1 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: I guess what will What's that? So I was thinking 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: about this old story. I read an esquire where this 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: NBA player was talking about how he talked trash and 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: to make the experience even worse for his opponents, he 5 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: would eat raw onions before a game. Not only was 6 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:21,079 Speaker 1: his like mouth smelly, but his entire body which is 7 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: reek of onions. And obviously people wouldn't want to get 8 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: as close to him. I mean, as if the trash 9 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: talking wasn't bad enough to have to deal with that smell. 10 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: And actually, I feel like it would almost be even 11 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: worse if instead of talking, he just kind of went 12 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: near them and just was like breathing like my glass 13 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: to them. Anyway, that's so weird, It is gross and ridiculous. 14 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:43,919 Speaker 1: But you know, I was reading up on Ninja's and 15 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: ninja diets on Atlas Obscura, and this is the total 16 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: opposite of that. So Ninjas would actually avoid eating any 17 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: smelly foods because they were supposed to be completely undetectable 18 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,959 Speaker 1: even by smell. So think about things like garlic, leeks, onions. 19 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: Those were all off the table also since they had 20 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: to be super agile. You know, Ninja's had this ironclad 21 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: ruled that they couldn't weigh more than a hundred thirty pounds. 22 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: And because they'd be lurking in shadows, you know, just 23 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: waiting for the right opportunity, they'd take these homemade hunger 24 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: pills with them, that's what they'd call them, so that 25 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: they're you know, stomachs wouldn't start growling and give them away. 26 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: And one of these pills was made from yams um, 27 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 1: also a bit of cinnamon rice lotus pips, and and 28 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: there was another snack ball made of pine bark gin 29 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: seng in white rice. And well, I don't think anyone's 30 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: gonna go on the ninja diet anytime soon exactly. You know. 31 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: Reading about this did make me wonder, like what else 32 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: don't we know about ninja's Why did so many of 33 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: them keep crickets as pets, Like why were they staring 34 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: into cat's eyes? Why did they keep pocket change on them? 35 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: You know? And and also does the ninja shark live 36 00:01:49,200 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: up to its reputations? So let's tag in a their podcast. Listeners, 37 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson, and as 38 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: always I'm joined by my good friend Manges Ticketer. And 39 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: on the other side, of the soundproof glass Mango. All week, 40 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: I've been excited to see what Tristan would be doing. 41 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: I thought maybe he would be hidden and we wouldn't 42 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: see him the entire episode pulling off the Ninja thing. 43 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: But instead he's showing off his pirate costume again for 44 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: some reason. Anyway, that's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. 45 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: I'm not really sure what's going on here because today's 46 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: show is all about Ninja's. Do you think he just 47 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: missed the memo or what? You know? I asked him 48 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,799 Speaker 1: earlier and he said he's just showing his love for 49 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: the team. You know, I guess when it comes to 50 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: this eternal debate over who's cooler pirates are Ninja's, Tristan 51 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: is a friendly team Pirate all the way. Wow. Well, 52 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: we'll have to see if today's show brings him around 53 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: at all, because I'm just gonna come out and say 54 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: that I am team Ninja all the way here. Yeah, 55 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: I mean too. You know, pirates are cool, but to me, 56 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,399 Speaker 1: they feel like loudmouths. You know, they're like brash and 57 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: and you know, like Ninja's are so calm and collected 58 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 1: and stealthy, and they use like smart tricks, like misdirection. 59 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: You know, it feels like the two camps couldn't be 60 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: anymore different. No, I agree completely, But you know, if 61 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: pirates and ninjas do have one thing in common is 62 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: that both groups are pretty misunderstood. You know, in our 63 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: Pirate episode, we talked about how most of what we 64 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: know about pirates really comes from popular fiction instead of 65 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: things like historical accounts, And it's actually the same story 66 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: when it comes to ninja's, Like, we know them mostly 67 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: as these masked characters that Chuck Narris fights off in 68 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: his movies, or I don't know, as these pizza loving 69 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: mutant turtles. But you know, I hate to disappoint you, 70 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: those portrayals are not actually rooted in reality. So for 71 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: today's episode, we thought it'd be fun to peer into 72 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: the shadows surrounding ninja history and and really kind of 73 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: see if we can get a better idea of what 74 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: these legendary warriors were really like. So we'll talk about 75 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: where ninjas came from, what kinds of missions they carried out, 76 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: as well as some of the coolest ninja skills, and 77 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,720 Speaker 1: you know, the equipment you've probably never heard about. So 78 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: why don't we start with wine ninjas are so mysterious 79 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: in the first place, and why it's likely that they 80 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: always will be. One thing I noticed while researching is 81 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: that even when ninja's were at their peak in Japan, 82 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,279 Speaker 1: and this was in the early sixteenth century, nobody really 83 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: knew that much about them. And it makes sense because 84 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: ninja's were spies for the most part, so of course, 85 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 1: you know, they had to keep a low profile. They 86 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: didn't talk about their work, you know, especially with anyone 87 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: outside their clan. But rumors still swirled about these secretive warriors, 88 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: and as a result, ninja's became steeped in superstition pretty 89 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: much from the start. For instance, some Japanese folklore claims 90 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:54,839 Speaker 1: that ninjas descended from a demon that was half man 91 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: and half crow, and most villagers during the Ninja Age 92 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 1: belief that ninja's possessed all sorts of supernatural powers, like 93 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: everything from shape shifting to invisibility to the power to 94 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:07,720 Speaker 1: walk through walls. And if you think about it, those 95 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: kinds of superpowers are pretty easy to arrive at when 96 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: you look at some of the methods ninjas used, like 97 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: they'd often disguise themselves on missions they were masters of concealment. 98 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: They could break into an enemy's house or infiltrate a 99 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 1: fortress with the ease, and with a little bit of imagination, 100 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,280 Speaker 1: you've got a ninja that can shape shift or walk 101 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,119 Speaker 1: through walls. It makes sense. Yeah, and it actually sounds 102 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:30,280 Speaker 1: a lot like what happened with pirates, like the way 103 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: all these embellished stories and tall tales kind of sprang 104 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: up right alongside them and and then later became just 105 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: the accepted truth. Yeah, it's interesting because Ninja's capitalized on 106 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: their own legends the same way pirates did. Like Ninja's 107 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 1: actually encouraged all these rumors because they knew the inaccurate 108 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: reports would make them seem more dangerous to enemies, and 109 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:51,600 Speaker 1: it was also a great way to muddy the waters 110 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: and further conceal who they were and how they functioned. 111 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: Of course, there's a downside to that, and that's that 112 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: no one actually corrected the falsehoods, and as a result, 113 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: even written accounts from the era tend to be exaggerated, 114 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,720 Speaker 1: which makes it tough to distinguish between fact and fiction. 115 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: You know, we only have three or four manuals supposedly 116 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: written by Ninja masters, and this was shortly after their 117 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: fall from power in the late sixteenth century, and because 118 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: they were written after the fact, it's possible those are 119 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: inaccurate as well. Yeah, that's true. But just like with pirates, 120 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 1: there are at least a few things we know that 121 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: you know, we're true about ninja history. For instance, we 122 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: actually know a good bit about where ninja practices first 123 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: came from, and surprisingly much of that philosophy comes from China, 124 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 1: not not from Japan. And in the fourth or fifth 125 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: century BC suns who wrote his famous Battle Guy The 126 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 1: Art of War, which includes this section extolling the virtue 127 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 1: of stealth and surprise, which are of course the backbone 128 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: of ninja training. So just to make sure I have 129 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: what you're saying is right. You know, you're saying that 130 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: a lot of the ideas of what it is to 131 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 1: be a ninja actually come from Chinese philosophy, but the 132 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: Japanese were the ones who actually put them into practice. Yeah, 133 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: that seems to be the case. And you know, most 134 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:06,360 Speaker 1: historians now agree that ninja practices originated in central Japan 135 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: during the early Middle Ages, and that was a period 136 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:12,560 Speaker 1: when the country was really being picked apart by war lords. 137 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,920 Speaker 1: Now luckily for would be ninjas. The warlords were mostly 138 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: interested in the more developed areas of Japan, and that 139 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: meant that the rural regions often went overlooked and were 140 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: typically warlord free. And so those two factors combined to 141 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: create these prime conditions for the birth of ninja's. Is 142 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: that another reason why ninjas are still such a mystery, Like, 143 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: not only did they keep their practices secret, but they 144 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: kind of developed in isolation. Yeah, that's right. And you know, 145 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,280 Speaker 1: to be specific on this, they developed in two such regions. 146 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: There was Ega and Coca. Now, both of these were 147 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: especially remote and almost completely undeveloped, so there were no 148 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: warlords there, and that's exactly how the people liked it, 149 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: so much so that the villages began to organize themselves, 150 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,679 Speaker 1: like these self defense communes. And because they had neither 151 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: the numbers nor the weapon read award off invaders with 152 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: any sort of real force, the residents focused instead on 153 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: these survival techniques, things like stealth, disguise, evasion, misdirection, you know, 154 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: all the basic ninjas stuff. Yeah, And so as their 155 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: skills developed, these travelers started telling stories and pretty soon 156 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: these early ninja's were being hired as mercenaries all over 157 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: the country. Yeah, and I think the mercenary role is 158 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: really worth lingering on for a second, because one of 159 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:33,320 Speaker 1: the biggest misconceptions, at least I had about ninja's is 160 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: that there were some kind of elite fighting force, And 161 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: the truth is that ninja's mostly acted as medieval secret agents. 162 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:42,320 Speaker 1: They were like hired by lords to spy on their 163 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: enemies and report back with intel or sometimes assassinated target. 164 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: But they occasionally acted as bodyguards. Still, they're they were 165 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: mostly providing spy work for the battlefield, but you know, 166 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 1: they were never traditional soldiers or warriors. And in fact, 167 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: ninjas didn't even receive formal martial arts raining. All right, 168 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:03,680 Speaker 1: So what about those classes that people take where you 169 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 1: learn to defend yourselves, you know, supposedly like a ninja ninjatsu. 170 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 1: I think it's called isn't that a martial art? It's 171 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 1: not really a traditional martial art. You know. All that 172 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: came well after the ninja's fell from power, and it 173 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:19,679 Speaker 1: was never part of their real training. In fact, most 174 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: ninja's learned self defense during childhood from their family members, 175 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: but from their adult training would really focus more on 176 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: infiltration techniques. Gymnastics, as well as these more esoteric topics 177 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: things like chemistry, weather, psychology. You've got to remember, ninjas 178 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,079 Speaker 1: were mostly hired to gather information and survive long enough 179 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: to report back, and the whole point was not to 180 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: be seen and not to get caught. So fighting wasn't 181 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: actually a big part of the playbook, like most of 182 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: that was kind of a last resort in case things 183 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: went wrong. Well that makes sense, you know, since we're 184 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: talking about the importance of not being seen. I do 185 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: want to mention another common misconception that most of us have, 186 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:01,360 Speaker 1: which is what ninja's wore on their mission. So you 187 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: know how ninjas are always depicted, you know, in these 188 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 1: all black, skin tight uniforms and the ones with hooded 189 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:11,560 Speaker 1: mask where you can really just see their eyes. Well, 190 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:15,080 Speaker 1: it turns out that the ninjas didn't have standard uniforms 191 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: like that at all, So most of the time they 192 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: were just in normal civilian clothing like anybody else. And 193 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 1: that's because ninjas often had to go deep undercover for 194 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,080 Speaker 1: their missions. So as an example, warlords would frequently hire 195 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,920 Speaker 1: ninjas to infiltrate another organization, and to do so, the 196 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 1: ninjas would disguise themselves, as you know, people like gardeners 197 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 1: or construction workers, you know, just anybody who might blend 198 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: in around a palace and not draw attention to themselves, 199 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 1: which you know makes sense. But how did those ninjas 200 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 1: sneak back to their warlords without blowing their covers? I 201 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:53,320 Speaker 1: found this interesting because they would actually do this by 202 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:57,320 Speaker 1: adopting a different cover, and the most popular choice was 203 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: to dress up like a monk, because monks were actually 204 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: one of the few groups who were allowed to pass 205 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: freely between these various warring states in Japan at the time, 206 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 1: So anytime a ninja needed to report back to a 207 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 1: different province, they just slip on their monk disguise and 208 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: cross over the border. That's fascinating. You know, when I 209 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: was in Tibet and studying about Tibetan culture and stuff, 210 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: Tibet was also one of these very secretive regions, and 211 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:23,720 Speaker 1: the only way spies would come through and sort of 212 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,200 Speaker 1: catalog what was there was dressed as monks, and they 213 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:30,440 Speaker 1: would use their rosaries to count steps, so they knew 214 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 1: like the steps to various places, you know, and and 215 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 1: that's how they count distances and stuff. And it's pretty fascinating. 216 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,640 Speaker 1: That the monk disguises such a great disguise. But you know, 217 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: it is a shame to me that these ninja's didn't 218 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: put on like their black cloaks and just sneak back 219 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 1: in the middle of the night. You know, if Tristan 220 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: had done his homework, he probably would be dressed up 221 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: as a monk today instead. And I will say, I mean, 222 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: I want the ninja uniform to be true as much 223 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: as you do, but it does seem like history is 224 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: not on our side with this one. But that being said, 225 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 1: ninjas did go on plenty of these one night missions, 226 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,600 Speaker 1: and when they did, what they were was not all 227 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:08,319 Speaker 1: that dissimilar from what we like to imagine. I mean, 228 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: there are a couple of key differences. First was that 229 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:14,360 Speaker 1: those real stealth ninja outfits were not skin tight. I mean, 230 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: the ninjas had to perform all these acrobatics to get 231 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 1: in and out of these buildings without being seen, so 232 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: it was better to have clothing that breathed a little 233 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: bit and would allow for a good degree of movement. 234 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:29,080 Speaker 1: And then second, black wouldn't have been their color of choice, 235 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:31,440 Speaker 1: not only because it would have been difficult to achieve 236 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:34,520 Speaker 1: because of the dyes that were available at the time, 237 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: but black also tends to reflect moonlight, which would definitely 238 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: be a no no on these night missions. So instead, 239 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,440 Speaker 1: historians believe Ninja's were dark brown or navy blue clothes 240 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 1: when they were doing these late night scouting missions. I 241 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:51,720 Speaker 1: like that they were both fashionable and practical too. You Know, 242 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: one thing I've been thinking about is that people usually 243 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,320 Speaker 1: think of Ninja's and samurai as polar opposites, and to 244 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:01,199 Speaker 1: a certain extent, that makes sense. Like Samurai had really 245 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: bold personalities, they were pretty renowned for their toughness and 246 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 1: their bravado. Plus they dressed really, really colorfully. And meanwhile, 247 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 1: Ninjas were secretive and mostly out for themselves. They practiced 248 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: deception and stealth, then avoided combat whenever possible. You know, 249 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: the demeanor and tactics of the two groups couldn't have 250 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: been more far apart. But at the same time, that 251 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 1: disparity actually turned off a lot of Japanese citizens. They 252 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: were used to the explicit bravery and the undying loyalty 253 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 1: of the samurai. I mean, that was their measure of 254 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: a warrior, not this like stealthy, underhanded stuff that Ninja's 255 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,720 Speaker 1: were doing. So did people not think much of ninjas 256 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 1: at the time, not at first, apparently, like they eventually 257 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 1: came around over time, samurais and warlords both kind of 258 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 1: realized the value of these covert operations and that it 259 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:54,200 Speaker 1: was useful for winning battles or whatever. But you know, 260 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:57,000 Speaker 1: it wasn't uncommon to see ninjas and samurai on the 261 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:00,600 Speaker 1: same side of the battlefield, and some people can practice 262 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: both professions, like you have a samurai by day and 263 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: ninja by night, which just feels like a great business card. Well, 264 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 1: and even though what they wore was drastically different, Samurai 265 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: ninjas did use some of the same equipment, didn't they. 266 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,080 Speaker 1: Like I read somewhere that they both used that same 267 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 1: kind of sword, like the katana, I think, right, that's right. 268 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: So the main difference was that samurai wore the swords 269 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:25,640 Speaker 1: on the hips, while ninja's carried them on their backs, 270 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:28,000 Speaker 1: which obviously seems like the way to go for someone 271 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: who's always like climbing on walls and jumping across rooftops. 272 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: And you know, the katana was a part of some 273 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:37,160 Speaker 1: ninja missions, but mostly they preferred to carry shorter and 274 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: less conspicuous blades. Actually, I kind of want to stick 275 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 1: with this subject and talk a little bit more about 276 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: some of the lesser known gear that Ninja carried around 277 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:47,040 Speaker 1: with them. But before we do that, let's take a 278 00:14:47,120 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: quick break. You're listening to Part Time Genius and we're 279 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: talking about the surprising truths behind the Ninja legend. Alright, Mango, So, 280 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 1: I know one thing we were both scared to find 281 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 1: out this week, I mean really scared to find out 282 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: is whether or not Ninja's actually used throwing stars. I 283 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 1: know we talked about this as we were prepping for 284 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 1: the episode, and I feel like I've been mentally preparing 285 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 1: all week in case you decided to ruin my life 286 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: by telling me that Ninja's didn't use throwing stars. Well 287 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 1: I've got good news, because yes, Ninja's absolutely used throwing stars. 288 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: They you know, those pointed stars were used to seeing 289 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 1: We're part of a broader class of weapon called shuriken, 290 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: and it's a term that covers any kind of throwing weapon, 291 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 1: including stars, or flat knives, darts, wooden sticks, or actually 292 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: even coins. Wait, did you say coins, like like people 293 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 1: could just take coins out and throw them at their enemies. Well, 294 00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: I mean it sounds like they did this and you know, 295 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:02,040 Speaker 1: this is actually where reality maybe differs a little bit 296 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 1: from the fictional ninjas, because real ninjas didn't really use 297 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: these like an offensive weapon all that often, so instead 298 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: they would take these shur akens. Is kind of a 299 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 1: distraction or delaying tactics. So let's say you've got a 300 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: ninja that's hiding in the shadows and a nearby guard 301 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: was getting a little too close, so he might be 302 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,400 Speaker 1: able to throw a coin or a knife in the 303 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 1: opposite direction and get the guard to follow that sound. 304 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 1: So yeah, of course, if a ninja was discovered, then 305 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: these could also be used more defensively. You know. For example, 306 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: if a guard charged toward them, ninjas could buy some 307 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 1: time by forcing their enemies to dodge or block a 308 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: bunch of projectiles, and those few seconds could be just 309 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 1: what the ninja needed to either amount a stronger attack, 310 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:48,960 Speaker 1: or in most cases, you know, plot an escape route. 311 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 1: That's interesting and I think I like that explanation even 312 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: better than just throwing fistful of coins at someone. But yeah, 313 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: I am curious, like why would they bother with something 314 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,760 Speaker 1: as unwieldy as a throwing star if the intention is 315 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:04,800 Speaker 1: just distraction? Right, Like, like I mean the other stuff 316 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: you mentioned makes sense, But throwing stars have a ton 317 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 1: of sharp points. They kind of feel like a liability, 318 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:12,639 Speaker 1: Like if I was reaching into my pocket, I'd be 319 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 1: worried I'd be cutting my finger every time I reached 320 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,679 Speaker 1: for one. And that's why you're not an engine. But 321 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:19,440 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I can tell you that these 322 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:22,639 Speaker 1: throwing stars were considered actually a little bit easier to 323 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 1: throw than some of the other shure it can like, 324 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 1: you know, the flat throwing knives, And that's because the 325 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:32,440 Speaker 1: stars have these multiple points that spin when they're in flight, 326 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:35,160 Speaker 1: and it actually makes it a little bit easier to 327 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:38,119 Speaker 1: aim these things and throw these things. And plus it 328 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: likely didn't hurt that a bunch of spinning blades makes 329 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,399 Speaker 1: for a pretty menacing site when it's coming right at you. Yeah, 330 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: that makes sense, you know. I I know, we wanted 331 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 1: to talk about some of the weirder skills and gadgets 332 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: that Ninja's had at the disposal, but really quickly I 333 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: did want to mention a few other blades that Ninja's 334 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:57,399 Speaker 1: put to good use. So first up, there's the Kusara gama, 335 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 1: which was the small sickle with the chain on the 336 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,240 Speaker 1: end of the handle. And this was especially helpful for 337 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 1: ninja's who were undercover because this is actually a farming tool, 338 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:08,880 Speaker 1: so if a ninja was caught with one, he could 339 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,000 Speaker 1: just claim to be a gardener. And then the other blades, 340 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 1: like I wanted to talk about, where the kunai, and 341 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 1: these are little daggers which were borrowed from another sort 342 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,160 Speaker 1: of harmless trade masonry in this case, and they were 343 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: shaped like trowels, only a little bit sharper, and the 344 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 1: ninja used this for scaling walls rather than fighting, like 345 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 1: they would infiltrate a castle by pulling out their kunai 346 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,720 Speaker 1: and then climbing way up the wall by digging holes 347 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 1: into the plaster as they went. That's pretty neat, And 348 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 1: you know, it was really surprising when we found out 349 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: just like all of the unusual or unique things that 350 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:44,560 Speaker 1: they would find to be able to use as tools 351 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:47,160 Speaker 1: and their utility bill But I know we both found 352 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: a lot of stuff that ninja's relied on that that 353 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,720 Speaker 1: honestly feels even stranger than that. And there's one I 354 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:55,679 Speaker 1: definitely want to talk about, and it's a particularly helpful 355 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:59,440 Speaker 1: ninja skill, and it's the ability to tell time from 356 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,880 Speaker 1: looking to a cat's eyes. Now something I would never do, 357 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:06,639 Speaker 1: but I respect this skill and this is a real thing. 358 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: I'm not making this up. It's called nikom jutsu, and 359 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:12,720 Speaker 1: it's based on the fact that cats have these especially 360 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:16,840 Speaker 1: sensitive eyes, including these pupils that can drastically change in 361 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: size throughout the day and response to changing light. And 362 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 1: so Ninja's would spend a lot of time apparently staring 363 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,679 Speaker 1: into cat's eyes because they were able to determine the 364 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 1: time of day down to the exact hour just by 365 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:34,159 Speaker 1: looking at these cats pupils. So weird, Yeah, I know, 366 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:35,960 Speaker 1: it really is. It is. And you know, for all 367 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 1: of our more cat inclined listeners out there that want 368 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:41,160 Speaker 1: to give this a shot and report back, you should 369 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 1: know that a cat's pupils start out super round in 370 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 1: the early morning, and then they begin to narrow to 371 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: like more of an oval shape as the sun climbs 372 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 1: higher in the sky. And then the pupils reach their 373 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: narrowest at noon, when they basically look like those thin 374 00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: straight lines we sometimes picture as cat eyes, and they 375 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: gradually start to widen as the afternoon goes on. And 376 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,640 Speaker 1: so if you really want to get precise about this, 377 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:09,399 Speaker 1: you can search online for cat's eyes sun dial and 378 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 1: become a nakoma jutsu master yourself. That's funny. So you 379 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: can actually like look at a cat print advertisement until 380 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,359 Speaker 1: exactly when it was shot by looking at the That's crazy. 381 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: You know. I feel like telling the time by your 382 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,120 Speaker 1: cat's eyes is somehow both the dorky ist and kind 383 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 1: of the most impressive thing I've heard about ninjas today, 384 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,440 Speaker 1: I think so. So this next skill doesn't involve seeing 385 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,440 Speaker 1: like a cat. It is more about moving like one. 386 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: It's called taihn jitsu, and it's basically the art of 387 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 1: quieting your movements because obviously ninjas have to sneak around 388 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:45,399 Speaker 1: a lot, and that's kind of a big part of 389 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 1: the job. So they grew adept at all kinds of 390 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 1: noise canceling practices, like absorbing their falls or rebounding off 391 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 1: something quietly, or just softening their footsteps by walking on 392 00:20:56,800 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: the out soles of the feet and keeping their knees 393 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 1: bent as they did. You know, ninja's had become such 394 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: masters a quiet movement that it really freaked out war lords, 395 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:10,520 Speaker 1: and warlords started building houses with these floors that were 396 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,719 Speaker 1: prone to squeaking, just so a ninja couldn't sneak up 397 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,639 Speaker 1: on them. And that wasn't all either, Like some warlords 398 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:19,400 Speaker 1: hired these bodyguards to watch them sleep every night and 399 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: even demanded that all members of the household where baggy 400 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 1: clothes so that they would drag along the floor and 401 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:29,680 Speaker 1: just make noise wherever they went. Yeah, you know, these 402 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 1: guys sound pretty paranoid for a bunch of warlords. It's 403 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:34,959 Speaker 1: it's a little strange, but you know, I actually came 404 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,160 Speaker 1: across another technique that Ninja's used to mask their movements, 405 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 1: and this one's pretty ingenious if you ask me so. Apparently, 406 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:44,680 Speaker 1: when Ninja's needed to travel silently through a forest or 407 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: make their way through an enemy camp, they would actually 408 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 1: bring along with them a small box or jar of 409 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: live crickets, and so the noise from the chirping crickets 410 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: would help cover the sound of the ninja's footsteps and 411 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,760 Speaker 1: prevent their location from being given away by any stray 412 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:04,800 Speaker 1: sounds like snapping twigs or crunchy snow. But ninjas couldn't 413 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 1: afford the deal with uncooperative crickets, so they actually used 414 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:12,440 Speaker 1: these special chemical mixtures that would either entice the crickets 415 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,320 Speaker 1: to chirp or compel them to stay silent, depending on 416 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 1: what the situation called for. That's pretty amazing, you know. 417 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:21,719 Speaker 1: I was gonna say insects and birds usually go quiet 418 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:24,080 Speaker 1: when they sense the predator is near, So I'd imagine 419 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: crickets wouldn't always feel like chirping when they're strapped to 420 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,879 Speaker 1: a ninja. So it is interesting that they've got a 421 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: way to make them churp. Yeah, it's true, and it's 422 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,960 Speaker 1: actually another good reason why ninja's carried these crickets, because 423 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,200 Speaker 1: if you think about if all the animals in an 424 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:42,360 Speaker 1: area suddenly went quiet, that might tip off the guards 425 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: that there would be a ninja nearby. And so if 426 00:22:45,359 --> 00:22:47,639 Speaker 1: the ninja has a bunch of these drug induced chirping 427 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:50,240 Speaker 1: crickets at his side, the noise could actually keep the 428 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: other animals from blowing his cover drugged up crickets. It's crazy. 429 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,800 Speaker 1: It is amazing how resourceful these ninjas were, like that 430 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: they just saw these cricket and realized they could make 431 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 1: use of them. That's amazing. Yeah, yeah, it really is. 432 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:07,719 Speaker 1: And you know, speaking of being resourceful, you know, ninjas 433 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:11,200 Speaker 1: use different powders to to blind their opponents. I feel 434 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,160 Speaker 1: like you've seen a little bit of this and things 435 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: like movies. But I read their containers of choice for 436 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 1: this were hollowed out eggshells, which was something I had 437 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 1: not seen before. So apparently they would poke a needle 438 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,080 Speaker 1: in a chicken egg and then drain out the contents 439 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: of that egg through the hole, and then they would 440 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:31,040 Speaker 1: refill it with some sort of blinding agent. And this 441 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 1: could be anything from sand or salt to iron filings 442 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,879 Speaker 1: or pepper powder, I mean pretty much anything guaranteed to 443 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 1: bring some tears and irritate the respiratory system. So in 444 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 1: a fight, ninjas would smash the trick eggs into their 445 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:49,399 Speaker 1: opponent's eyes, incapacitating them and giving the ninja a chance 446 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 1: to plan his next move. That is so weird. So 447 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 1: my cousins and I used to fill eggs with sand 448 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:57,120 Speaker 1: like that as a kid and then just drop them 449 00:23:57,119 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: off the first story of my grandma's house as kind 450 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:03,480 Speaker 1: of spy bombs, and I had no idea that it 451 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:06,440 Speaker 1: was actually a ninja technique we were using. Also, take 452 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:08,920 Speaker 1: that back what I said earlier, Maybe you were actually 453 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:11,399 Speaker 1: a ninja. You know what you're doing? You know this 454 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:15,240 Speaker 1: sounds so much weirder, but can you imagine how thrown 455 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: off you'd be if like you were in the middle 456 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 1: of a fight and the ninja just pulled out a 457 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 1: chicken egg and then try to jam in your face 458 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:27,040 Speaker 1: like confused. You know, I didn't come across any examples 459 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:29,920 Speaker 1: of odd ninja food fights, unfortunately, but I did find 460 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: a few cases where they used food is a way 461 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: to pass along secret information. So one example of this 462 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 1: is something called goshiki my and it roughly translates to 463 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,639 Speaker 1: five colored rice. The ninjas would take a bunch of 464 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,479 Speaker 1: grains of rice and they'd paint them five different colors 465 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: like red, blue, yellow, black, and purple. And then whenever 466 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 1: ninja had something to report while undercover, he could just 467 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:52,199 Speaker 1: like go to the side of the road or some 468 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 1: out of the way place and scatter a bunch of 469 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 1: grains for other ninja's from the same clan to find. 470 00:24:58,200 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 1: So I guess this was based on some sort of 471 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:02,719 Speaker 1: code system that they all knew or what was this? 472 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 1: Definitely so, the number of grains they dropped and the 473 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 1: different color combinations all had their own specific meanings, and 474 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:11,680 Speaker 1: none of it would mean much to an enemy or 475 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,240 Speaker 1: even a random passers by, But a ninja with the 476 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:16,640 Speaker 1: no how would be able to you know, read over 477 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,320 Speaker 1: a hundred different codes using this method. Also, just as 478 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:23,400 Speaker 1: a side note, it was safe for birds. Uh. Supposedly 479 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: the paint would tip them off that the rice wasn't 480 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 1: grain or seeds, and they'd steer clear of it on 481 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,959 Speaker 1: their own. But what's really wild is that goshiki may 482 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 1: wasn't even the only kind of food code that ninja's used. 483 00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 1: According to a text from this eighteenth century Japanese writer, 484 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: ninjas also sent pieces of fish to communicate an important date, 485 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: like if an undercover ninja hit upon like the perfect 486 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 1: day for reinforcements to storm a castle, for example, he 487 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: could send his clan some fish, and the size of 488 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,480 Speaker 1: the fish and the number of pieces indicated the month 489 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,440 Speaker 1: and the day he had in mind. Yeah, it's stunning, 490 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 1: you know. The way the fish was prepared it also mattered. 491 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 1: So if it was dried fish, that meant you were 492 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,639 Speaker 1: planning to commit arson. Salted fish meant that you had 493 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,320 Speaker 1: some sort of treachery in the works. But it wasn't 494 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: just rice and fish. According to Apples Obscure, ninjas also 495 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:15,080 Speaker 1: used sweet cakes to call for reinforcements and bread rules 496 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,160 Speaker 1: to call for forces to attack the enemy from the rear. 497 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:21,280 Speaker 1: They also had a rice cake code, which meant, I guess, 498 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,280 Speaker 1: a request for provisions. I kind of want to do 499 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 1: something like this, but like just indicating what time a 500 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:32,119 Speaker 1: meeting will start, like rather than sending around, you know, electronically, 501 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:36,399 Speaker 1: we're gonna send each other like some fish or maybe 502 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,679 Speaker 1: some of those like granola bars and depending on you know, 503 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: whether they're unwrapped. I don't know, I need to code. 504 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 1: I'll keep you guys posted, And that's going to be 505 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 1: how we indicate what time meetings start. But one of 506 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 1: the things I'm curious about is how ninja's went mainstream 507 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: and and really take a look at how their legacy 508 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,399 Speaker 1: is holding up today. But before we get to that, 509 00:26:56,440 --> 00:27:14,399 Speaker 1: let's take one more quick break. Okay, Well, so today 510 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 1: we know that ninjas have become pretty iconic figures of 511 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 1: pop culture. They show up in video games, comics, cartoons, 512 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:24,439 Speaker 1: this pretty much an entire genre of action films devoted 513 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:27,119 Speaker 1: to them. But of course it wasn't always like this, 514 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 1: And actually it wasn't until the nineteen sixties that ninja's 515 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,160 Speaker 1: really made their splash in the Western world. Roughly three 516 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 1: d years after the heyday of real life ninja's So 517 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 1: what happened in the sixties, Well, as weird as it sounds, 518 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:46,440 Speaker 1: James Bond happened. So more specifically, the movie You Only 519 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:49,440 Speaker 1: Lived Twice happened. And when the movie version debuted in 520 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,879 Speaker 1: nineteen six seven, it featured Bond on a mission in 521 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: Japan where he was supposed to be trained as a 522 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:59,400 Speaker 1: ninja by this Japanese secret agent named Tiger Tanaka. And 523 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:01,840 Speaker 1: for many in the West, this was the first exposure 524 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,119 Speaker 1: to ninja culture, or at least what passed for it 525 00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 1: in the movies. And I'm guessing probably not the most 526 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:11,199 Speaker 1: accurate portrayal though, right No. In fact, just listened to 527 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 1: his quote from the British travel writer and historian named 528 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,399 Speaker 1: John Man, this is what he wrote. Quote. The Bond 529 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,280 Speaker 1: movie popularized the idea of ninja among people who are 530 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,639 Speaker 1: not interested in martial arts. It's quite strange, really, the 531 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 1: idea of the ninja spread, but in the film they're 532 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: not represented as ninja at all, more as commandos. Nevertheless, 533 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:31,560 Speaker 1: that's what made the term popular in the West. I 534 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 1: blame James Bond, you know, actually I just pulled up 535 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: the IMDb page for You Only Live twice and this 536 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 1: is super interesting. But it actually looks like we can 537 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: also blame Roll Doll because he apparently wrote the screenplay 538 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: for this movie. That is really weird. I feel like 539 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 1: I've read Roll Doll's entire catalog and I had no 540 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:52,560 Speaker 1: idea that he worked on a James Bond movie. Yeah, 541 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 1: like this, this is what it says, and he's strayed 542 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:58,120 Speaker 1: pretty far from the source material with the whole ninja plot. 543 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 1: But that's not even the strangest thing on IMDb. Apparently, 544 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 1: while scouting locations in Japan, the movie's entire chief production 545 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 1: team actually narrowly escaped death and this was all thanks 546 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:12,960 Speaker 1: to a bunch of ninja's. So apparently the team was 547 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:17,160 Speaker 1: invited to this last minute Ninja demonstration and they missed 548 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:20,120 Speaker 1: their flight as a result, but the plane that they 549 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 1: would have been on it actually wound up crashing and 550 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: killing everybody on board. That is really horrible. It also 551 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: feels like I got miss Lender. I thought the Ninjas 552 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 1: like swooped into Save Today and said they just had 553 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 1: the performance that everybody happen. That's what they did. They 554 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 1: just had to put on a show. But you know, 555 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: in terms of accuracy. The portrayals only got less connected 556 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:44,240 Speaker 1: to reality as ninjas became more and more popular. So 557 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: by the time the nineteen eighties rolled around, ninjas really 558 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 1: had some ented themselves as these characters and children's programming, yeah, 559 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:54,440 Speaker 1: right up there with like cowboys and spacemen and of 560 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:58,480 Speaker 1: course pirates. So ninja characters started popping up in G I. 561 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:01,920 Speaker 1: Joe like in their Toil one. I actually vividly remember this, 562 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 1: and Batman's Origin even got a rewrite to include a 563 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 1: stint where he underwent ninja training before he you know, 564 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: pulled it all together. And there was actually this full 565 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 1: blown ninja craze all through the eighties and well into 566 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 1: the nineties, right in the prime of our childhood. And 567 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: that's only in the last decade or so that that 568 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,800 Speaker 1: ninja fever has cooled a bit, and now they mostly 569 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:29,280 Speaker 1: show up in places like anime series and internet culture, 570 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:32,680 Speaker 1: and they're really usually more portrayed in a playful light, 571 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 1: I guess, But it feels like they don't get as 572 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,440 Speaker 1: much respect as you would think they had, given how 573 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:41,120 Speaker 1: impressive their history is. And I guess that's probably the 574 00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:43,960 Speaker 1: cost of ninja's having kept so much of their practice 575 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: a secret. Yeah, I mean, that sounds right to me. 576 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:48,520 Speaker 1: But the good news is that the Ninja's in the 577 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: past probably wouldn't be too bothered by that. I mean, 578 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,600 Speaker 1: I'm not saying they'd appreciate the implication that a bunch 579 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:57,280 Speaker 1: of teenage mutant turtles could do their job, but Ninja's 580 00:30:57,400 --> 00:30:59,800 Speaker 1: did go along with plenty of far fetched legends in 581 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 1: their day, and they'd probably consider it a far worse 582 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:05,280 Speaker 1: tragedy if we'd figured out everything about them and sort 583 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: of ruined their mystery. That's a good point. I'm curious, though, 584 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 1: are there any real Ninja's left in the world. Like, 585 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:14,760 Speaker 1: I know, there's the whole Ninjatsu martial arts community, but 586 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 1: it sounds like that's kind of its own thing, doesn't 587 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:20,000 Speaker 1: really have much basis in tradition. But are there, you know, 588 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 1: any of the old clans still around? Yes? And no. 589 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 1: So there are actually two men who could reasonably claim 590 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:29,080 Speaker 1: the title of Japan's last ninja because they're both leaders 591 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:32,720 Speaker 1: of surviving ninja clans, uh the Bond Clan and the 592 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 1: Toga Kura Clan. The head of the Bond Clan is 593 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 1: this guy named Junichi Kawa Kami, and he's pushing seventy 594 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:44,680 Speaker 1: but still teaches ninjasu classes and also runs a ninja museum. 595 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 1: And the other Ninja master is Masaki Hasumi, and he's 596 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:51,959 Speaker 1: about a decade older than the other guy, and he 597 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:54,959 Speaker 1: was actually the martial arts advisor on that Bond film. 598 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 1: Today's semi retired, but he still teaches ninja history part 599 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:01,520 Speaker 1: time at the Japanese University. Alright, so these guys are 600 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: like the real deal, like they actually know the techniques 601 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:07,880 Speaker 1: handed down from that golden age of ninja's way back 602 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:10,960 Speaker 1: in the sixteenth century. I mean, that's definitely the claim. 603 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,480 Speaker 1: But both men come from families with strong ninja heritage, 604 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:17,680 Speaker 1: They have a lot of history, and once they became masters, 605 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 1: they were supposedly granted access to these secret scrolls and 606 00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:24,160 Speaker 1: tools of their respective clans dating back as far as 607 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:27,600 Speaker 1: five years. Of course, no one else has seen or 608 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,360 Speaker 1: likely will see those artifacts, so it is hard to 609 00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:34,440 Speaker 1: verify their authenticity or even their contents. I mean, it 610 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:37,800 Speaker 1: feels like someone will eventually see this stuff, right, Like, 611 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 1: I assume these guys have been busy training successors so 612 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:43,280 Speaker 1: the clans, you know, they won't die out completely once 613 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 1: they're gone, at least you'd hope not. That's what I 614 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:49,000 Speaker 1: thought as well, But it turns out that both men 615 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:52,600 Speaker 1: are in agreement that neither will appoint anyone to take 616 00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 1: over for them as Ninja grand masters. This is what 617 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: Mr Kawakami explained in an interview a few years back. Quote. 618 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:02,760 Speaker 1: In the age of civil wars, ninja's abilities to spine 619 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,760 Speaker 1: and kill or mixed medicine may have been useful, but 620 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: we now have guns, the internet, and much better medicines, 621 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:11,400 Speaker 1: so the art of ninjatsu has no place in the 622 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: modern age. We can't try out murder or poisons. Even 623 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:18,000 Speaker 1: if we can follow the instructions to make a poison, 624 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: we can't try it out. You know, I was really 625 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:23,880 Speaker 1: feeling for the guy who rides until the part where 626 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:26,960 Speaker 1: he limited not being able to try out murder. I 627 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:28,760 Speaker 1: think that's I think that's where I lost it. It 628 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 1: is frustrating for true ninjas. But you know, this is 629 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:36,120 Speaker 1: the quote from Mr Hutsumi when he was asked about 630 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:37,920 Speaker 1: his decision to not select an air. This is what 631 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,320 Speaker 1: he told reporters. Quote, my students will continue to practice 632 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:43,600 Speaker 1: some of the techniques that were used by ninja's, but 633 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:46,560 Speaker 1: a person must be destined to succeed the Klan and 634 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:50,240 Speaker 1: there is no such person. Well, that is a definitive answer, 635 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:52,960 Speaker 1: if nothing else, I guess, but it's still still kind 636 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:55,040 Speaker 1: of a sad one. I think. Yeah, I think you're 637 00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 1: ultimately right that ninjas would appreciate that their mystique is 638 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 1: still intact after all these years. But I just hope that, 639 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 1: along with all the cartoon ninja's and the cheesy Chuck 640 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:08,120 Speaker 1: Nars films, that we still find ways to remember the 641 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:10,920 Speaker 1: real thing. I mean, there was a time when ninja's 642 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,080 Speaker 1: were a very bizarre but very real force in the world, 643 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:17,160 Speaker 1: and it'd be ashamed to forget that completely. Well, I 644 00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:18,960 Speaker 1: think between the two of us, we've probably got some 645 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 1: unforgettable ninja facts for the fact off, so let's just 646 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:35,200 Speaker 1: dive in. And two thousand, Tim Bloomberg News reported that 647 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:38,919 Speaker 1: security agents at a Japanese airport made Steve Jobs throw 648 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:42,800 Speaker 1: away his ninja stars before he boarded his private plane. 649 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:45,720 Speaker 1: I guess he had picked up these objects and wanted 650 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:48,520 Speaker 1: to bring them home with them. They're really beautiful things, 651 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:51,279 Speaker 1: and of course he was doubly irritated when he had 652 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 1: to leave them, because the logic was that he might 653 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:58,360 Speaker 1: use the throwing stars to hijack his own plane, and 654 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:01,720 Speaker 1: so Apple later downplay it and even refuted the incident, 655 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 1: but Bloomberg stuck with their story. I like this idea 656 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 1: of like Steve John's being uh ninja fanboy amazing. You know, 657 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:15,239 Speaker 1: apparently ninja's aren't just land based creatures. There's also a 658 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:18,680 Speaker 1: ninja of the sea, the ninja lantern shark, and apparently 659 00:35:18,719 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 1: most lantern sharks who dwell deep in the sea glow 660 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:26,080 Speaker 1: from their bellies, but this newly discovered ninja shark doesn't. 661 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 1: They're totally black, and they do have this a faint 662 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:32,080 Speaker 1: blue glow that emerges from their heads. But you don't 663 00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:34,480 Speaker 1: have to be too scared of them. Mental Flaws says, 664 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:37,920 Speaker 1: they're only really the size of a ferret. But the 665 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:40,560 Speaker 1: best part in the Ninja shark to me is how 666 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: it got its name. So the lead scientists on the study, 667 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:46,560 Speaker 1: Vicky Vasquez, let her four kids, who were aged eight 668 00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:49,960 Speaker 1: to fourteen, decide on the name, and what they lobbied 669 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 1: for was the super ninja, but she dialed it back 670 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:57,600 Speaker 1: to just plane ninja. Also, I know it's so cute, 671 00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:01,839 Speaker 1: but the sharks Latin name is e bench Lady, which 672 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:04,400 Speaker 1: is a tribute to Peter Benchley, the author of John's 673 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,280 Speaker 1: that's pretty cool. And even if they are the size 674 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:09,680 Speaker 1: of ferrets, I'm pretty sure I'd still be scared if 675 00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:12,080 Speaker 1: I saw something that was called a ninja shark. I mean, 676 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,879 Speaker 1: I'm scared of ferrets, right, That's that's a good point too. 677 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: I didn't think about that all right. Well, if you're 678 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:20,080 Speaker 1: headed to Tokyo this year, you can visit the newly 679 00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:23,520 Speaker 1: open Ninja Museum, which is the brainchild of the Japan 680 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:27,000 Speaker 1: Ninja Council. So this is this group of scholars and 681 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:31,360 Speaker 1: townships that have banded together to increase enthusiasm for ninja's 682 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:34,200 Speaker 1: around the world. But here's what's fascinating to me. It's 683 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:37,440 Speaker 1: that the Ninja Council is very focused on shedding light 684 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:41,600 Speaker 1: on how well rounded these ninjas were. So according to Smithsonian, 685 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:45,080 Speaker 1: the Ninja Council notes that quote ninja's often did their 686 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:49,600 Speaker 1: work not by executing insane flips and perching on rooftops, 687 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 1: but by making friends and working their social connections. The 688 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:59,440 Speaker 1: art of the ninja includes things like social skills, conversation techniques, mnemonics, food, astronomy, 689 00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:01,960 Speaker 1: and weather or so I mean Honestly, it kind of 690 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:05,000 Speaker 1: feels like they're trying to make ninjas so much less interesting. 691 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:08,279 Speaker 1: It also feels like they're opening up the definition of 692 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 1: ninja to anyone. Like like like food, you could be 693 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,560 Speaker 1: a ninja. Exacting about the weather, you could be a ninja. 694 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:17,080 Speaker 1: You're a ninja. So, speaking of ninja, did you know 695 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:20,160 Speaker 1: that four thousand women have been actively training to become 696 00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:23,680 Speaker 1: ninja in Iran for over twenty years now. There's this 697 00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:27,239 Speaker 1: club that has over twenty four thousand members supposedly, and 698 00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:30,680 Speaker 1: the women practice everything from backflips, two weapons training to 699 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:34,200 Speaker 1: trying to blend into the landscape. Of course, as the 700 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:36,320 Speaker 1: group's leaders stay it's vetting the women who are interested 701 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:38,719 Speaker 1: in the program is a top priority. This is what 702 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:41,120 Speaker 1: he says, quote, I must be very sure that my 703 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:43,680 Speaker 1: students will not use the techniques of ninja su to 704 00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:47,240 Speaker 1: hurt anyone or sneak into someone else's house. All right, Well, 705 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:49,560 Speaker 1: here's one that I honestly think it's going to be 706 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:52,160 Speaker 1: hard to top. I've been saving this one for very 707 00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:57,320 Speaker 1: last According to the site Consequence of Sound in Axl, 708 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,800 Speaker 1: Rose was late to a Guns and Roses concert and 709 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:03,399 Speaker 1: Ampa because he was watching the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja 710 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 1: Turtles too secret of the ooze, so he refused to 711 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:10,359 Speaker 1: go on stage until the movie was finished. And when 712 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 1: the management at the venue kept pleading why he wouldn't 713 00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:16,560 Speaker 1: go on here's what his manager said, Axel's attention is 714 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,960 Speaker 1: on the movie right now and he should not be bothered. 715 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:24,600 Speaker 1: That is incredible. You know, I had been trying to 716 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:28,080 Speaker 1: find a good mutant Ninja turtle fact, but I I didn't. 717 00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:30,319 Speaker 1: But the fact that you brought Axel roses in the 718 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 1: next two and I feel like you earned the trophy. 719 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:35,920 Speaker 1: That's it for today's Part Time Genius. If you've got 720 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:38,160 Speaker 1: a great ninja factory missed, be sure to share it 721 00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:41,280 Speaker 1: to our Facebook or Twitter. And from gave Tristan Willie 722 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:44,879 Speaker 1: me thank you so much for listening. Hey Mango, look 723 00:38:44,960 --> 00:39:00,840 Speaker 1: Tristan's gone. Thanks again for listening. Part Time Genius is 724 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:03,120 Speaker 1: a production of how stuff works and wouldn't be possible 725 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:05,759 Speaker 1: without several brilliant people who do the important things we 726 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:09,239 Speaker 1: couldn't even begin to understand. Christa McNeil does the editing thing. 727 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:11,440 Speaker 1: Noel Brown made the theme song and does the MIXI 728 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:14,880 Speaker 1: mixy sound thing. Jerry Rowland does the exact producer thing 729 00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:17,440 Speaker 1: gay Blues. Yer is our lead researcher, with support from 730 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:20,560 Speaker 1: the Research Army including Austin Thompson, Nolan Brown and Lucas 731 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:22,880 Speaker 1: Adams and Eve. Jeff Cook gets the show to your ears. 732 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:24,920 Speaker 1: Good job, Eves. If you like what you heard, we 733 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:27,080 Speaker 1: hope you'll subscribe, And if you really really like what 734 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:29,200 Speaker 1: you've heard, maybe you could leave a good review for us. 735 00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:31,520 Speaker 1: Do we do we forget Jason? Jason who