Shinobi fight. Ninja tricks. Martial arts of Japan. Who were the ninjas

Description of the flash game

Shinobi Quest

Action game for boys Shinobi quest is very interesting story, about how one of the best ninja made his way through the samurai settlement to their leader in order to destroy him. Ninja are ancient warriors who use stealth and various methods of psychological pressure on the enemy. To be agile and agile, they use very light and compact weapons. For example, shurikens are very deadly stars that must be thrown to cause serious damage to the enemy. Also available to you is a light one-handed sword that will save your life more than once. In the game, you must always focus on parkour and try to surpass the enemy in motion, because this will give additional advantages. Take advantageous positions and make extraordinary decisions. And at the most important moment, when you can reach the goal - neutralize it and go home for a big reward. After all, ninjas are ordinary hired killers. And in this they have no equal.

I remember that I had a flaw that did not stand up to any criticism, and I simply hid it. It's embarrassing to even think about it. Then I was a green writer and did not understand what it means to be a shinobi even in the world of Naruto anime. The author, who then criticized the article, was completely right. Honor for a shinobi is zilch, because there is a much more important issue. Not only survival, but also the mission and protection of your own Village. The honor for a shinobi is not to win a one-on-one fight, but to complete a mission in such a way that no one even suspects their existence - that the task is completed quietly and silently.

In this regard, it can be understood that the shinobi of the Hidden Mist are most suitable for the canon concept of ninja. The canon of shinobi lies in the fact that these people acted, firstly, imperceptibly, and secondly, perfectly disguised (and not in black uniform and masks, as the vivid imagination of mankind drew, but in ordinary clothes ordinary people), thirdly, masterfully owning his own body, fourthly, using implicit weapons and various kinds of traps. Many apostates fit this description.

For example, Akasuna no Sasori. He moves measuredly, in no hurry, despite the fact that he hates to make others wait and wait himself. He tries not to show his real form to his opponents whenever possible and has been deceiving the whole world for some time. No one knew that his weapon was laced with poison until Scorpion wounded them. The legendary Red Sands Scorpion, the military hero of the Hidden Sand Village turned traitor and renegade, was heard all over the world, but almost no one knew what this man looked like.

Deidara, for example, faked his own death. For some time, everyone considered him dead, while this bastard calmly lived on.

In the world of Naruto, disguise is, frankly, a no-brainer. Renegades can be easily spotted by their protectors with the Village sign crossed out. The shinobi themselves are also noticeable by the same protectors. Naturally, in the canon world of this anime, shinobi are not in the canon sense of ninja and act more like a regular army than secret intelligence services, which are the ANBU, which everyone has heard of, but almost no one has seen in person and in action. An analogue of our CIA and others.

Most shinobi follow and all shinobi must follow the "Task First" philosophy. The task should be above his interests, emotions and opinions, since, as Momochi Zabuza correctly noted, a shinobi is a tool of the Village that does not need a soul. Blood Mist is an analogue of real shinobi that once existed in the history of Japan. Also, ninjas are masters of deception, cunning and stealth, their very embodiment.

Also, shinobi have a completely different concept of victory. Victory in the general sense is gaining the upper hand over the enemy. In the understanding of the ninja, victory is the ability to hide before being caught doing a task. As a rule, most tasks are dirty work, like contract killings. However, this is in the historical canon, in the canon of the Naruto world, victory remains a victory in our understanding.

I saw a lot of exclamations on the topic that the shinobi of Leaf and the others act dishonorably, attacking Akatsuki - three against one, for example. A legitimate question arises: is it fair to kill the weak? I don't think. Cruel times reign in their world, and all of Akatsuki went through fire, water and copper pipes and survived. Willy-nilly, this develops some of the arrogance that all shinobi are prone to. After all, in their world, the shinobi profession is quite popular. People are taught the art of killing from childhood, because the period between wars was always unimaginably short, and military force could be needed at any moment.

"The end justifies the means" - this is said about shinobi. With all this, the philosophy of contempt for death operates. Death is the beginning. Death is nothing, only the beginning of a new path. Children grow up knowing that they can be used and they can die. Otherwise, they would not rush into battle, they would not become shinobi, and they would not be proud of being alive.

The main topic of the article, as you understand from the title, is shinobi and their battles. Shinobi philosophy plays a big role in their battles. Combat is an integral part of war. At least two people participate in the battle, whether it be a shinobi, a samurai, or someone else, a demon, for example. At the same time, there is not only a clash of personalities, but also their forces, and forces are objective, they must be skillfully disposed of, as Shikamaru would say.

The battle does not begin immediately if there is no surprise on the side of one of the opponents. As a rule, shinobi hide their trump cards to the last, using them only as a last resort, as Sasori did in the fight with Sakura and Chiyo. They begin, of course, with a test of abilities, but you still have to wait for the beginning - the moment when one of the opponents gives the first slack in defense or shows impatience. Sensors measure the enemy's chakra pool and check for clones/replacement/other fakes. First comes the collection of information.

Between attacks, shinobi analyze the situation and the enemy, but this can be hindered by the released adrenaline. Hormones control the body, awaken primal instincts, make us watch fights almost stuck on the screen (well, I'm talking about myself ...), while they have such facial expressions ... that there are simply no words. It is immediately clear that the shinobi are already in the battle, but the adrenaline and madness of the battle is greatly hindered by the composure brought up. The habit of remaining calm and imperturbable, as, for example, Uchiha Itachi.

Time gaps in battles. These battles are on the screen. If three minutes have passed for them, it may well take us half an hour. A minute is a lot. You can do a lot of things in one minute. Count a minute out loud: one ... two ... three ... and so on up to sixty. So a minute is not so little, you just need to be able to use this time. Shinobi are taught this from an early age. So many cries that during this time shinobi could kill a thousand times are not an argument. In addition, enemies are also personalities, and personalities are different. Many people really like to watch how their enemies are lost in conjectures ...

Body memory also helps in combat. Training and sparring develop habits, certain reflexes, movements are brought to automatism, the pain threshold gradually but surely rises. When there is no time to think, shinobi often saves the body - reflexes, instincts, habitual movements (common block, for example).

Conscious memory firmly remembers the combat school, military experience, training, skills in analyzing the situation, and equipment. Tsunade told her in Sakura's training that a shinobi should be able to see the enemy's weaknesses. No matter how long a ninja trains to hide or even destroy habits and frequent reflexes, there always remains a dominant hand, a dominant leg, the most familiar and thoughtless movements from this very familiarity, minor gestures. All of these are things you can use.

And they use it. They beat on the sly, they beat on weak points, attack from behind. This is all that is not approved by the code of the samurai, what the special forces use today. Historical shinobi were ahead of their time. There is no question of any honor in the usual sense of it.

As a general rule, a shinobi must be intelligent. Once someone smart from the shinobi world said that the shinobi world is merciless to fools. This man was damn right. Every shinobi has a calculating side, even Uzumaki Naruto. If Naruto was a fool, he would never have defeated Gaara. Also, remember the clone filler? What was Naruto Shinobi saying? Correctly. He didn't trust anyone. He suspected everyone.

I remembered several examples of battles on emotions. Sasuke in the first season was chasing Itachi around the city and still caught up. As a result, he was beaten with amazing ease. It wasn't even a fight, it was child beating... Another example: the incident with Gaara, Naruto lost his temper. Deidara did not really strain, but he was able to lure Uzumaki out of the cave and would have grabbed it just as easily if not for the more cold-blooded Hatake.

Shinobi in battle see the goal. The means are unimportant.
Adrenaline and other flashes of physiology are suppressed by well-mannered composure.
Hot-tempered shinobi still know how to think, for example, Naruto, Deidara. I would not say that Deidara in the same battle with Gaara did not think about tactics.
Those who too often and generally act on emotions do not stay long in their world.
After wars, even the usual concept of honor is forgotten. Many shinobi become just assassins. Deidara (why did I cling to him ?!) is a living ... dead example of this. Or the same Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Sometimes it seems to me that they are worse maniacs than Deidara.
An example of a real shinobi is Uchiha Itachi.
So, as described, the ideal shinobi act.

Here were the basics of shinobi combat. The rest: techniques, dynamics, reasoning - you take from the canon or invent it, you add dynamics with descriptions, reasoning - from your own head and the head of a character who has certain boundaries. For example, Naruto would not have figured out the effect of the antidote as quickly as Sasori, who lived with poisons in the neighborhood.

I think there will be additions to the article as new details appear.

Tactical board game "Shinobi. Clan War" is dedicated to one of the brightest periods of Japanese history - the era of the warring provinces. At this time, the Land of the Rising Sun was split into dozens of principalities, which were ruled by daimyo - the heads of noble samurai families. For more than a hundred years, the struggle for power and land continued between them, in which the clans used all means available to them - from direct military aggression to secret sabotage.

In the Shinobi board game, participants become secret agents of powerful Japanese families: Go-Hojo, Mori, Oba, Takeda and Uesugi. To win, the player must ensure that by the end of the game the troops of his clan are in the majority. To this end, participants place troops in provinces, send armies into battle, and use the services of ninjas.

At the beginning of the game, it is determined who will play for which clan. Players keep their clan affiliation secret until the very end of the game. If less than five people participate in the party, one or two clans will become "drawn" - but which ones will also remain secret. Each player then draws 4 cards from the deck into their hand. Players take turns playing until the deck runs out of cards.

Most of the cards are samurai squads, each belonging to one of the five clans. During the game, the player can dispose of the cards of any clans, including those of the enemy - after all, no one knows yet who he works for. But it matters where these units are located: in the player's province (on the table in front of him) or in other people's possessions (on the table in front of opponents). In each province, cards are grouped by clan to form armies.

On his turn, the player must give three orders. The first order is to place a unit in a foreign province, that is, lay out one card from your hand in front of another player. The second is to either play a card in front of you in the same way, or move a unit from a foreign province to any other. The third order is to lead an army from your province to attack an army in a foreign province. This can only be done by observing the following conditions: firstly, the attacking army must be stronger than the attacked one on at least one map, secondly, these armies must belong to different clans, and thirdly, you cannot attack an army whose strength is in this course has already been changed. The attacked army loses one unit - the “killed” card is sent to the discard pile. Of course, there are also ninjas in the game - there are only three such cards in the entire deck. If a player has a ninja card in his hand, he may use it instead of the first order. A ninja attacks an army in a foreign province, destroys one of its units, and then goes into the discard pile himself. At the end of the turn, the player draws cards from the deck.

At the end of the game, when there are no cards left in the deck, and each participant has made last move, the players count how many units of each clan are left in the provinces. The clan that managed to save the most forces is declared the winner. Neutral clans are not taken into account, and if several players argue for superiority, the one with the most “own” units in the province wins.

Shinobi is a simple and fast board game for those who like to mislead opponents and uncover someone else's bluff. A three-player game challenges the deductive abilities of the players: in this situation, the most important thing is to understand which clans have remained draws and skillfully use them. When playing with four and especially five players, you need to carefully monitor the situation on the table and count the cards played - here you will not be able to be in the lead due to an oversight of your opponents. And of course, in any case, you should keep secret to the last what clan you actually play for.

If you have any questions about the rules of our game, we will be happy to answer on a special forum about it on the international portal BoardGameGeek in Russian.

A little about Japanese clans

Takeda- a family of great warriors, generals and martial artists. Descended from the ancient Minamoto clan. In the era of the warring provinces, the head of the Takeda Shingen family, one of the most prominent military leaders in Japanese history, became famous.

Maury- an ancient, but poor family, which managed to advance in the era of the warring provinces. After the unification of Japan, he lost almost all possessions, but again gained influence during the Meiji Restoration. And today many of the Japanese politicians belong to this genus.

Oh yeah- a clan that goes back to the ancient Taira clan. At the beginning of the era of the warring provinces, it was divided into two warring factions. Oda Nobunaga managed to first unite the clan, and then began the unification of Japan. However, after his death, the family fell into decline.

Uesugi- a clan that historically owned the Kanto region (the modern metropolitan region of Japan), including the founder of Edo Castle, current Tokyo. The most prominent commander of the family, Uesugi Kenshin, was a sworn and worthy opponent of Takeda Shingen.

Go-Hojo- one of the clans that most actively participated in the era of the warring provinces. With the fall of the stronghold of this family, Odawara Castle - the greatest stronghold of Japan at that time - the unification of the country was actually completed. This ended the Go-Hojo family.

Ninjas are mysterious ghosts that lurk in the shadows. They are able to sneak into the most protected stronghold to deal a fatal blow to the enemy. The skills of these elusive mercenaries instilled fear and awe in people, giving them the image of terrifying demons of the night. Today, everyone knows about silent killers - children play ninjas, hundreds of films are made about them, animated works are created. The image of a man in dark clothes, throwing shurikens and running along the walls, is firmly entrenched in the public mind. Therefore, today it is difficult to say what the ninja really were, what is true, and what is just a beautiful story.

Yamabushi

The world owes the appearance of the first ninja to hermit monks who lived in the mountains. They professed the Shingon branch of Buddhism and called themselves Yamabushi. These people possessed exceptional knowledge about man and nature. They were masters of herbal medicine and making poisons, they could both heal diseases and kill. Yamabushi were also experts in acupuncture and possessed abilities that far exceeded those of an ordinary person.

Yamabushi tempered themselves with grueling workouts, as they believed that the body is an excellent tool for educating the spirit. The peasants loved and respected these mysterious hermits, as they could heal diseases of people and animals, save crops and, as legend has it, even controlled the weather. Yamabushi's knowledge in the natural sciences was significantly ahead of its time - they were well versed in astronomy, chemistry, botany, medicine, which only strengthened faith in their superhuman abilities.

The emergence of the first ninja

Over time, the merciless training of the hermits began to bear fruit - they learned how to masterfully control their body and mind. Yamabushi could consciously control not only their breathing, but also their pulse. The settlements of the monks began to attract people who did not find a place in society. Among them were also ronin, skillfully and other types of weapons. They contributed to the practices that the hermits did.

The fact that these people lived in the wild made them masters of disguise, and also gave them the ability to wait. Indeed, in the mountains there was no haste and fuss, so common to the rest of the world. This endowed the predecessors of the ninja with unlimited patience and character traits that were inaccessible to the average layman. They could confidently survive in the wild and instantly hide in the natural landscape. Such outstanding achievements have attracted the powers that be to Yamabushi, who want to use their unique skills for their own purposes.

Ninja classes

What did the legendary shadow warriors do? Often, their activities were much more prosaic than shown in films and books. Ninja techniques allowed them to play any role. It was almost impossible to meet one of them in classic black clothes that hide their face. The ninja has always adapted to the environment in which he had to work. If he was in the company of samurai, then he behaved like a samurai and was dressed accordingly. Among peasants and beggars, he was dressed in rags. The acting of such a scout was so skillful that it could deceive even the most cunning enemy. Often the work of a ninja was carried out so quietly and smoothly that it was impossible to even know that he was there.

Contrary to stereotypical opinion, these geniuses of disguise rarely participated in contract killings. They were mainly engaged in reconnaissance, secret information extraction and sabotage in the enemy camp. That is, the ninja were an analogue of James Bond, and not ruthless assassins, although, apparently, they were attracted to such activities, as they perfectly mastered the techniques of hand-to-hand combat.

Who were the ninjas

To be a skilled mercenary, a ninja had to rebuild his entire life. Therefore, they did not occupy a certain place in the Japanese hierarchy, but were outside it. In the ranks of the ninja, one could meet representatives of any class. Movies often show the confrontation between samurai and scouts dressed in dark clothes. But in fact, the main customers of the ninja were the samurai, who constantly fought among themselves. Moreover, if one of them went bankrupt, then he often moved to one of the ninja clans, where samurai combat techniques came in very handy.

Met in such clans and commoners. At the same time, there is no evidence that they stood up for the peasants and protected them from the samurai. Most likely, these are just beautiful legends that romanticize the image of a ninja. It is important to understand that the warriors of the night were mercenaries and did any work for which they were willing to pay. That is, the decisive factor in the life of their clans was money, not moral values and beliefs. Whoever pays the most, they will help. Therefore, ninja techniques were aimed more at espionage and the extraction of secret information than at eliminating the enemy.

Times of the Ninja

It is believed that the ninja clans finally formed around the 10th century AD. In those days, nobles used their services to resolve their conflicts. The ninja's secret moves were perfect for gaining an advantage in power struggles. Shinobi services were especially popular during the unification of Japan. This happened around 1460-1600. Then all parties to the conflict used the services of ninja to get at least some advantage in this monstrous war.

However, in later years the Tokugawa shogun decided it was too dangerous to leave the freedom-loving clans. Moreover, since the ninja were mercenaries who served the one who pays well, their services could be used against him, which was not at all part of the ambitious shogun's plans. As a result, he played off the two largest clans - Iga and Koga. The bloody confrontation between them ended with the fact that most of the ninja were destroyed. The survivors were weak and scattered, which forced them to swear allegiance to the Tokugawa.

Shinobi and war

Movies often show how hordes of ninjas storm a fortress or cut down with samurai. However, it was illogical for the warriors of the night to engage in direct confrontation. The fighting techniques of the ninja were designed to quietly eliminate the target or wage guerrilla warfare, but certainly not to confront the enemy in an open field. Of course, a direct collision left no chance for the mysterious saboteurs. But they were competent strategists and did not allow the conduct of war according to the rules of the enemy. But their help could have a decisive influence on the outcome of the war, since a ninja who penetrated the enemy’s fortress could make a lot of noise, arrange sabotage and demoralize the enemy.

Masters of disguise could penetrate the camp of the enemy both in peacetime and during large-scale hostilities. Their goal was military leaders or strategic objects. Also, the information that these fearless scouts obtained could give their employer a decisive advantage, turn the tide of the war.

Ninja moves

Today, like mushrooms after rain, all sorts of schools for teaching the art of night warriors have popped up. In them, fans of ninja films pose as skilled assassins and scouts. However, these people, for the most part, invent ninjutsu techniques in order to get money from gullible students. In general, it is difficult to say that the art of shinobi was as structured and understandable as, for example, karate or judo. There is no evidence that they all used any one technique to achieve their goals. Rather, they were general principles and methods of survival in extreme conditions.

The training of the ninja resembled the training of a special forces fighter, and not the martial arts of Japan. But there are still thousands of enthusiasts throwing shurikens and performing elaborate acrobatics in stylized black suits. An entire industry has grown up around this occupation. Anyone who is determined to become a modern ninja can go to the store and buy himself a suit, shuriken and all kinds of chains. By going online, you can easily purchase a "ninja sword" and become the coolest in the area. How did the training of the warriors of the night really take place?

clan structure

Over time, the ninja clans became well-structured and fully formed structures. It was almost impossible for a stranger to get into such a clan. Knowledge was passed from father to son and carefully protected from prying eyes. The scrolls with ninjutsu techniques were especially jealously kept, the training of an outsider was punishable by death. Each clan specialized in special techniques peculiar only to it. Some of them were specialists in sabotage, some preferred poisons, and some were fed by insidious ambushes.

There was a clear hierarchy within the shinobi clans. The top was engaged in the conclusion of agreements, the signing of contracts, entry into unions and exit from them. There was also a middle layer, the purpose of which was to control the execution of orders from above. At the bottom rung of the hierarchical ladder were ordinary performers. That is, the ninja clans were serious organizations with severe discipline and a pronounced hierarchy.

ninja costume

The black suits familiar to us, by which everyone can recognize a ninja, are more a product of cinema than a reflection of the real state of affairs. Black is not the best color for camouflage, as it is extremely rare in nature. Therefore, different shades of brown and gray were most often used. It was they who allowed me to merge with the outside world most fully. The notorious ninja sword was also not the weapon of choice for elusive infiltrators. They preferred chains, plows, retractable spears, shurikens and other tools that were easy to hide or pass off as tools of peasant labor.

Shinobi was used infrequently, since in most cases the warriors of the night disguised themselves as the environment, in order to make it as simple and simple as possible. effective way get to the target. There were many pockets in which medicinal herbs, poisons, needles and shurikens were placed, as well as other weapons of warfare.

Specialized guns

In the arsenal of the ninja were not only hand-to-hand combat techniques and edged weapons. They also skillfully used hooks, ladders, ropes and other things with which one could get into the palace chambers or overcome the fortress wall. Shinobi also knew a lot about the use of explosives, which helped to sow panic in the camp of the enemy or make a hole in the wall. Ninja shoes were also adapted to their tasks.

Often they carried special breathing tubes with them. Ninja techniques allowed them to stay under water for a long time, breathing through a thin tube. But the most powerful weapon of these treacherous scouts was their knowledge of psychology. They could play any social role, ingratiate themselves with the right person. Ninja were able to control their own minds, which allowed them to survive the most difficult trials without experiencing discomfort.

Nobunaga Oda

No matter how hard the ninja tried to refrain from direct participation in the war, they did not succeed. Nobunaga Oda, a tough military leader who wanted to unite the country, managed to destroy the Iga clan, the strongest shinobi organization. He is in the area where this powerful clan settled and, as a result of a fierce confrontation, managed to defeat their enemies. The surviving members of the clan dispersed throughout the country. However, this victory was not easy for the brave samurai. Many thousands of soldiers died at the hands of the ninja.

Ninjutsu today

Modern ninja hardly learn martial arts. They don't run up walls or throw needles. Intelligence agencies have significantly changed their methods of work over the past century. Of course, the training methods used by the ancient scouts are still relevant today. For example, in special units that need to be able to survive in the wild and fight in the forest. But videos with the titles "Ninja Techniques for Beginners" or various manuals "Ninjutsu for Dummies" are just a competent commercial ploy and have nothing to do with the mysterious warriors of the night. However, shinobi and their unique way of life are a valuable cultural heritage that should not be lost.

Game description

Video review of the board game Shinobi. War of clans from Igroveda!

Reviews and comments (6 )

Feedback | Sergei | 04/10/2016

I missed something ... Tell me, do the players take turns performing 3 actions at once, or first all the players perform the first action, then the second, then the third?

Answer from the store Igroved: Sergey, hello. The player performs all 3 actions, then the turn passes to the next player.

Feedback | walman, Moscow | 01/19/2015

1. Terrible box. This is a typical deck of cards, which was dressed in a box 3 times larger than it, apparently to look better on the shelf. But the creators forgot that I still need to store this garbage somewhere.
2. I read the rules 5 times - I did not understand. I'll go to my friends, they have more experience in desktop games.

Answer from the store Igroved: We are sorry that the first impressions of getting to know the game turned out to be negative! I hope myself game process can make you happy!

Feedback | Denis, Moscow | 12/29/2014

Thank you! Very good game. I advise everyone!