(Voice actor) Mr.Akira Daniel Duncan

Ninjas are world famous. Many imagine ninjas as a man clothed in black, throwing stars (Shuriken) to defeat the enemy and escaping from danger using mysterious tricks (Jutsu). In real life, ninjas acted more as secret agents, spying on and causing confusion among enemies. They dressed in the styles of various professions, rather than wearing the ninja costume, to disguise themselves and blend in to the enemy’s territory in order to collect information and perform stratagems (i.e. negotiating with the enemy warlords to switch sides). The demand was high for these activities during war time, but once the wars were over, such missions declined and ninja skills were no longer in high demand. Since the Tokugawa Shogunate achieved a peace that lasted about 200 years, ninjas serving the Tokugawa clan had very little work. So they started putting their efforts into other activities; namely, side jobs. They had to make a living from these side jobs in their spare time since there was not much business for ninja or samurai. Some of these ninja-operated side businesses became well-known in Edo. There is a place called Hyakunincho (town of hundred people) in current Shinjuku ward, Tokyo. The town got its name from about a hundred musketeers living in this neighborhood back then. These musketeers were called the Iga troop because they were descendants of the Iga ninja. The need for the occupation of shooting guns had also decreased so they had a lot of time on their hands. What these samurai of the Iga troop started then was the cultivation of azaleas. Before long, the area became one of Edo’s popular spots, known as the best place to see azaleas and started attracting many tourists during azalea season. The ninja’s azalea cultivation turned into one of the largest tourist attractions. There also was a Hyakunincho in current Aoyama district where musketeers of the Koga troops resided. The Koga troop chose umbrella lining as their second business. It is a mundane operation but these umbrella craftsmen of Aoyama were very popular for their efficiency and skillfulness. Umbrellas were expensive back then so people repaired and reused them forever. If an umbrella got a hole in it, people brought it to an umbrella craftsman to have it fixed for them. So the demand for umbrella craftsmen never declined. Enjoy the story of ninjas at the time of peace which illustrates another, quite different story of ninja.