Most Westerners think of ninjas as black-masked men with swords who appear from the shadows and strike without warning.
But not all ninja assassins were male, and not all of them walked in shadow.
Female ninjas, known as kunoichi, formed an important part of medievalshinobi clans. Like their male counterparts, kunoichi trained in combat, disguise, and stealth, though their missions and function differed from those of male shinobi in several important ways.
Disguises and Tactics
Shinobi (which is the Japanese pronounciation of the characters Westerners read as “ninja”) worked as spies as well as assassins. All shinobi could kill in the line of duty, and many did, but others acted as covert agents—often deep undercover in enemy territory.
Medieval Japan was ruled and dominated by men of the samurai class. Samurai rarely trusted strangers, but often made exceptions for women, either because of their beauty or because the woman filled a “harmless” social role (a maid, for example). Kunoichi frequently posed as performers, courtesans, or servants. In these disguises, kunoichi infiltrated temples, castles, and fortresses, either to gather information or to strike at well-protected targets male assassins could not reach.
A male shinobi might assume the role of a samurai retainer or an artisan, but those positions seldom allowed the assassin unfettered access to his target. Samurai lived well-defended lives. Assassinations by male ninja often took the form of clandestine (usually nocturnal) missions, a medieval form of “seek and destroy.”
By contrast, a kunoichi could gain her target’s trust until he allowed her intimate access, at which point she could attack—when both his pants and his guard were down.
Shinobi training for both genders focused on utilizing the ninja’s personal strengths to best advantage. In medieval Japan, where women were often prized for beauty rather than skill, a kunoichi’sbeauty was one of her most valuable—and deadly—weapons.
But that doesn’t mean the female ninja depended exclusively on her looks. In combat, kunoichi were just as deadly, and as well-trained, as any othershinobi.
Special Weapons
Like their male counterparts, kunoichi trained with a variety of weapons. Most knew how to use a sword, though female ninjas usually specialized in close hand-to-hand combat—which meant a preference for daggers, garrotes, poisons, and specialty items like bladed fans and claw-like finger extensions known as neko-te.
Neko-te, in particular, were used almost exclusively by kunoichi. The weapon consists of leather finger sheaths topped with sharpened metal “claws.” The sheaths slipped over the end of the wearer’s fingers, giving the kunoichi a set of lethal, tiger-like claws that measured from one to three inches in length. Many women poisoned the metal claws for added effect.
Neko-te slipped on in an instant but disappeared just as quickly into a pocket or the sleeve of a kimono, facilitating surprise attacks and helping the kunoichi avoid discovery.
Source: criminalelement.com
