The Ninja was one of Japan's greatest mysteries and the greatest warrior of all time. As dishonorable as the job was, it still got done. So there are many questions that arise from these mysterious people: who were they and what exactly did they do, and so to answer these questions we have to look deeper into the history of feudal Japan. The Ninja first appeared in feudal Japan in the fifteenth century and are often considered the first spies. However, few traces remained after the ninja finally disappeared around the start of the Edo period in the 16th century, making it difficult to find information about them today. They were said to be from the lower class of Japan and were often just farmers just looking for a way to make a living. The word Ninja comes from the Japanese language Kanji and in this language the word was "shinobi", this word meant stealthy soldier and was also used to describe ninjas when they arrived. Since Ninja was a very risky job and required a lot of skill, one thing it didn't require was literacy. Often the Ninja was illiterate or knew how to read and write very little. Instead, they learned war epics such as Hogan's Tale (Hōgen Monogatar) and Heike's Tale (Heike Monogatari). The Ninja were mostly Japanese farmers and they feel like they were around the same time as the samurai, some were even rejected samurai who felt they couldn't be a samurai and get a great honor would be a ninja they knew would was very dishonorable. Ninjas were hired by Japanese feudal lords to plunder and when they wanted someone they would just walk away. They also paved the way for night attacks after being there to scout the place for information to give... middle of paper... without being able to hide in small spaces. The Saya, the sword's sheath, was often longer than the sword itself so that sheets of paper and sometimes distracting dust could be hidden inside. This could also serve as a breathing tube if the ninja were to swim underwater for any length of time. And the last but not least weapon is the Shuko, these Shuko were a very dangerous weapon and were also known as vine claws. They were used by ninjas to scale walls and climb trees. They are a metal band with four curved prongs on one side to fit your hands. However these were not just for climbing, they were also used to defend against attackers with the sword. So you can see that the skilled ninja was the most efficient and handy warrior one could have in feudal Japan, especially when dealing with feudal lords who needed fast, hard, and dirty work done quickly without having to get their hands dirty. hands.