Ninjas of today are war heroes with exclusive talents and agility. Children are fond of the stories of Ninja and play computer games and often try to imitate them while playing the Ninja Games. They use special weapons skillfully to accomplish their missions.

Fact 1 History Of The Ninjas
When and how the Ninjas first started operating is not known as there are no such documents or evidences left behind by them. However, according to legends the ninjas were perhaps mountain priests who were proficient in martial arts. It is also believed that during feudalism in Japan, Ninjas were actively present and the peak period was between the 12th and 16th centuries. Many local wars were fought during these times and the ninjas were hired by warring lords to act as spies or secret agents to gather information and also to fight wars. Later when there was peace during the Edo Period, the ninjas had no work and so they started producing manuscripts about their skills, tools and weapons that they used. Gradually, they became the super-heroes and the main characters of fictions and stories and these images persist till today.

Fact 2 Culture Of The Ninjas
Like the typical Japanese villages, Ninjas also lived in villages where the adults looked after the safety and security of the villages. Others worked in rice fields and grew fruits and vegetables. Craftsmen, blacksmiths were also a part of the villages and the main aim was to be self-sufficient and stay unnoticed. Some villages had leaders or Osa who had several other people under them like the Jyounin, Chunin and the Genin who worked under the orders of Osa. Some groups developed into small armies with a general or Shou.

Fact 3 Common Beliefs About Ninjas
The importance of Ninjas grew more during the times of war. They were professional spies and assassins and were utilized mostly for their agility and their ability to accomplish work stealthily. Ninjas took training from an early age and the techniques of walking and moving without making the slightest sound. They used secret codes to communicate with each other and it is said that they did not eat beans or garlic to avoid attention due to odors. They had excellent skills in scaling high walls of castles and traveling through tunnels. They could disappear easily through trap doors and secret doors in the walls. They kept their weapons in secret places.

Fact 4 Ninja Training
Ninjas were trained specially in esoteric Buddhism, Yang philosophy and Chinese yin as well as herbal medicine, mountain asceticism, astronomy, psychology, pharmacology, magic and fortunetelling. They performed various exercises to keep themselves strong and fit and maintain their body weight of 60 kilograms. They received training in swimming, climbing, jumping and moving through different grounds and their finger training allowed them to hang from trees and walls for many hours.

Fact 5 Weapons And Tools Of Ninjas
Ninjas used various weapons that were especially crafted for protection and other uses. The knives, swords, spiked devices and metal claws and thirty different types of deadly knives that they used were unique. However, they also used noisy weapons like rockets mounted with arrows, rifles, smoke pots and gravel and iron chips shooting portable cannons. The star-shaped and swastika-shaped arrows had poison tips which they shot at the heads of the enemies. They used smoke bombs and crackers to escape.

Fact 6 Ninja Disguises
Although there is an idea that ninjas wore black-hooded jumpsuits, they actually wore the conservative outfits of peasants that were blue in color so that they could not be distinguished from the crowd. They mostly posed as candy salesmen or Buddhist monks. There were few women ninjas also but they did not wear red dresses.