This paper considers the ninja of Fukui domain, using governmental documents from the domain’s Matsudaira collection. On the institutional side, I reveal that the ninja of Fukui domain, who have been introduced as shinobi no shū in previous scholarship, were called shinobi no mono or shinobi gumi inside the domain and were in place between 1649 and 1866. I also follow their changes in number, family status, salary, and residence over time, and offer a list of names of former shinobi no mono in the early Meiji period as well as the names of successive generations of overseer of ninja（shinobi no mono azukari）extracted from historical documents. To shed light on the ninja’s official duties, I then introduce and discuss a number of cases in which the ninja performed typical ninja duties（shinobi goyō）such as intelligence gathering missions and military duties（gun’yaku）. In addition, I introduce cases specific to Fukui domain, such as training in the art of stealth（ninjutsu）according to the Yoshitsune school and weapons management, which show the diversity of the ninjas’ official duties. Finally, I point out that the increasing sophistication of the intelligence to be gathered and the higher skills expected from agents were factors leading to the abolition of the office of shinobi no mono in this domain.

View full abstract

During the Warring States Period, the battle group called Igashu and Kokashu was born in the Domyouchu of the Kokuzin and Dogo of the Iga and the Koka guns in the Omi-kun, Koka-gun as the core, the crowd subordinate to them and the fellowship mercenary group It consisted of Ashigarushu. The Ashigarushu exercised their own powerful military strengths and even went to other countries to do siege warfare. Igashu and Kokashu resist Oda Nobunaga and try to maintain the domination of Sokokuikii and Gunchuso, but the Koka people lost in Tensho 2 years, the Iga people lost in Tensho 9 years,and are obliged. Toyotomi Hideyoshi will first utilize their military capabilities, but in the intercalary August Tensho 13years, immediately after the suppression of the Kinai neighborhood, we will take measures to separate military farmers and serve as soldiers in other countries, I had to choose whether to do. In Iga and Koka who went out to other countries in search of officials, there were those who served the shogunate like Hattori Masanari and valued with outstanding intelligence ability, and some clans were invited. Their actual situation is an intelligence group that bundles lower class samurai in the class, which will be recognized as a ninja organization.

View full abstract