Suit up with the family at the © SAMURAI & NINJA MUSEUM with EXPERIENCE
Samurai and ninja are some of, if not the most iconic and widely-recognised figures of feudal Japan, with no shortage of appearances in popular culture and media. And although the honourable, sword-wielding ‘bushi’ and the covert ‘shinobi’ agents are often depicted and thought of as opposing forces, through moral codes and fighting styles, the one thing they do have in common is the great legacy that they left behind. We take a closer look at two places where fans of these legendary warriors can truly appreciate their part in Japan’s ancient history.
Visit a real hidden ninja village at Iga Ueno
The small city of Iga Ueno in the mountains of Mie prefecture, about two hours by train from Kyoto, is the supposed ancestral home of Japan’s fearsome feudal super-sneaks and master killers, whose name and reputation have long since spread across the world through martial arts movies, comic books and video games.
The city streets are literally paved with ninjas, recast as friendly-faced mascots and imprinted on manhole covers, bridges, buses and even the fire engines. Life-sized ninja mannequins have been positioned around town, staring blankly from the rooftops, and peeking from behind the telephone poles. It is the ultimate destination for avid fans of these iconic Japanese spies.
Cherry blossoms around Iga Ueno Castle lit up at night © Mie Photo Gallery
What’s more, for five weeks a year from April to May the city holds a ninja-themed festival where its centre becomes overrun with thousands of ninja enthusiasts, most dressed in costumes ranging from classic covert black to canary yellow to distinctly unthreatening shades of pink. Activities such as singing, dancing, competitions and magic shows are concentrated around the 16th century castle in Ueno Park, where the moat and stone walls provide an ideal backdrop for springing mock assassinations on friends and family.
The high stone walls and moat around Iga Ueno Castle © Mie Photo Gallery
The park is also home to the Iga-Ryu Ninja Museum, which holds various ancient scrolls and artefacts that date back to Japan’s ‘warring states’ period. It was during this time between the 15th and 17th centuries that the rough terrain around Iga was rife with bandits, mystics and rogue samurai, who all made their own contributions to local ninja legend. Evidence from that period is now fragmentary, but museum staff insists that the real ninjas were not magical assassins who could run across moonbeams on their tippy toes.
Ninjas in the Ninja Iga-ryu Museum! ©2020 VALUE MANAGEMENT Co. ltd
“Their chief role was to gather information,” says Kanako Murata, one of the guides. “In movies, ninjas are always killing people, and many viewers have come to believe these violent images. Our mission is to tell them that this is not the truth.” If anyone is disappointed to hear it, they are soon distracted by the museum’s hourly show of ninja tactics, a combination of martial arts, acrobatics, special effects, and slapstick. Audience members are also invited to try their hands at the famous “shuriken” throwing stars.
The ninja museum also holds samurai armour, such as these wooden 'mengu' or facial armour ©2020 VALUE MANAGEMENT Co. ltd
Local businesses also get in on the fun and history, from ‘ninja noodles’ at the Aikan-Tei udon restaurant to ‘ninja preserves’ at the Miyazaki pickle shop. Some even claim direct descent from genuine ninja bloodlines, like Motoharu Murai who runs the Muraibankoen Ninja Café. This café is known not only for its delicious black soy ice-cream but for its owner personally emerging from the kitchen to serve his customers in various disguises, wielding different weapons – a pistol, a pike, and a heavy iron rifle with ornate carvings in the barrel. The best is his grandfather’s old katana, which he claims to have slain three unfortunate souls. Whether the tale is true or not, you have to hear it from the horse’s mouth!
Test out your martial art skills at the Kyoto Samurai and Ninja Museum
Samurai and ninja fans can truly immerse themselves in the history of Japan’s medieval eras by being up-close to all the ancient and not-so-secret artefacts that the Kyoto Samurai and Ninja Museum holds, from legendary pieces of armour and weaponry to the commonplace objects and tools.
Included is an impressive wall of swords or ‘katana’ in Japanese, where you can trace the changes in style throughout the ages of Japan, from the Sengoku or Warring Stated Period when the samurai held great power over Japan’s political landscape, all the way up the Tokugawa Shogunate. These swords are just about the only articles in the museum kept behind glass windows; the rest, the museum takes pride in allowing its visitors to fully appreciate all of its intricate displays.
Basic guided tours will not only enrich the exhibitions with tales of great, famous warriors and interesting pieces of historical trivia, it also ends with the fun chance to experience what it is like to be a sword-wielding warrior or a black-cladded spy. Visitors can don the museum’s samurai and ninja costumes and have a go at throwing ‘shuriken’, using ‘fukiya’ blow darts or striking a pose with katana replicas. Staff are on hand to immortalise the memories with their trusty cameras to send you on your way with the perfect holiday souvenir snaps to share with family and friends back home.
The museum also offers Samurai Sword Lessons led by a bona fide samurai master, where you can don traditional training gear known as a ‘hakama’ and be shown how to wear, draw and properly swing a katana of your own. After mastering those techniques, you will then have the opportunity to flaunt your newly-learnt skills through traditional ‘kata’, a demonstration of multiple but deliberate and carefully-controlled sword movements done in succession.
Sword training with a real samurai master © SAMURAI & NINJA MUSEUM with EXPERIENCE
Those who want to really awaken their inner samurai can go one step further with a Sword Cutting Experience. ‘Tameshigiri’ translates to ‘test-cutting’ and is a real traditional method samurai of the past used to test their skill with the blade and the quality of their swords. After running through some basic training with your master, you will be given the honour of wielding an authentic 300-year-old katana and have a go at slicing through a rolled tatami target. Now, cutting through tatami might not sound impressive, but the tatami of these targets are soaked in water for 24 hours beforehand, giving it same average consistency as a human neck!The museum offers these experiences all year around and in English, Japanese or Chinese.
Want to further walk in the footsteps of samurai? Head over to our blog post on Kakunodate, a well-preserved Edo period samurai village considered by many to be the 'Little Kyoto of Tohoku'.
Otherwise, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more updates!
