... just much much more mundane than you imagine. For example: take your thumb and press it between your other hands pinky and ring finder, about 2/3's towards the wrist, while your other fingers grab and twise the thumb. Voila, pressure point, that is the most optimal point to try your basic wristlock. Also known to anyone with an anatomy manual. Next up, take your thumb and press it under your chin, where your jawbone has a turning point. Voila, optimal point to try to manipulate the head in a clinch. Note, none of these kill or make any special thing, they are just biomechanical painfull areas. Next, punch the area juuust before your ear, where the jaw is connected, easier to dislocate jaw. None secret or unknown to other fighters.

Yagyu Munenori. Retainer. Also spymaster of Tokugawa Ieyasu's secret service, Shinobi. Therefore you could say he was a slasher, Samurai and Ninja. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a creepy Manji cult to infiltrate.

I am happy to say that you taught us well and l knew that all of these arent true Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge

In regards of that illustration of "ninja" wearing black, yes that is indeed fiction. That particular one you showed was one of the pictures made by the famous Hokusai himself, and "ninja in black costume" has already been a common established feature in kabuki by that time. If you search into ukiyoe contemporary to that time period, you can find other artists making kabuki prints featuring actors in "ninja" roles with black outfit and face masks like that.

Hey Noble Metraton. I don’t know if you will see this. I was wondering if you have or will dedicate a video to Japanese warfare and how it was conducted, with tactics and formations? I always get the impression from artwork and definitely pop culture that it was a crazed frenzy with much less emphasis on formations than their European counterparts. Granted the same is done for all kinds of warfare. Thank you, and you are my favorite content creator for medieval/Japanese/Roman history.

Thats a crazy long plug metatron. Glad the content makes up for it 😆

I love your armor collection!

I did not have much in the way of conceptions or misconceptions of ninjas because I assumed the hollow presentations were likely false and so I just did not know what to think. Thanks for presentation.

If it wasn't for Metatron's comment under Shad's video about how youtube makes it difficult for creators I would've completely missed the last few videos. None of them showed on my feed and I check it daily. The vids are great!

Pop Cultural Ninja might as well be members of MI-6 so it might be fun to see more parallels between ninja and James Bond, especially in stealth based video games.

As always I enjoyed your video. Something that came to me though while I was watching. Often times like to have it playing in the background while I do chores. It would’ve been nice if you had said which number you were on as well as show it on screen. After you specified which numbers really irritate you I was curious to get to that point in a video. Excellent hook but if I haven’t been watching then I wouldn’t know when I was at that point.

Metatron, you´re an angel to explain that! Grazie mille! ;) :)

I had no clue there was ninja vs pirate debates! The way you describe it reminds me of the “Chuck Norris” is everything great debates my boy’s were doing ten year’s ago (to be fair they break out during family holidays still too LOL)💙 To the Mrs. it’s always great to see her😊

Great chuck skills dude

Just ordered “Tokyo treat” for my work last month 😅 really nice to see the comparison online (with another sweets company)

Just finished cooking some pasta and sit down to see a new video from Metatron. It's a good day.

Excellent Vlogs Have you watched tv series “ what we do in the shadows”. If not or maybe someone has said this in the past but you look and sound like Nandor a character in the show. Keep up the good work 👍👍👍👍

Another great video, Love the New sponsors. This reminded me of the Ninja from ff14 :P

one myth you could have fun with. In Ian Flemings novel, You Only Live Twice, James Bond visits a ninja school run by the Japanese secret service. There he is told that ninjas are taught how to pull their testicles back into their bodies, so that if someone were to kick or strike them in the groin, it would not hurt them. What do you think?

@AJadedLizard

Жыл бұрын

Are they secretly training kangaroos?

@emmitstewart1921

Жыл бұрын

@@AJadedLizard The book was published in 1964 at the height of the cold war. Who knows what wackiness they thought up at that time? Training kangaroos to carry secret messages in their pouches sounds just like the kind of insanity that was going on. We do know that they tried to train dolphins to plant limpet mines on enemy ships. (If you think about it, the whole idea of a limpet mine is pretty whacky. They idea of sneaking divers into enemy ports to plant explosive devices on ships is pretty far out.)

So everything I learned about ninjas in the 80s is completely wrong? I'm shocked, and my world view is once again completely destroyed. And to think, I wasted all that money on Ninja magazines, Stephen Hayes books, and an "authentic" ninja outfit, with tabi socks and shoes. Thanks a lot, Metatron! lol

Is was cool to see my self pop out in this video out of nowhere, just like a ninja XD Another great video Raff !!!

@metatronyt

Жыл бұрын

I couldn’t help myself 😅🇯🇵🙏

I think the straight shorter "ninja sword" is probably can about being less work and cheaper to make. No differential hardening probably leads to the straight blade and a square guard was probably easier to make.

I would love for you to do a video on the yamabushi. Just throwing that out there.

Cant wait for that bushi samurai video 🤔

Fun fact about where the "ninja suit" comes from. In old Noh plays, stagehands would dress all in black so they didn't stand out against the black backdrop and the audience would just ignore them. Then someone got a brilliant idea to have an assassin character launch a surprise attack dress in black like the stagehands so that the audience would ignore him until he suddenly attacked, which blew audiences minds. And that's how the association began.

Never question Metatron. He's highly trained in youtube-jutsu.

Ninjas are the most misrepresented fraction in mass media nowadays. Change my mind. Very much needed video, thanks, Rafael!

@TheAngryAsianAnimations

Жыл бұрын

I mean I wear wood and paper armor, do stupid things cuz honor, and will never touch a gun in my life samurai. Bows and bombs are fine for some reason though. I am invincible to everything including cannon fire and have a sword so sharp I can cut through anything knights. I am an ooga booga tatooed barbarian who hates the idea of bathing and cleanliness and wears apple pie leather armor going into battle.

@AJadedLizard

Жыл бұрын

Gunslingers are pretty close; Wild West-style gunfights are a thing primarily because Wyatt Earp had a massive influence on early Hollywood. Actual duels weren't common and cities were usually quite safe (between cities is another matter).

I love that LOTR throw pillow on your couch lol

The boi Metatron uploads glory 👌

I swear, one of these days you're gonna accidentally hit that wall of swords with your nunchaku and it's gonna end up on a blooper reel.

those mythical ninjas do exist, but they left japan in the bakumatsu era, went to venezuela and ended up practicing capueira in brazil, called ninhos !

@asahearts1

Жыл бұрын

Don't tell me there are now dance fighting ninja Nazis.

Number 6 on this list was honestly the biggest Ninja/Shinobi myth I believed for the longest time. Not only did I believe the idea that Ninjas/Shinobis were assassins, but also that they were THE assassin: The one who set the standard for what it means to be an assassin. Lo and behold, I watch the documentary series "Ancient Black Ops (aka Ancient Assassins)", and its episode on the Ninja makes it very clear that Ninja were primarily spies, intelligence gatherers, and dare I say, the Spec-Ops of medieval Japan, and only rarely did they take on assassination missions.

The interesting thing about feudal Japan's social classes as depicted in that pyramid diagram at 9:25 is that the merchant or business class was the lowest class in Japanese society. This is because the ruling class that structured the caste system believed that those whose livelihood was the pursuit of gold/money could not be trusted because their loyalty could be bought. While they were necessary for commerce, they were also not trusted. Which is also kind of strange because we know many cases of samurai who betrayed their lord/daimyo and as many if not more daimyos who betrayed each other. Honor and ethics of feudal Japan were very different than modern ideas.

The pirate vs ninja sounds like when school kids say "my dad can beat yours" type of thing, so i agree with Metatron in this one, its just silly. Btw, Thanks Metatron for the video, pure quality and fun to watch!

Oh great and original Noble One, thank you for producing another accurate video regarding the Shinobi, God bless you and your wife oh Mighty Metatron.

I love these videos it's great

I would really love to see a video from you debunking the BS pushed by the Bujinkan and Hatsumi since de 70s ^^.

I was told that ninjas were mostly ordinary people. Their weapons were adaptations from tools that they had available to them. As you said, the katana would be expensive, and the version called ninjato would be much cheaper, so they might have used it. But if you check the other weapons, like the Kusarigama, it is just a scythe and a chain. Both should be easy to get back then and are reasonably easy to use as a weapon. Nowadays, ninjutsu is taught as a martial art for the general public, and it encompasses a range of techniques that go from self-defense to the use of weapons like the rokushaku bo and the katana. But, of course, it is usually taught as an art. This is what I got from ninjutsu. I may be wrong. Fascinating video. :) Thank you!

😂 Love the ninja 🥷 sneaking around the video

I see the doggo waiting patiently almost out of camera shot as your missus sits with cuppa and snacks. I see you pup... I see you, good pup!

Sick armor my dude

You are the only weeabo that I love and respect. My brother is one and I don't talk to he in years.

That weapon rack is sweet!

Interesting video. I believed in 2 of the things you have mentioned: Ninjas being honor less and immoral ruthless trained killers. And the 2nd was about Ninjas and Samurais being sworn enemies. I thought that they were two separate clans who opposed one another. So it might have happened but not because Ninjas and Samurais it would have been specific cases only as I understand.

As for the ninja costume, I think it's reasonable to assume that a ninja might choose to wear a dark uniform + face cover if they had to break into a place at night or something to that effect. I.E, they wore the medieval Japanese equivalent of a black hoodie and a balaclava.

Ninjato: Interesting, I always thought it is basically a cheaper made sword. Which would also mean that it looks less threatening and suspicious to a nobleman or soldier.

I've heard about the ninjato having a square tsuba so that it can be used as a step ladder, also the saya has a hole at the end so you can use it to breathe underwater. Imagine stepping on the tsuba of a sword with a japanese style hilt construction while it's stuck into the ground or floor. Hell no. That's gonna ruin your sword from the first or second attempt of such a thing. Also submerging your sword and letting water soak into the wood of the saya so that it properly rusts like hell afterwards. And of course, it's shorter than a katana because it's the ninjas cheat weapon when fighting his sworn enemy, the samurai. The shorter sword is drawn faster and the samurai totally doesn't expect it, making him lose the duel before it even started!

We need a video just on ninja that were warriors and how the two tied together. I think that would help clarify what many people think of ninja in the proper context.

Ninja: "I have trained since birth to kill in a hundred ways! I am skilled in stealth, Ninjitsu, acrobatics, and even the ancient Touch of Death technique!" Spy master: "Yeah, we need you to pour this poison we've already acquired into his rice bowl wh-" Ninja: "Wait! But... but... years of training and climbing over walls in black... special sword only used by us Ninjas! Touch of Death! You don't need any of this!" Spy Master: "Just pour the poison. Here, put on this servants outfit." Ninja: (Sulking) "It's not even black..."

So I didn't know the ninja sword one, but your description of a spy wearing a sword called the spy sword made me cackle at myself😂😂

The “got your nose” joke, started in feudal Japan.

Ninjas V Pirates was a bit of silliness that evolved on early USENET boards as part of The Flying Spaghetti Monster ethos.

They definitely used shorter swords just for the mere fact that they almost always had to hide in small areas to not be caught and murdered. They also used them to beach walls. You can actually see a video of one doing this, it’s really awesome, I wish I’d had had all those videos back when I joined the Bujinkan Dojo in high school. (Then I may have stuck with it because it would have given me an easier route to knowledge.

I usually skip through the ads but watching you eat wearing a kabuto made my weekend. 👺

I have my own theory on the ninjato: It's a multitool more than a sword (like the kunai that were root knives used to cut, dig and pry). Because of the existence of the swords I've only heard called "ken", we know they weren't strangers to through-hardening. Most of a katanas expense came from everything that happened from claying the blade to honing it and accentuating the hamon, exposing hada and so forth. If the smith doesn't use clay and instead just quenches the blade the raw, it will never strike a curve and remain not only STRAIGHT but FLEXIBLE unlike a katana, making it perfect for a prybar. It's cheaply made, easy to produce in bulk, you won't feel bad about tossing it if you have to, and if you never take the forgeblack off the blade, it'll never catch light and expose you. Just hollow out a length of bamboo, just whop the end off into a point, steam&press it to fit a blade and it can be used as the famed underwater breathing tube. The tsuba is as simple as it gets, you just cut off a piece of flat stock and make a hole for the tang, no need to round it out or get super precise about anything. You could probably even build these with rejected katana stock that wasn't worth claying over and quenching. Sell it for a discount to someone who doesn't need a blade that'll last any more than a couple days. I find that the less likely scenario, but possible nonetheless. Don't need mirror polished, oiled steel with a tight fight. Just give me a blade, a guard, and a scabbard to get this box open or bypass an obstacle, artificial or organic. But it's just a brainstorm, not like I'm exactly rocking historical records to back up my claim, just calling it how it's always looked.

I love how you're using a tee for your ninja mask.

17:21 Rei from the Nanto school practices Nanto Seiken, which kills people from slicing them with external force, basically hand-blades. Only Hokuto Shinken kills people from the inside with pressure points, which Kenshiro practices.

Tying the black T-Shirt around your head is a power Ninja move.

Hi mate!, really loves your content, if you read this, can you explain what is Metsuke (目付)? is they kind of police from the shogunate? or the samurai clan? I got this from game Total War: Shogun 2, thank you

8 Seems like it applies to spies in general, not just ninja. Some spies are warriors in the sense that they can and do fight, but others just sit behind a desk all day.

@AJadedLizard

Жыл бұрын

There's also a difference between spies and commandos. Ian Fleming was a spy. Sir Christopher Lee was a commando.

I think a lot of the impressions of ninja came from James Clavell’s Shogun and the subsequent miniseries ( the casting for the miniseries sucked, BTW). Clavell was a bit sloppy in his research.

When will you make a video about Christina Applegate?

Hi metatron, can you make a video about myths about Templars and Assassins? I think the Templars and Assassins were enemies sounds like a myth as same as the samurai and ninja were enemies.

Do Goblin Myths next