Kunoichi (Japanese: くノ
Although kunoichi have appeared in numerous creative works, including novels, TV-dramas, movies, and manga, Mie University historians have concluded that there are no historical records of female ninja performing reconnaissance and subversive activities in the same manner as their male counterparts. However, the late 17th century ninja handbook Bansenshukai describes a technique called kunoichi-no-jutsu (くノ
Etymology
editThe term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the Japanese kanji character for "woman" (
- "く" is a hiragana character pronounced "ku"
- "ノ" is a katakana character pronounced "no"
- "
一 " is a kanji character pronounced "ichi" (and meaning "one").
The word "kunoichi" was not used frequently in the Edo period. This is probably because in this era, the kanji letter "
History of use
editRecent research by Mie University historians Yūji Yamada, Katsuya Yoshimaru, and others indicates that there are no historical records of the existence of female ninja who conducted reconnaissance and subversive activities in the same manner as their male counterparts.[1][2] According to Yoshimaru, kunoichi came to mean "female ninja" in the creative works largely due to the influence of Futaro Yamada's Ninpōchō series.[1] During the Edo period, kunoichi was used as a cant term to refer to a woman and had no meaning for a female ninja. However, the term has very few examples of usage, most likely because the writing style at the time was not composed of the three strokes attributed to kunoichi.[1]
The eighth volume of the ninja handbook Bansenshukai written in 1676 describes Kunoichi-no-jutsu (くノ
Another early mention of kunoichi exists in the poem compilation Enshūsenkuzuke by Waki Enshū from 1680, and was used to refer to Sei Shōnagon, a female poet.[1]
Iga FC Kunoichi, a women's football club which is based in the city of Iga, takes its name from the term.
See also
edit- Onna-musha, female warriors in feudal Japan
- Umemura Sawano, an alleged 16th–17th century female ninja
- Mochizuki Chiyome, an alleged 16th-century female ninja in the service of Takeda Shingen.[3]
- Hatsume no Tsubone, a legendary female ninja
- Tsunade, a fictional female ninja from the folktale Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ninja no tanjō. Katsuya Yoshimaru, Yūji Yamada,
吉丸 雄哉 ,山田 雄司 (Shohan ed.). 2017. pp. 168–170, 184. ISBN 978-4-585-22151-7. OCLC 982054805.{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b Yamada, Yuji (2016). Ninja no Rekishi
忍者 の歴史 . Kadokawa Gakugei Shuppan角川 学芸 出版 .序章 「忍者 とは何 か」. - ^ a b c d Seiko Fujita, From Ninjutsu to Spy Warfare (
忍術 からスパイ戦 へ). Higashi Shisha, 1942. pp 83.