In Search of the Niinja (57 page)

Authors: Antony Cummins

BOOK: In Search of the Niinja

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173

Rodanshu
literally translates as ‘A Collection of Ancient People’s Talk’. As it is a military manual the distinction needs to be added.

174
Not to be confused with ‘Water-Spiders’.

175
The
Rodanshu
scroll starts a little ‘dry’ but ends up as a very exciting read towards the end.

176

Boehmeria nivea.

177
The measurement here is not meant to be accurate, it is an idiom for ‘short’.

178
This ideogram normally means gold, however in this context it means iron.

179
This could be translated as top and bottom but the translators feel back and front fit more with the description.

180
This ideogram is used earlier in the text to mean ring.

181
It is unknown if this is inside or on the outside, however the grammatical connotations slightly favour the outside.

182
Literally, ‘side hand’.

183
The rope does not appear near this ideogram, however it is most likely the rope attached to the ring at point two.

184
This could either be a reference to the direction the tool goes when crossing or travelling down a river, meaning that the spear butt would face downstream, or it could be a reference to an unknown use of the hole in the butt of the spear that appears in the diagram.

185
Literally, ‘Sending fire’. It could be that this is a bamboo tube filled with propellant that forces the craft in one direction when lit, however, the image lends itself more to ignition fuse.

186
The same ideogram as above.

187
This ideogram is often used in ninja manuals as ‘ladder’ and is interchangeable with ‘bridge’ and ninja manuals often switch between the two.

188
This may be the ‘Tied Grass’ recipe found later in the book and may not actually be made of grass.

189
Unknown, presumably some kind of pill or tablet.
Haku
means ‘white’,
ro
is the plant
Pennisetum alopeculoides
, and
gan
means pills
.

190
The text says
To
, however the
Bansenshukai
says
Bu
.

191
Unit of weight, one
shu
is 1/24 of a
Ryo.

192
An unknown element.

193
Literally ‘Grass Tied Fire’ however, as discussed earlier, this term ‘Grass’ can mean ‘temporary’. This tool is possibly connected to the fire ship.

194
For a full description of the
Donohi
body warmer see Cummins and Minami,
True Path of the
Ninja.

195
Either the leather of the bellows or ash scrapings.

196
No actual fish is used.

197
This implies that the ship in the image section has a skin of leather. An alternative version of this skin is given on the ‘ninja-boat’ in the
Bansenshukai
manual.

198
In all probability, the bamboo chamber is removed.

199
This could be a short cylinder shape.

200
A small selection of points have been removed from this section due to their mundane nature.

201
Unknown style.

202
A rider will sometimes hold the nostrils of a horse to calm it down.

203
Animal shoes used to be made of straw and plant material in Japan.

204
This is probably a reference to the fur style ones used by the
Otsubo
school.

205
A stick with a circle of rope at the end, to be placed over the horse’s nose and twisted, to control the animal. A form of twitch.

206
A horse who leads with one side that cocks its head.

207
Shinobi horsemen are samurai who act as ninja and who quiet the horse by restricting its mouth and dampening its footsteps for stealthy missions.

208
Not the ‘ninja’ province of Koka.

209
The Chinese astrological label given to that year.