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The Book of Ninja: The Bansenshukai - Japan's Premier Ninja Manual Hardcover – Illustrated, November 5, 2013

by Antony Cummins (Author), Yoshie Minami (Author)
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The first complete translation of the ultimate Ninja manual—a comprehensive guide to the arts of the ninja, including espionage, warfare, assassination, and more
 
In 1676, a ninja named Fujibayashi collected and combined information from the ninja clans of Iga—regarded to be the homeland of the ninja—and compiled it into an authoritative book. Known as The Bansenhukai, Fujibayashi's book has now been translated into English by the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team and is widely considered to be the ‘bible’ of ninjutsu, the arts of the ninja.

The Book of Ninja begins with an in-depth introduction to the history of Fujibayashi's scripture. The teachings themselves, appealingly rendered in this translation, then take us into the secrets of guerrilla warfare and espionage. We learn how to become the ultimate spy, whether through a network of spies or by hiding in plain sight. Through the stealth and concealment tactics of night-time infiltration, through weapon and tool building skills, and through mission planning, we can learn much both about warfare and about adopting the right mindset for tackling our own inner and outer enemies. Adding to the mix for the spycraft lover, there are sections on capturing criminals, performing night raids, making secret codes and signs, and even techniques for predicting the weather, and using an esoteric Buddhist system of divination. An exciting and engaging tome of lost knowledge, The Book of Ninja is the final say in the world of the ninja and the ultimate classic for samurai and ninja enthusiasts alike.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    544 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Watkins Publishing
  4. Publication date
    November 5, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    6.4 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1780284934
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1780284934
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Antony Cummins holds an undergraduate degree in Ancient History & Archaeology and a master's degree in Neolithic Archaeology. In addition to working as a ninjutsu consultant for documentaries and other researchers, he has co-hosted television programs dedicated to the ninja. His previous works include In Search of the Ninja, True Path of the Ninja, The Secret Traditions of the Sinobi, and the Illustrated Guide to Viking Martial Arts. He splits his time between Manchester, England and Japan.

Yoshie Minami earned a bachelor's degree in Linguistics from the International Christian University and has worked as a consultant for television documentaries about the ninja. As a translator, she has published True English (2009) and The True Path of the Ninja (2011). She lives in Saitama, Japan.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Watkins Publishing; Illustrated edition (November 5, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1780284934
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1780284934
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.87 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Antony Cummins

Antony Cummins

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Antony Cummins is an author-historian who concentrates on medieval Japanese warfare and is the founder of the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team, a team dedicated to the translation and publication of historical shinobi manuals into the English language. His goal is to bring together the greatest amount of reference material on the ninja and to help form a correct image of the truth behind Japanese samurai warfare. In his works you will discover the lost ways of the ninja, ancient stories of samurai heroes and secrets that have been hidden away for centuries.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
694 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

greenT
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is a pretty impressive, big book. I never thought English version of Bansenshukai would be ever become available.

The original text (PDF) is available online but it's in old Japanese and parts are written in some kind of simple codes and also requires historical and cultural knowledge so it's hard to understand the real meaning without proper interpretation even for native Japanese speakers.

The fact that the first complete modern Japanese translation was just published this year (2015) in Japan, it's not an easy task to interpret the old Japanese text. And this English translation even came out two years ahead of that. I haven't really took time to compare how accurate the author's English translations from the original, but the sheer effort and the enthusiasm the author had to have to tackle this project itself is impressive.

The contents wise, it's a very interesting read as a historical reference. Many methods the book describes are ruthless and ninjas were indeed not messing around. There are some outright ridiculous / Medieval superstitions mixed in but a lot of the principles seems to be still applicable for modern day espionage and I am sure those intelligence agencies are still operating under similar principals. The author's intro to the book and the history of ninja is also very good. The main section that interest me the most is ninja tools. This section has original drawings and it will be fun to try to replicate what is described here.

I only wish if they came up with better English title for the book and cover art. At least they didn't put cliche images of samurai and ninja.
32 people found this helpful
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erwabo
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book with tons of content!
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2013
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I have been waiting for this translation to emerge from SOMEWHERE for the last 15 years and thanks to the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team, I finally have it. If you are a practitioner of any form of ninjutsu or a history buff, this book will not disappoint. The sheer volume of information is impressive to say the least, though keep in mind what you are receiving was never intended to be read like novel, so you can pretty much start anywhere in the book and be captivated by the information that's presented.

If you are looking for information to support your Hollywood style ninja fantasies, you won't find it here. You also will not find support for Bujinkan, Genbukan or any other ninjutsu combat systems. Clearly, shinobi of the senguko period were skilled in unarmed combat, but it wasn't until Edo era, that we began to see organized "ninja combat system." Instead what you fill find is fascinating battlefield strategy, ninja tools, fire devices, communication methods, astrology and more. There is no fluff, no candy coating...this IS ninjutsu.

What's particularly fascinating are the fairly obvious Chinese origins. There are many references to Sun Tzus Art of War throughout the text and the shinobi clearly implemented these strategies. The Ninjutsu Rearch Team's devotion to preserving historical accuracy is impressive. Perhaps not as entertaining as the shuriken hurling, straight blade wielding, bullet dodging, black costumed ninjas of the 1980's, the ninja of the 17th century were people just like us.

If you are seeking historical truth about the ninja, than this book is definitely for you...and if you are really inspired, you may even try one of the many ninja fire recipes. Surprisingly, many of the recipes require the use of mouse dung. Enjoy!
30 people found this helpful
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Rajiv
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
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Loved it for historical accuracy and cultural relevance.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read if you are interested in the history of ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
All the other reviews do this book justice. A great read if you are interested in the history of the ninja, or guerrilla warfare in general. Bansenshukai is a primer to advanced book not only on the ways of a functioning active duty ninja, it gives you a good idea of their general mindset as well. A must read for all ninja enthusiasts or anyone who is curious about Japanese history.

Antony Cummins does a fantastic job of taking the words of Fujibayashi and placing them into a readable (and highly enjoyable) manuscript. It is akin to a light in the darkness when venturing into the history of Shinobi.

Highly recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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MANOEL
5.0 out of 5 stars Boa obra.
Reviewed in Brazil on May 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
A pessoa que está fazendo a leitura está gostando da obra.
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dalia3
5.0 out of 5 stars El libro muy bueno
Reviewed in Spain on January 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
Ha sido un regalo que ha gustado mucho
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Duraznito
5.0 out of 5 stars Todo bien.
Reviewed in Mexico on June 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
El libro es excelente.
Cumple con lo que se ofrece.
El único inconveniente es que la caja fue maltratada durante el trayecto y uno de ellos sufrió daños.
Ojalá y Amazon tome en cuenta esto.
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Duraznito
5.0 out of 5 stars Todo bien.
Reviewed in Mexico on June 18, 2018
El libro es excelente.
Cumple con lo que se ofrece.
El único inconveniente es que la caja fue maltratada durante el trayecto y uno de ellos sufrió daños.
Ojalá y Amazon tome en cuenta esto.
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IndraVolt
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great ninjutsu material.
Reviewed in India on December 31, 2019
Verified Purchase
Not a single issue. I love it. The packaging was good. The information in this is just awesome. Every single thing is real. And the writter is great. He has YouTube channel too. I would love to order more books of Antony Cumins. I would recommend you to get this if u wanna know about ninjas or Shinobis and ninjutsu. And even if you are practicing ninjutsu. Afterall it's a great book.
Customer image
IndraVolt
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great ninjutsu material.
Reviewed in India on December 31, 2019
Not a single issue. I love it. The packaging was good. The information in this is just awesome. Every single thing is real. And the writter is great. He has YouTube channel too. I would love to order more books of Antony Cumins. I would recommend you to get this if u wanna know about ninjas or Shinobis and ninjutsu. And even if you are practicing ninjutsu. Afterall it's a great book.
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Dragos
5.0 out of 5 stars Ottima qualità!
Reviewed in Italy on July 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
Ho acquistato questo prodotto perché sono un appassionato della storia, il prodotto è arrivato prima del previsto in condizioni eccellenti. Il libro ha una varietà di informazioni che si trovano raramente su internet oppure su qualsiasi fonte di informazione, lo consiglio.
2 people found this helpful
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