WHO'S WHO OF PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS                

* (asterisk) denotes historical personage.

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*Abe family Family of daimyō originating in Mikawa but settled in Oshi since 1639. The Old Man describes them as being rich in gold and grain with a strategically located castle which controlled the road. If they could get the castle they could control the country. He thought they were fools and could easily be persuaded except that the chief retainer, Tadaoka, could be a problem and so was the key to their success.  (Black Ninja)

Abe Castle Seat of the Abe family in Musashi province (Saitama Prefecture), which controlled a strategic road and is 200 miles from Owari. (Black Ninja)

Agreement Document which the Old Man had created calling for the resignation of the shogun. It was to be signed by as many domain lords as possible. Hakuunsai and Gensai collected most of the signatures by  using either persuasion, blackmail, or standover tactics. The names on it included the Lord of Owari (Owari Dainagon Munechika), the Lord of Kawagoe, the Lord Ōgaki, the Lord of Komoro, the Lord of Kishiwada, the Lord of Takatsuki and the Lord of Sakura. It would be presented to the shogun on 20th of the month, at Nikkō shrine when all the lords gathered to pray for the shogun. It would force him to resign so the Old Man could be ruler in his stead. Shintarō finally obtained the agreement and confronted the Old Man with it, saying he was doing this to keep the peace in the country, not to protect the shogun or the lords. The Old Man finally admitted that the plot was all his and no one else was involved and that he would not do it again. Shintarō took the agreement and threw it into a river, where it floated a moment then sank. Tonbei said, " The secret agreement for which many suffered and died will never be seen again."   (Black Ninja)

Aizu city now called Aizu-Wakamatsu in Fukushima prefecture. The castle was considered the strongest in northeast Honshu. It was ruled by the Hoshina family from 1644 to 1868 and was famous for its support of the shogun during the wars of the Restoration. They did not surrender until the town was razed to the ground. The people long had a reputation for high-spiritedness and a warlike nature. This was the place Tonosuke and Kotsuru came from. (Spy Swordsman)

Akanabe Hitonashi One of the seven Phantom Ninja, his speciality was water. He and Hagenbō were sent to lay a trap for Tonbei and the Iga ninja who were next in the "book of death". First they attacked Jūrōji, Seizaburō and Ninzō, three Iga ninja sent to the Phantom valley to see if the Phantom ninja had returned or were still in Edo. These they took prisoner and held in a temple. Kongō, disguised as Aoi, went to that temple to make it seem as if Aoi was in cahoots with the Phantom ninja to further the ploy of drawing out Tonbei and the Iga into an ambush. His skills were next used to take the kidnapped Sakura no Tsubone through the underwater tunnel connecting the lake in Edo Castle with the moat and back to the House of Night. He watched as Shūsaku guided Shintarō to the House of Night and managed to escape with Samunba during the fight when Shintarō rescued Sakura and Densai was apparently killed. He also used his water skills to get into the House of Night to retrieve the map of Lord Rokkaku's house. There he allowed himself to be captured so he could more readily access the hiding place where the map was. Unfortunately Shintarō arrived and demanded he hand over what he took. In the ensuing fight in which they both leaped at each other, he was badly wounded by Shintarō who took the map and Hitonashi fell into the stream. He then staged an attack on Rokkaku's house to divert Shintarō's suspicions that Rokkaku was the Lord of Night but died of his wounds in the process b ut not before he told Shintarō that Rokkaku's name was in the "book of death'.. Shintarō was not entirely convinced as it made no sense to a ninja to make an open attack like that when he could have waited until a better time. Samunba watched this and swore revenge for him. (Phantom Ninja)

Akaushi A Japanese guard at the Shibuchari River gold mine who, together with Kuma, another guard tried to extort a valuable necklace from Kurara, an Ainu woman in return for rice which they had poisoned. Shintarō wanted the mine's head of security, Kudō, to hand him over so the matter could be settled without a fight between the Matsumae clan and the Ainu. Kiba agreed and tried to find Akaushi who was concealed by the other workers. Akaushi escaped but was later captured by the Ainu. (Spy Swordsman)

Akemi Young daughter of the rōnin, Tendō Sawanosuke. Her mother had been killed by a government spy. She accompanied her father on his travels but was always instructed to close her eyes and cover her ears before he engaged in any fights. He didn't want her to see her kill anyone. Everything he did, he did for her, she was the only reason he kept going. She accidentally knocked over a bottle of sake, splashing it on some of Hidaya's henchmen who threatened her and demanded an exorbitant price in recompense for the loss. Tendō refused to pay or to get down on his knees to apologise so a fight ensued in which a number lost their lives until one seized Akemi. Tendō could do nothing if his daughter was threatened. Shintarō was able, later, to use Tendō's love for his daughter to persuade him to give up the sword and help the Ainu. (Spy Swordsman)

Akiba Shrine Dedicated to the Fire God and renowned for its Fire Festival, it is located on Mt. Akiba. Genkurō was not sure if Sadanobu and his party had disguised themselves as pilgrims heading along the Akiba Road to the Akiba Shrine or if the disguised pilgrims were decoys while the real Sadanobu went along the Tōkaidō. Gensai suggested splitting up so both groups could be followed. He followed the pilgrims along the Akiba Road and attacked them but found they were the genuine article. A second group of pilgrims then appeared who were Iga ninja in disguise Genkurō and two of his men followed the palanquin along the Tōkaidō, disguised as travellers, then resumed ninja guise and attacked it with spears under a bridge and found it to be empty. . (Iga Ninjas)

Akikusa, Shintarō (Ōse Kōichi) Elder half brother to the shogun, Ienari, his mother was a concubine and presumably his father was Hitotsubashi Harunari. At one point, he claimed never to have known either his mother or his father. His real name was Matsudaira Nobuchiyo. In his infancy he was entrusted to the Abbot Donkai of the Sainenji Temple (a temple of the Pure Land or Jōdo Sect of Buddhism which was built by Hattori Hanzō whose grave lies in its grounds. The temple is located in Yotsuya, then a town near Edo, and now a part of Tokyo. Hanzō was a famous Iga ninja who worked for the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu, and set up his spy network. A gate of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, the former Edo Castle, bears his name). When Shintarō was nine, he began training and became a master of the secrets of the Yagyū Shin Kage-ryū style of swordsmanship. Renouncing any claims to power he chooses to protect his younger brother's position as the latter is still in his minority, in the guise of a wandering swordsman, often working for Councillor Matsudaira Sadanobu.

We first see him on an assignment to investigate the resources of Matsumae fief in Ezo (Hokkaido) in 1792 with the possibility of the shogunate removing the current lord.. In the next story, he had to foil a group of 13 Kōga ninja who were after a treasure buried by Takeda Shingen in the 16th century in Kai province. During this adventure he took charge of a young orphan, Baba Shūsaku, who accompanied him on later adventures. In the third story, set in May 1788 he prevented a group of 10 Iga ninja from killing Lord Matsudaira Sadanobu and was joined for this adventure by Tonbei the Mist who was sent with his own Iga ninja to protect him by Mochizuki Sakon, the leader of the Iga ninja society who was killed by Genkurō. Interestingly, Sadanobu addressed him, not as Shintarō, but as Prince Nobuchiyo. He then had to defeat Gensai the Wolf and his Black Ninja who were involved with the retired Lord of Owari in gaining signatures  of various domain lords on an agreement which would be used to bring down the shogun.. Shintarō's next encounter was with the fiendish Fūma ninja and their quest for the lost Hōjō treasure. Here he met a wily and very dangerous adversary in Fūma Kotarō - both men respected each other's abilities and skills. Having defeated the Fūma and killed Kotarō at long last, his next assignment was to preserve the new Lord of Kii from the troubles surrounding his succession, which had been exacerbated by a plot to stir up the rival Kishū and Negoro ninja groups against each other. No wonder several times he considered entering a monastery, sickened by the slaughter and futility of it all  It was all go and no sooner had he defeated the Negoro ninja, he foiled a plot to bring about Sadanobu's downfall which involved the assassination of key figures in the shogunate including Tonbei, his friend. Behind this plot was the Lord Rokkaku and a "super-ninja" in the form the highly skilled and deadly Kongō of Kōga. Having sorted out this problem, he then encountered the Puppet Ninja and their master Genshin.in Kyushu who were engaged in a plot to bring down the shogunate, working through a local lord.  He also ran into Kongō who pursued him like a cat with a mouse. Finally, in 1790, after a series of encounters with ninja of different schools sent against him by Kongō, he went out in a boat with the master ninja, knowing he would probably not return, for one final deciding duel, leaving Tonbei and Shūsaku on the shore. He was not seen again.

In his earlier adventures (Koga Ninjas and Iga Ninjas as well as Spy Swordsman) he quite often displayed a mischievous nature and a warped sense of humour. Several times he casually told an acquaintance he could be killed that night as though it was a joke. Another time he teased the guards at a barrier gate by not showing his pass and generally lead them a merry dance. In Spy Swordsman he aided and abetted a brother and sister get revenge on the murderer of their father, even stealing an incriminating sword for them. Later (Black Ninja) he would, instead, read them a lecture on not seeking revenge as it was a Bad Thing.

He often made a great deal of effort to save ninja (usually from themselves). If they were women he tried to turn them, persuade them to live a "normal" life. This didn't work so well as those who did try to turn over a new leaf (with one exception) were invariably killed. The exception was Oboro and she became a nun.  If they were wounded men, he would offer to get a doctor, only to be rebuffed as it was not the ninja way, they'd rather be dead. They'd then commit suicide to prove it. He had even less luck with master ninja, some tried to persuade him to join him, others tried to kill him, none of them listened to him when he told them they could not bring back the past by recreating the civil war period. Most of them respected him as an enemy. He was a straightforward person and never understood Kongō whose corkscrew mentality was beyond him but then it is doubtful anyone understood Kongō, not even Kongō himself. Shintarō believed in paying his debts, however. Kongō had warned him about Tarōbō and then saved him from that worthy by throwing him a sword, he also rescued Tonbei for him. So he in turn took his place when the renegade ninja came to call, giving as his reason, "I owe him a favour".

He had a strong sense of fair play, a kindliness to the weak or those in trouble noblesse oblige or bushi no nasake and of the value of human life and the worth of the individual. He was open, approachable and trustworthy, not cursed with the quick temper and arrogance of many samurai. He was possessed of sensitivity and feeling and was capable of profound thought. At times he had some radical ideas for his time, such as not seeking vengeance for the murder of one's father. Sometimes he was too trusting and was deceived but at other times showed himself a shrewd judge of character. An expert swordsman he was pretty unbeatable and by the end of the series could was almost a weapon of mass destruction as far as ninja were concerned. The intelligent ones like Kongō and Tarōbō realised this and admitted that for any ninja to go up against him was to commit suicide. At one point, all the killing he had to do sickened him and he considered entering a monastery. He even refused to guard Sadanobu on his journey to Kyoto in 1788, preferring to laze about on the riverbank with a fishing rod.

Akizuki, Mondo Lord residing in his clan's Edo mansion at the time of the 1790 Edo fires. He was not best pleased when his retainer Motome tried to persuade him he ought to go to Edo Castle to express his condolences over the fires as all the other lords were doing it. He thought a visit was a bit extreme for only one building burnt down in the castle. He agreed in the end though muttered that he wished the whole castle had burnt down as Sadanobu would really have been in trouble.. He also received a ninja circular dropped from the ceiling where he had seen a face (of Oki Senzō) reflected in his teacup. This stated that Tokugawas Ieyasu had used ninja to conquer the country in times past and become shogun. Ninja were useful for those who wanted power and wouldn't he like to employ Senzō's services? Senzō the appeared and told him that he knew he wanted to succeed the previous rōjū, Tanuma Okitsugu, who was disgraced. When it was found he had connections with Tanuma, the post went to Sadanobu instead. He said he could make his ambitions come true by removing Sadanobu and seeing that Akizuki was installed. Akizuki dismissed this as madness. On the way to Edo Castle, his litter kept going round in circles and then stopped. He found his attendants unconscious and Senzō there in a temple's grounds with a demonstration of what ninja could do. He had two low ranked ninja fight as demonstration of their obedience. When Akizuki still hesitated., he told him to return at midnight where he would see Sadanobu's most important man killed. Tonbei found him skulking around the temple after Shintarō killed Senzō but he ran away. Shintarō said  not to worry they could trace him by his crest. (Congest of Death)

Akkeshi Alternate port for reaching Kunashiri Island. In order to discover if Shintarō went, that way Kiba and Onibishi visited Saki's village and asked them if they remembered Shintarō. When the villagers became overjoyed and started making arrangements to welcome Shintarō they realised that he had not come that way. (Spy Swordsman)

Akutagawa, Tanzō  Iga ninja who did not believe Genkurō would dare mount an attack on a large caravan such as Sadanobu's. He was later killed by Genkurō along with Iwamuro Daisuke and Tarao Shirobei when they fell into Genkurō's trap and followed him to what they believed was his secret hiding place in a temple near Miya.  (Iga Ninjas)

Annaka Old castle town west of Takasaki the place where, Nagisa claimed, Shintarō killed her father. Shintarō said he fought no ninja there. (Contest of Death)

Antoku Convent Near Odawara where Koshinjo was abbess and where Shūsaku was sent from time to time by Shintarō to keep him out of danger. It was also where Oboro became a nun and where she took the badly wounded Kongō after finding him by the river. (Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued, Contest of Death)

Aoi, Sakunosuke: Retainer of Matsudaira Sadanobu impersonated by Kongō of Kōga in order to hire the seven Phantom Ninja. The real Aoi appeared to have no knowledge of them nor why they were hired when they presented themselves at Matsudaira's mansion in Edo It turned out that Aoi had died three months before and all that time Kongō had assumed his place. (Phantom Ninja)

Aoyama, Daizennosuke One of three lords summoned to Sadanobu's mansion at night to discuss his impending trip to Kyoto in May 1788. (Iga Ninjas)

Araida Police official at Kushiro who was was bribed by Daikokuya to turn a blind eye at incoming Russian ships bearing guns. He warned Daikokuya that Kiba was coming in search of a government spy. Later he identified Shintarō as a government spy when he was accused of Daikokuya's murder.. (Spy Swordsman)

Archery Contest Held every year at Kiritap with a prize of 10 gold coins to the winner. Replaced in 1792 by a gun contest in order to draw out the government spy, Shintarō. (Spy Swordsman)

Asama, Mt. Active volcano on the border of Nagano and Gunma Prefectures, not far from Oiwake. There was a terrible eruption in 1783 and since then there have been a number of minor eruptions. It looked so close to Tonbei it seemed he could touch it when viewed from the inn in Oiwake they were staying in. He saw smoke signals on the mountainside and believed they had a duty to find whoever was responsible. It was also the location of the Yakeishi Shrine where Yuri was said to be held captive and from where Shintarō rescued her (actually Nagisa) (Black Ninja, Contest of Death)

Aya, Princess, daughter of Lord Okubo, lived in Odawara Castle. She would do anything to help her ailing father. She listened when Oboro, disguised as her maid, told her to go at midnight to the Sōunji temple to pray at the grave of Hōjō Ujinao whose ghost was supposed to be haunting her father. Later, when Oboro was captured, she freed her in return for the curse on her father being lifted. (Fuma Ninjas)

Ayano Fūma ninja who claimed to be Namiji daughter of Sakon, deceased chief samurai of a certain clan whose lord had been very ill and whose chief retainer in Edo plotted to take over. She claimed to have been sent by her father to work as a maid in the clan's mansion in Edo to gather evidence but she was discovered and men sent after her to kill her when she returned to her homeland. She was attacked by four men near the Komagino barrier who wanted to kill her. She had to return with her information or the chief retainer would take over. This was why she had to go through the barrier to Ōtsuki . She begged Shintarō to help her after Shintarō discouraged Tonbei from wanting to go with her around the barrier as it was breaking the law. He arranged to meet up with Tonbei and Shūsaku at Saruhashi Village. (Shintarō in "Do as I say, not as I do" mode). On the way she claimed to have sprained her ankle so Shintarō carried her. She left a message for the Fūma in the roadway. They were ambushed by two Fūma in the forest and "Namiji" revealed she was really a Fūma ninja, one of the best, Ayano, as she pressed a knife to his throat, and said that the map of the Water Castle he left with Tonbei would have been stolen by her men by this time. Shintarō told her Tonbei didn't have the real map and challenged them to search him. In the confusion he threw her off his back, she grabbed the map and he killed the two other Fūma. In the fight with her, she accidentally fell on her sword and he retrieved the map she had taken from him. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

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*Baba Nobukatsu (1514-1575), also called Nobufusa, a general of Takeda Shingen's. His original family name was Tamibe and he was given the surname 'Baba' by Takeda Shingen in 1546. In 1553 he came to the aid of Imagawa Yoshimoto and attacked Hōjō Ujiyasu in Suruga. In 1561 he served Shingen in his attack on Uesugi Kenshin and defended him at Kawanakajima. In 1562 on Shingen's orders, he constructed Makinojima Castle and garrisoned it with 150 horsemen. In 1568 he attacked Hōjō Ujikuni in Suruga and the following year defeated the forces of Hōjō Ujiyasu with a small force. In 1570 he reconstructed Tanaka Castle in Suruga and garrisoned it. Two years later he fought Tokugawa Ieyasu in Ōmi and in 1573 he defeated a large army of Oda Nobunaga's. The fall of Iwamura Castle in Mino brought him great fame as a warrior. The same year he tried to dissuade Takeda Katsuyori, Shingen's son, from his reckless campaign but Katsuyori was encouraged by his close retainers. In 1574 Nobukatsu attacked Mino and was victorious, then he crushed the armies of Ieyasu and Nobunaga. In 1575 Katsuyori attacked Nagashino Castle in Mikawa. Ieyasu and Nobunaga came to its aid while Nobukatsu aided Katsuyori. There was hard fighting but Nobunaga and Ieyasu's army were using the latest weaponry - muskets - and the Takeda forces suffered a grave defeat. Nobukatsu was killed in battle aged 62. Ancestor of Baba Shūsaku. ( Koga Ninjas)

Baba, Shūsaku (Ōmori Shunsuke) Eight years old in 1788, the son of Baba Nobukatsu, a descendant of Baba Nobufusa, a famous general of the Takeda clan, particularly of Takeda Shingen. Nobukatsu was kidnapped by Kōga ninja to work in their secret goldmine. Shūsaku went to Edo to see Donkai at the Sainenji temple as instructed by his father if ever he went missing. He brought with him a pouch his father gave him which had an old map in it. He merely wished to tell Donkai his father was missing as he intended to return to the mountains to look for him himself as he regarded himself as a man not a child. Shintarō rescued him from being killed by Saden, a Kōga ninja who had stolen the pouch along with the secret records of both the Iga and Kōga ninja which were kept at the temple. Despite being told by Shintarō to stay at the temple until he returned, he persisted in following him, saying he could be useful as he could climb trees and knew the mountains. Shintarō tried to send him back to the temple but he went to help a girl he thought he had accidentally hit with a stone which he threw in a fit of pique with Shintarō. This was Sayo and he said he'd follow her father and this led to him rescuing Seibei. Shintarō decided to take him with him to find his father and Shūsaku was overjoyed. At the end of The  Koga Ninjas he was reunited with his family. Somewhat later, he was told by his dying father to go to Edo to find Shintarō and give him a letter asking him to take care of Shūsaku and raise him to be a samurai. He wanted to be part of Shintarō and Tonbei's adventures and be treated as a grown up and not a child, reminding them that he had guided Shintarō to Kōshū and helped him fight ninja. He didn't like being treated as a baby. However, Tonbei would trick him to keep him out of trouble such as asking him for water and while he was busy with that, disappearing. Ironically, Shūsaku did succeed not only in following him but rescuing him when he found him tied up under the floor of the Dark Temple. (Black Ninja) In later stories Shintarō and Tonbei attempted to educate him between adventures, as befitted the son and descendant of samurai. He was very close to Shintarō and on at least one occasion had a bad dream when Shintarō was wounded by the Fūma ninja. He had another one when Tonbei was attacked by Fūma ninja by the Sagami River and lost his charm. Shintarō tried to reassure him saying that Tonbei was probably near Hodogaya by then.   He was brave and determined, facing down some Fūma ninja who tried to get the wrapping on which Sakuzaemon had written his message and when he found out Sōshūya had been killed, he ran to Odawara to warn Shintarō.  He told Koshinjo that he thought being carried felt like being with a mother and added Shintarō was like his father and Tonbei his brother and that Tonbei was teaching him to be a ninja. He was often sent to the Antoku Convent in Odawara to be looked after by Koshinjo  for his own protection when things looked really dangerous such as when Shintarō and Tonbei were back in Odawara expecting a big battle with the Fūma ninja. He missed them greatly and practised hiragana by writing their names over and over. He had never been in a palanquin before and was very excited to ride in one to be taken to Odawara castle and wanted the journey to last as long as possible. Shame the palanquin was part of a Musai's trick to take him hostage to be exchanged for Oboro.

He could be a cheeky so-and-so, teasing Toinbei about his weaknesses and even rescued him quite a lot in Black Ninjas. He certainly didn't lack for courage, facing down some rather terrifying ninja and tricking them. In Phantom Ninjas he came to Edo from Odawara and seemed at a loose end. The heat didn't help - he fell asleep over his books a time or too. Otherwise he chased insects or badgered Shintarō and Tonbei to let him go swimming. There he found the body of the real  Gensuke who had been impersonated by Yamizato. Naturally shocked he ran to the bank where his escape was cut off by Chidori. He was brave when captured by the Phantom ninja and Hagenbō praised him, saying his courage was worthy of a ninja. This was a ploy to keep Shintarō and Tonbei in the Sainenji as the Phantom threatened to kill him if they left. However, it seemed in this story that he started to turn from  the resourceful, brave little chap he'd been to a still brave but rather obnoxious somewhat wimpy brat. What had been cute when he was 8 or 9 was not when he was 10 or 11. He seemed to faint a bit too often and seemed less stoic in accepting shocks whether physical or psychological. This trend became more pronounced in the rwo last stories, where he only appeared at the beginning of each. In Contest of Death he was so full of his own self-importance in helping with the refugees from the fires at the temple, he was really quite rude to one of Tonbei's Iga ninja colleagues who came to ask where Tonbei was. One expected Shintarō to reprimand him for speaking to an adult with a civil question like that but he didn't.

When last seen he was at Antoku Convent. He helped Oboro pick flowers for the graves and she reminde dhim how surprised he'd been to see her there. She told him not to call her a ninja as she was simply a nun. He helped her carry the wounded Kongō back to the convent and later listened to the master ninja's feverish warning about Tarōbō when no one else paid much attention. He ran to find and warn Shintarō and Tonbei. He stood with Koshinjo, Tonbei and Oboro on the shore farewelling Shintarō as he was rowed out to sea by Kongō. Shintarō had left instructions that he be raised in the convent and that he should treat Koshinjo as a second mother.(Koga Ninjas, Black Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued, Ninja Terror, Phantom Ninjas, Puppet Ninjas, Contest of Death)

Ban, Tōnai Chubby Iga ninja who was one of Tonbei's group assigned to protect Sadanobu on his trip to Kyoto. He tried to stop Sannosuke going to Edo to check up on Okayo's story, pointing out that they were supposed to be guarding Sadanobu not Shintarō. Sannosuke ignored him,  saying that he felt duty bound to try to protect Shintarō as he was the one who had saved his life. He later reported this to Tonbei. He and Kanroku were the only ones of the original ten to survive at Ōtsu, the last stop before Kyoto. He and Kanroku impersonated two Wolf Ninja and were able to discover Genkurō's plans, except that he knew they were impostors all along. The Wolf Ninja attacked them and they prepared to die but Genkurō told them not to be in such a hurry as if he succeeded in killing Sadanobu the ninja glory days would come again. If they worked for him he would give them land to rule over and positions of power. They said they were no traitors and they were killed. Hayato impersonated Ban and found out that Sadanobu was hidden in the inn's warehouse (Tonbei's loose talk) .(Iga Ninjas)

Birch Branch Shintarō found one in a stream and Shūsaku said that was because the monkeys were fighting as they tore out branches of the silver birch. Shintarō pointed out it had a message on it: "I am at Tarō's hut. Please help me." ( Koga Ninjas)

Bitchū, Lord The person for whom the 13 Kōga master ninja were guarding the hidden goldmine on Kobushigatake. ( Koga Ninjas)

Bizen, Lord One of three lords summoned to a late night meeting with Sadanobu where he explained his secret reason for going to Kyoto (Iga Ninjas)

Bizen Osafune A town where wordsmiths were very prolific. A short sword from there was given to Tonosuke and Kotsuru's father by the lord of Aizu and stolen by Nagaoka. This was the proof they needed that Nagaoka and Yokochi were the same. Shintarō stole that short sword from Nagaoka and gave it to the siblings. (Spy Swordsman)

Black Mansion House in Owari where the Old Man and his entourage lived (Black Ninja)

Black Mountain In Shiranui fief where the Puppet Ninja were based. Maya and her companion claimed that since they came to Black Mountain, there had been a reign of terror. Genshin was referred to as the Lord of Black Mountain and people prostrated themselves when his palanquin passed as if he were a real lord. (Puppet Ninja)

Black Ninja Group of 13 Kōga ninja used by the Old Man in his plot to involve domain lords in an agreement to overthrow the shogun. They reported to Gensai the Wolf who in turn reported to the Old Man. A number of them were called Musuke which seemed designed to give the impression they were all the same apparently immortal man. They carried out a series of raids, initially, on corrupt merchants "liberating" their fortunes and generally making the shogunate and the police look like a right lot of plonkers. They also killed shogunate spies and left notes identifying them as such. These were all signed by "the Black Ninja" as if it were just one deathless man responsible. They did not reveal the names of other Black ninja, though they might give their own name. (Black Ninja)

Black Ninja (aka Yami Hōshi, Musuke the Weasel). Kōga ninja who was one of the 13 ninja working for the Old Man. He carried out a series of raids on wealthy rice merchants in Edo who had made their fortunes through selling rice on the black market during the time of Tanuma Okitsugu, Matsudaira Sadanobu's corrupt predecessor. At each place, he posted a notice saying "The Black Ninja has come" while the Edo police ran around like headless chooks. The townsfolk thought he made both the police and the shogun look like complete fools. The gold he stole from these merchants he claimed would go where it rightfully belonged so to the ordinary people he was a hero. His actions were seen by Sadanobu as an attempt to discredit the shogun. He killed the samurai spy, Ōtsuki Gorōta, while Shintarō was distracted by Gensai, in Hakone but was in turn killed in a duel with Shintarō (Black Ninja)

Black Ninja Password "The moon" (said by Gondayū) and counter-password "The clouds" (said by Gensai) in the Dark Temple. (Black Ninja)

Black Shadow. A Negoro ninja said to have no name. No one had seen his face, either. What he did have was a light, creepy voice. He could disappear and reappear at will. He was considered so highly skilled by Garyūdōshi that he conceded he was better than he was even though he was the leader. He told Naitō that the Black Shadow could despatch the remaining five Kishū ninja when Naitō objected to Garyūdōshi's plan of having the Kishū ninja killed off one by one in duels. The Black Shadow appeared at that point, in the usual ninja costume but wearing a cloth full face mask, and disagreed, warning them that it was Shintarō they should worry about, not the five Kishū as they could be disposed of any time. He pointed out that he had disguised himself and waylaid Shintarō  and discovered that using ordinary methods would not work against him. However, he was confident he could kill him. To that end, he disguised himself as an old woman, apparently injured by one of Genichirō's shuriken during a practice session near a beach. Tonbei took this old woman back to their quarters where he had a doctor attend her. During the night, the Black Shadow got into the ceiling, extinguished the lantern and fought Shintarō, his sword sparking in the dark. Genichirō struck flint to relight the lantern and the Black Shadow disappeared outside where Tonbei witnessed him resume his  disguise as the old woman in an alley. After a brief fight, the Black Shadow got Tonbei in a stranglehold and rendered him unconscious. He told Genichirō who was watching to tell Shintarō that if he wanted Tonbei alive he should go to the Negoro house. This was a trap as a trapdoor opened under Shintarō as he approached the trussed up Tonbei, dropping him into a sort of oubliette which immediately began to fill with oil. The Shadow appeared waving a torch and saying he was going to burn Shintarō. He was prevented by Garyūdōshi who wanted to use Shintarō and Tonbei as bait to draw out the other Kishū ninja. He had a room in the Negoro house with bells on ropes attacked to cords at strategic points around the grounds so he would know not only if someone was trying to sneak in but from which direction. He was killed by Tonbei. (Ninja Terror)

Blinding Snow Trick One of Chidori's specialities. It involved throwing masses of paper snowflakes at the enemy. These adhered to the eyes and caused temporary blindness. (Phantom Ninja)

Blood-thirsty Sword Tonbei described Jingo's sword this way because it was just a killing implement whereas Shintarō's was used to bring justice. (Ninja Terror)

Bonji, Tarōmaru (aka the Deathless One) One of the 13 master Kōga ninja. He claimed he could not be killed. His usual trick was to shed his outer garments which the enemy struck instead of him. He pretended to be killed by Kurobei so the latter could win Shintarō's trust. He praised Kurobei's skill in getting close to Shintarō and winning his trust at a rendezvous in the woods when Kurobei was supposed to be scouting the road ahead of Shintarō and Shūsaku. Later he attacked Shintarō after Kurobei had given him poison. Shintarō, who was only feigning collapse, managed to kill him despite Tarōmaru's having thrown blinding powder in his eyes. He was unable to see and Shūsaku had to guide him. ( Koga Ninjas)

Bungo Province in Kyushu where one of eight groups of Iga ninja were sent to investigate reports of smuggling (Puppet Ninja)

Buzen Province in Kyushu where one of eight groups of Iga ninja were sent to investigate reports of smuggling (Puppet Ninja)

Byakuro Genki One of the best Fūma ninja and one of the 10 Fūma masters. Disguised as a rōnin with Tonbei's face, he waylaid some Hachiōji police returning from fire-watching duties on  Nikkō Mountain. He killed all but one "for no reason", this last he allowed to escape and report the attack and the attacker's appearance. So Tonbei was arrested. This was a ploy to keep Shintarō and Tonbei in Hachiōji until Fūma Kotarō's wound had completely healed. Later, Genki impersonated Tonbei and came to Shintarō saying he had been cleared of the crime as the guards had captured a Fūma ninja and the matter was sorted. Shintarō was suspicious as he told Tonbei not to break out of gaol. He commented that Tonbei was in gaol because he had the map (whereas Shintarō had had it all along). Genki agreed thus confirming Shintarō's suspicion he was not the real Tonbei. He said nothing but caught him later when he returned to the gaol to go through Tonbei's things looking for the map. Shintarō had the real Tonbei brought out and he and Genki fought. Tonbei killed Genki and later remarked he felt odd a if he'd killed himself. When he died, Genki's face reverted to his own. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

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Chanuwatte hut A hut where an old Ainu (actually Tome in disguise) claimed to have seen Shintarō. This was a ruse to lure Kiba into a trap so Goromatsu could kill him. (Spy Swordsman)

Chibu River Sakon told Shinigami in his guise as Yotoji that Yorikata, Shintarō and Tonbei were going to a boathouse on the Chibu River. In actuality they were going to take the Chibu River to Ichihara. As they approached the confluence with the Yoshino River, Tonbei disturbed a staff floating in the water which set off a series of explosions, forcing them ashore where they were attacked by Shinigami and a team of Negoro. After apparently killing off Shinigami and driving away the other surviving Negoro ninja (with the help of the three remaining Kishū ninja), they resumed their journey down the river. (Ninja Terror)

Chichibu Mountains Tonbei identified them on the Wind Fort map but sawdust from the ceiling alerted him and Shintarō to the fact someone was spying on them and they said no more (Fuma Ninjas Continued

Chidori One of the seven Phantom ninja, she had two specialities, her blinding snow trick and her echo butterfly technique. She used her blinding trick on the Iga ninja when the Phantom ninja went to Sadanobu's mansion at the start and at intervals thereafter. She used the echo butterfly trick to spy on Shintarō and Tonbei in the Sainenji and to make sure they did not leave. However, Shintarō wrote a note to Tonbei telling him to destroy the butterfly which he did. The problem with the butterflies was that they were unseasonal and this led Shintarō to suspect one earlier on which he followed and found her trying to capture Shūsaku by Kappa Lake. On the other hand the fact they were out of season made them attractive to Sakura no Tsubone and she had her maid, Sanae, chase it, thus facilitating her capture. She was quite affected by the deaths of Hagenbō, Minbu, Hitonashi and Yamizato and looked nostalgically back on the time they trained together in Phantom Valley. It was she who ran for a doctor to help Hagenbō and insisted he come out despite the hour and the distance he would have to travel. In the attempted gaol-break from Denmachō  her role was to use the men to break in via the rear-gate. She was the one who witnessed Kongō's arrest in his guise as a murderous ronin. Afterwards, when all three contemplated their failure, she suggested that she and Densai kill Shintarō because he had not defeated her blinding snow trick or Densai's shadow-step. Kongō told her that they should fulfil their task set by the Lord of Night and that another  ninja was coming, the Spider, who would do that. She then appeared to Chika and told her she had been watching her. She impressed that she had got close to Shintarō  She further informed her that Kongō was pleased with her work and wanted to give the Spider's crest. She led her back to what appeared to be the Phantom ninja's new hideout. She was waiting for Shintarō when he walked into the garden (and the trap) throwing flaming torches into trees, having tied Tonbei to a tree. She informed Shintarō that he was to remain there until the Phantom ninja had completed their tasks or Tonbei would die. She demanded he hand over his swords. Shintarō told her to take them, loosed them from the scabbards so only the scabbards fell at her feet and  tossed one to Tonbei and used the other to fight. She used the blinding snow trick on him but the dying Chika fastened her with her web and she was captured. She was taken to the Iga Mansion and questioned closely. Densai assured Kongō she would not talk and he agreed that would be the case under normal circumstances but she would be dealing with Shintarō and was no match for him on her own. She would have to be killed if she could not be rescued and if Densai would not do it, he would.. She indeed would not talk and mocked and laughed at her captors for trying to make her. Shintarō disguised as a Phantom ninja rescued her so she would lead him (and three Iga ninja following) to the Phantom hideout. Densai intercepted her and unmasked her Phantom ninja companion as Shintarō. He told her to go on while he dealt with him. She was watched  by Tonbei as she entered Lord Rokkaku's mansion. Inside, Kongō berated her for not realising her rescue was a trap and told her she must pay for it. She started to speak but he interrupted saying he was not interested in her excuses but all she wanted was to be able to cut Shintarō just once with her sword. He agreed, saying he would be there soon. She and a group of Kōga ninja set upon Tonbei and Kurome. In the fight, she ended up in a corridor confronted by Kurome. She tried her blinding snow  trick but it had no effect on him. He just continued to stare at her and smiled slightly. He then cut her down, dying she kept looking hard at him. Hearing Shintarō and Tonbei coming, he said to her, "Are you the one who attacked the lord?" and stabbed her to death. He apologised for his temper. Densai saw her death and was heartbroken. He said it would not have been in vain and swore to avenge her.

Unlike most of the other kunoichi in the series, she was a mature woman, not a pretty young thing, with a low voice and a self-confident manner. She was proud of her skills and that not even Shintarō could defeat them.  Like most kunoichi she had to put up with the usual prejudices against women though often turned them around to pour scorn on her enemies. She was also habitually very polite in her speech when addressing people like Sadanobu (formally apologising for taking his time where the others simply left after their abortive interview). She was trained by Densai and he was quite fond of her. She, like the others, was part of a close-knit team and was attached to them. She was more distant with Kongō probably because he was an outsider and was her boss's boss. It looked as if she realised at the end that he was the one who had killed her and that was why he stabbed her before Shintarō and Tonbei could arrive. (Phantom Ninja)

Chika Daughter of Hyōe the Spider, she was a young woman who was a highly trained ninja and well aware of the ninja code especially the particular version the Spider worked under. She and her father had taken a housed five years previously in Edo so the neighbours could identify them as ordinary people. Shintarō sent for her at the request of the old man wounded in a fight between Tonbei and some Kōga ninja, actually her father in disguise. She gave him some medicine and he told her that one day she would inherit the Spider title. She blew sleeping gas from the ceiling  into the room where Shintarō and Tonbei were sleeping while her father crept underneath to find the room. She was foiled because Shintarō put the futon over his face so didn't breathe the gas and stabbed down through the floor where her father was. She witnessed her father's death when he was wounded and refused to surrender and seek medical aid, choosing to kill himself instead as their code required. She was heartbroken and Shintarō and Tonbei left her to her grief.

Later she crept into the Sainenji to kill Shintarō in revenge for her father's death but Shintarō with Shūsaku's help overpowered her. He tried to persuade her to give up being a ninja and live a normal life, tending her father's grave, reminding her of how her father died and that he chose that way because he didn't want her to follows the same path. What really won her over was the fact that Shintarō had made a grave for her father ("Ninja have no graves"). She did indeed cease being a ninja and spent her time taking flowers and water to her father's grave. She became particularly close to Shūsaku. Tonbei did not trust her as he declared she wasn't a normal girl, not human. When Shintarō asked him if that meant he, too, was the son of a demon, he replied that he wasn't because he had associated with Shintarō and Shūsaku and was the most human of the ninja.  However, her fears she would not be able to escape her fate were well founded when she was approached by Chidori  who praised her for getting close to Shintarō, said Kongō pleased with her and took her to what Chika was led to believe was the Phantom ninja's new hideout, a deserted mansion in Kanda where Kongō was to give her the Spider crest. She was told to report to Densai on Shintarō's movements once she had received the crest after a short ceremony (mainly consisting of her sitting before an altar with her fingers locked in kuji-in). She returned to the Sainenji and spoke to Shintarō from outside to tell him the hideout was in the Gingko Mansion in Kanda and that they must never meet again.  She was dismayed at herself. "I have forgotten what it means to be a ninja. I have betrayed them." Densai had seen her treachery and reminded her of the punishment. She replied that she accepted her fate. Densai was impressed with her calmness and called her truly Hyōe's daughter. He taunted her that it wasn't really treachery as she had done as they wanted. Kongō knew of her intentions and made her believe the abandoned mansion was their headquarters so as to set a trap for Shintarō.. Chika then fought Densai and he ran his sword through her. She managed to reach the Gingko Mansion and get into the ceiling from where she trapped Chidori with her web as the latter was using her blinding snow trick on Shintarō. Chidori was captured but Chika died and was buried beside her father. Shintarō, Tonbei and a tearful Shūsaku laid flowers at her grave. (Phantom Ninja)

Chikage see Oyo

Chikugo Province in Kyushu where one of eight groups of Iga ninja were sent to investigate reports of smuggling (Puppet Ninja)

Chikuzen Province in Kyushu where one of eight groups of Iga ninja were sent to investigate reports of smuggling (Puppet Ninja)

Chinese Poison Odourless and tasteless powder used by Puppet ninja Dōhaku to poison Shintarō. However, he didn't swallow the soup in which it was placed so survived the experience. (Puppet Ninja)

Chiyo Daughter of Hiyama and also a ninja. She worked as a maid for Tadaoka as for five years she and her father had been gathering evidence of a plot, pretending they were not related. She told her father to return the letter-case which contained the agreement and other incriminating evidence which he had stolen from Tadaoka. She had overheard Hakuunsai threatening Tadaoka into signing the agreement (and been wounded in the process in the arm, then almost killed by Gensai who was surprised she was a woman as he thought she was the spy samurai. "Well, women die, too") and knew that the Owari name would fade out from the documents leaving just the Oshi name so the Oshi clan would be ruined and the Owari would go scot free. She managed to persuade him to go with her to Tadaoka to return the letter-case and agreed to give up spying, along with her father. They were both reinstated by Tadaoka. (Black Ninja)

Chūzō Fūma ninja set to guard the hut in which Oboro was prisoner. In actuality, Shintarō had taken his place and attempted to rescue her. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Chūsuke the Weasel One-eyed criminal who wad been arrested by Yaichi and now was released. He met up with his two henchmen who brought him sake and a musket. He wanted revenge on Yaichi so rode into Usu alone while his henchmen went to kidnap Soshichi, Yaichi's little son. Chūsuke taunted Yaichi to try to draw him out and threatened him with Soshichi's life. Finally he did emerge and the two faced each other with musket. Shintarō shot Chūsuke with his pistol from the roof of a nearby building so it seemed Yaichi had killed him. (Spy Swordsman)

Contest of Skills Two ninja groups at a time were pitted against each other, the aim being to kill Shintarō As one group was defeated, another would take its place. The winner would be hired by one of the domain lords. Each time a notice would appear which gave the names of the two clans, usually the one just defeated and its successor in the contest. The way the paper on which the notice was written was folded was important, according to Tonbei. If it was folded a certain way, the two ninja groups no matter how bitter enemies they were, would become firm friends (someone should have just written Shintarō's name and Kongō's on one of these things and folded it the right way, job done). However, if it were folded another way, even the closest allies would become enemies and this had been its use in former times. The ninja groups involved were, in order, the Hakusan-ryū, the Kōshū-ryū, the Togakure-ryū, the Hakuun-ryū, the Noto-ryū, the Genmu-ryū, the Ninkō-ryū (together with the Kagerō-ryū), the Kurozumi-ryū, the Muei-ryū, the Yūgasumi-ryū and finally the Kōga-ryū (Kongō himself). In addition one ninja each from the Kizan, the Koyu, the Shinano and the Yashū lead by a Gen ninja, acting in opposition to the contest of skills,. took part in an ambush of Kongō,

This contest had been devised by Kongō not merely as a contest of skill, not even just to kill Shintarō but with a view to save the dwindling number of ninja societies. He would trick the lords who had hired the winning ninja into fighting each other thus initiating another period of civil war so many ninja would be hired. (Contest of Death)

Crows Shūsaku saw a huge flock of them in the sky on Kobushigatake and Shintarō said they gathered near dead things and they were bad luck. ( Koga Ninjas)

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Daikokuya Trader from Kushiro who also dealt in gun smuggling. He took Ichi, a top geisha from Fukagawa, north with him but showed no real interest in her. He was more interested in making money and had her entertain at his inn. He bribed officials to turn a blind eye when Russian or other foreign ships came in to sell him guns, most notably Araida, a policeman. He had a gang led by Mae Jinnai. On discovering from Inakushi that Ichi and Shintarō knew each other in Edo, he concluded that Shintarō was the government spy Kiba was coming to find. He had Ichi make sure Shintarō did not leave the inn. However, he was not able to go further with this as he was shot by Habaro, an Ainu hunter, who had been told by Jinnai to kill him. Shintarō was accused by Jinnai of killing Daikokuya and arrested. Jinnai took over Daikokuya's business. (Spy Swordsman)

Daikokuya Inn where Shintarō and Shūsaku stayed near the Tama River and not far from the Kobotoke Pass. Shūsaku ate very quickly and enjoyed his meal until he remembered his father and that neither of them had eaten such good things and here he was eating them but all alone. The maid was touched by his story and brought him a kimono which belonged to her late son who died when he was about Shūsaku's age. She thought he was a nice little boy and wanted him to have the kimono. Shintarō thanked her and said he had sent Shūsaku to have another bath as his face was so dirty. Just then the lamp flickered and writing appeared on the wall telling Shintarō that if he wanted the boy back he should be at the Tama River at 4 the next morning. The maid checked and found the bath empty. ( Koga Ninjas)

Daisuke see Iwamuro, Daisuke

Danzō One of three Iga ninja who followed Chidori after she escaped from the Iga Mansion aided by a disguised Shintarō. They hoped she would lead them to the Phantom ninja hideout. However, Densai waylaid them and killed them. (Phantom Ninja)

Dark Temple Used as headquarters by the Black Ninja. Gondayū was killed there and a chest was removed from the Sakai mansion and placed there as part of a trap to lure first Tonbei who was attacked by a Black Ninja and tied up under the temple where Shūsaku found and rescued him, then Shintarō who was taken in by the Black Ninja's impersonation of Tonbei. A second Black ninja leaped out of the chest and the pair attacked Shintarō who killed one while the other was subdued by Tonbei who tried to get him to tell him where Hakuunsai was and why the chest had been taken to the temple. The Black ninja committed suicide by biting off his tongue in the prescribed ninja manner. (Black Ninja)

Death Ninja see Shinigami

Death Notice Genkurō left a death notice in Donkai's  temple. Headed "Memorial Service", it listed 10 Iga ninja (Mochizuki Sakon, Tonbei the Mist, Ban Tōnai, Akutagawa Tanzō, Ukai Senzō, Iwamurao Daisuke, Natsumi Kanroku, Tarao Shirōta and Torio Hikorouku)  and was signed "chief mourner Momochi Genkurō". Blood dripped on to Sakon's name. (Iga Ninjas)

Death Walk A ninja trick of turning someone into a sort of zombie where they can walk and talk (to deliver a message) but then collapse dead once their purpose has been served. It was then found they had been dead for some hours. The three Negoro ninja monks used it on Iga ninja Fox-nose Gensai.  (Ninja Terror)

Dejima Island in Nagasaki harbour where the Dutch were confined, the only Europeans allowed to trade with Japan during the Tokugawa period. Kiba identified Shintarō's six-shooter as an unusual gun given to the Tokugawa family the previous year by a Dutch captain. (Spy Swordsman)

Den Old man in a village near Kiritap who volunteered to take charge of Goromatsu an escaped prisoner in return for the price on his head which Shintarō offered. His greed or desire to have all the reward for himself (he was a very poor man) led him to reject help from the other villagers and while he was distracted by them, Goromatsu jumped him and killed him. However, he pretended he was still alive as a bargaining chip. Den had a musket, which Goromatsu took off him, and a granddaughter, Saki. (Spy Swordsman)

Denmachō Largest prison in Edo, originally built in the late 16th century and moved to near Nihonbashi in 1677 where it remained until it was abolished in the 19th century.  It was said to be impossible to escape from even for a ninja, at least without help .It was surrounded by an alarm system with wooden clappers on it which sounded when tripped on.

According to Kongō, it had four moats, the rear gate, known, as Jigokumon (Gate of Hell), was in the north and the main gate was in the south. The buildings covered 3,000 square metres and it was guarded by 78 men and had 46 workers. When Densai said no one had broken into it before and it would be difficult even with their skills, Kongō pointed out that the walls might be strong but they would fall to someone inside. In other words, all that security was designed to keep people in, not people out.

The Lord of Night wanted to bring about Sadanobu's downfall by having the prisoners released to run amok committing crimes and terrorising the good people of Edo. Kongō undertook to carry this out by disguising himself as a rōnin and robbing and killing people. Once in the gaol, he overpowered a guard by bribing him with a gold piece to fetch him a cup of water, then grabbing him  by the arm once he came close to take the money. He then took the keys and opened the cells of the other prisoners but was prevented from doing anything further by the arrival of Shintarō. He escaped after setting fire to the gaol. Presumably he only burnt a part of it as it continued in use until 1875.

It should be noted that gaols in this period were mainly used to hold prisoners awaiting trial or convicted criminals who were awaiting the carrying out of their punishment. (Black Ninja, Phantom Ninja)

Dennai the Bat Fūma ninja and something of a wild card with an attitude. He declared "I do as I like. Even the master's orders won't stop me" and "Killing is my favourite work". He accosted Yuki on the path in his search for the Wind Fort who said she had never heard of it. If she had, he would have killed her to keep its location a secret. Oboro chastised him saying killing such a girl was beneath the Fūma. He also could not promise he would not kill Shūsaku though Oboro asked him to spare him. His task was to find Shintarō and kill him and Tonbei while Kotarō and Oboro searched for the Wind Fort using the stolen map He went to the Guardian's hut to ask if he had seen a wounded samurai and seemed surprised to see Yuki there. They said no. However, he went on the roof and eavesdropped when they brought Shintarō out of his hiding place. He then intercepted Yuki on her way to find Tonbei and Shūsaku and threatened to kill her. His speciality was hanging upside down in a tree and attacking his victims with a batlike screech and appearing in front of them wherever they turned and this he did to Yuki. . He claimed bullets were not fast enough to touch him. However, the Guardian shot him when he and Shintarō arrived but they could not find the body. He followed the Guardian and Shintarō to the Wind Fort and appeared hanging from the ceiling inside the Wind Fort and demanded the Water Castle map which Shintarō had just retrieved.. However, hanging upside down caused him to lose a lot of blood from his wound which weakened him and Shintarō finished him off by throwing his short sword into him.   (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Denpachi or Wolf-Ear Denpachi One of four Iga ninja who met Tonbei and Shintarō when they arrived in Iga country. All four trained with Tonbei under Handayū. Denpachi's skill was sharp hearing. He dug a shallow trench in the graveyard at Tenma Temple in which to lie concealed and there he was killed. (Ninja Terror)

Denzō A pickpocket, operating with his partner, Sanji, along the highway to Takasaki. They contrived to steal the wallet of the leader of three country samurai, or so they seemed. They were in fact three Noto ninja who followed them to the temple where they were congratulating themselves and stole back the wallet, causing them to fight amongst each other. He called himself Denzō the Lightning in a blustering attempt to impress the Noto. The Noto used them to decide which of them would take the challenge of the contest of skills. They had the pickpockets run for their lives. He was killed by Ichirōta when he ran out of breath. He later was found strung up under a signpost on the highway saying he was a notorious thief and had paid for his crimes. (Contest of Death)

Devil-Fire Densai see Onibi Densai

Devil-Mask Dōjin (Kimen Dōjin) Head of the Kurozumi ninja and played by the same actor who played Shinigami.. He was proud of his Devil Mask House and its many traps. He tried some of them out on Kongō as a way of showing off when the latter came to visit him. Kongō was rather impatient of this but treated him with respect, explaining it was time for him to lure Shintarō to the house as they had discussed earlier. He gave him a letter which was a false reply from Sadanobu to a letter in Shintarō's handwriting which Kongō had sent. Dōjin disguised himself as an injured old man in the Wada Pass and when the Iga ninja messenger stopped to help him, swapped the fake letter for the real one. He then captured Tonbei and took him with his men back to the Devil Mask House. He drugged him and pinned him to the wall of the main room. He forced Fujibayashi Kaichi into the spear pit and almost dragged Shintarō over and into it using his weapon of choice, manrikigusari. He was aware that his strength was the house and its traps and wanted to avoid taking on Shintarō outside. However, he felt his hand forced when Shintarō seemed not to be going to return to rescue Tonbei and dawn was approaching. He and his men went out to set fire to the temple Shintarō was using as a base but he must have suspected Shintarō was already in the house and would rescue Tonbei once they had left. He trapped him a room with steel plates behind the walls and set fire to it. He watched until he realised Shintarō had managed to reactivate the secret passage. Once at the temple his men were cut down by Tonbei and Kaichi and he was about to fire the last fire arrow but the weapon was shot from his hands, much to his surprise, allowing Shintarō to kill him with a slash to the forehead. Dying he asked his assailant, "Why? Why did you interfere?" This was Tarōbō, a new player in the game, who wanted to kill Shintarō himself. (Contest of Death)

Devil-Mask House (Kimen Yashiki) House belonging to Devil-Mask Dōjin, head of the Kurozumi ninja. It had a devil-mask above the main gate and in the passages and rooms. It was full of traps such as a trapdoor in a corridor which dropped the unwary into a pit of spears. Both Kongō and Kaichi each separately sensed it and avoided it by jumping to the ceiling but Dōjin broke Kaichi's grip so he fell into it and was badly wounded. Dōjin tried to drag Shintarō by capturing both his arms with manrikigusari and pulling. Kaichi warned Shintarō of the danger and saved his life. One room's walls had steel plates behind them, making escape impossible. Many had been burned in that room as fire emerged from the devil masks on the walls. There was also a secret passage in that room, accessed by turning one of the masks which opened a trapdoor. The passage led to a small temple on a hill behind the house. Whenever someone approached the house, the eyes of the masks would light up. The gates and some of the doors including the secret passage trapdoor would open and close automatically, usually with a creaking sound. Dōjin believed that the only way to defeat Shintarō was inside the house using its traps. Outside he was too dangerous. The many traps in the house were the reason Kongō engaged Dōjin. (Contest of Death)

Dōgan see Onime Dōgan

Dōhaku  see Onibiki Dōhaku

Dōjin see Devil Mask Dōjin

Doki One of Dōgan's pupils. He was disguised as a woodsman when he met Shintarō and Tonbei. Shintarō recognised him as a ninja but Tonbei thought he was just a woodsman. He told them that Dōgan knew why they had come to see him and that he would not help them. When Tonbei told him he was born in Hoijiro, he identified him as an Iga ninja and said that the Iga ninja did not have a very good reputation. He did, however, agree to bring them to see Dōgan and was set to watch them while Dōgan was at the temple. He was the one Dōgan sent to fetch Shintarō back when he wanted to confront him with the murder of Suiki. He and the other three pupils were sent by Dōgan to assist Shintarō in protecting Sadanobu. When Genkurō was killed and Sadanobu safely on his way to Kyoto, he returned with the others to Otogi. (Iga Ninjas)

Donkai  Abbot of Sainenji, a temple of the Pure Land or Jōdo Sect of Buddhism which was built by Hattori Hanzō whose grave lies in its grounds. The temple is located in Yotsuya, then a town near Edo, now a part of Tokyo. Hanzō was a famous Iga ninja who worked for the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu, and set up his spy network. A gate of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, the former Edo Castle, bears his name). Donkai was Shintarō's mentor into whose care he was entrusted as a child. He was very pleased to see that Shintarō was all grown up and had heard that he had become a famous swordsman dedicated to opposing tyranny and wished there were many more like him. Shintarō said that what he was the result of Donkai's teaching. Donkai was also a close friend of Sadanobu.  Mochizuki Sakon reported to him and he ordered him to take 10 good Iga ninja from the 200 and set them to guard Sadanobu on his journey. He wondered that someone of Sakon's skills had not been able to capture the ninja spy alive. He tried to persuade him to protect Sadanobu when he went to Kyoto. (Iga Ninjas)

Dragon Ship Wooden submersible with a round body and a dragon's head rearing up on a long neck. Used by the Fūma ninja to launch attacks, psychological as much as anything as people thought it really was a dragon. The ship also allowed them to travel unseen underwater and they could travel some distance in it such as from Edo to Odawara. It was destroyed when Tonbei placed charges on it before he escaped from it. (Fuma Ninjas)

Dream of Kotarō Shintarō had a very vivid dream while he was recovering from a wound at the Wind Fort Guardian's hut which caused him to talk in his sleep. This consisted of Fūma Kotarō, against a black background, taunting him that the Fūma would find the Wind Fort, then a bruised Tonbei saying he was surrounded by Fūma and then Shūsaku screaming for help. It ended with Kotarō's sinister laughter. It was possible that Kotarō somehow caused this dream. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Dutch Captain Reported to have given an unusual gun (Shintarō's six shooter) to the Tokugawa family. (Spy Swordsman)

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Eagle Pass Sakuzō the Hunter had a hut at the top of this pass. He tried to kill Shintarō while he slept but Shintarō was only feigning sleep and retaliated. Sakuzō, who was really Goroku of Kōga, a Black Ninja in disguise, ran outside and assumed the guise of Seihachi, the samurai spy in Owari and claimed to have killed Sakuzō. However, Shintarō saw there was no blood on his sword and realised he was a Black Ninja in disguise and killed him in a duel. (Black Ninja)

Echo Butterfly Trick Chidori's speciality. It involved the use of two artificial butterflies, one she held in her hand as a "receiver" while the other was sent into a room or a house to pick up any conversations. (Phantom Ninja)

Edo Castle. The shogun's seat of power. It was supposed to have a "ninja proof wall" which proved to be about as ninja proof as the Titanic was unsinkable. The Fūma ninja easily penetrated it during a typhoon and stole the Water Tiger mirror. 200 Iga ninja lived and worked in it, acting as guards. Among these was Tonbei. Shintarō noted that it was built by the warlord Ōta Dōkan  (in 1456) and later in the 18th year of Tenshō (1590) Ieyasu occupied it. In between time the Hōjō occupied it for a short while (actually between 1524 and 1590). (Fuma Ninjas)

Enoshima Small island off the coast of Sagami province, near Kamakura, associated with Benten, one of the Seven Gods of Good Luck, and a goddess of beauty. Tashiro said that the three mirrors had a map on them leading to a temple on Enoshima where the treasure was. He and Shintarō went to one which seemed to match as it had sixty steps and was near a chestnut tree. However, the temple was really hidden in a cave on Enoshima. There when  the mirrors were placed in order in slots designed to fit them, a hidden compartment was revealed with a map in it. It was also where the Dragon Ship was blown up by Tonbei and Fūma Kotarō sustained a wound to the shoulder in a duel with Shintarō. "I have lost this fight." (Fuma Ninjas)

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Falling Star A way of throwing a mass of shuriken, each one a trick, according to Tonbei when teaching Genichirō. He first used one to nail a sheet of paper to a tree then threw different types in a pattern within that small square. He then invited Genichirō to try. (Ninja Terror)

Filament Attack  Used by Genkurō to attack Sadanobu at the honjin at Fujisawa, eight of them against eight Iga. He had one of his men sniff out (literally) where the enemy were. He reported four in the garden, two in the attic and two in the cellar. They attacked them all simultaneously.. (Iga Ninjas)

Fire Dragon Mirror Third of the mirrors needed by the Fūma ninja to find the Hōjō treasure. Even though Kotarō was unable to wrest the Wind Thunder mirror from Shintarō and Tonbei, he decided to look for the Fire Dragon mirror. To that end he directed the Dragon Ship, with him aboard, go to Odawara where he would go to the tomb of his ancestor. This mirror had been given to Koshinjo, the younger sister of Sōshūya's late wife. She was a nun at the Antoku convent in Odawara. She in turn had given it to Princess Aya, the daughter of the lord of Odawara Castle Kotarō considered it a good omen that the mirror was in Odawara Castle as that was where their ancestors had once lived. (Fuma Ninjas)

Fire Magic Genkurō's trick which involved flaming torches spinning around and around his opponent which he used on Shintarō during the duel at the Ōtoku Temple in Yoshiwara. (Iga Ninjas)

Fire Tower A cave in Fire Valley, the location of the million gold pieces of the Hōjō treasure. Unlike the Wind Fort and the Water Castle which were all built along the same lines as the hidden temple on Enoshima (built stone passages with family crests engraved in the roof and an altar type centrepiece with some significant symbol on it), this was a large, natural cavern. There were no carvings and the only things in it were two wooden chests containing the gold. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Fire Valley (aka Jigoukdani i.e. "Hell Valley") The place where the Fire Tower was located. At the time it was still covered in snow but there were bubbling sulphur pools and smoke everywhere and lots of boulders. Kotarō, surrounded by the the remaining Fūma ninja, declared, "I am here. At last I came here to the place where the Hōjō lord hid his treasure of a million pieces of gold. Somewhere here in this valley is the Fire Tower cave." After sending his men to look for it, he added, "The first Fūma Kotarō was the ninja who destroyed an enemy army. But I am the ninja who will conquer the world." (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Fires in Edo In the two weeks since the new year of 1790 there had been three major fires. Strong winds during the third one drove it into Edo Castle where one building was burnt down. All these fires meant there were a lot of homeless and hungry people facing a cold winter without shelter or clothes. Sadanobu ordered that they be sheltered in temples around town. Also burnt partially was the Iga Ninja Mansion. The butcher's bill was: Akasaka, Aoyama, Azabu, Nishikobori and parts of Yotsuya burnt to the ground. Tonbei was the first to identify the fires as arson attacks but was disbelieved by the officials. They indeed had been deliberately set, by the Kōshū-ryū ninja acting in competition with the Hakusan ninja as part of the ninja contest of skills. The various domain lords gathered at Edo Castle to express their condolences. (Contest of Death)

Flying Door Trick Doors used like shields to surround and push at the enemy (much like the way Roman legionaries used their big shields). However, the doors were controlled by Jinpachi so when he was killed all the doors collapsed. (Black Ninja)

Flying Rocket Something like a mortar, this was filled with gunpowder, sulphur, ash, iron filings, charcoal and camphor. Genkurō described it as coming from a "foreign land". It was so powerful it could fire straight  into the window of Sadanobu's palanquin from the Kimura house. Genkurō's band's most famous archer, Shiba Koheita, would be the one to fire it. "Sadanobu will be blown to bits!" he added, gleefully. However, Tonbei blew smoke into the house, obscuring Koheita's vision. In the confusion Tonbei attacked Genkurō and Shintarō grappled with Koheita who was still trying to aim the rocket. In the struggle Koheita fell and the rocket exploded, killing him. (Iga Ninjas)

Fuchū Post town and 20th stage on the Tōkaidō, renamed Shizuoka in 1868. Shintarō went there after leaving Shūsaku behind in Hachiōji where he refused to stay. He was asked his name and destination by two constables as the Lord of Owari was passing through and they were checking everyone. He gave his name but would not give his destination. This led to some argy-bargy and with the officials wanting to take him in for questioning. It looked like it might come to blows but then Shintarō finally produced his official pass with the shogun's crest on it.. One assumes that he wasn't indulging his rather bizarre sense of humour but wished to avoid revealing he was a government agent  (he had told Kurando at Futa Gokashuku that he wished to be incognito) unless absolutely necessary. Later the pickpocket, Sanji, stole his wallet which he then passed to Tōjūji, a Kōga ninja disguised as a merchant, to avoid capture by the police. ( Koga Ninjas) Two of Genkurō's men, Tōma and Kozaru, were sent there disguised as tea merchants to kill Sadanobu's Iga ninja guards. (Iga Ninjas)

Fugitives Three men escaped from the Kōga gold mine, still with leg chains. Two were cut down by shuriken in the throat by Gonbei who was pursuing them but the third managed to persuade a terrified farmer with a load of hay to help him. He explained he was a carpenter who had been kidnapped by the Kōga ninja and wanted to go to the Kōfu district officials. He hid in the hay and managed to evade Gonbei's sword thrust when the latter stopped the wagon, in the guise of a rōnin. Shintarō then took it on himself to guard the wagon when he saw the carpenter put his head out and heard his story. However, when Gonbei set fire to the hay, he jumped out and was killed with an arrow, shortly after the farmer was killed the same way. A fourth fugitive hid in a hut which had been Shūsaku's home and sent a message for help written on a white birch branch which Shintarō found in a stream. Gonbei overheard Shintarō discussing this and, dressed as a tengū  came to the hut and hypnotised him into remaining mute and leading Shintarō where he, Gonbei, directed. He was killed when the illusion of the bridge he was leading Shintarō across vanished and he was dashed on the rocks in the gorge below. ( Koga Ninjas)

Fujibayashi Ichinensai One of the 13 master Kōga ninja. His specialities were disguise and apparently disappearing through walls. He attacked Seibei, the innkeeper of the inn  where Shintarō was to meet Kurando, when he was fishing, tied him up and took his clothes and his appearance. He kept him drugged with sleeping pills in a hut. His appearance fooled everyone except Seibei's daughter, Sayo, who knew this was not her real father. He eavesdropped on Shintarō and Kurando when the latter gave his report on missing persons to Shintarō and Shintarō concluded someone was kidnapping these young men to work in a mine. He decided that Shintarō would have to die as he knew the  truth about the disappearances. He drugged the tea which he brought to him, in the guise of Seibei. However, Shintarō was only feigning unconsciousness when Ichinensai came through the ceiling, sword drawn to kill him. Shintarō demanded he give back the stolen map and ninja list. They fought but Ichinensai apparently disappeared through the wall and left a trail of tetsubishi in the corridor which Kurando ran on to. He resumed his guise as Seibei and put his ninja gear in the ceiling but Sayo saw this so he kidnapped her. Shintarō found him in the street and demanded to know who he really was. When he said "Seibei", Shintarō said that there were two men of that name and produced the real Seibei. He was killed in the ensuing duel. However, he had managed to pass on the map and the list to an accomplice. ( Koga Ninjas)

Fujibayashi Kaichi Iga ninja sent from Edo with a message from Sadanobu to Shintarō. The original message supposedly from Shintarō was a fake written by Kongō in Shintarō's handwriting. Dōjin disguised as an old man waylaid him at Wada Pass and substituted another fake message, this time from Sadanobu. Shintarō became suspicious when he asked Kaichi how he found him and was told Sadanobu had told him where they were. No one knew where they were except Kongō and the Kurozumi. Meantime he had sent Tonbei to Edo because, according to the letter, Shūsaku was in danger. He sent Kaichi to recall Tonbei. Kaichi arrived at Wada Pass just in time to see Tonbei being taken unconscious by the Kurozumi. he followed them to the Devil Mask House and reported back to Shintarō. They attempted a rescue and Kaichi fell into the spear pit in the house. He managed to warn Shintarō of the trap as the latter was drawn across it by Dōjin. He protested when Shintarō insisted oon rescuing him, saying he was a failure and he should go after Tonbei. Shintarō got him out of the pit, took him to a small temple behind the house and dressed his wounds. They both realised the Kurozumi had been using a secret passage and Shintarō realised it was in the temple. He captured Goroku who at that moment came through it and had Kaichi guard him while he went to rescue Tonbei. Suspecting they might be attacked, Kaichi swapped clothes with Goroku and took his place as a prisoner. Consequently when the three  Kurozumi broke in they killed Goroku, giving Kaichi time to kill them. He helped Shintarō and Tonbei kill the Kurozumi under Dōjin who attacked the temple. Afterwards he went back to Edo, though he would have liked to have continued with them but his wounds precluded it. Shintarō told him to see that Shūsaku got to Odawara safely. Tonbei considered him one of the best Iga ninja, though he modestly said he was not as good as Tonbei. he was certainly resourceful and courageous. (Contest of Death)

Fujisawa Post town, 7th stage on the Tōkaidō, 51km from Edo. Sadanobu was to stay there on his way to Kyoto. Genkurō's group had a secret temple there where they met. They planned to kill Sadanobu at his honjin as he slept and coerced a maid at the inn to put sleeping powder in the well to dope the guards. Shintarō discovered this and had Sadanobu hide in the palanquin while he took his place in the bed. Tonbei's Iga ninja also gathered at an inn across the street from the honjin.  Later  in Fuma Ninjas, where Shintarō and Tonbei stayed overnight on their way back from Oiso to Edo, they were tricked and attacked by Kagerō Jinnai. Near Fujisawa was a hunter's hut where Tonbei and five Iga ninja were trapped by Dōjin and his group. (Iga Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas)

Fukagawa A district in Edo where Ichi was a top ranked geisha and knew Shintarō. (Spy Swordsman)

Fukano Elderly retainer of the Owari clan who did not agree with the Old Man's plans but had access to the Black Mansion. He indicated to Shintarō that he could accompany him when he visited the Old Man. He tried to dissuade the Old Man from going to Edo and carrying out his plan. The Old Man reminded him that if he became shogun, Fukano would become a retainer at the national level. Fukano pointed out that each man has his own limitations, intimating that this applied to the Old Man, who was not best pleased. He begged him again not to go, saying it was useless because his own son, Lord Narimoto, didn't agree with the plot and refused to have anything to do with it. After Fukano was dismissed, the Old Man went disguised as Hakuunsai to the Black Ninja and ordered them to kill Fukano.  They attacked his palanquin as he was leaving the Black Mansion. He drew his sword to defend himself and gave a reasonable account of himself despite his age. Shintarō arrived and Gensai attacked him instead but was killed by Shintarō. (Black Ninjas)

Fūma Blinding Trick Dust of sand thrown at an enemy. (Fuma Ninjas)

Fūma country Tonbei noted the area near the Water Castle from which Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama could be seen and which included Ashigara was where the Fūma had originally settled and was like their own backyard. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Fūma Eye Attack Kitōbō's special skill, the ability to hypnotise an enemy in combat. With it he was able to get Tonbei to tell him Shintarō was still alive and living on a river boat. He was less successful with Shintarō who was able to resist it and leapt on to the roof on Sōshūya Denzō's house to escape him. He then captured Kitōboō. . (Fuma Ninjas).

Fūma Kotarō Kaneyoshi (Amatsu Bin) also known as Fūma Kotarō the Sorcerer. Head of the Fūma ninja and descendant of Fūma Kotarō Nobuyuki, he wanted to find the Hōjō treasure in order to restore the power of the  Hōjō and return them  to Odawara Castle. There was a legend that one day that  Fūma Kotarō Nobuyuki would return from the dead, so when Kotarō appeared in a gust of wind before his ancestor's gravemarker, the poor chaps sweeping up the leaves in the cemetery thought the legend had come true and were terrified out of their wits. However, Kotarō merely tossed them some coins as a reward for keeping the grave tidy over the years. Kotarō's various entrances and departures were designed to enhance his spooky, almost witch-like character. He was an excellent swordsman, and had an aura of great, controlled power and menace about him. He seemed to have supernatural powers at times in his ability to know what others were doing or thinking even at a distance. His ability to locate another Hōjō mirror simply chanting over the one in his possession,  "Water calls wind; wind calls fire; fire calls water and have his face appearing as if by magic in the other mirror was decidedly spooky. Every time he appeared, at least in Fuma Ninjas, there was the sound of wind whistling on the soundtrack.

He was highly skilled or rather multi-skilled. He was a good swordsman, he could run very fast, he was a master of disguise and a whole range of ninja weapons including a whip which he used to trap an opponent's sword as well as to strike as when Shintarō broke his sword in a duel. Some of his other skills were  almost supernatural. He was cunning and devious. He was ambitious. He said that when the Fūma got their hands on the million gold pieces they would cause a disturbance in all the world. but first he had to be master of Odawara Castle. It did appear that he went a bit mad towards the end of the quest for the Hōjō treasure, talking of world conquest rather than just restoring the Hōjō to their former glory as was originally planned.. Prior to fixing on the treasure, he, Oboro and the other Fūma had lived quietly in the mountains but he did not want to go back to that. He thought he could bring back the past when the Fūma had power and lived in Odawara Castle.  His obsession with getting it blinded him to anything else, including listening to reason. He merely scorned Oboro's concerns as the weak mind of a woman. Instead at this point  he was starting to lose the plot though not his skills (even if that scrunchy he wore in his hair was a bit of a worry).  He certainly no longer seemed quite rational or even sane at the end. It was quite possible her betrayal on top of the loss of so many of his men, including all the 10 master Fūma ninja,  was what unhinged him. Prior to that he had shown human feeling and warmth, even considerable charm when he wanted, concern for different members of his group and his affection for his sister was well known among them but now he was willing to kill her because she had betrayed him.

He  was very fond of his only sister, Oboro, as he allowed her to get away with blunders which would have cost another ninja his life and his followers knew this. Once when he was angry with her when she had been captured, they went and rescued her anyway knowing that despite his angry outburst, he really wanted her back. The Fūma band were more like one large family and indeed may have all been related to some degree.

He respected Shintarō as an enemy and on one occasion, he invited him to join with him, treating him with due respect for his rank, offering him drink and being hospitable, and showing the esteem in which he held him, yet without being in any way servile, as one exceptional man to another. Kotarō was a haughty, lordly person who was usually rather pre-emptory with. samurai. He had little time for Tonbei and called him "Iga monkey". Shintarō earned his especial venom after he continually thwarted him and he would spit his name out, twisting his mouth as he did so.

The ten Fūma master ninja were killed one by one by Shintarō and his remaining  base-grade ninja were killed by Tonbei in the Fire Valley. He and Shintarō duelled, a long fight where he used his whip to trap Shintarō's sword which he sent into the air. However, Shintarō retrieved it and wounded him in the arm. He managed to keep fighting a little longer but was run through the gut by Shintarō's sword. He staggered away through the volcanic smoke and Shintarō made no attempt to stop him as he knew he was finished. He found the Fire Tower cave and the treasure within and managed to savour the feel of two handfuls of gold pieces. Knowing he was dying, blood trickling from his mouth, hair loose, he blew himself and the treasure up declaring no one would have it. (Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued)

*Fūma Kotarō (Nobuyuki) (fl. 1581-1603)

Born in Ashigarashimo in Sagami Province, (modern Kanagawa Prefecture), birthdate unknown, surname Kazama (which, with the change of one character, becomes the chilling name 'Fūma' [Wind Demon]). He was the 5th generation Fūma Kotarō to serve the Hōjō and his family went back, according to some sources, to the 10th century when they served Taira no Masakado in his revolt (939-940).He was the leader of band or tribe of about 2000 men, women and children who roamed the mountains around Hakone, plundering the locals for food. Of these, the best 1000 were ninja. The Fūma appear to have been one of those minority peoples of Japan, sort of like gypsies, who turn up in chronicles from about the 10th century onwards. So skilled were the Fūma at guerrilla warfare that it seemed expedient to Hōjō Sōun, the founder of that family, to enlist their aid in consolidating his hold over the region, rather than fight them. Such peoples may have come over from China or Korea or further west. One writer thought that Kotarō Nobuyuki may have had foreign blood because of his legendary height.

At any rate, five generations after Hōjō Sōun, Fūma Kotarō Nobuyuki was the leader of a band of 200 ninja divided into four groups (brigands, pirates, burglars and thieves). Unlike other ninja groups, they were not divided into jōnin, chūnin and genin but rather they reported directly to their leader and operated with a degree of autonomy. In the above four groups, they were used to spy out enemies, gather information and carry out guerrilla warfare in defence of the Hōjō family. They were known as 'rappa' (the term 'ninja' although in limited use in the 18th century, did not really become common until around the mid-1950s.Other terms at the time for ninja included 'suppa', 'toppa', 'kusa', 'kusemono', 'shinobi' or 'nokizaru'). The historical Fūma Kotarō's reputation was so fearsome that historical sources endow him with quite an extraordinary physical appearance, more like a monster than a human being. He is one of the few ninja actually mentioned in historical records, namely the Hōjō godaiki.

His most famous exploit was his night attack on the forces of Takeda Katsuyori in the autumn of 1581 at Ukishinagahara in Suruga Province, using his four groups to harass constantly Katsuyori's men. First they mounted a series of fake attacks using horses with straw dummies tied to them so that eventually the Takeda samurai took no notice of them - then they mounted a real attack. They stole Takeda horses, and concealed themselves by securing themselves to the horses sides, so that when the horses were brought back into the camp by the Takeda samurai, the Fūma opened fire as the horses dashed about. They killed samurai, set fire to things and generally caused so much confusion that in the morning it was found at the dawn inspection of heads that the Takeda had killed their own comrades, fathers had killed sons, retainers had killed masters and so forth. At the height of the attack a great warcry had been heard so from then on, the Takeda forces would say, in fear and trembling, that in the sound of the wind, could be heard the words, "The Fūma have come! "

The Takeda were determined to revenge themselves on Kotarō. They set their own ninja to infiltrate the Fūma. However, they did not know the password and so were discovered and killed. The Takeda were forced to withdraw.

In 1590,Hideyoshi laid siege to Odawara Castle which eventually fell and the Hōjō had to surrender. Some traditions say Fūma Kotarō and his band became pirates on the Inland Sea in their submersible dragon-ships, concealing their ships by day in caves in the many islands and raiding the homes of the inhabitants by night. Ieyasu sent ships to deal with him but Kotarō tricked them in battle, luring them in to allow his men, working underwater, to remove their rudders.

Another tradition says he and his band turned to brigandry in and around the fledgling city of Edo. The sort of thing for which he had been praised for on the battlefield could not be tolerated in a time of peace. Tokugawa Ieyasu set up a special police force and offered a reward in his enthusiasm to crush them. At that time Kōzaka Jinnai and his band, remnants of the Takeda ninja group, came to Edo and turned to robbery also. In due course, rivalry over spheres of influence arose between the two old enemy groups and Jinnai informed on Kotarō, guiding the special police to his hidden house where Kotarō was arrested. This was 1603 and Kotarō was executed simply as aas a brigand.

Ancestor of Fūma Kotarō Kaneyoshi and said by one of Tonbei's Iga  to have been 7 feet tall with the strength of 30 men. He used the four groups (mentioned above) very skilfully and could do magic, such as summon clouds or storms and "other strange things". .  He was also said to have stolen the Hōjō's treasured Wind Thunder and Fire Dragon mirrors. He and his band needed money to restore the Hōjō so they became thieves in Edo until betrayed by Kozaka Jinnai. Kotarō said he would return from the grave some day. (The Fuma Ninjas)

Fūma Law One of the tenets was never to retreat. Breaking Fūma law was punishable by death, no matter who you were. Fūma law was what bound Fūma ninja and was stronger than blood. To make one mistake was forgivable but to make two was not.  (Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Fūma message A ninja appeared at a secret meeting at Jindai Naiki's house, after the lamps flickered and went out. He told them that the time for the Hōjō to rise again and rule the country was coming soon. When that time came, they must rise up and fight. He warned them to beware of the shogun spy samurai (Shintarō), then vanished. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Fūma Musai Aging ninja who still had formidable hypnotic skills. He caused Lord Okubo to fall into a trance where he thought he saw the ghost of Hōjō Ujinao in full armour at his bedside, telling him that he was the one who built Odawara Castle and as long as it stood there would be a curse on him. He raised Oboro as a daughter from when she was three and trained her. He still had a paternal relationship with her and called her "Young one" while she called him "Uncle". He also called her his "most precious treasure". He was proud of his hypnotic skills and that they were still valuable to the group and believed that even though he was old he was better than any Iga ninja. However, he was aware of his age and that once swimming in icy water would not have bothered him but now it was too much. Tonbei took the water-spiders he used to get across the moat of Odawara Castle which he had hung on the wall. Tonbei appeared to Musai when he reached the other side of the moat, holding them and demanded to know what he had been doing in the castle. There followed a fight involving shuriken (Musai) and testubishi (Tonbei). Tonbei managed to capture Musai but Kitōbō and his men appeared and threatened him until Shintarō turned up to rescue Tonbei and the Fūma, including Musai, withdrew. He also trained Kitōboō and understood Kotarō well. He was once one of the best Fūma ninja but his physical abilities had declined. He went to considerable lengths to rescue Oboro, first persuading Kitōbō to let him take his place and go into the castle to rescue her, rather than kill her, then kidnapping Shūsaku to exchange him for Oboro. He was killed by Kitōbō when he ordered him, "For the future of the Fūma ninja"  to strike through him to reach Shintarō whom he had pinned to a tree. (Fuma Ninjas)

Fūma ninja were all blood brothers, tied closely together and were willing to die for their cause. That was their strength, according to them. They described themselves  as "the wind or the clouds. The typhoon came to Edo and we came riding on the wind". Tonbei's Iga ninja knew they used to be found at Odawara Castle 200 years before and only there and that they were all supposed to have been killed in battle. Their way was to take their dead and disappear from a scene of battle/conflict. They used to work for the Hōjō and lived in Odawara Castle. There were over 200 of them but only a few with the skills of men like Kokufūsai. Kotarō told him that the first Fūma Kotarō led a great army, greater than any Kōga or Iga and that today they lived again as Fūma. However, they had suffered a great many losses. On the other hand, not all Fūma ninja were as enamoured of their lot as Kotarō implied. Two Shintarō encountered while rescuing Yuri said that if it were possible they would have left the Fūma long ago. They preferred to die, by the usual method of biting off their tongues, rather than be captured alive.

The historical Fūma appear to have been one of those minority peoples of Japan, sort of like gypsies, who turn up in chronicles from about the 10th century onwards such as the kugutsu, or the sanka. Such peoples may have come over from China or Korea or further west. Unlike other ninja groups, the Fūma ninja  were not divided into jōnin, chūnin and genin but  rather they reported directly to their leader and operated with a degree of autonomy, being divided into four groups (named brigands, pirates, burglars and thieves). In the these four groups, they were used to spy out enemies, gather information and carry out guerrilla warfare in defence of the Hōjō family. They were known as 'rappa'  (Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Fūma Nina "Goodbye Present" Kitōbō's term for locking the doors of the Temple of Marishiten and trapping the government officials within, then setting fire to it. They were rescued by Shintarō. (Fuma Ninjas)

Fūma Ninja Spider Attack This seemed to consisted of leaping from and back into a series of rope webs strung up in trees. It was a trick of Spider Dōjin and his men. (Fuma Ninjas)

Fūma Ninja Two Wing Trick This was used to attack the Iga ninja house. One group of Fūma invaded through the upper storeys and roof while the other attacked from the ground. In this way they found all the traps in the house quickly and killed many Iga ninja. Tonbei, seeing things going badly, attempted to leave through an attic window with the Wind Thunder mirror but was intercepted by Kotarō who demanded he surrender it otherwise he would kill him. Tonbei closed his eyes, expecting death but Shintarō interrupted and told Tonbei to run then he and Kotarō had a sword fight in which Kotarō slashed Shintarō's wrist and Shintarō's sword broke his. "Even though my sword is broken, I still have my whip" he declared, knocked Shintarō's sword out of his hand and raised the whip to strike him but Tonbei returned and fired arrows at him. He deflected them with his whip, saw Shintarō regain the sword he had dropped, then with one prodigious bound leaped on to the roof. "Are you running away?" Tonbei jeered. With a bright smile, Kotarō replied, "Never!" and disappeared. (Fuma Ninjas)

Fūma Ninja Water Attack This involved the Dragon Ship appearing to terrify the enemy and  ramming their boats. Fūma ninja then deployed from it in the water to attack with swords. (Fuma Ninjas)

Fūma shuriken These were a very distinctive shape, a curved swastika. Tonbei had never seen any like them. Neither the Iga nor the Kōga nor any of the other 73 groups of ninja used shuriken like them. A trail of these was left by Oboro for Shintarō to follow when the Fūma ninja left for Fire Valley. The first one was placed near the grave of the earlier Fūma Kotarō. Thereafter they were stuck in trees along the Fūma's route into the mountains. However, a Fūma ninja who had left his flint back where they had camped the night before went back and saw Shintarō and Tonbei at that camp and reported this to Kotarō. Kotarō was puzzled as to how they could have found them. Suspecting treachery he was shocked when he realised it was his sister.. However, he used this opportunity to set a false trail which led both Shintarō and Tonbei into separate traps. (Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Fūma smoke signal Saizō berated three Fūma ninja for lighting a fire to send a signal to Fūma Kotarō as it could be spotted by Tonbei and Shintarō. He asked what the message was and was reluctantly told that there had been talk in the village about a waterfall where people did not return who went near it. One man did and said there was a cave with a wall in it. He had them go immediately to check it out without informing Kotarō. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

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Garyūdōshi (Yoshida Yoshio) Head of the Negoro ninja, often dressed like a yamabushi. His chanting and prayers caused the death of the Lord of Kii . He worked for Naitō Daigaku who wanted to make Yoshitsuna,  the younger son of the Lord of Kii, lord and successor so he could control the fief as regent. Garyūdōshi  was tasked with killing Prince Yorikata, the older son, and destroying the six Kishū ninja guarding him. He rescued Tonbei from the Kishū ninja and presented himself as a reasonable alternative, offering to help him rescue Shintarō. He claimed Oribe Hida was trying to make Yorikata the heir so he could rule Kishū. Tonbei said he'd heard the opposite. He and the leader of the Kishū ninja, Gen'yōsai had a long past history of animosity even though both groups worked for the lords of Kishū. Nonetheless, he offered Gen'yōsai a partnership so that  Yoshitsuna would become the lord of Kishū. When Gen'yōsai objected that Naitō would be the real power. Garyūdōshi assured him that he was one step ahead of Naitō. Naitō was too poor even to hire one Negoro ninja never mind so many. He, Garyūdōshi, would be the real power behind Naitō. Then he would assassinate the current shogun and put Yoshitsuna in power and thus rule the whole country through him. This would be a "feat far greater than any ninja's". Gen'yōsai more or less told him to go soak his head as he was a mere ninja. In the resulting duel, he killed Gen'yōsai with a blow to the head. His first plan was to eliminate the six Kishū ninja by pitting them against his best Negoro in a series of one on one duels, the first being between Magojūrō and Hōgen. He soon decided that Shintarō was more dangerous and needed to be eliminated. Once Shintarō and Tonbei succeeded in spiriting Yorikata out of Wakayama castle to a secret place of safety, his efforts were turned to torturing Tonbei to find out the location, as well as killing Shintarō. That didn't work so well so then he just had Shintarō and Tonbei followed. That way he discovered they were going to Iga country. He  noted that there were ninja in Iga, Kōga, Noto and Shinano who had at one time been trained by him so it would be easy to slip a spy among the Iga. He ordered Gorōzō, a Negoro ninja to live in Iga country. He also boasted he knew the Iga country as well as any Iga ninja and warned Shintarō and Tonbei that the Negoro would follow them everywhere and find Prince Yorikata. He became increasingly boastful and arrogant. When he encountered some of Handayū's men on a bridge he insisted on proper respect and that they call him master. After he killed all of them single-handed, Rokurō, their leader, dying did indeed call him 'master'. He was familiar with Handayū of Nabari and met him in combat while following him to find Yorikata. They were evenly matched but Garyūdōshi had a knife hidden in his legging which he used to stab Handayū and they both fell into the river. A little later he was fished out of the river apparently by Prince Yorikata who turned out to be Shintarō. He almost had the better of him but Handayū re-surfaced and threw a knife into his wrist which allowed Shintarō to regain his sword and throw it into him, killing him.  (Ninja Terror)

Geishū Province, also known as Aki, now part of Hiroshima prefecture. Where Tendō Sawanosuke came from. (Spy Swordsman)

Gen Ninja Tarōbō claimed they were one of the original ninja clans and the purest. He was their chief. (Contest of Death)

Genichirō see Kuraida Genichirō

Genji Fūma ninja set to guard Tonbei in the temple of Marishiten. He taunted Tonbei that he couldn't escape as all his joints had been dislocated. Tonbei responded  by calling Fūma arts childish and claimed he could escape even with his joints dislocated. He offered to show Genji his trick as even though Fūma and Iga were different, they were both ninja . As Genji drew near to watch, Tonbei spat a gobbet of thick white goo into his face, blinding him. He then cut his bonds on Genji's sword which he had stuck near Tonbei. He then restored his joints and leaped into the ceiling as Kotarō and some of his men entered. (Fuma Ninjas)

Genmu-ryū Sixth group of ninja to answer the challenge of the contest of skills. They were represented by Oboro Kirimaru. (Contest of Death)

Gennai the Phantom (aka Maboroshi Gennai) Fūma ninja, one of the last master Fūma ninja. He had a useful disappearing trick of tossing some leaves in the air and vanishing to reappear somewhere else. He came to the Sōunji as a traveller and tried to enter but was stopped by a priest as he didn't have the necessary written permission from Lord Okubo. He was amused that even after 200 years since the Hōjō were destroyed, the authorities were still afraid of trouble. He simply disappeared and reappeared in the graveyard within the temple where he met Kotarō and Oboro. He reported that he had three men on the Tōkaidō, two men on the Kōshū Kaidō and two on the Ashigara road (the three roads into Odawara) looking for Shintarō and Tonbei. When it was reported that Shintarō and Tonbei had been seen on the Tōkaidō he pulled the men on the other two roads off to trap them. He went to the Antoku convent in the guise of a traveller. Feigning an acute stomach pain, he gained admittance. He overheard Koshinjo tell Tonbei that Shintarō had hidden in the old Hachiman Temple. She discovered him and, after ironically thanking her for finding out for him where Shintarō was, he knocked her out with a blow to the stomach. He and some Fūma ninja went to the temple only to find it was a trap. The other Fūma ninja were killed fighting Shintarō and Tonbei and he himself was badly wounded though managed to escape to the roof. His blood dripping on to Tonbei gave his position away. Shintarō offered to get a doctor but he said he had no desire to live as after him there were only three top Fūma ninja. One of them would finish his mission. He then sent up a flare, then blew himself up. Shintarō regretted he would not accept medical aid as he could have lived but Tonbei pointed out that was not the ninja way and he died according to the Fūma Book of Ninja. Shintarō said he died bravely and Tonbei agreed.  (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Gensai or Fox-Nose Gensai One of four Iga ninja who met Tonbei and Shintarō when they arrived in Iga country. All four trained with Tonbei under Handayū. His skill was smelling out the approach of enemies. He smelled Denpachi's blood when he was killed in the graveyard. He was the only one Gorōzō did not succeed in killing. However, when he and Tonbei went into the pine forest later, they encountered the three Negoro monk brothers and Tonbei was captured. Gensai was sent back with a message for Shintarō that Tonbei had been captured by the Negoro and that Shintarō should come to the forest. He then collapsed and it was found he had been dead quite some time. (Ninja Terror)

Genshin see Kokufudō Genshin

Gensai the Wolf (Amatsu Bin) Iga Ninja, later worked with the Black Ninja originally from Minakuchi. He was Genkurō's second in command who had lost his arm in a duel with Shintarō at Fujisawa where he had tried to coerce a maid into putting sleeping powder in the well of an inn  there. When he reappeared, in Odawara, he had an artificial right arm as Tonbei discovered when he threw shuriken into it to no avail. Gensai remarked, "Thanks to Shintarō , my arm is almost useless but I am not a cripple yet." As a result he became obsessed with taking revenge on Shintarō , often to the point where he almost jeopardised his mission. He was attached to Genkurō and warned him to be careful as Shintarō  was dangerous.  When they reached Minakuchi, Gensai hired a band of five Wolf Ninja on Genkurō's behalf to help them break into Minakuchi Castle and kill Sadanobu who was staying there. He used his local knowledge of an old well in the castle when he had broken into the castle as a youngster as the main well was heavily guarded He was sent with two Wolf Ninja to put a sleeping powder in the well and not to go after Shintarō  even if he came across him as that was not his mission. He killed Toyama Jirōzō, a samurai who tried to stop him by grasping his sword in his artificial arm and disarming him, then cutting him down, then put the powder in the well. He then, contrary to orders, went after Shintarō  who took Jirōzō's body back to his home. The Wolf Ninja reported this to Genkurō who said it was useless to try to stop him as he was thinking like a ninja and was concerned only with revenge to maintain his pride as a ninja. He himself felt the same way. Gensai tried to kill Shintarō  by striking through the floor but missed. In the subsequent duel, he used the same trick of grasping his opponent's sword in his false hand and disarming him.  Wounded by Shintarō , he jumped into a tree and made his escape.

After Genkurō's death, he reappeared working for the retired Lord of Owari in his plot to unite disaffected daimyō against the shogun. He first appeared in this as an old man listening to gossip about the Black Ninja in a tavern. In this guise he went to Shintarō 's house but found it empty as Shintarō  had gone to Hakone. He told Shūsaku who was there waiting for Shintarō  that he would not return. Still in the guise of an old man, he stopped Tonbei and asked for a light for his pipe, then attacked him, stole the letter from Sadanobu to Shintarō  Tonbei was carrying and left him for dead. He attacked Shintarō  in Hakone hoping finally to kill him, while the Black Ninja dealt with Ōtsuki Gorōta. He was especially assigned to kill Shintarō  by his boss but he also wanted to seek revenge for the 10 Iga ninja (Genkurō's group) Shintarō  had killed as well as the Black Ninja. He swore to do so on his "blood oath as a ninja". He went to Shintarō's house where he surprised Tonbei who managed to evade the tetsubishi on the veranda. Only Shūsaku's throwing of rocks saved Tonbei's life and Gensai was driven off.  He reported to Hakuunsai the names of the four Black Ninja killed by Shintarō  to date. Though both Hakuunsai and his master thought the Black ninja performed well in Edo, Gensai did not think they performed well enough as Shintarō  was still alive. He swore on his sword to kill Shintarō  Apart from his fanaticism where Shintarō  was concerned, he had a sadistic streak. When he had Shintarō  in his power, he mused aloud whether he would cut off his ears or nose or put out his eyes and seemed prepared to do just that with a throwing knife until stopped by Tonbei who had been rescued by Shūsaku.  Later, when Tendō had captured Shintarō, Gensai grew impatient waiting for Hakuunsai and wanted to kill Shintarō  and take his revenge for all the ninja Shintarō  had killed. "Cry, scream, beg me for your life! I hate that calm expression on your face. Speak! Speak!" He wrapped his false arm around his neck and started to strangle him until Tendō told him to leave Shintarō  alone. He was defiant and challenged Tendō to stop him. They would have fought but for Hakuunsai's arrival. Hakuunsai ordered him to kill retainer Fukano. He and his men attacked the palanquin and he fought with Fukano until Shintarō  intervened. "You again!" he exclaimed and went after him. After a fierce duel, Shintarō  slashed him across the face. "You should know better than to fight with me," Shintarō  told him.  Dying, he pulled off his false arm which was a bomb. "Now die with me!' he said but Shintarō  sidestepped his rush and he went headlong into a nearby lake where he exploded. In addition, he was a master of  disguise.  He was rather given to quoting from the Book of Ninja and following its precepts closely.   (Iga Ninja, Black Ninja)

Gensuke Iga ninja sent to the library in Edo Castle to discover from the records the identity of Kongō of Kōga. He was ambushed, killed and impersonated by Yamizato and his body dumped in Kappa Lake where it was discovered by Shūsaku when he went swimming.. (Phantom Ninja)

Gensuke One of three Iga ninja who followed Chidori after she escaped from the Iga Mansion aided by a disguised Shintarō. They hoped she would lead them to the Phantom ninja hideout. However, Densai waylaid them and killed them. (Phantom Ninja)

Genta the Thorn-puller One of three outlaw brothers, originally from Edo, but relocated to Ezo. His special skill was knife-throwing. He tried this on Shintarō when he attempted to steal Shintarō's horse. Shintarō knocked all his knives aside. He and his brother, Tome, broke the third brother, Goromatsu out of Shiranuka gaol. He helped Goromatsu lay a trap for Kiba whom Goromatsu wanted to kill. He was killed by Kiba. (Spy Swordsman)

Gen'yō see Togakure Gen'yōsai.

Genzō the Spider (Amatsu Bin) One of the 13 Kōga master ninja. He had Oyo assume the guise of a kidnapped girl to trick Shintarō  into taking her to her home which was a house built by a  Kōga ninja with lots of secret passages. He complimented her on her skill in convincing Shintarō . "Well done even for a woman. You are a credit to the  Kōga masters."  He used a spider dropped from the ceiling to hypnotise Shūsaku. His voice came from the spider while his face appeared on it. He told Shūsaku that Shintarō  was an enemy of his father and to kill him with his own sword. Shūsaku missed and Shintarō  realised he had been hypnotised. The plan was to keep Shintarō  in the house by using Shūsaku, whom he captured, and then blow the building up with them in it. He was disgusted and angry with Oyo for wanting to let Shūsaku go and ended up mortally wounding her with his sword as she defied him and disobeyed him and did release Shūsaku. Shintarō  attacked him outside the house, having escaped, but after a brief fight he ran away saying he would fight him some other day. He then summoned four ninja, Saruichi, Miminashi, Jiheiji and Hanakake, who were his servants from the day they were born and bound to obey. He instructed them to create a reign of terror in Kōfu by burning, looting, robbing and murdering. Hanakake said, "This sounds like fun". He himself committed a robbery in the castle while looking for Shintarō. One of his men said admiringly, "You truly are Genzō the Spider. You never miss an opportunity." This was to draw out Shintarō  and would also discredit the central government. He used a samurai from Kōfu Castle, Sakakibara Toranosuke, having found out he talked too much and liked to drink and was always in trouble. He bought him drink and listened to his criticism of the shogun, the government's financial crisis and the weak administration and offered him a part in bring about a new government. He brought him to a secret temple where he was to kill Shintarō. Unfortunately for Genzō this was all a set up by Shintarō  and Toranosuke who were childhood friends. He and Shintarō  duelled and he used a series of ropes to swing from tree to tree or on to the roof of the temple and one to climb along into a tree. He was very hard to catch as he vanished and reappeared. Finally Shintarō  cut him down, slashing his forehead . Hair loose, he staggered into the river on water-spiders but fell face down into the water, dead. Later Shūsaku was afraid when he saw a spider on the wall of Toranosuke's house but Shintarō  assured him it was a real spider as Genzō was dead. ( Koga Ninjas)

Gingko Mansion An abandoned mansion in Kanda in Edo which Kongō led Chika to believe was the new hideout of the Phantom ninja. It had an altar to Marishiten probably supplied by the Phantom  ninja before which Chika performed kuji-in in order to receive her father's crest which Kongō's disembodied voice instructed her to do. He was aware that she had defected and intended her to report to Shintarō that this was where the Phantom ninja were encamped. This was a trap to kill him. (Phantom Ninja)

Gohei One of a pair of groundsmen at Sōunji temple. He observed to his fellow worker that once the Sōunji was the family temple of the lords of Odawara but it had fallen into ruin and now no one came to visit the graves. He further added that it was just about 200 years since the castle was destroyed in 1590. His mate commented that the world had changed a lot since then: that Oda had been destroyed, Hideyoshi had been destroyed and the Tokugawa had ruled for 11 generations or more. Gohei remarked that it could have been different, that the lords of Odawara could still have been ruling over the entire territory. His workmate then noticed a grave on which there was nothing but the character for 'wind' (and the carving of a Fūma shuriken) and asked whose it was. "Be careful. Don't touch that grave," Gohei warned him. His colleague observed that the grave was next to the lord of Odawara's so must have some special meaning.  "It is the grave of the man who worked for the Lord of Odawara. Fūma Kotarō is buried there," Gohei told him.  He then warned that even just touching it could cause an evil spell. and that just before he died, Kotarō predicted that in 200 years time the Fūma ninja would return to this world. When the other groundsman scorned this as "absolutely ridiculous", a sudden strong wind blew up. Gohei told him that even from his grave Fūma Kotarō was angry but the other was pointing in fear as Fūma Kotarō at the head of a band of Fūma ninja walked to the grave, knelt and prayed. Kotarō turned and saw the pair and said, "Let me thank you for guarding the castle and Fūma's grave even after they were deserted. Soon this temple will be famous again and people will come here to pray. Remember that and know we have returned."  He reached into his jacket and tossed a handful of gold coins  on to the ground in front of them. "This is our gratitude. Take it as your reward."  He and his men vanished in another gust of wind.  (Fuma Ninjas)

Gohei One of the  Kōga ninja, his mission was to get the map which showed the secret tunnel from the gold mine to Kōfu which would allow the  Kōga ninja to take the gold out without being seen. A colleague actually stole it from the castle and passed it on to Gohei who was disguised as a sake and soba stall-holder. The thief appeared as a man who owed money and also handed over a wallet. Shintarō  bought a cup of sake at the stall and saw this and that the man who left the wallet was arrested by the Kōfu officials who accused him of breaking into the castle. Shintarō  wondered why anyone would do that and noted that the man seemed unusually calm for someone being arrested. He asked Gohei to show him the wallet. He ran away and resumed his ninja garb. They fought and he disappeared with a smoke bomb, leaving the wallet behind. Genzō was furious as Shintarō  could easily discover the secret tunnel. He called him a fool and said he had failed in his mission. He begged for mercy.  This only made it worse. He tried to run but was stopped by the other ninja. "Gohei, act like a ninja!" Genzō told him. He sat down cross-legged on the ground and blew himself up. ( Koga Ninjas)

Gohei the Fox Iga ninja messenger disguised as an itinerant seller of medicines in order to bring a letter from Matsudaira Sadanobu to Shintarō  telling him that the Shogun had confirmed Yorikata as successor to the Kii fief. He was said to be a very fast runner. Near a signpost for the  Kazabuki Pass on the Negoro Road, he released a carrier pigeon with a message for Shintarō  as he was not far from Wakayama Castle. Shortly after, he found a man collapsed and in pain on the side of the road. As he tried to help him, he was set upon by Negoro ninja who wanted to know where the letter was. He indicated the hidden compartment of the medicine box but it exploded. He ran off, duelled with a ninja in a devil mask, was wounded and fell into the river. From there he was rescued by Oko,  a young country woman who lived in a hut in the Kazabuki Pass. Too weak to go to the Kokubo Inn in Iwamoto, the agreed meeting place with Shintarō , he asked her to go in his stead and gave her a seal so Tonbei would know she was telling the truth. When Shintarō  and Tonbei arrived, he removed the letter from the hilt of his sword but Oko snatched it and ran off with it. It was a blank sheet of paper as he had the message memorised all along. (Ninja Terror)

Gold Shipment This was being sent from Sado Island to Edo and was destined for the shogun. In command of the convey of was Captain Shindō who had been doing such work for 22 years and at no time had anyone robbed this gold. He was a bit of a slacker, more interested in sake and irritated by the conscientiousness of his second in command, Nishina. Among the porters was Kakuzō the Hawk, a Black Ninja, who signalled to the other Black Ninja and saw to it the wine the porters drank was drugged. The convoy stopped for the night at Oiwake where the Black Ninja intended to steal it, no doubt as part of the overall plot to discredit the shogun.  The Old Man, who had been staying at an inn for three days,  left so that Shintarō  would follow him and leave the Black Ninja free to carry out the robbery. The Black Ninja were foiled in their attempt to steal the gold partly by Nishina's suspicions and partly by Shintarō .With the Black Ninja including Kakuzō killed, the shipment went on its way to Edo. (Black Ninja)

Gonbei see Sakuma, Gonbei

Gondayū the Shooting Star  Kōga Ninja who reported to Gensai. He broke into Denmachō prison to rescue his companion, who had been captured by the Edo police, armed with ladders. He asked Gensai to use the Fire Trick if anything went wrong. He leaped on to the roof, removed some tiles and entered the roof space. He then drilled a hole in the ceiling above the corridor outside the ninja's cell, poured water through it and extinguished the candle. Under cover of darkness he broke open the cell door. When the rescued ninja tripped the alarm and guards surrounded them, Gensai loosed several arrows and smoke allowing them to escape. Gondayū asked the rescued ninja who he was as he had never seen him before. He said he was Musuke the Tiger. Gondayū was surprised as Musuke was too good to be captured (and was in fact, Tonbei in disguise). Tonbei thought he had Gondayū pinned to the ground but discovered it was really the body of Tamizō and Gondayū was elsewhere (" Kōga disappearing trick).  He then used Tonbei's voice to lure Shintarō  into the temple, saying the Black ninja was dead. He had captured Tonbei and tied him to a tree but was killed by Shintarō  in a duel. (Black Ninja)

Gongen Forest Located between Soga Village and the Antoku convent, an alternative route back lay through it. Dōjin and his ninja waylaid Koshinjo and Shūsaku there. It was also the venue for the exchange of Oboro for Shūsaku. (Fuma Ninjas)

Gonpachi One of two woodsmen who decided to cut trees illegally on the mountain as there weren't any near them. They were unaware that  Kōga ninja guarded the area and Gonpachi's friend was shot with an arrow. He carried him to the road where he encountered Shintarō . He asked for help swearing never to cut trees illegally again. He believed the arrow came from the gamekeeper but Shintarō  pointed out that a gamekeeper would not execute someone without asking questions first and would not use an arrow anyway. He sent Gonpachi on his way with a warning not to steal no matter how poor he was. ( Koga Ninjas)

Gonta One of Hidaya's henchmen who was told to watch the gaol. (Spy Swordsman)

Goro A boy about Shūsaku's age in the house where he and Shintarō  stopped for the night after running out of Kōfu. His mother said he ate three or four helpings of rice and urged Shūsaku to eat up. He and Shūsaku played together while Shintarō  went into town. Later he told Shintarō  that his father was good at taming wild birds and would give him money for the festival. Even when his father was mad and yelled at him. he would still give him money. This all made Shūsaku feel the loss of his father all the more. When Shintarō  and Shūsaku left to to continue their journey, he asked Shūsaku to come and visit him. ( Koga Ninjas)

Goroku Kurozumi ninja who reported Shintarō's rescue of Tonbei and escape to Dōjin. Dōjin ordered him to use the secret passage to go to the temple to see what Shintarō was up to. He did so but Shintarō had worked out that the secret passage exited in the temple as there was a devil mask above the altar. He captured Goroku and impersonated him. In this guise he entered the Devil Mask House to rescue Tonbei. Goroku remained in the temple as Kaichi's prisoner. Expecting an attack, Kaichi dressed him as an Iga ninja and had him stand guard over him, dressed as a Kurozumi. Needless to say when his colleagues broke into the temple, they killed him before being killed by Kaichi. (Contest of Death)

Goroku of  Kōga (aka The Ghost) One of the 13 Black Ninja. He disguised himself as Kazuichi but was seen removing his disguise by Kazeba. He also assumed the guise of Sakuzō the Hunter and guided Shintarō  and Shūsaku over the mountain to avoid the Ogasezawa checkpoint but tried to stab Shintarō  as he slept in a hut. Shintarō  was only feigning sleep and retaliated. Goroku ran outside but when Shintarō  also ran out of the hunt he found only a man who identified himself as Seihachi and claimed to have killed Sakuzō. However, Shintarō  noticed that there was no blood on "Seihachi's" sword. Kazeba appeared with Tonbei and challenged Goroku to show his true face, which he did. He was killed in the ensuing duel with Shintarō .  (Black Ninja)

Goromatsu A thief, brutal, boastful and said to have the strength of ten men, who had escaped the gaol at Kiritap but was found sleeping by Shintarō who took him prisoner. He took him to a nearby village with the intention of leaving him with whomever was in charge until an official could come and take him back. There was a price on Goromatsu's head which Shintarō offered to the person who held him. Goromatsu was put with an old man, Den, and his daughter, Saki,. He managed to loosen his bonds and and jump Den, seized Den's musket and demanded a horse. As extra insurance, he grabbed Saki who had returned with Shintarō. He knocked out Shintarō and demanded that the villagers, who has surrounded the hut with various agricultural implements and muskets, lie down on the ground. Threatening to return for revenge, he was about to leave when Kiba arrived and wanted to know what was going on. Goromatsu retreated into the hut. Kiba threatened to burn it as he believed that Den and "the samurai" were dead already, such being Goromatsu's nature. Shintarō recovered and shot Goromatsu. He was arrested and taken to Shiranuka gaol where he was awaiting transfer to Matsumae when his two brothers, also outlaws broke him out. Kiba was concerned at what they would do to the Ainu villages. Goromatsu wanted to kill Kiba and enlisted his brothers' aid. They lured him to a hut but he was well aware of who they were and only went along with it so he could find them. He was shot by his brother, Tome, by accident.  (Spy Swordsman)

Gorōzō or Eagle-Eyed Gorōzō One of four Iga ninja who met Tonbei and Shintarō  when they arrived in Iga country. All four trained with Tonbei under Handayū. However, Gorōzō was actually a Negoro spy ordered to live in Iga country by Garyūdōshi. He killed first Denpachi, then Jihei as they took positions around Tenma Temple intending to defend it from Negoro attack. Tonbei pursued him into the forest, thinking he was one of the attacking Negoro. He tripped Tonbei in a rope trap and thus revealed himself as a Negoro agent. They fought. Shintarō  appeared and killed him in a duel. (Ninja Terror)

Gossips Three men at a table in a tavern (or pub) drinking sake, eating nibbles and talking about the Black Ninja. They reckoned he was making the police and the shogun look like fools as all the robberies were going on right under the shogun's nose.. One scornfully noted that there were two hundred men on the police force, counting the north and south divisions and yet they could not catch one single ninja. "People are calling him the poor man's hero," another said. Another said it was like a kabuki play and that it would make a fortune. The shogun would be laughed at for a very long time. One then lowered his voice, enjoining the others not to repeat what he was about to tell them, and said that he had heard that Tanuma had not died of old age but was poisoned. All this was overheard by an old blind man (Gensai in disguise) who was drinking sake at the next table. He left shortly after that. (Black Ninja)

The Gourd One of the bars where the two porters went to spread the false information about the Matsumae tribute money convoy (Spy Swordsman)

Goyu Town where the Akiba Road rejoined the Tōkaidō and the two parallel roads became one. Sadanobu took a boat downstream there instead of going by road, thus tricking Genkurō and his group. (Iga Ninjas)

Grave-markers Shintarō  and Tonbei were lured by a ninja incense to a pair of fresh grave-markers with their names and date of death (15th March, that very day) in the Sōunji. These were a challenge from the Fūma, Shintarō  decided. He also felt that it would be a waste if they didn't die that day, then more soberly, that if they died unknown somewhere in the mountains at least they would have graves and that would be a comfort. He asked the priest (Kuromaru in disguise) to pray at the graves as one never knew what was ahead. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Guardian of the Wind Fort His family had the duty of guarding the Wind Fort ever since the days of the Hōjō and his granddaughter would take over after him. Shintarō  asked him if he was satisfied living just to guard the fort and was outraged that Yuki would have to do the same. He was persuaded to show Shintarō  the Wind Fort, albeit reluctantly as he didn't want the area turning into a battlefield caused by people's greed for the one million gold pieces treasure rumoured to be in it. This had happened when he was a boy. He asked Shintarō  if he was an honest man and received the reply, "Yes, at least I think so."  He managed to shoot Dennai the Bat with a musket when the latter waylaid Yuki who was looking for Tonbei and Shūsaku and he and Shintarō  were on the way to the Wind Fort. He wounded him badly enough so that when Dennai attacked them later inside the Wind Fort, using his hanging upside down trick, he was weakened by loss of blood. After Shintarō  killed Dennai and retrieved the map, he and Yuki went off to start a new life. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

                                                                                                    H

Habaro Ainu youth who boasted his father was an important Japanese. He was a hunter and had a musket. His best friend was Inakushi. He suffered from  prejudice against Ainu and asked what was the difference between Ainu and 'shamo'. He wanted to join Jinnai's gang. He met with scorn and Shintarō, pretending to be drunk and wanting a drink of water from the well, managed to distract the gang from tormenting Habaro and told him to run away. Later Jinnai came to Habaro and offered him a place in the gang if he killed Daikokuya. He wanted Daikokuya dead so he could take his place. Habaro went to the inn and rather timidly shot Daikokuya then was shot  dead in turn by Jinnai. All this was witnessed by Inakushi who was concealed behind a screen. (Spy Swordsman)

Hachiōji Town in Musashi province (modern Saitama) 48 km west of Edo, famous as a silk-weaving centre. Hōjō Ujiaki built a castle there which was taken by Maeda Toshiie in 1590.Shintarō  told Shūsaku to stay back there while he went on to Fuchū. ( Koga Ninjas) Shintarō  and Tonbei stayed there in their search for the Wind Fort. Kotarō used Byakuro Genki to detain them while he recovered from the shoulder wound he received at Enoshima. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Hagakure Tanba (aka Leaf Tanba) Leader of a sub-group of Fūma ninja, his speciality seemed to have been leaping both great heights and long distances and concealing himself. His actual skill was the "leaf disguise" which appears to be the art of camouflage in foliage. He was very suspicious of Saizō when he offered himself for hire and was outraged when Saizō appeared to betray him in order to steal the Water Castle map from Shintarō  and Tonbei. Next they worked together to trap Shintarō  on a suspension bridge. He held Tonbei captive with a cord around his neck and urged Saizō to cut the bridge with Shintarō  in its middle. When Saizō failed to do so and cut down another Fūma ninja who tried to do that, he chased after him. Shintarō  pursued him, having been warned by Saizō about his "leaf disguise' and killed him when he threw a dagger into some shrubbery and it pierced Tanba's shoulder, thus revealing him. Shintarō  cut him down then. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Hagakure Yūzō A Black Ninja whose speciality was the "hidden leaf" trick in which he appeared in a gust of wind with leaves everywhere. He captured Tonbei and was about to kill him but Gensai stopped him, saying he was more use alive. He used him as bait to get Shintarō  to drop his sword. He was killed by Shintarō .  (Black Ninja)

Hagenbō One of the seven Phantom ninja, his specialty was the "human steel" technique. This allowed him to snap a sword in two with his bare hands. He and Yamizato attacked the three Iga ninja sent to Kōga to see if the Phantom ninja had returned and captured them. He then attacked Tonbei and his men when they came to the temple where the three were being held. This was part of a plan to kill Tonbei and the Iga ninja who were next on the list. He was one of those who protested Kongō's decision to leave the Iga aside for the moment and was told to take out his anger on another.  So he with Minbu was sent to kill Kaizuka Mino no Kami, the chief magistrate of the North. They both vowed to make Kaizuka's death a long one filled with terror. they began by teasing two policemen on patrol by appearing on a roof and taunting them about seeing Kaizuka in order to kill him, and baffling them by leaping and running along the roofs "like ghosts". He and Minbu followed Kaizuka's palanquin when he was summoned to Sadanobu's and were about to attack it when the procession rounded a corner and suddenly there were two palanquins. Minbu went after one and found it empty except for Shintarō while Hagenbō went after the other which contained Kaizuka Shintarō, not expecting two ninja to be after Kaizuka, realised the danger and left Tonbei to deal with Minbu. He attacked Hagenbō who was fighting Kaizuka and cut off his arm. Hagenbō ran off leaving a trail of blood leading up a flight of stairs to a temple but e was not within. Minbu took on Shintarō in his place but was killed by him. Hagenbō made it to the House of Night where he lay in bed with a fever. Chidori got a doctor in to treat him. The doctor said he would recover if the fever broke. The kidnapped Shūsaku was put in his room and when Hagenbō found out he was close to Shintarō, he untied him and took him to the Sainenji. Shintarō thanked him for rescuing him but Hagenbō told him he only used him to get to Shintarō. He challenged him saying no one had defeated his "human steel" technique and he could not live with it. Shintarō demurred saying he was too weak from his wound. They fought anyway and Hagenbō broke Shintarō's sword with his "human steel"  trick but collapsed dead from his wounds. Shintarō said that if he had had both arms he would have defeated him. On hearing of his death, Densai was very upset and cursed his stubbornness. (Phantom Ninja)

Hajika An Ainu man who worked at the Shibuchari River gold mine. His family were starving and his wife, Kurara, came to see him but was waylaid with a promise of food in return for her necklace by two of the Japanese guards. As a result, his son was killed in a struggle. Later he joined the rebel leader, Kamokuin and acted as his agent in the purchase of guns from Ojimaya Denbei. (Spy Swordsman)

Hakone Shrine Where Tonbei and Lord Rokkaku were held captive (tied to a tree when Shintarō found them). Kongō told Shintarō he would find them there but would have to get through five groups of ninja to reach them and if he succeeded, he would still have to face him. Privately, Kongō believed he would get through and was prepared to kill him. He and Shintarō fought a duel on a boat moored just off the shore there. Hakone Shrine (or Hakone Gongen) is on Lake Ashi and is set in thick woods at the foot of Mt. Komagatake. It is supposed to have been founded in 757  by Priest Mangan and was once one of the largest shrines in central Japan Minamoto Yoritomo took refuge there after his defeat in 1185 at Ishibashiyama near Odawara. (Phantom Ninja)

Hakuho Castle  see Iga Ueno Castle

Hakuryū Minbu One of the seven Phantom ninja, his speciality was his speed. His weapon of choice was the manrikigusari. He claimed the only kill the Phantom ninja made, the first name in the "book of death", Kawayama Daizaburō. He leaped on his back as he was riding down a street. Shintarō gave chase using the pack-horse Shūsaku came from Odawara on. Minbu leaped with Kawayama on to a roof, letting the horse run riderless on with Shintarō still in pursuit. He threw Kawayama to the ground and told him he had been ordered to kill him. When asked by whom, he said, "The Lord of Night". Kawayama struggled to free himself but wherever he turned, Minbu was in front of him When Shintarō appeared, he attacked both him and Kawayama with his manrikigusari and succeeded in capturing Shintarō's sword. Shintarō freed it and Minbu leaped away, killing Kawayama in passing. Shintarō was baffled by Minbu's speed and said no one had evaded his swordsmanship before. He and Hagenbō were assigned to kill chief magistrate Kaizuka Mino no Kami. They intended to make his death a slow one and to teach him the meaning of fear. They both had a lot of fun taunting two policemen about Kazuka, confounding them with their speed and agility, leaping across roofs "like ghosts" as they said. They watched Kaizuka's house and when he came out in a palanquin, summoned to Sadanobu's mansion, they followed. When the procession turned a corner, there were suddenly two palanquins. Minbu went after one which contained only Shintarō who realised there were two ninja, not one, and that Kaizuka, in the other palanquin was in danger. He left Minbu to Tonbei and went to sort it. Minbu next appeared outside the temple the wounded Hagenbō's trail of blood led to. He told Shintarō Hagenbō was not there but he, Minbu, would fight in his place. With his manrikigusari, he disarmed Shintarō of his long sword but the latter drew his short sword and killed Minbu. (Phantom Ninja)

Hakusan-ryū The first of the  ninja groups to accept the contest of skill. Presumably they came from near Mt. Hakusan in central Japan (near Kanazawa, in modern Ishikawa prefecture) though they were operating in Edo for this exercise They were represented by Shikoro Jingosa. When he was defeated, the Kōshū-ryū took their place. (Contest of Death)

Hakuun-ryū The fourth  ninja group to take up the challenge of the contest of skills. Or rather, they were the fourth listed but the school was extinct ever since the leader, Naruko Ichiden,  created a fake grave and buried the secret scrolls in it, then vanished with his daughter after his only son and heir died. (Contest of Death)

Hakuunsai of  Kōga Chief of the Owari ninja and of the Black Ninja, he was an old white-haired man, usually disguised as an itinerant priest so that he could go from mansion to mansion, carrying the agreement to be signed by each lord to overthrow the shogun. Gensai's direct superior. He first appeared outside the Sakai mansion praying. The gatekeeper tried to chase him away saying "We don't need your prayers" but he showed him a token with the Tokugawa crest on. He was politely welcomed inside where he met the lord and introduced himself as chief of the Owari ninja. He had a message form the Lord of Owari which was that the great lords had agreed to sign an agreement. The lord wanted to know the names of the other lords but Hakuunsai  jumped up and uncovered a listening device on the underside of a hanging scroll. He capitalised on the moment to say that despite the lord's loyalty, the shogun had seen fit to send spies into his household. Tonbei described him as having true supernatural powers. He believed him the most dangerous because he was skilful, noiseless, cast no shadow though moved like one and could not be detected. Further, Tonbei had heard that his wisdom was as wide as heaven, his thinking as deep as the earth and he was by far the best of the ninja  (Black Ninja)

Hanakake One of four ninja bound from birth to serve Genzō and obey him in everything whom he ordered to go on a rampage in Kōfu, murdering, robbing, setting fire to buildings, etc. to draw out Shintarō  He said of this assignment, "Sounds like fun." ( Koga Ninjas)

Hanbei An old man, the guise Tonbei assumed to pass the first time through the Ogasezawa checkpoint. He forgot his pass and was reminded to take it by one of the officials who tossed it to him. All this was watched by Gensai who sat next to the officials. He was aware that this was Tonbei in disguise but let him through because he wanted him to make contact with Seihachi. (Black Ninja)

Handayū of Nabari An old Iga master ninja but still highly skilled, particularly in running and despatching Negoro with shuriken as he passed and at evading their traps. . He trained Tonbei and many others and sent him on his first mission ten years previously.. He had hidden Yorikata but now Shintarō  and Tonbei were there to take the prince back to Wakayama Castle. He wanted no thanks for what he had done because Shintarō  had taken care of Tonbei who was like a son to him and his favourite pupil. He had one daughter, Kumeno. He was familiar with Garyūdōshi but said he had an evil mind and a cruel heart. He also later reproved him for his ambitions as no ninja from the first had ever governed even part of the country. They were tools for the use of others. He hid Yorikata in a place far from Nabari up a stream. He encountered Garyūdōshi and fought him. to a standstill but Garyūdōshi threatened him with his daughter's life claiming she had been captured and stabbed him with a knife he had hidden in his legging as they struggled above a stream. They both fell into the river. He re-emerged later as Garyūdōshi lunged at Shintarō  and threw a knife into his wrist. This gave Shintarō  a chance to pick up his sword and throw it into Garyūdōshi, killing him. Handayū died of his wounds but not before giving several lengthy speeches. One told Kumeno to live as he had taught her: be kind and help others. Another was on the theme of this was the fate of a ninja and he had done his duty. He asked Shintarō  to take care of his pupils.. (Ninja Terror)

Hatakeyama Jihei The name Kongō assumed as the murderous ronin. He was said to be an unemployed  samurai of the Matsuyama Clan. Valuables were found in the roof of his house in Yakken after he was arrested. For the first murder, Kongō simply dressed the part and did not disguise his face or voice. However, for the rest of the murders he looked and sounded completely different. (Phantom Ninja)

Hats and headgear One of the most fascinating things to an Australian audiences (especially of kids) was the variety of hats and headgear sported by various characters. These were a bit special. Best  remembered are the the woven hats worn by ronin and komuso. or ninja disguised as same. A whole generation of Australians grew up wondering why people wore laundry baskets or wastepaper baskets on their heads. The laundry basket type was worn mainly by ronin, sometimes Shintarō and far more often Kongō (especially in The Puppet Ninja and Contest of Death). The narrower wastepaper basket type was worn by ninja disguised as komusō and once or twice by Shintarō and only occasionally by actual komusō.

Ronin-style basket hats.

Besides hats, there were various types of hoods. The most common were those worn by ninja which were simply long scarves wrapped around the head and often the lower part of the face. These scarves could be used for other things such as binding an enemy, transporting water, wet and used to strike an enemy an so on. The Black Ninja tied theirs in a distinctive style with peaks at the corners.

Tendō and Gensai demonstrating Black Ninja hoods.

The more usual ninja hoods.

The other type of hood commonly seen was one made of brocade which covered the head and part of the lower face. It was usually worn by noblemen who did not wish to be recognized.

Hattori, Motome Accountant in the Black Mansion whose name Kazeba used to say he sent her as a maid. (Black Ninja)

Hayato He and Gensai were the last of Genkurō's group to survive after Miya and went with him to Iga country to try to recruit Dōgan's pupils. He said he was Suiki and offered to take either Shintarō  or Tonbei to see Dōgan via a secret passage which led from the house to the temple. He said it had to be only one in case Doki came back and found both missing. Shintarō  went with him. Part way along he handed the torch to Shintarō  claiming he had  tripped on something. When Shintarō  looked he had disappeared but Genkurō and his men were hanging on the ceiling ready to ambush him. As he had a torch he was a target but if he extinguished it, he wouldn't be able to see. Dōgan foiled this by throwing some torches into the walls. Genkurō and his men withdrew. . Gensai wanted to know why he hadn't killed Shintarō  when he had the chance in Minakuchi but he reminded him that their mission was to kill Sadanobu. Gensai dismissed that as an excuse and Hayato was offended. They were about to fight when Genkurō arrived and stopped them, telling them they must not fight amongst each other. When the Wolf Ninja reported that Gensai, contrary to orders, had gone after Shintarō , Hayato offered to get him back. Genkurō said it would be useless as Gensai could only think with the mind of a ninja and must take revenge to keep his pride as a ninja. He admitted to feeling the same. He took over as second in command after Gensai disappeared. He impersonated Ban who had, in turn impersonated a Wolf Ninja and in this guise entered the inn where Sadanobu was staying, discovered, thanks to Tonbei being gossipy, that Sadanobu was hidden in the warehouse, signalled Genkurō to let him know (by sending an arrow with a message to the boat he was on) and let the Wolf  Ninja in to take care of the Iga guards. He was killed in the fight. (Iga Ninjas)

Hell Valley On the way to the port of Shibetsu where Kiba and Onibishi ambushed what they believed was a party of Ainu women and Shintarō. Instead, having been warned by Saki, these were Kamokuin and his men plus Sanpei. Shintarō appeared from behind and Kiba challenged him to a duel. Shintarō  asked Kiba to spare the women but he refused saying they were rebels. In the duel, Kiba fell from the cliff and Shintarō told one of his samurai to find him quickly as he might still be saved. Kamokuin killed Onibishi in a duel Now the Ainu were all reunited and everyone was safe, Shintarō left them after asking Saki to take care of Zenta for him. (Spy Swordsman)

Heinai Iga ninja who woke Tonbei in the Iga  Ninja Mansion to tell him the fire had spread to Edo castle and part of it was burning. This was the third major fire since the new year (1790). He and Tonbei sensed they were being spied on as they went out and thought it might be some common thief using the confusion caused by the fire. In the roof cavity Heinai was dazzled by a light from a mirror, wielded by Shikoro Jingosa. Jingosa hypnotised him into committing suicide. Tonbei found his body but could not believe he was a suicide. (Contest of Death)

Hibari Young Ainu woman betrothed to Oriora. She was mistrustful of Japanese since some of them had framed Oriora for murder and she felt none could be trusted to take the part of an Ainu until Shintarō convinced her otherwise.

Hida see Oribe Hida

Hidaka District in Ezo where Hai was located. (Spy Swordsman)

Hidaya Moneylender in Ezo to whom Seisaku owed 5 ryo. He had a small gang led by a ronin who accompanied him when he called round to collect debts or threaten, intimidate orf even rough up those who owed him money. He held the deeds to Seisaku's property and intended to use these to force Oshino to give the land to him in Seisaku's absence. He was foiled by Shintarō who took the deeds from him and told him not to do it again. He failed to heed the lesson and when next seen his bullies were harassing a blind rōnin, Tendō Sawanosuke, who defeated them despite his handicap. Having lost his own bodyguard, he hired Tendō to kill Shintarō. However Tendō killed him after being defeated by Shintarō as he wanted to start a new life. (Spy Swordsman)

Hidden Christians Japanese Christians whose ancestors had converted in the 16th century when Jesuit and other missionaries were allowed to preach. That ended under the Tokugawas but they continued to practice their faith in secret, knowing that the punishment was death if discovered and they did not recant. Lord Shiranui promised his Christians they would be able to worship openly once he had become shogun if they helped him carry in the smuggled guns which is why they were helping him freely. They wore crosses so they could be identified. Maya and Taimon were of their number but they did not approve of what was going on and feared the Puppet ninja. (Puppet Ninja).

Hidden Goddess Trick A way of becoming invisible or at least not being seen practised by only the greatest of ninja, according to Tonbei. First you hide behind a hedge, then you hold your breath and then you recite the prayer of invisibility. (Black Ninja)

Hidden Leaf Trick see  Kōga Hidden Leaf Trick

Higo Province in Kyushu where one of eight groups of Iga ninja were sent to investigate reports of smuggling (Puppet Ninja)

Higure Usuzumi One of the four great Puppet ninja, she first appeared in the guise of Sumie, a young Iga ninja who was Kansai's sister. She claimed to want to help instead of returning to Iga Valley. She had got to Hizen so quickly because of the telepathic bond she had with her brother (though she wasn't aware he'd died). She went with Shintarō to help him infiltrate the Christian workers. When he was discovered he told her to find a plan of escape. She returned to where they were staying and told Tonbei Shintarō had been captured and suggested a rescue mission. She led him into a trap and revealed her true identity. Tonbei and Shintarō managed to escape. She and Kagehiko captured Kongō (at least temporarily) on a beach and wanted to kill him for always interfering. Genshin stopped them because he had other uses for Kongō. However, he gave them secret orders to kill Kongō once he had killed Shintarō and was of no further use. She  grappled with him and fell into a river from a bridge, saying she would die with him which she did. (Puppet Ninja)

Hikarigusa Medicinal plant known only to  Kōga ninja which can cure blindness caused by blinding powders. Kurobei told Shūsaku about it and he went to pick some. Kurobei said that he had always thought the flowers beautiful and Shintarō  said he had never thought to hear a ninja say something like that. ( Koga Ninjas)

Hikoroku see Torio, Hikoroku

Hirokuniya Inn in Hirokuni village where not only Tonbei and Shintarō  stayed but Jingo as well. Oko crept into the ceiling above Jingo's room but he detected her and ordered her to come down. He warned her not to approach him again or else he would kill her. (Ninja Terror)

Hirota, Gorō Rice dealer in Edo who was once "as thick as thieves" with Tanuma Okitsugu. He had a large house and was known to have made his fortune with black market rice. Since Tanuma's recent death (1788) he had been very quiet but his storehouse was said to be "stuffed with gold". One night, as he and his clerks were counting money, the Black Ninja came and extinguished one of the candles. When it was relit, it was found that the accounts didn't tally so Hirota made everyone start counting again and no one was to go home until the accounts balanced. Just then there was a second attack, this time with a candle which poured forth a drugged vapour which rendered everyone unconscious. The keys to Hirota's storehouse were stolen and when he and the police entered it, he at first thought everything was there but when he opened the chests they were full of stones. This was not the first time this had happened to him as he exclaimed, "I have been robbed again!" The Black Ninja announced he was responsible and that the money was going back to where it belonged. (Black Ninja)

Hiruga Valley Where Genshin believed Shintarō to be hiding and sent Dōhaku and Kagehiko to look for him there. Also where the Christians, Maya and Taimon, tend to hang out. (Puppet Ninja)

Hitodofu  Fief in Hizen whose lord had bought foreign made guns from Shiranui Puppet Ninja)

Hitomi Tarōbō A Gen ninja, habitually dressed as a yamabushi, he first appeared to shoot the bow from Dōjin's hands as he was about kill Shintarō thus allowing the samurai to kill him. He next appeared on the highway at Shimosuwa to warn Shintarō and Tonbei to take the Kōfu road as the other fork led to death. Thereafter he turned up at regular intervals to warn them of imminent danger. Tonbei never really trusted him and took one warning as a threat and chased after him. He told them he would challenge them formally later.

He believed that Kongō's contest of skills, far from helping to save the ninja, would lead to the destruction of the few ninja clans left because no one could go up against Shintarō and survive. So he set himself to try to persuade each ninja clan in the contest to back away and have nothing to do with it. Beneath this altruism and clear-sightedness (he was right, the contest was counter-productive), was a more selfish reason. He wanted to replace Kongō as head of and controller of all 73 ninja clans. To do that he would kill Shintarō himself and thus succeed where Kongō (and all the other ninja) had failed. To that end he would thwart the attempts of other ninja to kill Shintarō by warning him of any danger. (So, in a way, he, too was responsible for the deaths of many ninja apart from those he killed outright if they didn't agree to abandon the contest and their loyalty to Kongō). His jealousy of Kongō as an individual and a ninja was quite plain in the way he scorned those who were loyal to him and their respect for him, attempting to belittle him where possible. Kongō was aware of this, even before he got Hidari's message which relayed the entire conversation wherein Tarōbō revealed his plans, ambitions and attitude to the master ninja.

This led him to warn Shintarō there was a loose cannon, one over whom he had no control, who was not part of the contest who wanted Shintarō dead as well. With complete candour he told him that Tarōbō wanted to humiliate him. He came to Shintarō's rescue with a spare sword when Tarōbō revealed his true colours after Shintarō killed the Yūgasumi ninja and forced him to throw him his swords. Finding himself trapped between Shintarō and Kongō, he leaves, threatening to visit a similar fate on Kongō. Kongō who had rescued Tonbei as well, warned Shintarō he had not wanted him killed and not to get the wrong idea, then walked away.

Tarōbō was more successful in suborning that penultimate clan, the Yūgasumi and was also able to recruit some other disaffected ninja after they were destroyed by Shintarō. He recruited Koyu ninja Kodayū when he found him following the boat Kongō had sent for Shintarō. His earlier recruits were Kizan ninja Kanzō, Yashū ninja Jinpachi and Shinano ninja Jihei. These he used to ambush Kongō. He had one, dressed in Kongō's usual rōnin style,  lure Shintarō and Tonbei ashore from the boat Kongō had sent with instructions to use it to cross the river to where they would meet. He then disguised himself as Shintarō and with one of the others as Tonbei and the third as an oarsman. They approached Kongō's boat. When the master ninja leaped aboard, he realised his mistake as he was attacked with swords from two in front and the oar from behind and realised he had been betrayed. The fourth ninja shot him in the shoulder from the shore and after Tarōbō struck him with his sword a few times, he fell into the water. Tarōbō was still not sure he was dead and ordered the others to search the river. They discovered that a wounded man had been taken to the nearby convent and went there to finish the job. Oboro tried to stop them. However, they found Shintarō in the bed, not Kongō. During the fight, Shintarō killed Tarōbō who looked mildly surprised.

Tarōbō was rather idealistic. He believed ninja should lived quietly, perfecting their skills, serving no masters and not seeking fame as the Iga and Kōga had done. He was proud of the fact that the Gen were one of the original ninja clans and considered them purer than the others. On the other hand, he also believed a ninja's word was worth nothing. He had an easy, pleasant, open manner with an engaging smile, a likable chap with a sense of humour and not as bonkers as most master ninja. His one character flaw was his jealousy and hatred of Kongō which led him to do the very thing he accused Kongō of doing, bringing about the demise of many  ninja..(Contest of Death)

Hitonashi see Akanabe Hitonashi

Hitotsume Kansai One of two Iga ninja assigned with Tonbei to investigate smuggling reports in Hizen. They discovered guns being carried into Shiranui Castle and during a fight with Puppet ninja in the castle , he was wounded in the thigh by a shuriken. He took the other half of Tonbei's notebook which had been dropped. He concealed himself for ten days in a hole in the castle grounds by which time he was running out of food. Tonbei found him but he insisted in remaining as he would be a burden. He returned to Tonbei part of the notebook he lost during the fight. Tonbei rescued him anyway. At regular intervals he would apologise for being a burden and insist on being left behind. His wound was probably poisoned and he developed a fever. However, it was he who realised that Tonbei was not really Tonbei but a Puppet ninja after Yamizō impersonated him. He got up to relieve "Tonbei" of guard duty and found him talking to some Puppet ninja. He challenged him and there was a fight in which he was mortally wounded. Shintarō discovered his bloody sword and realised something was wrong and this led to the unmasking and capture of Yamizō. Kansai managed to return to the hut where they had been staying but died there, tended by Maya and Taimon. He was buried under a stone carved with his name in the woods nearby .(Puppet Ninja)

Hiyama Samurai spy in the Abe clan who together with his daughter, Chiyo, had worked for five years to gather evidence that there was a plot against the shogun. He took the letter-case which had the agreement which Hakuunsai had left for the Abe clan to sign along with other evidence. He was about to send it to Sadanobu in Edo but Chiyo warned him that if he did he would only succeed in ruining the Oshi clan as the Owari name would disappear from the document. He and Chiyo agreed to go to retainer Tadaoka and return the box. They were attacked by the Black Ninja but Hiyama gave the letter-case to Chiyo who ran and was rescued by Shintarō  who killed the Flying Robe ninja who was attacking Hiyama. The two pretended to be captured by a Black Ninja (Shintarō  in disguise) so they could be taken to Tadaoka's residence. Tadaoka was at first dismayed by the revelation they were both shogunate spies (he was aware Hiyama was but not Chiyo) and felt betrayed but Shintarō  pointed out he did not have to sign the agreement as the two had agreed not to spy on  the clan any more. He ended up reinstating them.. (Black Ninja)

Hizen Province in Kyushu where Tonbei, Unosuke and Kansai as of eight groups of Iga ninja were sent to investigate reports of smuggling. It was the only one where smuggling was indeed going on and the only one from where the Iga ninja groups did not return safely. (Puppet Ninja)

Hodogaya Cave Hodogaya was a village, the 5th stage along the Tōkaidō. The cave was the location of the Hōjō treasure according to the false map memorised by Tonbei and followed by Jinkurō. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Hōgen see Uda Hōgen

Hogenji Temple in Matsumae where a Matsumae samurai was found killed by Murakami  Murakami also arranged to meet Shintarō there after the attack on the convoy. (Spy Swordsman)

Hojiro Village in Iga country where Tonbei was born. (Iga Ninjas)

*Hōjō family: Descended of Taira Sadamori, they were powerful warlords of the 16th century and resided at Odawara. The first was Hōjō Nagauji or Sōun (1432-1519).Born Ise Shinkūrō, he served Imagawa Yoshitada but marched against the son of Ashikaga Masatomo who had assassinated his own father, put him to death and took the province of Izu in 1491.He had his son, Ujitsuna marry the descendant of Hōjō Shikken and so changed his name to Hōjō (the Hōjō had been regents from 1200-1333 in Kamakura). He had his head shaved and took the name Sōun. In a string of campaigns against the Uesugi he drove out Lord Ōmori and took Odawara and established himself there in 1495.He increased his domains to take in all of Sagami Province by 1518. He died the following year.

Hōjō treasure A million gold pieces, originally the war funds of the Hōjō family and hidden by them around 1590. There were three mirrors, the Wind Thunder, the Fire Dragon and the Water Tiger, which had originally belonged to the Hōjō family which, when placed together in the right order in a cave temple on Enoshima revealed a map to a cave called the Wind Fort. At the Wind Fort, a second map was revealed which led to a second cave, this one behind a waterfall, called the Water Castle. At the Water Castle there was a third map which led to a cave in Fire Valley in the Hakone Mountains called the Fire Tower. Fūma Kotarō wanted to use the money originally to revive the fortunes of the Hōjō descendants but later seemed to want to conquer the world with it. Oboro feared that it would be the ruin of the Fūma ninja, one of the reasons she decided to betray her brother to Shintarō. Kotarō finally located it as he was dying of wounds Shintarō  had inflicted on him. He grasped two handfuls of the gold pieces, then blew himself up along with the treasure, saying that no one would get it. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

*Hōjō, Ujitsuna (1487-1541),continued his father's plan to annihilate the Uesugi. In 1524 he took the castle of Edo and in a series of campaigns he conquered the whole of the Kantō region. With peace now in the area, he applied himself to repairing the damage caused by the wars.

*Hōjō, Ujiyasu (1515-1570), son of Ujitsuna, found himself opposed by the Uesugi and defeated them, driving them from the Kantō, leaving the Hōjō supreme (1551). In 1560, allies of Uesugi Norimasa besieged Odawara Castle but could not take it so withdrew. The alliance of the Imagawa and Takeda confronted him but peace was brought about. Ujiyasu's grandson Ujinao, married a daughter of Takeda Shingen and Shingen's son married a daughter of Ujiyasu but in 1568 he sided with Imagawa Ujizane against Takeda Shingen, disgusted with Shingen's treachery towards Ujizane. He died two years later, aged 56. Under him, the power and glory of the Hōjō was at its height.

*Hōjō, Ujimasa (1538-1590) was the eldest son of Ujiyasu and took part in his father's campaigns. In 1570 Shingen attacked Nobunaga and made peace with Ujimasa. Ujimasa attempted to maintain peace in the Kantō and served as a mediator between Takeda Katsuyori (Shingen's son) and Nobunaga in 1574 and restored peace. Nobunaga acknowledged the rights of the Hōjō to possession of the Kantō but when Hideyoshi asked them to acknowledge their vassalage, they refused. In 1590, Odawara was besieged by Hideyoshi and Ujimasa committed suicide.

*Hōjō, Ujinao (1562-1591) Son of Ujimasa and last of the Hōjō of Odawara. He defeated Takeda Katsuyori in 1579 and added Kōzuke province to the Hōjō domains in 1582. He waged inconclusive war against both Tokugawa Ieyasu and Uesugi Kagekatsu. peace was signed and he married a daughter of Ieyasu's. In 1589 Hideoyoshi ordered him and his father to Kyoto but he refused. so Hideyoshi sent a large army to lay siege to Odawara. Hideyoshi invited him to surrender and promised to leave him Sagami and Ise but he refused. He refused a similar offer from Ieyasu. Eventually  he was forced to yield. Ujimasa was forced to commit suicide and Ujinao was exiled to Kōya-san where he died the following year. His ghost was impersonated by Musai (Fuma Ninjas)

Honjo Town in Kōzuke (Gunma Prefecture) where Shintarō and Tonbei stayed while waiting for an attack from the Hakuun ninja and where Yūgiri did indeed attack them, disguised as a maid. (Contest of Death)

Hōrakuji Temple Where yet another body was found, murdered and robbed by Kongō in his guise as a ronin (Phantom Ninja)

Hori Tado Lord from whose mansion Tonbei was to steal the plans of Takada Castle on his first mission (Ninja Training)

Hotta Sole survivor of the Hachiōji police killed by Byakuro Genki disguised as Tonbei at a milestone 2 ri and 10 cho from Hachiōji. He returned to base and reported the attack, describing Tonbei so he was arrested. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Hotta, Geki One of three lords summoned to Sadanobu's mansion at night to discuss his impending trip to Kyoto in May 1788. (Iga Ninjas)

House of Night (aka Kurayami Yashiki) Formerly owned by Lord Rokkaku and the venue for his meetings with the Phantom ninja. It was located at Tama Hill in Edo and was a dark, gloomy mansion, lit mainly by candles. (Phantom Ninja)

Human Steel Technique Hagenbō's speciality. It allowed him to break a sword in two with his bare hand. (Phantom Ninja)

Hunchback At a remote temple on the way to Kobushigatake he was a mute temple servant who startled Shūsaku who had gone to get water for Kurobei. He seemed harmless, if ugly, ands wanted to help Shūsaku bring a bucket of water to Kurobei. However, he was a  Kōga ninja in disguise. In fact he and the priest of the temple were one and the same man. Kurobei managed to warn Shintarō  of this. ( Koga Ninjas)

Hunter's Hut Thatch-roofed building not far from Fujisawa where Tonbei and the five Iga ninja took shelter after being attacked by Dōjin and his men on their way to Edo to search the records relating to Odawara Castle for clues as to the significance of the three mirrors. (Fuma Ninjas)

Hyōe the Spider (aka Kumo no Hyōe) He was a ninja trained only in the art of killing. One of his weapons was a sticky web of rope he would drop over his victims, immobilising them.  His sign was a drawing of a spider in a web which he would drop. Whoever burnt it he would work for. Kongō summoned him to kill Shintarō seeing him as a roadblock to be removed if they expected to carry out their mission of killing those in the "book of death". After Kongō burnt the spider drawing and gave him his mission, he said that he had heard that Shintarō had killed five of the seven Phantom ninja and now they wanted him to kill a man that not even their leader could kill. Densai was incensed and retorted he never said he couldn't defeat him. He affirmed that he never turned down any  job and asked if he could use the men they had called from Kōga. He went to the Sainenji and saws that Shintarō and Tonbei were going out for the evening leaving Shūsaku behind. He got into the ceiling and dropped a spider down a string in Shūsaku's face. The boy felt sleepy and collapsed. He then got into the room and ran a fuse from the floor lamp to some bombs he had hidden below the floor. When Shintarō and Tonbei returned they lit the lamp and Shintarō smelled burning. While Tonbei went to find the explosives, Shintarō realised the smell was coming from the lamp, kicked it over and cut the fuse. During the fight outside between Tonbei and some ninja, an old man was injured. This was Hyōe in disguise. Feeling guilty an innocent was involved Tonbei brought him inside where Shintarō looked after him and sent for his daughter, the old man having managed to ask for her. The daughter, Chika, was a ninja, too. He and Chika congratulated themselves on having taken a house five years before so all the neighbours could identify them and allay suspicion they were ninja. He told her that one day she would inherit the Spider title. She went into the ceiling to use sleeping gas while he crept under the floor to where Shintarō was. Shintarō was not gassed and drove his sword through the floor. Hyōei fled outside where Shintarō was waiting for him He asked the Spider if Kongō sent him to kill him. He replied that he was bound to serve the one who burnt his symbol even if it meant killing his own flesh and blood. He was wounded by a shuriken in his shoulder and retreated. Shintarō tried to get him down to get medical aid but he reminded Chika of their code and killed himself, falling to the ground. Tonbei released Chika so she could go to him and they left her with his body. Shintarō later had him buried and a grave-marker set up with his name on it in a cemetery. (Phantom Ninja)

Hyuga Province in Kyushu where one of eight groups of Iga ninja were sent to investigate reports of smuggling (Puppet Ninja)

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Ichi Entertainer at Daikokuya's inn, usually leading the singing. She was formerly the top geisha at Fukagawa. She and Shintarō knew each other in Edo. He was surprised to see her there and she was curious to know why he was in Ezo. She explained that Daikokuya, a trader had taken her away but all he cared about was making money. She and  Shintarō caught up on old times and sang a song together She also told Shintarō of the Japanese fur traders unscrupulous dealings with the Ainu where they would steal the first and the last fur they brought for sale.. She made up a room for him at the inn and Daikokuya instructed her to keep him there as long as possible because he would make his fortune. When Jinnai threatened her and told her to keep quiet about Daikokuya's death she took a pistol from her clothes chest and went to the gaol where Shintarō had been taken, pretending to want to see the man who killed Daikokuya in order to stab him. While pressed up again the bars of the cell, she secretly passed him the gun, (Spy Swordsman)

Ichinensai see Fujibayashi Ichinensai

Ichinose One of three checkpoints on the way to Owari from Shinano along the Nakasendō  (Black Ninja)

Ichinoya Inn where Shintarō  and Tonbei stayed in Hachiōji (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Ichirōta A Noto ninja. The group decided to used the pickpockets, Sanji and Denzō to choose who of them would take up the challenge of the contest of skills. He succeeded in killing Denzō so got the gig. He chased down Sanji and dressed him up as a ninja, paralysed him and set him up in a temple deep in the woods as part of a trap to kill Shintarō and Tonbei. He impersonated Sanji and asked them to help him kill the man who killed his friend so led them to the temple. He and Tonbei went to make sure their "man" was still there and he struck at the Iga ninja while he was looking at the ninja in the room (Sanji). Shintarō stopped him and tied him up. He intended to use him as bait  to attack the other two Noto ninja which Sanji told him about. They went to the Karasugawa (Crow River) where Isshiki Dōjun was disguised as the ferryman. Dōjun freed Ichirōta with a dart to cut his bonds. The three (Jirōta was under matting on the boat) trapped Shintarō between them and tried their leaping g tricks on him but he killed them. (Contest of Death)

Iga Litter Trick litter which, once closed, can only be opened from the outside. Sannosuke pretending that Shintarō  was wanted at Odawara castle, induced him to step into such a litter and he was not able to get out when he became suspicious. (Iga Ninjas)

Iga Monkey Insult hurled at Tonbei by Fūma Kotarō  and other ninja (Fuma Ninjas)

Iga Ninja Every since Tokugawa Ieyasu's time they were hired as guards for Edo Castle. There were currently 200 there. One, Kakuzō,  startled some samurai guards during a storm, having come to check as he had heard voices. They said he wasn't such a great ninja and that there probably weren't any true ninja any more. The Iga had spent so long living soft lives in the castle they had lost all their skills.  This was a similar view to that held by the Fūma ninja who had infiltrated the castle after the Water Tiger mirror. Having noted that the castle was guarded by Iga ninja, Kitōbō, the leader added, "Unskilled ninja". Though Kakuzō joined in the guards' laughter and their offer to help if he needed it, he was resentful, saying people called ninja monkeys, toads and snakes and had no respect for them. Tonbei pointed out that their grandfathers had died just getting enough to eat and those were terrible days. Now they lived like kings in the castle.

Iga Ninja Blinding Trick This consisted of casting a fine powder into the enemy's eyes and escaping in the confusion. Shūsaku used this to escape from three Fūma ninja who had infiltrated Shintarō's house demanding the object the Iga ninja (Tonbei) had left there. Shūsaku denied he had done such a thing and was accused of lying. So he said he was a coward and would get it for them. He reached into his kimono and pulled out the blinding powder and threw it at them. (Fuma Ninjas)

Iga Ninja Gunpowder So much better than Puppet ninja gunpowder because it had been perfected over generations, according to Tonbei. (Puppet Ninja)

Iga Ninja Good Luck Charm Tonbei wrote this on a slip of paper before setting out for Edo on a mission to discover the history of Odawara Castle. He claimed it was an old Iga trick. It made him feel safe even if it was only superstition. He lost it in a fight with the Fūma near Sagami River. Kotarō used it to to try to convince Shintarō  that Tonbei would be killed by the Fūma. (Fuma Ninjas)

Iga Ninja Mansion (Iga Yashiki) Located in Yotsuya it was where the Iga ninja mostly lived, the single ones at any rate. The Phantom ninja, Hagenbō and Yamizato disapproved and said that ninja ought not live in mansions like that. It  was first seen in Iga Ninjas. It was attacked and invaded by the Fūma ninja after the Wind Thunder  Mirror and Kotarō laid out at the gate the Iga ninja he had killed. It was partially burnt by the Kōshū ninja nearly a year later. (Iga Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas, Phantom Ninjas, Contest of Death)

Iga Ninja Mist Trick Tonbei's speciality. It consisted of throwing down rapidly a number of smoke bombs to confuse the enemy and/or make one's escape.

Iga Ninja Thunder Stick A firecracker something like a Roman candle which Tonbei used to keep the attacking Fūma at bay at the Antoku convent and to rouse Shintarō  from his incense-induced stupor. (Fūma Ninjas)

Iga Ninja Walking Under Water Trick Iga ninja used their sword scabbards to walk under water. Tonbei used this trick to escape when Kotarō cut him down and he fell over a waterfall. He was thus able to rescue Shintarō  and Oboro from the burning hut. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Iga Ninja Whistle Used to summon help within Edo Castle (Fuma Ninjas)

Iga Password At Fujisawa Tonbei's Iga ninja used "Yoshino" and "flower". (Iga Ninjas)

Iga, Saizō see Takaoka, Saizō

Iga Shadow Trick Tonbei said it was based on the idea everything must have a shadow. What it meant in actuality was infiltrating a "shadow" or agent into the enemy's ranks. In this case it was Saizō who had won the trust of the Fūma ninja.. This agent could pick off the enemy one by one and report back on their movements and plans. . (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Iga Ueno Castle (aka Hakuho Castle)  Dominated the skyline as Tonbei told Shintarō and Shūsaku of his first mission on their visit to Iga country. As they left they commented on how beautiful it was (Ninja Training).

Iga Water Trick Tonbei showed this to Shūsaku in the bath at Lake Suwa, though Shūsaku was more interested in eating. He said that if Shūsaku could catch him, he would buy him what he wanted. He placed his towel on his head, linked his fingers and slowly sank under the water. Shūsaku could not find him anywhere and even thought he had drowned until he heard Tonbei's voice behind him from outside the bath saying he was going to spy on  the Old Man and would buy him a meal later. (Black Nina)

Ihara Sōgozaemon Chief of the Shintō ninja. He was to be found near the Kamisuwa shrine.. Kongō impersonated him, chanting in the robes of a priest, before an altar when Tarōbō came to persuade the Shintō leader to remain there and meditate. After a discussion wherein Tarōbō tried to convince Ihara that Kongō's "contest" would only result in the reduction of the few remaining ninja clans and not save them and Ihara countered that he was plotting to take Kongō's place, Hidari's top arrived and Ihara said it had told him everything. He then revealed himself to be Kongō. In the ensuing fight Kongō cut off Tarōbō's arm. (Contest of Death)

Inakushi Young Ainu woman who lived at Moshiriya-chashi near Mt. Osonae. She may or may not have been part Japanese. Shintarō thought so though she denied it and claimed to be Ainu. She had a musket which she used to hunt and hoped to earn money to save with its use. Her best friend was Habaro, a part Japanese Ainu youth. She spent a lot of time looking for Habaro and was a witness to Daikokuya's murder by Habaro and Habaro's murder by Jinnai. For that reason Jinnai rounded up his gang and went to her hut. She managed to hold them off with her musket. Shintarō arrived and shot one when they tried to rush Inakushi's hut. Shintarō had Jinnai at his mercy at gun point as did Inakushi. Jinnai grovelled and begged for his life. Shintarō told Inakushi ordinary people like her who work hard were true heroes. Inakushi shot Jinnai when he tried to run away. Shintarō told Kiba who arrived shortly after that Jinnai was the one who killed Daikokuya and Habaro and that Inaklushi was a witness. (Spy Swordsman)

Inrō A small case for medicines or seals, carried suspended from the obi. Shintarō's was embossed with the Tokugawa crest, a hollyhock trefoil. It was stolen while he slept by Kyūdayū who fished it from Shintarō 's folded clothes through a hole in the ceiling. Kyūdayū took it to Genkurō in case it could be useful. Genkurō used it to incriminate Shintarō in Suiki's murder by placing it on his dead body. (Iga Ninjas)

Isseki One of three checkpoints on the way to Owari from Shinano, along the Nakasendō (Black Ninja)

Isshiki Dōjun Leader of the Noto ninja. He stole back his own wallet after Denzō the pickpocket lifted it and then set his two men, Ichirōta and Jirōta to chase them. The one who made the first kill would be the one to take up the challenge of the contest of skills. While the winner, Ichirōta was carrying out his task, he continued training Jirōta and then assumed the guise of a ferryman at the Karasugawa with Jirōta concealed in the boat. When Shintarō and Tonbei turned up with Ichirōta as prisoner, he freed him and all three trapped Shintarō between them on the boat. They tried their Noto flying trick twice and he killed Jirōta on the second go and the rest after. (Contest of Death)

Itō, Shinpachi The name of a man aged 30 who had disappeared from Kōfu and whose name was on Kurando's report to Shintarō  ( Koga Ninjas)

Iwamoto Village where Gohei had arranged to meet Shintarō  and Tonbei to deliver Matsudaira Sadanobu's letter. (Ninja Terror)

Iwamuro, Daisuke One of the ten Iga ninja who were to guard Sadanobu on his journey to Kyoto. He was killed by Genkurō along with Akutagawa Tanzō and Tarao Shirobei when they fell into Genkurō's trap and followed him to what they believed was his secret hiding place in a temple near Miya (Iga Ninjas)

Iyazoi Yamizō A Puppet ninja leader and master of disguise. He waylaid Tonbei by a river and stole his face, leaving him for dead. In his guise as Tonbei he went to the hut where Kansai and Shintarō were. They arranged to leave and once outside, he took first watch. He met some Puppet ninja but was seen by Kansai who challenged him. He mortally wounded Kansai but Kansai's bloody sword alerted Shintarō that something was wrong. The real Tonbei turned up and fought with Yamizō who was captured. Tonbei pretended to be him in still in disguise and took Shintarō as his supposed prisoner to Genshin to find out his plans. The real Yamizō managed to escape his guard, the Maya and Taimon, by using the Puppet ninja water trick.. He captured them and used them as bait to trap Tonbei or Shintarō but Tonbei rescued them. He again captured them but this time impersonated Taimon whom he sent to Shiranui Castle as a prisoner. Shintarō rescued him and Maya from the boat where they were being held by the Puppet ninja. He told them that the Puppet ninja were going to kill all the Christian workers that night so Shintarō and Tonbei disguised themselves as Puppet ninja and went to rescue the Christians. These turned out to be Puppet ninja in disguise (Maya said they were not her friends). In the ensuing fight, Yamizō in his guise as Taimon, hanging on to Shintarō for protection, drew a small dagger to strike him in the neck. He was foiled by a knife thrown by Kongō from a distance. Shintarō killed him. Kongō said a prayer for him. (Puppet Ninja)

Izumiya Bungorō  Wealthy rice merchant and purveyor to the government with connections to Sadanobu so was in the "book of death". He was to deposit 10,000 gold pieces he had gathered into the treasury in Edo Castle. Samunba begged for the assignment to kill him, though at first was reluctant as he was only a merchant and thus too easy to kill. Once Kongō explained his importance, he changed his mind. The plot was to substitute gunpowder for the gold and blow it up inside the shogun's treasury. Izumiya had a wife and daughter who were taken  by the Phantom ninja and  his servants were drugged with sleeping powder as Samunba informed him. He was tied up with his wife, Ogin where Shintarō  found them when he came into the room. Samunba threatened to them unless Shintarō  dropped his sword.. Shintarō  was able to kill Samunba and foil his attempt to blow up the gold which Izumiya had delivered safely to Edo Castle. (Phantom Ninja)

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Jiekichi One of Izumiya's employees, in charge of the gold shipment. He was sent to moor the boat on which it had come and was attacked by Samunba who intimidated him into putting sleeping powder in the water butt. Ofuyu noticed his strange demeanour and caught him doing it but she was kidnapped before she could raise the alarm. he He also was taken and was one of the names Izumiya called when told of his daughter's disappearance.  (Phantom Ninja)

Jihei A Shinano ninja, he worked for Tarōbō against Kongō and helped persuade Kodayū to join them. He helped in the diversion which drew Shintarō away from the boat Kongō had sent and also in the ambush of Kongō on the river. He was killed in the attack on the Antoku convent. (Contest of Death)

Jihei the Cat One of four Iga ninja who met Tonbei and Shintarō  when they arrived in Iga country. All four trained with Tonbei under Handayū. His trick was to hold a sheet in front of him, his back against a wall. When the sheet dropped to the ground, he had vanished. He lured the Negoro group to Tenma Temple in the guise of an old man, telling them, when asked, that they had gone to Kōchi Valley, to Tenma Temple. Fortunately, he had put padding under his clothes because one of the Negoro cut him down but he survived the experience.  Meantime  his team-mates, Shintarō  and Tonbei went ahead to prepare an ambush. He was killed by Gorōzō outside Tenma Temple. The sheet reappeared but stained with blood. When it dropped, Jihei also reappeared and collapsed. (Ninja Terror)

Jiheiji One of four ninja bound from birth to serve Genzō and obey him  everything whom he ordered to go on a rampage in Kōfu, murdering, robbing, setting fire to buildings, etc. to draw out Shintarō  ( Koga Ninjas)

Jindai, Naiki Chief retainer of the Okubo clan, and warden of Odawara Castle. He attended the funeral of Seta Samon and gave advice to Samon's sister Miyo. He called Noda. the chief samurai to him, to find out his thoughts on the murder and advised that the clan could not afford to have the murder come to the attention of the government. The secret meetings going on among the samurai could embarrass their lord. A group of Fūma attempted to kidnap him but Shintarō  had taken his place, wearing a hood. Kotarō had expected that to happen and had sent Kitōbō to kidnap the real Jindai. However, Tonbei intervened long enough for Shintarō  to return and kill Kitōbō. He held a series of secret meetings with other samurai with ancestral Hōjō connections and warned them that the interest shown by the Fūma ninja could lead to trouble for the descendants of the Hōjō His assistant minister was after his job and was used against him by the Fūma ninja. Yaheiji the Typhoon made him an offer that if he joined forces with the Fūma ninja , he Yaheiji would be on his side and in due course the Fūma would take over the castle with all the Hōjō descendants. As he had been seen consorting with a shogunate spy (Shintarō ) he was in danger of being executed along with his family but if he killed not only Okuno but Shintarō , he would be safe. At that point Shintarō 's voiced was heard wondering if there was safety or death on the side of the Fūma. Shintarō  rescued him from Yaheiji .(Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Jingo the Master Swordsman. A masterless samurai proud of his sword skills with a hasty temper and unforgiving nature. He had just killed the best swordsman in Kishū when he paused by a stream to wash his hands. There he was attacked by Onime, Oko and their group who believed him to be Shintarō  (he was wearing a large hat). He bailed Onime up and killed most of the others. They realised their mistake when he removed his hat but he was well aware of their error. He went along with it it because "Fighting against ninja is always good training". He then added, "If you are thinking of revenge, come any time". Oko stopped Onime from attacking him saying it was a waste of time. At a nearby teahouse, he ordered sake, barely exchanging a word with the stall-holder. A little girl knocked his sake cup out of his hand and spilled the drink on to his sword and he wanted to teach her a lesson about touching a samurai's sword. Her mother begged forgiveness on her knees but he was not having any of it. Shintarō  intervened, saying they were with him and that he took full responsibility. Recognising him as a fellow samurai, he challenged him to draw his sword. Shintarō  refused, instead, he knelt to ask forgiveness as Jingo demanded. Tonbei remarked later that he had a "blood thirsty sword". Oko tracked him down and offered him a high position in Wakayama Castle under Naitō if he killed Shintarō  and tortured Tonbei to get the location of Yorikata. He challenged Shintarō  to a duel on a mountain path and backed him up to the edge. Tonbei's cry for help startled Shintarō  and he tumbled off the cliff. Jingo told some Negoro to check he was really dead then went with Oko to torture Tonbei saying that was work he really liked. He considered Onime too soft in his attempts to torture Tonbei and really laid into him with his scabbard. When the two Negoro ninja reported they had found Shintarō 's body and seeing he wasn't getting very far with Tonbei ("I've heard ninja don't talk"), he accepted Oko's invitation to take a break and have some sake she had bought for him ("Even though you are a ninja, you are still a woman"). The sake was poisoned and he collapsed while she taunted him that she had just used him and that they would never give a position of importance to an outsider. However, he was only feigning (he had not lived as long as he had, he said, by trusting anyone especially not ninja). He stood up and cut her down then engaged the Negoro ninja. Shintarō, who revealed himself to have been one of the Negoro ninja who confirmed Shintarō's death, fought with him and killed him. (Ninja Terror)

Jinkurō the Owl One of 10 master Fūma ninja. He disguised himself as a blind masseur and knocked on the door of Shintarō  and Tonbei's room at the Musashiya Inn and asked they had called for a massage. Tonbei took him to the correct room  but was poisoned by the cloth wrapped around the masseur's hand which paralysed him overnight. Jinkurō captured Tonbei and used a smoking drug to force Tonbei to draw him the map to the Wind Fort. This was a failure as Shintarō  had had Tonbei memorise a false map. Jinkurō followed the false map to Hodogaya Cave where he was killed in a duel with Shintarō . (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Jinnai see Mae Jinnai

Jinpachi Puppet ninja ( Kōga ninja) who watched Shintarō , Tonbei and Shūsaku at a teahouse opposite the road sign for Happongi (between Edo and Matsuida). He lured Tonbei away from the group and fought with him in the forest while Shintarō  and Shūsaku continued on their way until they found Hakuunsai by a stream and followed him. He disappeared and Jinpachi and his puppet ninja attacked them with arrows, shuriken and tetsubishi. Jinpachi claimed his  Kōga group had never been defeated. Shūsaku was injured by a tetsubishi and ,after killing all the puppet ninja except Jinpachi who escaped, Shintarō  took him to a temple and bound his foot. The temple was surrounded by Jinpachi and more of his men. Tonbei managed to find a note left by Shūsaku where they were going and got into the temple where Shintarō  told him to take Shūsaku away while he fought the puppet ninja. He killed four as they approached the door but  Jinpachi got inside and, using his Flying Door Trick, almost crushed Shintarō . However, Shintarō  cut through one of the doors and killed him. Besides, the Flying Door Trick, Jinpachi could also deceive someone  following him with what appeared to be himself sitting under a tree but which turned out to be a straw dummy wearing his clothes.  "Even Jinpachi with his puppet trick and all his followers could not defeat Shintarō," Gensai, who was on the roof, noted. . (Black Ninja)

Jinpachi A Yashū ninja, he was an expert with a musket. He had sided with Tarōbō and took part in the diversion to separate Shintarō from the boat Kongō had sent for him. His main achievement was to shoot Kongō in the shoulder from across the river during the ambush. Later he took part in the attack on the Antoku Convent. He was killed by Kongō who, though badly wounded, threw a knife into him as he sat in a tree trying to get a clear shot at Shintarō with his musket. (Contest of Death)

Jirōsaku Boy, son of the teahouse owner at Totsuka where Sadanobu's advance guard stayed. She sent him with a bundle of food to the Kimura house and promised he could play after he had delivered it. He saw an Iga ninja on the roof and asked what he was doing. He was lured into the house and captured. His playmates came to the teahouse to report him missing and Shintarō  investigated, asking the disguised Genkurō if "Gorōsaku" was there. When he said he had come and gone, Shintarō  knew this was not the real Kimura. Genkurō realised he had been tricked when he asked Jirōsaku his name. He and his men disappeared into the roof cavity when Shintarō  returned, leaving Jirōsaku tied up. Shintarō  untried him but heard something in the roof and threw a sword into it. Blood dripped down and Genkurō and his men appeared. He told him that if he had just collected Jirōsaku and gone, he would have been allowed to leave. In the ensuing fight, Genkurō took Jirōsaku  prisoner, pressing a dagger to his throat. Shintarō  called him a coward but Genkurō told him to drop his sword or the boy would die. Tonbei, in the meantime, discovered Jirōsaku  was missing and realised Shintarō  would have gone to the Kimura house. He blew smoke inside, and in the confusion, got Jirōsaku out of the house. Later Jirōsaku excitedly told Shintarō  and Tonbei that Sadanobu's procession was coming and they watched it pass in safety now that Koheita was dead. (Iga Ninjas)

Jirōta Noto ninja. He and Ichirōta chased  Sanji to decide who would be the one to enter the contest of skills and he lost. So he said he'd continue training with the master, Isshiki Dōjun. He was with him, concealed under a mat in the ferry at the Karasugawa River and aided him and Ichirōta in getting Shintarō between them so they could try their Noto flying trick. Didn't work and he was killed by Shintarō on the second time they tried the trick. (Contest of Death)

Jūrōji One of three Iga  ninja sent by Tonbei to discover if the Phantom ninja had returned to Kōga or were still in Edo. In disguise as komuso, yamabushi and traveller, they ran along the road, then paused for a rest by a river. Hagenbō's scornful voice taunted them with sweating like pigs and said he'd save the the trouble of going all the way to Kōga. His face appeared as a reflection in the water. and then he attacked them, using his "human steel technique" to smash their swords. He and Hitonashi knocked them out and took them to a temple as bait to lure Tonbei and the other Iga  ninja into a trap. There they were tied up but rescued when Shintarō arrived and defeated the Phantom ninja. (Phantom Ninja)

Jirōzō Iga ninja sent by Tonbei to gather other Iga ninja when he was expecting an attack by Fūma ninja on the Iga Ninja Mansion. Jirōzō and his men saw an old man on the road whom they identified as a Fūma ninja by the way he walked. This was Fūma Kotarō who was deliberately baiting them. He told them they would need ten times their number to take him alive as he was the leader of the Fūma ninja. He quickly killed all of them  with his sword except Jirōzō whom he tried to force into talking, threatening to cut off his ears then to blind him but Jirōzō declaring, "Dead men don't talk" killed himself. "Even among the Iga ninja, there still are those who obey the ninja code," Kotarō noted. He left all their bodies laid out in a row with their swords stacked at their heads before the Iga Mansion. (Fuma Ninjas)

Jūzō  Hunter who lived in Kōfu with his sister, Kumi, known for his skill with a musket. He knew Sakakibara Toranosuke. He was accused of hunting in an illegal area and arrested. Kogenta broke him out of gaol though he was unwilling as this would only make him look guilty. Kogenta pointed out that he would hang if he stayed put. He said that if he did as he wanted, he would be protected for the rest of his life. Jūzō tried to escape from the secret temple but Kogenta stopped him and told him if he tried it again he would die. He had Jūzō, dressed in ninja clothes and sitting in a tree, aim his musket and shoot at Shintarō  who was trapped with Shūsaku in a ring of fire. At the same time Kogenta drew a pistol. Jūzō fired at Shintarō  and missed. Kumi who was running along a nearby bridge and calling him was shot in the shoulder and fell. Jūzō tumbled out of the tree. Shintarō  impersonated him to keep his rendezvous with Kogenta who attacked him, saying he had only promised to protect him until his death. After Shintarō  killed Kogenta, Jūzō, Kumi and Toranosuke came to say goodbye to Shintarō  and Shūsaku. ( Koga Ninjas)

                                                                                                K

Kagehiko Genshin's "left hand", a leader of the Puppet ninja. As per Genshin's instructions he allowed Tonbei and Kansai to escape Shiranui Castle. He and Dōhaku often worked in tandem. Even when they reported to Genshin, they gave reports speaking in turns. He was the one Tonbei (disguised as Shintarō) had to deal with over Maya's and Taimon's capture while Yamizō impersonated Taimon. After Dōhaku's death, he was found often with Usuzumi. He and she temporarily captured Kongō on a beach and wanted to kill him because of his continual interference. Genshin stopped them as he had other plans for Kongō and wanted to use him to kill Shintarō. He gave Kagehiko and Usuzumi secret instructions to kill Kongō once he had killed Shintarō. They seemed to succeed, at least Usuzumi fell from the bridge and took Kongō with her. Kagehiko witnessed this. He was killed with the other Puppet ninja when their plot was foiled by Shintarō  (Puppet Ninja)

Kagemi Samunba One of the seven Phantom ninja (Phantom Ninja), he had summoned his owns men from Phantom Valley once the original seven's number were reduced to three. He wanted the chance to carry out the next killing, that of merchant Izumiya Bungorō. He had already sworn to avenge Hitonashi's death. He and Hitonashi had been assigned to kidnap Sakura no Tsubone. He and his men forced one of Izumiya's men to put sleeping powder in the water and captured the rest of his household. They then took the gold out of the chests and replaced it with gunpowder while he went to the house where Shintarō arrived having being lured there. he told him to throw down his sword or he would kill Izumiya, his wife and daughter. He said he would get on with his job and watching would help relieve the rage that had been building up inside him. He went to kill Shintarō  who defended himself unarmed as ton bei entered. In the fight Samumba was badly wounded but managed to stagger out to the storehouse intending to blow up the gold. Shintarō  knocked the candle from his hand and he looked helplessly at it as it was out of reach and died. (Phantom Ninja)

Kagerō Jinnai He  was the most skilled of the Fūma ninja and knew it. He came from the mountains of Chiba where he had trained since the age of three to be a ninja under Musai. He grew up with Spider Dōjin, his rival. Since Kotarō was wounded he had come to help and vowed to get the Wind Thunder and Water Tiger mirrors and to kill Shintarō  because he had killed his teacher.  All his men had the same face as he did and he used them to cause confusion. Tonbei killed one of his men in a street in Fujisawa. Then he saw a man with the same face in bed in another room at the inn where he, Shintarō  and Shūsaku were staying. Later this man was found to be dead. Jinnai impersonated an old man apparently injured in the fight at the inn and desperate to bring medicine to his sick grandchild. Shintarō  took him back in a litter and Jinnai's men attacked him on a bridge. Jinnai emerged from the litter and duelled with Shintarō  along with a good number of his men all with the same face. Shintarō  tossed the two mirrors into some long grass and knew that the one who ran to get them would be the real Jinnai. He cut him down.. Shintarō  freed his men in accordance with an old custom on the battlefield. (Fuma Ninjas)

Kagerō-ryū Group of ninja used by Nagisa in her mission  to kill Shintarō. It is not known why she didn't use her own group, the Ninkō (Contest of Death)

Kageyama Clan Three samurai from there were waylaid by Kongō in his guise as a ronin desperado. They boasted of their toughness but he killed them just the same and took their money (Phantom Ninja)

Kahei Yaichi's friend who tried to round up some of the townsfolk to stand by him but had no more luck than Yaichi. Even he had his doubts and would not stand with him but gave him his musket instead. (Spy Swordsman)

Kaizuka Mino no Kami The chief magistrate of north Edo (kita machi bugyō) whose name was in the "book of death". Kongō elected to have him killed next and put the Iga ninja to one side. He assigned Minbu and Hagenbō to do this. When Kaizuka's subordinate warned him that two men wanted to kill him, he just laughed, saying who would want to kill him. He was summoned to Sadanobu's mansion and went out in a palanquin. Shintarō  sought to thwart the assassination attempt by getting in another palanquin and joining the procession but was unaware there were two ninja on the case. Once he did, he rushed back to save Kaizuka who was defending himself against Hagenbō and cut off the latter's arm. Kaizuka was properly grateful. (Phantom Ninja)

Kakegawa Post town on the Tōkaidō, the 27th stage. Genkurō noted that the road divided in two there, the Tōkaidō going through Hamamatsu while the Akiba road went through to the mountain of that name and shrine. The road joined up again at Goyu and this was the only place where there were two parallel roads. They needed to find out which one Sadanobu would take. (Iga Ninjas)

Kakizaki Bungu Chief retainer of the Matsumae clan. Kiba instructed Tonosuke and Kotsuru to take their vengeance permit and the proof Yokochi was Nagaoka to him before taking revenge. He summoned Kiba to him concerned about the government spy attacking Matsumae convoys and officials. Kiba believed this chaos a pretext for regime change. Later he rescued Shintarō from Kiba when he had killed the false government spy, Murakami, by revealing him  to be Prince Nobuchiyo. He asked him if there were any truth to the rumours that a government spy named Akikusa Shintarō had come to Matsumae. Shintarō replied that the Matsumae clan had done a magnificent job of keeping out Russians and the rumours were baseless. (Spy Swordsman)

Kakizawa Where Tarōbō killed the Muei ninja and their leader, Hidari. (Contest of Death)

Kakuzō Iga guard at Edo Castle who resented taunts of others who called ninja "monkeys", "snakes", "toads" and wanted to see his son grow up to be a "fine samurai". On the night the Fūma broke into the castle, he had a toy he intended to give his son. He was killed by the Fūma and his death made to look like an accident with a wall collapsing on him. However, he managed to write a clue, in the form of the character for 'wind' on the toy's wrapping paper. The other, non-ninja guards, did not believe he was murdered and that this was a silly way for a ninja to die. They thought the Iga ninja were just covering up the clumsy death of one of their number.  (Fuma Ninjas)

Kakuzō the Hawk Black Ninja who infiltrated the convoy carrying the Sado gold shipment, disguised as a porter. Thus he was able to pass messages about the gold to his followers. The convoy stopped in Oiwake where the robbery was to take place that night. Kakuzō drugged the wine given to the porters. Nishina tried to stop the porters drinking but was ignored. Kakuzō challenged him outside the inn, revealing himself as a  Kōga ninja. He then fought Nishina to distract him while the gold was stolen. He not only used a sword but also a claw on one hand and also a chain which he wrapped around Nishina's sword. When he felt he had distracted him long enough, he disappeared by waving a smoking firework. Shintarō  arrived and killed him as he attacked Nishina from behind. (Black Ninja)

Kameyama Castle town on the Tōkaidō, the 47th stage, where Tonbei supposed Sadanobu had reached by the time he and Shintarō  were returning from Iga country. (Iga Ninjas)

Kamisuwa Spa on the shores of Lake Suwa, one of the places the left hand road led to when Tonbei was wondering which direction to take after seeing off the Kurozumi ninja. Tarōbō, in his guise as a yamabushi, told him and Shintarō that the left hand road led to peace. (Contest of Death)

Kamokuin (Maki Fuyukichi) Head of a group of renegade Ainu who had banded together incensed at their ill-treatment by the Japanese, mostly the Matsumae clan who run the gold mine on the Shibuchari River. He had a younger sister, Kunechip. He and his group stole a shipment of gold, claiming it was theirs anyway. When Shintarō offered to go to the gold mine and deal with the murderers of Kurara's son, Kamokuin did not believe him. Shintarō handed over his pistol as surety. Later when Kiba arrived and told them they would have their revenge but first they had to hand over the gold, Kamokuin was incensed and captured Kiba, tying him up. Kamokuin returned Shintarō's gun when he saw he kept his word. He next tried to buy guns from Ojimaya Denbei but his agent, Hajika, was outbid by Onbishi, Chief of Hai. So he and his people ambushed the convoy carrying the gunpowder and guns to Hai. Onibishi forced him to back off when he threatened to blow everyone in the baggage train up and Kamokuin  would not allow innocent people to die. He and his people were forced to flee Shibuchari village and he and his men were separated from the women. However, he caught up with them  at Hell Valley and took their place when they were ambushed by Onibishi  He killed Onibishi in a duel and the united group made it safely to Kunashiri island where they sought refuge with the Ainu chief Tsukinoyo. Not even Kiba could touch him. (Spy Swordsman)

Kanabe, Sakunosuke Samurai of the Ito clan who was going to the Shiba gate and was challenged by a nightwatchman He identified himself and was let pass but he was followed by a Black Ninja, who killed him with one blow. His body turned up not far from a teahouse near the Rokugō River crossing where Tonbei and Shūsaku were waiting. Attached to it was a note "This man is a shogun spy - Black Ninja". There seemed to be a certain amount of glee among the ordinary folk that a dead samurai had been found. (Black Ninja)

Kanbe One of the 13  Kōga master ninja. He assumed the guise of a mute hunchback servant at a remote temple near Ōtsuki and also a priest at that temple. Shintarō  sought shelter at the temple for Kurobei who was very ill. Kanbe in both guises seemed kind and helpful but at night, while Shintarō  and Shūsaku were sleeping, he executed Kurobei as a traitor according to ninja law when Kurobei left the temple as he didn't want to be a burden on Shintarō . The next day he served tea, in his guise as priest, to Shūsaku and Shintarō  but Kurobei managed to crawl in to the room and warn him that the hunchback and the priest were one and the same and that was a  Kōga ninja. He then tried his katanaguruma skill on Shintarō  but was killed. ( Kōga N injas)

Kaneda A one-eyed silk merchant, Tonbei's disguise on his second pass through the Ogasezawa checkpoint. This time Gensai had no use for him so had him surrounded by troops armed with muskets. Tonbei managed to escape using a smoke bomb. (Black Ninja)

Kanpei  One of the three fictitious escapees Ryūshirō said were in the cave. ( Koga Ninjas)

Kanroku see Natsumi, Kanroku

Kansai  see Hitotsume Kansai

Kansuke Name assumed by Ryūshirō when disguised as a farmer suspended upside down in a tree who claimed to be part of an escape attempt by three prisoners of the  Kōga ninja. ( Koga Ninjas)

Kansuke Kishū ninja, one of the original six who guarded Prince Yorikata. He, along with Ukon and Yotoji were killed, one by one by Shinigami disguised as a harmless woodsman. (Ninja Terror)

Kanzō a Kizan ninja, he worked for Tarōbō against Kongō. He helped persuade Kodayū to join them and took part in the ambush of Kongō on the river and in the attack on the Antoku convent to finish him off. he was killed by Shintarō. (Contest of Death)

Kaori Daughter of Sōshūya Denzō. She saved Shintarō's life when he was wounded in the shoulder and dived into the river to escape Kitōbō and his men after his disguise as a Fūma ninja was penetrated by Kotarō at the temple of Marishiten. She looked after him on the her father's river boat and tended to scold him if he went out or did something which might hinder his recovery. She owned the Wind Thunder mirror which was given to her by her dead mother. Using the Water Tiger mirror to track the whereabouts of the Wind Thunder, Kotarō appeared in her home and demanded she give him the mirror. He then kidnapped her and took her back to the temple of Marishiten. She continued to claim she didn't know what he was talking about. He showed her the Water Tiger mirror and asked her if she had seen anything like it. She said no. He reasoned that as she seemed to recognise him despite only meeting him for the first time that day that she must have seen his face in the mirror just as he had seen hers. She admitted that she had a mirror given to her by her mother. She refused to tell him where it was. Later, when the Fūma realised Tonbei had the mirror, Kitōbō suggested she be killed as she was no longer any use. Kotarō decided to use her as bait to trap Shintarō  when he came to rescue her. However, Shintarō  managed to defeat the Fūma sent to trap him and escape with Kaori. She told him that the Fūma had gone to the Iga house.   (Fuma Ninjas)

Kappa Hill (Kappazaka) A place through which Gensuke had to pass to return to the Iga mansion from Edo Castle. Yamizato arranged to meet Chidori there after she had gone to the House of Night to report in to Kongō. (Phantom Ninja)

Kappa Lake Body of water Yamizato used to steal Gensuke's face and to hide his body in. Within walking distance of the Sainenji, it was where Shūsaku went swimming and discovered Gensuke's body. He encountered Chidori on the shore who tried to capture him but was prevented by Shintarō who had followed one of her butterflies, his curiosity piqued because it was out of season. (Phantom Ninja)

Karasugawa or Crow River. Where the Noto ninja planned to ambush Shintarō and Tonbei but got killed instead. (Contest of Death)

Karatsu Fief in Hizen, occupied at that time by the Mizuno family. The lord had bought foreign made guns from Shiranui (Puppet Ninja)

Kasumigahara Place where Magojūrō and Hōgen duelled, a windswept, grassy heath. (Ninja Terror)

Kasumiwatari, Gyōbu One of the 13 master  Kōga ninja, he was a practitioner of "kasumiwatari" magic which meant he appeared to be suspended in mid-air (he was actually standing on a thin rope) while dealing death and destruction. He was sent to follow Kurobei by Ryūshirō who did not trust him. He disguised himself as an old farmer and approached Shūsaku who was picking medicinal flowers for Shintarō  which Kurobei had told him about. He asked him if he knew what they meant and told him they were called "hikarigusa" and used for treating blindness. Shūsaku told him to go away as he was just picking them because they were pretty. He followed Shūsaku back to the hut, then rushed it and it blew up. He was unhurt. Kurobei chased after him and he captured Kurobei, suspended him from a tree by a rope and used his voice to lure Shūsaku away from Shintarō . He then approached Shintarō  and realised he was blind. he used his "kasumiwatari" trick on him but Shintarō  relied on his other senses and succeeded in killing him and cutting the rope. ( Koga Ninjas)

Katanaguruma The name of Kanbei's skill which seemed to involve fighting from the ceiling with a number of swords. Shintarō  killed him with a sword Kurobei threw him. ( Koga Ninjas)

Katō, Lord Lord of Minakuchi Castle. Shintarō  said that though he wasn't powerful, he had built a very strong castle. Tonbei pointed out that no matter how strong a castle was, it was an open field to a ninja. (Iga Ninjas)

Katsu The late wife of Yaichi and mother of Soshichi. Father and son went to her grave to report on what they had been doing. Soshichi said though his father was the strongest his cooking was not so good so he had been doing a lot of it himself. (Spy Swordsman)

Katsuo One of a pair of dōshin who found one of Kongō's victims killed in his guise as a murdering ronin. (Phantom Ninja)

Katsuya Ippeita An Iga ninja known to Tonbei who went to find him because he had studied under Togakure  ninja Kurokami Gentatsu and Tonbei wanted to find him since the Togakure were the next to challenge in the contest of skills. Ippeita was known for his skill with shuriken, particular a reverse throw where the knife returned to his hand after he had thrown it, often with something on it such as a fish. He learned this from Gentatsu when he studied with him three years previously. He agreed to guide Tonbei and Shintarō to Gentatsu's last known home, a hut in Shadow Pass near a castle in Musashi. The hut was  empty but an old man turned up whom Ippeita treated rather roughly, believing him to be a ninja in disguise. For once he was the real deal and it was Ippeita who was  not what he seemed. He and Gentatsu were one and the same. However, Shintarō and Tonbei did  not realise this until they were almost to Gentatsu's new location. They had been forced to start earlier than intended after Ippeita, unknown to them put gunpowder in the fire and blew up the hut.  Once near their destination, he  suggested they split up and drugged Tonbei and the old man, leaving them in the forest while he attacked Shintarō. He intended to come back and finish them off once he'd killed Shintarō.  He sent an avalanche of rocks on to him as he sat by the  river.. He immobilised Shintarō with ropes with iron in them but Shintarō cut through them with his "helmet-cutting" style. Before that, he told him why he was doing this: career advancement. There was no chance of promotion working for the shogun, Iga ninja were mocked by everyone and called "Iga monkeys". If he killed Shintarō he would be hired by a lord He mentioned the ninja circular which was the first Shintarō heard of it and he thanked him for this intelligence. He died in the ensuing fight with a sword thrown by Shintarō in his gut. .The challenge naming the next ninja appeared next to him while Kongō in  his ronin guise looked on . (Contest of Death)

Kawada Hotel at Hakone where Sadanobu and his entourage stayed. (Iga Ninjas)

Kawaguchi Inn Name of the sake shop where Sakakibara was drinking and running up a bill to the point where the innkeeper wouldn't serve him anymore thus giving Genzō the chance to approach him and pay for more drinks and draw him into killing Shintarō  as part of a plot to get a new government. ( Koga Ninjas)

Kawayama, Daizaburō Chief judge (ōmetsuke) and advisor to Sadanobu. Minbu jumped on his back as he was riding along a road, the horse bolted and Minbu leaped with him on to a roof so the horse ran on riderless pursued by Shintarō. Minbu then threw Kawayama on his back and told him he had been instructed to kill him. Kawayama demanded to know by whom and was given the answer, "The Lord of Night".He struggled to free himself but wherever he looked Minbu was in front of him.  Shintarō appeared and intervened but Minbu caught his sword with his manrikigusari (a weighted chain). When Shintarō freed it, Minbu jumped away, slashing Kawayama as he went. Kawayama died muttering "Beware the Lord of Night." (Phantom Ninja)

Kazama (aka Ichino)  Samurai spy who was placed in the Sakai mansion. He listened in on Hakuunsai when he came to the Sakai mansion to see the lord but was discovered by Hakuunsai and chased out of the mansion. There he was surrounded by three itinerant monks and died in a hail of shuriken. He was supposed to meet another samurai spy Nakata at the Onoya inn and his disappearance was a great mystery among the shogun's men. Shintarō  resolved to find him. When Tonbei saw some Sakai men carrying a large covered chest from the mansion to the Dark Temple he thought it might have contained Kazama's body and reported it to Shintarō .  (Black Ninja)

Kazeba (aka Ritsu) Female Black Ninja, sister of Flying Eagle Musuke. She swore to avenge her brother's death.  In a wood near Lake Suwa, Gensai rebuked her for not wanting revenge for her brother's death, instead she ran off and tried to hide in  Kōga. She said that it was being a ninja which caused her brother's death and she was sick of it. She had only joined up to be with him. Gensai scornfully pointed out she was born into a ninja family and should know that once you were a ninja you remained a ninja until your death. This was written in the Book of Ninja. "I'm going to show you ninja justice," he told her and beat seven bells out of her with his sheathed sword, then paused and asked if she had changed her mind. She hadn't so he beat another seven bells out of her until she passed out. He left her hanging from a tree in case she changed her mind. Shintarō  rescued her despite Tonbei's warnings it could be a trap, which it was as the whole thing was staged for Tonbei's benefit as he was spying on Gensai.. He described it as " Kōga justice and it was terrible" but he didn't rescue her as he thought it was a trick. She indeed led them into a trap by taking them to a temple where the agreement was to be handed over. She directed Shintarō  into a cave under the temple where she had earlier showed Tonbei who saw Gensai and Hakuunsai with the agreement  She threw flaming knives at him and cast a ring of fire around him, trapping him. "For my brother" she declared throwing yet another flaming knife at him. He picked it up and threw it back at her and she caught fire. He chased after Hakuunsai but turned back when he saw her aflame. He brought her out of the temple and Tonbei was about to kill her but Shintarō  pointed out she did it to avenge her brother and should be forgiven. Besides they had the agreement. She went with him to Owari as the agreement he seized was false. She tried to warn Shintarō  and Tonbei that Kazuichi was a Black Ninja in disguise but was disbelieved so they went as Kazuichi directed over the mountains. She followed them and later met Tonbei after he had a narrow escape from Gensai at the checkpoint. She was also able to Ōiso Seihachi as Goroku in disguise. She then disguised herself as a maid in the 'Black Mansion' but Gensai told the Old Man she was working for Shintarō . She managed to steal the agreement but was wounded by Hakuunsai and dropped it. She died before she could tell Shintarō  the truth about Hakuunsai. Both Shintarō  and Shūsaku were very upset by her death. (Black Ninja)

Kazuichi Tonbei's friend, a spy who had come from Edo to where he and Shintarō  were staying outside Ogasezawa. He had the name of  the samurai spy in Owari who would show them the hidden path around the checkpoint. However, he was attacked and killed by Goroku who disguised himself as him. (Black Ninja)

Kii A province, now mostly in Wakayama Prefecture, whose lords were one of the three families from whom the shoguns could be chosen in the event of a failure in the main line. The founder of the line was Yorinobu, 8th son of Ieyasu. A plot over the succession to this domain was the subject of Ninja Terror.

Kiba, Jinjūrō (Katsuki Toshiyuki) Retainer of the Matsumae clan sent from Matsumae city to Kiritap (and beyond) to find and kill the government spy (Shintarō). Ambitious and dedicated, he had vowed to do this to his lord. Master of the Kogen-Ittō style of swordsmanship, he was a very proper samurai, insisting on his honour, that his word was his bond and that he should, as a government official, be addressed correctly. He was always concerned that Japanese treat Ainu properly otherwise there would never be peace. He was quite harsh with those that failed to do so. He claimed to have strengthened his body so that a head wound he received falling down a cliff was just a scratch to him. He claimed he hated Shintarō because they came from two different places: Shintarō was a government spy and he was an official of Matsumae, moreover, the shogunate wanted to bring down his clan. He felt he was destined to hate Shintarō and vowed to cut him down. He did agree to accept Shintarō's evidence that he was not the false government spy killing Matsumae officials and taking the gold but insisted on duelling with him after all had apparently been  resolved. He could not bear the thought of having been defeated by Shintarō. He was killed by a blow to the forehead, dropped his sword, collapsed dead and  placed the memorandum of the secrets of Ezo on his body before walking away. Except for his blind spot where Shintarō was concerned, he was an admirable man, fair, just and compassionate. (Spy Swordsman)

Kieta The name of one of Izumiya's servants or employees he called only to receive no reply. (Phantom Ninja)

Kijima, Matasaburō Samurai spy, one of the best, sent by Sadanobu to watch the Hotta clan. He received a false message from Kanabe, telling him to meet him at 6pm at Shiba Temple. Shintarō  went in his place. (Black Ninja)

Kikuzō One of the three fictitious escapees Ryūshirō said were in the cave. ( Koga Ninjas)

Kimura Householder who was captured along with his family by Genkurō and his men when they commandeered his house to use as a base to launch a rocket attack on Sadanobu's litter as it passed Totsuka. Genkurō impersonated him when Shintarō  came to see what had happened to the boy, Jirōsaku, who had disappeared after being sent by his mother with food for the Kimuras. Shintarō  tricked Genkurō by asking for "Gorōsaku" instead of Jirōsaku and so knew that this was not the real Kimura who would have known the boy's correct name. Genkurō suspected that might have happened as he asked the boy his name when he came back inside.  (Iga Ninjas)

Kinta One of a group of toughs in Kiritap who killed Chief Takasaki, an official at the gun contest and stole the prize money. He framed Oriora but was shown by Shintarō to be the real killer when he proved that the rent in Takasaki's kimono could not have been made by Oriora's knife but did match Kinta's. A cut from his sword also revealed the stolen prize money in Kinta's clothing.   . (Spy Swordsman)

Kiri no Tonbei see Tonbei the Mist

Kirimaru see Oboro Kirimaru

Kiritap Town in Ezo where an archery contest was held annually (Spy Swordsman)

Kisaburō One of the Iga ninja who searched the lake looking for Sakura no Tsubone. He asked if the Phantom ninja were  responsible for her disappearance. Later he and Yaheiji followed the disguised Densai who lured them into a trap in the woods and killed them. When Tonbei stumbled across the bodies, Chidori told him that was what came of following a Phantom  ninja. (Phantom Ninja)

Kishū Ninja  Worked for the Lord of Kii (modern Wakayama Prefecture), one of the gosanke, families from who the shōgun could be chosen in the event of a failure in the main line. They were headed by Togakure Gen'yōsai. After his death, they swore revenge but were picked off one by one as Garyūdōshi tried to isolate Prince Yorikata (Ninja Terror)

Kiso-Kaidō Road Also known as the Nakasendō, a highway which went from Edo to Kyoto through the mountains of central Japan. It connected the provinces of Yamashiro, Ōmi, Shinano, Kōzuke and Musashi. Tonbei wondered which road to take after he and Shintarō had dealt with the Kurozumi ninja. This road was to the right and to the left was the way to Kamisuwa and Kōfu. Tarōbō in his guise as a yamabushi told them that the road to the right led to the gate of hell and death. (Contest of Death)

Kitōbō Fūma ninja, second-in-command to Fūma Kotarō, loyal, brave and resourceful. One of his special skills was hypnosis, known as the Fūma Eye Attack. He was successful with Tonbei who had come to the Temple of Marishiten and found out Shintarō  was still alive. He was less successful with Shintarō  who managed to capture him and hold him at Sōshūya's house.  He wanted to exchange Kitōbō for Tonbei and Kaori. Kitōbō just laughed at him and told him that Kotarō would kill him for less than that and laugh as he died for that was the Fūma way. He warned Shintarō  that he could not prevail against the Fūma and cited their defeat of the army of Takeda Katsuyori in 1581, despite numbering only 200 as  opposed to the many tens of thousands in the Kai forces. Shintarō  told him he was living in the past and that it would be different if they were fighting a war but in those days of peace what could the Fūma hope to achieve.  Kitōbō boasted that the Fūma were the only group in the land who could bring down the government. Shintarō  forced him to guide him to Fūma headquarters. However, Naminosuke attacked the boat they were on with the Dragon ship and Kitōbō escaped during the ensuing melee. He was a good second in command keeping an eye on and assisting the various master ninja sent against Shintarō  such as Dōjin and his group. He and Oboro disguised themselves as husband and wife travellers following Shintarō  thus allowing Tashiro to identify them as Fūma ninja and thus prove his credentials. This also allowed him to disappear so he could resume his identity as Fūma Kotarō to offer a partnership to Shintarō  in locating the treasure. . He led the Fūma group who surrounded the hidden temple on Enoshima while Kotarō tried to get the mirrors off Shintarō . He led the pursuit of Tonbei. who had escaped from the dragon ship.

He was aboard the Fūma dragon ship when it exploded and lost the use of his left arm. He reappeared later in Odawara with it held sling fashion across his chest with a length of chain. He wore a devil-mask so he would not be recognised by either Shintarō  or Tonbei. He first approached Seta Samon, a samurai of the Okubo clan, and reminded him that his ancestor, Seta Hanbei, was a famous man under the Hōjō. He wanted to know where and when a number of samurai met secretly and who their leader was. Seta refused to tell him so he killed him. He next appeared disguised as a priest at Seta's funeral and noted that Jindai Naiki, the Okubo chief minister spoke to Seta's sister in private. He then  approached her and Kosenjo in the graveyard and demanded to know what was discussed.. He attempted to kidnap her after knocking Kosenjo down but was intercepted by Shintarō  who mocked him for kidnapping women and forced him to release her. Then under orders from Kotarō, he attacked Jindai in his home while Kotarō dealt with Shintarō  at the Sōunji. Tonbei arrived to save Jindai and Kitōbō cheekily asked him he had become a better ninja now. He tried to force Jindai into a palanquin but Shintarō  intervened. They fought and Kitōbō was killed. (Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Kizan Ninja  Kanzō was one and he had gone over to Tarōbō. Nothing more is known about them. They did not seem to be a part of the contest of skills. (Contest of Death)

Kobotoke Mountain  The border with Sagami province, where Kokufūsai was to kill Shintarō . Shintarō  noted they had come from Ōshima up the Rokugō River and from Hachiōji they went straight to the Wind Fort. From there they went  to Kōshū, Sōshū then came around in a circle right back there. Tonbei added that from here (a signpost with Musashi Tama-gun on one side and Sagami Tsukui on the other) you could see Wara, Yose, Sekino, Yoshino, four towns in Sagami province, then Kōshū Tsuru, Shūsaku's home country. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Kobotoke Pass Kōga Ryūshirō determined that Shintarō  had to die before he reached Kobotoke Pass. He assigned Tōjūji to this task. ( Koga Ninjas)

Kobushigatake Shintarō 's next destination after Fujino and Shimotorizawa. He had to have Shūsaku guide him as he had been blinded by Tarōmaru. He was going to go on to it after Kōfu but decided to stay in Kōfu because of the murdering, arson and theft spree the  Kōga ninja were on. As Kōfu was governed by the central government directly, this did not reflect well on the shogunate, making it look weak. So he had to stop the disturbances. This mountain was where the secret gold mine was located and the  Kōga ninja had to stop Shintarō  setting foot on it. ( Koga Ninjas)

Kōchi Valley Where Tenma Temple was located. Jihei, in his disguise as an old man,  directed the Negoro ninja there. It is 8 km southeast of  Nabari Railway Station and known for its beauty especially in autumn and for its rock formations.  (Ninja Terror)

*Kōdayū  (1751-1828) One of the shipwrecked Japanese returned by Adam Laxman in 1792. He was the captain of a cargo ship sent in 1782 with the Kii (Wakayama) clan's rice to Edo which was blown off course. They pitched up in the Aleutians and thence to Siberia where in  Irkutsk Kōdayū taught Japanese at a special school. He also picked up Russian quickly and was supported by Eric Laxman, a professor of natural sciences. Laxman sought and obtained an audience with Catherine the Great for Kōdayū so he had to cross the steppes to St. Petersburg. There he had many audiences with the Tsarina and her family, remaining there nine months. Then he returned to Siberia and embarked on the last leg of the long voyage home. Eric Laxman's son, Adam, a scientist and navigator accompanied the three remaining sailors on their voyage to Nemuro (in Ezo i.e. Hokkaido) where they arrived in September 1792. Laxman's attempts to open trade were rebuffed and he was sent away and warned never to return nor bring back any Japanese castaways. Kōdayū (now 42) and the other two were put in confinement at Nemuro. The following April they were sent to Edo for an audience with the shogun, Ienari, and Matsudaira Sadanobu. They appeared in Russian dress and answered questions on Russian customs, medical practices, etc. They were never allowed to return to their home villages but were given thirty gold ;pieces each. Kōdayū lived until he was 78 and in confinement in Edo. Referred to in "Outlaw brothers" (Spy Swordsman)

Kodayū A Koyu ninja who was following  the boat sent by Kongō for Shintarō which had the samurai and Tonbei in it as it moved down the Sakawa River. He was interrupted by Tarōbō who asked him if he wanted to die which is what would happen if he went after Shintarō. He offered an alliance instead. Kodayū protested he had given his word to Kongō but Tarōbō told him a ninja's word was worth nothing and ordered him to kill the master of the 73 clans of ninja, (i.e. Kongō). Then three other ninja  appeared and told him to obey Tarōbō. They were introduced (or introduced themselves) as Kanzō, a Kizan ninja, Jinpachi, a Yashū ninja and Jihei, a Shinano ninja. They next lured Shintarō and Tonbei on to the shore by having one dress in Kongō's usual rōnin style (kimono, hakama and large basket hat) where there was a brief fight and "Kongō" ran off leaving Shintarō puzzled as to what that was all about as he was expecting a final duel. In the  meantime, they took the boat, Tarōbō disguised as Shintarō, Kodayū rowing. When Kongō jumped aboard and Tarōbō attacked him, Kodayū swung his oar at Kongō but missed and Kongō realised he had been betrayed. He was later killed by Shintarō in the grounds of the Antoku convent when the five ninja came to finish off Kongō. (Contest of Death)

Kōfu Capital of Kai province (now Yamanashi Prefecture). It was ruled directly by the central government.  There was a checkpoint where guards checked names and destinations of people entering the town because of all the kidnappings which had been going on. Shintarō  did not want to pass through the checkpoint as he did not want to reveal he worked for the government as that would draw attention to him and he was sure there were  Kōga ninja watching. He decided to go round the back road but Shūsaku, who had nothing to hide, confidently walked through the gate. The guards called him back and asked where he came from. They were a little disbelieving when he said "Edo". "All alone?" He denied being a thief but when they checked his bundle, they found a mouse and a gun and tried to arrest him. He called for Shintarō  who came and tossed the guards around and ran off with Shūsaku. They managed to lose their pursuers and find shelter for the night at the home of a poor family. Later Shintarō  went into town and bought a drink in a tavern and overheard other customers discussing all the kidnappings and how people were afraid for their lives. He then bought another drink at a sake and soba stall and heard more talk of the kidnappings which were happening on a daily basis. However, the stallholder turned out to be a  Kōga ninja in disguise and the receiver of a stolen map from the castle. Shintarō  fought him and he escaped but left the wallet with the map behind. The  Kōga ninja then carried out a reign of terror, killing, robbing and burning to draw out Shintarō . Shintarō  was concerned that if word of these disturbances got out it would bring discredit on the central government and the lords might rise and there would be war. One of the places the left hand road led to when Tonbei and Shintarō were considering where to go.( Koga Ninjas, Contest of Death)

 Kōga Disappearing Trick Gondayū's speciality. It seemed to depend on sleight of hand (leaving another's body in place or using the confusion of a fight to vanish and be elsewhere). (Black Ninja)

 Kōga Fire Trick A speciality of Gensai's, it involved fire arrows and smoke to cause confusion thus allowing escape. He used it to aid Gondayū when the alarm was raised and he and the rescued ninja were surrounded by guards at Denmachō. (Black Ninja)

 Kōga Flying Robe Trick A trick where the ninja casts off outer garments in a fight so the enemy strikes only clothing and is confused. Shintarō  managed to kill the Black Ninja using this trick who was attacking Hiyama by throwing his sword into him. (Black Ninja)

 Kōga Hidden Leaf Trick A trick where the ninja appears amidst a storm of leaves and takes the enemy unawares by leaping from a tree. Practised by Black Ninja Hagakure Yūzō. (Black Ninja)

Kōga Ninja One of the two major ninja groups in The Samurai (the other was the Iga), there were said to be 53 families of them (this appears to have actually been the case). The one these 53 voted the best of them all was styled Kongō (or champion) of Kōga . They furnished most of the villains as many other ninja groups were derived from them. They came from the Kōga Valley, a mountainous region perfect for defending against invading armies (now in Shiga Prefecture) and near Iga country. Historically both furnished mercenaries to the major players in Japan's civil war periods, most notably Tokugawa Ieyasu. Kōga ninja helped him capture a castle and defeat his enemies, the Udono brothers while the Iga helped him escape back to Mikawa after Akechi Mitsuhide murdered Oda Nobunaga. He rewarded both by taking 300 of them into his service. They and the Iga were often used as the yardstick by which other ninja measured themselves, usually of the "we are the oldest ninja, older than Iga and Kōga" type. They were always depicted wearing black.

 Kōga Ninja Passwords "Cloud", response "Wind" used by Kogenta and Jūzō ( Koga Ninjas)

Kōga no Kongō see Kongō of Kōga

 Kōga Swallow Magic Kuroda Saemon's speciality, the practitioner took great flying leaps, apparently from random directions which would make him formidable in the dark and unable to be defended against. However, there was actually a pattern, that of a five-pointed star, so by careful observation of the trick being repeated (as Saemon did in his desire to show off), it was possible to predict where the next attack would come from. ( Kōga  Ninjas)

 Kōga, Ryūshirō Leader of the 13  Kōga master ninja. Kurobei was afraid of him and certainly Ryūshirō was very perceptive reading fear in his eyes. He was a descendant of the founder of the  Kōga ninja and was annoyed that with all that, his men could not cross swords with Shintarō . "You are a pack of snivelling dogs," he told them. He went after Kurobei himself to punish him with death for his betrayal and shot him in the back with an arrow.  When the last of the other master ninja was killed, he resolved to kill Shintarō  himself as all he had left were apprentice ninja who had no chance. He admonished them to do everything he said. He cited General Fujiwara who destroyed an army of 300,000 men using the arts of fire, wind, water, tree and grass. He would do the same. He disguised himself as a farmer who had been hung upside down in a tree. He claimed to be part of an escape plan made by some of those forced to work in the gold mine. He led Shintarō  to the cave where the others had been hiding for the past three days, gave him a shove and Shintarō  was surrounded by the apprentice ninja while Ryūshirō, still in disguise re-appeared attached to a giant kite overlooking the countryside and held in place by ropes. He resumed his ninja basic black  and started to throw bombs at Shintarō . He ordered his ninja to find Shintarō  and cut his heart out. He then came down off the kite and made a boastful speech which put him firmly in the topmost ranks of bonkers master ninja: "Thirteen men are gone, the best of the  Kōga ninja are dead. Sacrificed. But victory has finally fallen into the hands of the great  Kōga ninja because we are a secret society, born to be a ninja, dying as a ninja. One ninja can capture a great castle, defeat an army of many thousands of soldiers. Now with the secret gold, I can change this peaceful time and govern the world under the rules of ninja. No ninja could ever do this before. But  now the time has come for the greatest master ninja of all, Ryūshirō  Kōga, to act. I swear it on the Book of Ninja."  He then approached what appeared to be Shintarō 's unconscious body to finish him off only to discoverer this was one of his men in Shintarō 's clothes and that all but one of the other  ninja were dead, though sitting up and the last ninja was Shintarō  in disguise. They duelled and Shintarō  finally stabbed him through the body where he bled profusely. "Even though he was an enemy, he was a very good swordsman," was Shintarō 's verdict.  Dying he offered Shintarō  the map to the mine and told Shūsaku his father was still alive. Shintarō  cautioned Shūsaku about going to him and asked if all this was true. Ryūshirō said he wanted to die honourably and would Shintarō  cut off his head. Shintarō  drew his sword and stood behind him but Ryūshirō pulled out an explosive device, "We die together!" and blew himself up but not Shintarō  who jumped clear. Shintarō  noted that up to his dying breath he had tried to kill him.. "Ninja are cold-blooded devils," he noted. Fortunately the map, Shūsaku's pouch and the list of  Kōga ninja were blown clear so they could find the goldmine and rescue the prisoners.     ( Koga Ninjas)

Kōga, Tarōmaru Birth name of Kongō of Kōga according to the records in the library at Edo Castle. (Phantom Ninja)

Kogen Ittō style Style of swordsmanship of which Kiba was a master. This impressed Shintarō. Comparing it which Shintarō's own style, Shinkage, Kiba claimed he cut bone while Shintarō cut flesh. (Spy Swordsman)

Kogenta see Shindō Kogenta

Koheita see Shiba Koheita

Kokubo Inn The place in Iwamoto village where Gohei was to rendezvous with Shintarō  and Tonbei to deliver Matsudaira Sadanobu's letter. (Ninja Terror)

Kokufudō Genshin Head of the Puppet ninja and control freak. He worked for the Lord of Shiranui though in reality he controlled him. He lived in a small temple in  Black Mountain where he and his men had come fairly recently. He could control people by with a chant ("Ayatsuri, ayatsuri...") though it didn't always work. It had no effect on Kongō (Genshin might just as well have been singing Advance Australia Fair) He dismissively told him not to talk nonsense. He could communicate with his men through talking to statues in the shrine which represented them. His right hand was Dōhaku and his left hand Kagehiko. He also had a thick knobbly staff Kongō identified as a Phantom magic stick with which he could control his men. It sometimes appeared suspended horizontally by itself. He was obsessed with control, controlling people such as the Lord of Shiranui, his retainers, his own ninja. he even claimed to have caused Shintarō to come to Kyushu and wanted to use him as a puppet to spy on the government. His ultimate aim was the complete control of Japan after he had toppled the Tokugawa government. He claimed his ancestors had come from overseas centuries before, bringing ninjutsu with them, and wandered as Puppet ninja. Hizen and Kyushu were under his control already. Realising he had been duped and that Yamizō was not disguised as Tonbei but Tonbei himself and Shintarō was not his prisoner, he dropped Shintarō through the trapdoor Kongō had avoided earlier and pinned Tonbei to the ceiling saying he would bend them to his will no matter how they might resist. Outside he found his mean dead, killed by Kongō who distracted him in a fight while he freed Shintarō and Tonbei so he could kill the former himself. Genshin travelled to Shiranui Castle in a palanquin accompanied by his ninja openly not in disguise and people bowed as though he really were a lord. He thought he could sense an enemy amongst those kneeling at the roadside but picked the wrong man whom he let go. (Shintarō was next to that man). He wanted to keep Shintarō alive when he captured him but Lord Shiranui, enraged by mocking notices about him being Genshin's puppet written by Shintarō, wanted him dead. Genshin was forced to obey but used Kongō to do the killing while he carried out his own plans, namely to send the guns and gunpowder by sea to Edo while Lord Shiranui went overland on his sankin kōtai trip Time was running our because the Lord was due to leave for Edo soon. He gave secret orders to Usuzumi and Kagehiko to kill Kongō once he had killed Shintarō (his usual practiced of killing those who were no longer of any use to him). When Shintarō appeared in the castle and told the Lord that his conspiracy was known, that the other lords had listened to Sadanobu and no longer supported him and that if he ruled in peace and did his duty, Shiranui would not be punished, Genshin exerted his control over Hyōgo to have him kill Shintarō. Shintarō killed him. Genshin witnessed the destruction of the boats and their guns and gunpowder. He admitted he had lost but declared that he would keep on with his plan to control the country as long as he lived. He then fought a duel on a cliff top with Shintarō. It was a short duel, ending when Shintarō cut his magic staff and his forehead. He fell off the cliff leaving only the broken staff. He was the only ninja leader Shintarō actually vowed to kill, probably because he was such a menace. (Puppet Ninja)

Kokufūsai A former Fūma ninja who left of his own accord five years before. He was once a great leader and retained his skills. Fūma law did not permit desertion and the Book of Ninja required them to seek him out and kill him. However, Kotarō had known all along where he lived but did nothing until he needed a ninja of his skills, this despite the fact that Kokufūsai not only deserted but tried to kill Kotarō. Five of the best Fūma ninja had been killed and Kotarō offered to let Kokufūsai live, instead of killing him in accordance with Fūma law, if he used his skills for them. He  knew the real reason Kokufūsai left, namely his precious daughter, Yuri. He had sent ninja to capture her, though unknown to Kokufūsai, they had not succeeded in doing so.  He wanted him to kill Shintarō  and in return he would be allowed to live out his days on the mountain with his daughter. Kotarō warned him that he, Kotarō, was the master of the Fūma ninja and never to forget that. His daughter's life depended on his success. Kokufūsai captured Shūsaku and had Shintarō  come to a deserted temple in a mountain pass, guided by arrows. He said he would let Shūsaku go and he would be safe whether he lived or died. Before Shintarō  came, he told his men that ninja could not win by sword alone, they had to use trickery. He had once fought a swordsman of the Maniwa school and defeated him. The sword was positive and ninja negative. Negative cannot defeat positive. The secret to his victory was to take the opponent's power, then make use of his strengths. This was probably why he had Shintarō  attacked with explosives at the second arrow and with shuriken, a net and arrows at the third arrow and at the temple gate with a number of Fūma ninja. He faced Shintarō  alone and when asked where Shūsaku was, told him he had already sent him back to Tonbei. He and Shintarō  duelled and he managed to evade Shintarō  but was finally pinned against a pillar by Shintarō 's short sword which he had thrown at him. He raised his sword as if to kill him when Yuri ran in and begged him not to kill her father. He said he had no intention and Kokufūsai was impressed that Shintarō  had already saved her life once. Shintarō  sent Shūsaku off with Kokufūsai and Yuri to stay for a while at the Odawara convent with Koshinjo. However, Kotarō watched the fond farewells from a tree and cursed Kokufūsai and said he would kill him.   (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Komagomebashi Where the second murder by the murderous ronin took place.. (Phantom Ninja)

Komagino Barrier Gate Open only between 6am and 6pm. Shintarō , Tonbei and Shūsaku arrived at it a little too late and it was closed. They debated going back to the town before, Shūsaku objected and suggested going around the gate, only to be told off as it was against the law and carried the death penalty. They decided to look for an inn before it got much darker. A girl who begged to go through was told that even a rich and powerful lord would not be allowed through after the gate was closed. Later, four Fūma attacked and kill the two guards which resulted in the gate being closed the next day until the killers could be found. ( Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Komusō A type of itinerant flute playing monk whose garb includes a basket-shaped hat which conceals the face. Often used by ninja in disguise. Shintarō  also used this disguise from time to time such as to approach Tonbei near his house and let him know he was well, after he had been missing for five days.

Kongō of Kōga (Amatsu Bin) Born Kōga Tarōmaru, he had been elected by the 53 Kōga families as the greatest of the Kōga ninja hence bore the title Kōga no Kongō. (kongō means a champion, a diamond or a vajra, a thunderbolt symbol used in Buddhist iconography).. He worked for Lord Mizuno until they both disappeared. but reappeared working for Lord Rokkaku in his plot to isolate and disgrace Sadanobu. He impersonated Sadanobu's samurai, Aoi Sakunosuke for three months (the real one had died) and in this guise hired the seven Phantom ninja. He had charge of the "book of death" a list of names of those around Sadanobu Lord Rokkaku wanted dead which he had given him. He knew his identity but the others did not. He relayed the Lord's instructions to them but was also the recipient of the Lord's ire when they persistently failed to kill anyone except Kawayama. He was a little overconfident in crossing Tonbei's name off in the book before Tonbei was actually killed (he escaped anyway).

Apart for impersonating Aoi which he did to hire the seven Phantom ninja and to lure Tonbei and the Iga ninja into a trap in the belief that Aoi was in cahoots with the Phantom ninja, he did not take the field but directed events from behind the scenes until he decided to cause disruption by staging gaol break of hardened criminals from Denmachō. An exception was when he encountered Shintarō face to face for the first time which was where the three Iga  ninja were held and he was impersonating Aoi. He went to kill Tonbei but was stopped by Shintarō  who told him life was too precious to make threats and was he the one leading the Kōga  ninja  and was the Lord of Night behind him. Kongō merely replied, "I knew we would meet eventually" and told him his name was in the book and that they would meet again. Prior to that he had pointed out Shintarō  to the Phantom ninja by saying in a matter-of-fact tone, "That is Akikusa Shintarō . The Lord mentioned him to us." At this early stage, Shintarō  was no  more than a mild irritation. He told Lord Rokkaku that part of the problem was "the arrival of a powerful enemy" and was told to shut up (he winced) and have all the names in the book crossed off in a month.

In order to get into the prison, he disguised himself as a ronin, using the name Kageyam Jihei and claiming to be an unemployed samurai of the Matsuyama Clan and went around killing and robbing various samurai. For the first murder, he only changed his dress not his face and voice but for the other murders he looked completely different, only resuming his true appearance when Shintarō confronted him in the prison and identified him.  He used a gold coin to lure a guard to his cell, offering it for a drink of water. When the guard reached to take it, he grabbed his arm and knocked him out and used the key to get out. He then unlocked the other cells and told the inmates they were free Nobody seemed in a hurry to leave, believing they would be killed while trying to escape. Kongō told them his men would take care of the guards and that they should rob and pillage as much as they liked. Shintarō who had recognised his sword style from a previous encounter when he arrested him, stopped him. Kongō said with a quizzical look, "Looks like I failed" and escaped, setting the gaol on fire.

For his next move, having failed to carry out the Lord of Night's plan to bring about Sadanobu's downfall by the gaol break, was to hire Hyōe the Spider to kill Shintarō while Densai and Chidori carried out the Lord of the  Night's other tasks. He was impressed with the work of the Spider's daughter, Chika, believing her to have got close to Shintarō so was able to report on his movements. He decided to bestow on her her father's crest and summoned her to what she believed was the new Phantom hideout. This was a trap to lure Shintarō there to be killed by Chidori.

When Chidori was captured, he wanted her killed, believing that she would betray the Lord of Night, being no match for Shintarō on her own. Densai pleaded for her and he  modified that to killing her if she could not be rescued. He warned Densai that if he did not kill her, he would. When she appeared at Rokkaku's mansion, he told her off for not realising her "rescue" was a trap and said she had to pay the price. When she started to speak, he cut her off, saying he didn't want to hear her excuses (unconsciously, orf perhaps consciously echoing the Lord of Night's treatment of him). However, she just wanted the chance to cut Shintarō once with her sword and he readily agreed.

His final disguise was as Lord Rokkaku's chief samurai, Kurome Monjūrō. Just when he assumed that guise is not clear. He looked exactly like him and acted precisely like the chief retainer of an influential lord would, devoted to his master, quick to defend him and kill those who harmed him. He took this role in order to get close to Shintarō so he knew exactly what his moves were. This was to protect Rokkaku's identity and to lure Shintarō to the Hakone Shrine where he hoped to destroy him once and for all. It was a gamble and he played both sides against the middle. Unfortunately, his single-minded ruthlessness in carrying out his mission led him to kill callously his own people, first Chidori, then Densai. It was Densai who identified Kurome as Kongō leading Shintarō to deduce Rokkaku was the Lord of Night. He duelled with Shintarō but made his escape by leaping into a boat moored near the shrine, telling him they would meet again. Shintarō leaped after him and continued the duel, cutting him down the forehead whereupon he jumped backwards into the river and disappeared from view.

He next appeared in Edo disguised as rōnin warning the Puppet ninja ambushing Shintarō on the way between Sainenji and Sadanoibu's mansion they were no match for him and to leave him to them. Near Tonosawa he approached Dōhaku whom he had been following and seemed genuinely surprised to be told he was a Puppet ninja. Sounding rather world-weary, he warned him that none of his skills would avail him against Shintarō. He warned him to save his life as a fellow ninja. As Shintarō was a mutual enemy he offered to help him kill him. He hated him and had vowed to kill him with his own hands. Dōhaku rejected the offer saying he didn't need the help of a Kōga ninja as Puppet ninja were better than Kōga or Iga ninja. He warned him not to to interfere and to stop following him. Kongō was not much impressed with his arrogance and told him he would follow Shintarō to the ends of the earth to kill him. They fought unarmed until Kongō caught Dōhaku in a rope and suspended him from a tree. He told him he was demonstrating the might of the Kōga ninja and if he had any skills he could get down from the tree. When  Dōhaku freed himself and called his men, Kongō overheard him tell them Shintarō was in Tonosawa. He went there and captured Shintarō as he was leaving the shrine where Nami had been held, tied him to his horse and dragged him across the ground, threatening all sorts of pain and a hard death to make him pay for all the Kōga ninja he had killed. Shintarō managed to cut the rope, overbalancing Kongō who fell to the ground. Shintarō took his sword and rode off.

Next he ambushed a shogunate messenger and disguised himself as him in order to see Genshin, claiming he had a message for him Genshin easily saw through the disguise as was intended. Genshin had heard of him from Dōhaku and had expected him to show up. Kongō told him not to harm Shintarō as he wanted to kill him himself. Genshin objected to being commanded as he was master of the Puppet ninja not a Kōga ninja. Kongō called them cheap vagabonds and was told they brought ninjutsu from foreign lands. He added that the way of a ninja was not selling their skills and that Kōga and Iga were just mercenaries. He would eliminate all opposition and rule the country and that was the true way of a ninja. Kongō was scornful that he was instructing him in ninjutsu and told him again to leave Shintarō alone. He was not impressed with Genshin's mystic chants and  seemed impatient of them. He said his real purpose in coming was to kill Genshin and take his place the better to kill Shintarō. Genshin replied that not even the devil could kill him Kongō went for him then noticed the trapdoor at his feet and left. He returned and killed the Puppet ninja around Genshin's temple. Genshin came and he told him he would not let him kill Shintarō. When Genshin ran back into the temple he found Kongō had freed Shintarō and Tonbei. He told Shintarō he had not rescued him but he could not bear to let the Puppet ninja kill him instead of himself. he challenged him to a duel on a cliff above a river and was wounded and fell into the river with a cry of agony.

For his next appearance he shed his scruffy ronin look and wore the same ninja garb he had in Phantom Ninja (and also shaved). He interrupted Shintarō and Tonbei putting up their mocking signs. He knocked out Tonbei but said he didn't want to kill him. He wanted to finish the fight he and Shintarō started in Edo. Shintarō told him the country was on the verge of civil war and this was no time for personal battles. Kongō had no problem with a civil war, seeing it as a time for the ninja to regain their glory and  wanted to add to his own glory by killing Shintarō. Shintarō accused him of short-sightedness. Kongo said he was blind to anything but the image of Shintarō's dead body burned into his imagination. All he had was the will of Kongō of Kōga. Their fight was interrupted by the arrival of the Puppet ninja. In the ensuing three-way fight, Tonbei and Shintarō escaped which suited Kongō as it meant the Puppet ninja could not kill Shintarō instead of him.

Disguised as a wandering monk, he watched from afar as Shintarō rescue Maya and Taimon with a trick and admired the skill with which he accomplished this but wondered if he would see through to the real Puppet plot  He prevented Yamizō from killing Shintarō by throwing a knife when he was about to stab him in his guise as Taimon, saying he would be the one to kill Shintarō. He said a prayer for Yamizō (perhaps his disguise had got to him because he showed no such compunction when he killed Chidori and Densai to further his plans). Shortly after he was captured by the Puppet Ninja Binding Trick by Usuzumi and Kagehiko and played the priestly card with them, too, saying they had no right to attack a  Buddhist priest. They knew who he was and  were angry at his constant interference. He managed to break free of the chains holding his arms at full stretch and his ankles. They wanted to kill him but Genshin arrived and stopped them. He wanted Kongō to kill Shintarō while he got on with his own plans. Kongō saw through his attempts to manipulate him and also the real reason for the offer: Genshin was running out of time He told him not to include him in his plans. He agreed to kill Shintarō and Genshin set a trap whereby Kongō took his place in Genshin's palanquin which Shintarō followed. In the fight, he appeared to kill Shintarō who fell into the water and didn't resurface. Usuzumi and Kagehiko who were with him turned on him, under Genshin's orders. He and Usuzumi fell into the water and Usuzumi claimed she was dying with him and that they would rest together.  

Reports of his death being greatly exaggerated, he reappeared on the mainland engineering a contest of skills among the 73 ninja clans which he oversaw. The target was Shintarō but the real aim was to manipulate the domain lords into fighting each other as Kongō saw ninja as an endangered species. He believed that a new civil war period would prevent their extinction. Certainly he went to great lengths to track down Ichiden, even digging up his fake grave, removing the Hakuun scroll  and taking it with him as he doubtless felt that the lore of a ninja school did not belong unregarded and buried in the earth. He used his guile to manipulate Ichiden into resuming his old identity. He was also up to his usual tricks in kidnapping the Kirimaru's  sister, putting a substitute ninja  in her place to enable to kill Shintarō and also to manipulate Kirimaru. He also was rather grand in this whereas in Phantom Ninja he was properly humble when dealing with Rokkaku (though plainly not liking the reprimands he got). He gave curt orders dismissing or ordering away other ninja and expected to be treated with the respect due his title. He could be polite when he chose. This was with someone he respected and whose intelligence he considered equal to his own such as Ichiden or in a ritual situation such as when he formally asked Yūgiri if she was willing to take up the challenge in her father's place.

Not all ninja clans accepted the challenge and of those that did, none had any more luck than he and the Phantom ninja had in removing  Shintarō. Some were killed, others defected. On top of that, a wild card in the form of Tarōbō appeared who believed that the contest would lead to the demise of the ninja. He also wanted to kill Shintarō in order to humiliate Kongō and take his place. This did not sit well with Kongō's somewhat corkscrew mind and sense of honour, or at least what was the done thing. He made a special effort to warn Shintarō to beware of this ninja, that he wasn't one he had any control over and that he didn't play by the rules. This was in answer to Shintarō's rather bemused question  what did it matter who killed him as long as he was dead. Shintarō remarked that Kongō had a most peculiar personality and was a very strange man. He was also the most difficult of his opponents. . He didn't really believe him until Tarōbō attacked then realised Kongō was telling the truth. Tarōbō organised an ambush with some disaffected ninja (from clans which did not appear to have taken part in the contest) which included a gunman, Jinpachi of the Yashū.. They attacked Kongō in a boat he assumed contained Shintarō (who had been diverted by Tarōbō) and during a brief sword fight he was shot by the Jinpachi.. He fell into the river and ended up on the riverbank, unconscious, near the Antoku convent. Here Oboro and Shūsaku found him, Oboro momentarily mistook him for her late brother such was the strong resemblance. They brought him to the convent and a doctor was called in to treat the gunshot wound.  He said that he would recover once the fever broke. In his delirium Kongō muttered about Tarōbō. Shūsaku took the warning to heart and raced to find  Shintarō. He took Kongō's place in the bed while he supposedly escaped to safety with Tonbei's aid. Shintarō dealt with Tarōbō and the other  ninja when they came to the convent to finish off the job. He explained that the reason he saved Kongō was he owed him a favour. Far from escaping, Kongō had returned and killed Jinpachi during the fight and Shintarō thanked him but then Kongō challenged him to a duel. "In your condition?" Shintarō wondered. And indeed, he collapsed unconscious shortly after engaging Shintarō. Early the next day he rowed Shintarō in a boat  away from the shore out to sea to an unknown destination for a final duel. Neither were heard of again.

Kongō was one of the more complex of the ninja masters. When he was young (in his early 20s?) he was very wild, by his own admission, but later learnt what it was to be a ninja. His particular skills seemed to have been disguise, swordsmanship, the ability to leap great distances (long jump and high jump), tactics and psychology as well as the usual unarmed combat, knife and rope throwing and horsemanship. He was completely ruthless in carrying out his mission so focused on achieving his ends that he would sacrifice even his closest colleagues ("sacrifice" was the term he used). This appalled Densai who could not believe it of him, that he could be so cruel as to kill his own. Yuri also called him cruel. He was very much "the end justifies the means" though even he had his limits. He disapproved of Tarōbō's flouting of the rules, it offended his sense of fair play. Shintarō was to be killed in a fair fight, aware via the notices of who was after him with only one ninja school at a time. If that was not going to happen, he felt he owed to Shintarō to warn him. He was not to be killed anyhow by anyone. (At which point Shintarō must have  wanted to send Tonbei back to Edo Castle library to discover if there was any Irish in Kongō's ancestry - Tarōmaru O'Kōga?).  With his rescuing of Shintarō from other ninja yet still wanting to kill him, he displayed the same confusion as Okayo.

He may have gained something of a conscience or a sense of remorse after he had been so ruthless with the  Phantom ninja because when  he threw a knife to stop Yamizō knifing Shintarō and as a result that ninja was killed, he said a prayer for him. His manner,  as he tried to warn the Puppet ninja about Shintarō was rather world-weary and he got frustrated with their arrogance and sense of superiority to other ninja clans. He expected due deference or at least respect for his own title from other ninja and he usually got it. By Contest it seemed he was not only the top Kōga ninja but more or less controlled the other clans as well.  He liked to play mind games with his disguises as some of them seemed to be assumed for his own amusement and probably also as a test for the more astute ninja (Aoi for the Phantom ninja and the shogunate messenger for Genshin).

With Shintarō he went from indifference and mild curiosity at the outset ("That's Akikusa Shintarō, the lord told us about him") to frustration at being constantly blocked and losing his men no matter what they tried to strike off another name on the list so that far from being the best, they looked quite incompetent. That would have struck at his pride of which he had his share. However, he remained calm and devious and did not give way to rage and rashness. Frustration gave way to a desire for vengeance but it was a calculated sort, meaning it was  not enough for Shintarō to die, it had to be at his hands. Anyone else trying to kill him was thwarted.  This changed again so that Shintarō's death was secondary to a larger plan and it was no longer necessary that he kill him himself. But there were rules and they had to be followed. His idea of starting up a period of civil war differed from Genkurō's. Genkurō was an idealist. He believed that civil war would return the ninja to their glory days. He also believed that his employer, the Lord of Owari, was an incompetent nong who couldn't run a bath let alone the country so Japan would fall into civil war naturally if he were shogun as planned. Kongō, on the other hand, was a realist. He saw the ninja as gradually dying out (indeed had evidence of that in the form of the Hakuun whose leader had given it all away). Civil war would stop the rot by making them employable again (the lords would start hiring them). He would not be relying on the supposed incompetence of one lord but would have ninja in place amongst most lords so he could manipulate them into fighting each other.

He was a tall, handsome, strongly built man (he usually towered over his opponents except Shintarō) with large, piercing black eyes and a sensual mouth. He wore either an all-black ninja outfit or the dress of a ronin complete with basket hat. Occasionally he dressed as a travelling monk.   ( Phantom Ninja, Puppet Ninja, Contest of Death)

Kongō's Swordstyle. Shintarō recognised it when he encountered the ronin on the road to Teramachi and could not immediately place it. The murder victims mostly had been slashed with one cut from throat to heart by a skilled swordsman. Later he recalled that the style was Kongō's from a previous fight with him. (Phantom Ninja)

Koshamain's Revolt (1456-57) As more Japanese moved into the southern part of the Oshima peninsula, more disputes arose with the Ainu which led to a full scale rebellion. Takeda Nobuhiro defeated Koshamain in 1457 and his descendants became the rulers of Matsumae. Shintarō thought about the revolt on the way to Usu and hoped never to see such slaughter. (Spy Swordsman)

Koshinjo (Mikage Chie) Head of the Antoku Convent near Odawara and younger sister of Sōshūya. She was away visiting a friend in Soga Village when the Fūma ninja attacked the convent. On her way back to Odawara, she encountered Shūsaku who had become lost and hurt his foot. He told her he was going to Odawara, that Sōshūya was dead and the the Fūma were after Sōshūya's sister, Koshinjo (not realising he was speaking to her) and that his friends were in great danger. She carried Shūsaku and said he was no burden as he was the important boy who came to save her life. She took a short cut through Gongen forest where they were waylaid by Spider Dōjin and his men. Shintarō  and Tonbei arrived in time to rescue them by driving off Dōjin. She then said she had had the Fire Dragon mirror but gave it to Princess Aya, not realising it was so important. A letter purportedly from her was given to Shintarō  by Tashiro in which she said she was sick and missed Shūsaku. Shintarō  then sent Tonbei back with Shūsaku to Odawara. Tonbei realised it was a ruse to separate him from Shintarō  and hurried back leaving Shūsaku behind for safety. In the final story Shintarō gave Shūsaku into her charge and told him to regard her as a second mother.  ( Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued, Contest of Death)

Kōshū (aka Kai) Modern Yamanashi Prefecture. Kai was the province ruled by Takeda Shingen and where his treasure was supposed to be buried. Shūsaku came from the mountains of Kōshū and his father was a direct descendant of one of Shingen's most trusted generals. ( Koga Ninjas)

Kōshū-ryū. Group of ninja, probably from Kōshū, the second group to answer the challenge of the contest of skills though they started operating while the first group, the Hakusan group were trying to kill Shintarō. They were led by Oki Senzō. (Contest of Death)

Kotsuru Sister of Tonosuke, travelling disguised as a young man under the name of Tsurunosuke. They were seeking vengeance on Nagaoka Genba who killed their father back in Aizu. They found him on the road to Noboribetsu with his followers. He claimed they were mistaken as he was Yokochi Genbei, sword instructor to the Matsumae clan. However, they identified him as Nagaoka by the scar on his chin put there by their father. In the ensuing fight, Tonosuke fell down an embankment and Kotsuru got the worst of it from  one of Nagaoka's followers until Shintarō arrived and chased them off. He took Kotsuru to the Mishimaya inn in Noboiribetsu where she received medical treatment and advised her to disguise herself as a woman (not realising she was one) because it was dangerous with her father's killer loose. .She hung origami cranes which was an agreed signal among the siblings to let the other know she was safe. Shintarō gave her advice about taking revenge, that since the name on the vengeance permit was different, she needed to prove Nagaoka and Yokochi were the same man. She recalled that Nagaoka had stolen her father's short sword, a Bizen Osafune blade given to him by the clan lord. Reunited with Tonosuke in Kiba's presence, she was told to take the proof and the permit to the Matsumae chief retainer before exacting revenge. Shintarō stole the Bizen short sword and gave it to them. On the way to Matsumae, Nagaoka and his followers caught up with them and they challenged him to a duel. Shintarō arrived and evened the odds so that they only fought Nagaoka while he dealt with the followers. When they succeeded in killing Nagaoka, he congratulated them. (Spy Swoirdsman)

Kōya, Mount (aka Kōyasan) Naitō suggested Yorikata visit his ancestors' graves there as part of the plot to kill him while Shintarō  and Tonbei were on the road to Edo. Oribe objected strongly when he found out saying it was not the time for that. Mount Kōya is famous for its many  Buddhist temples and there are many tombs of famous warlords and others there. It was also a place of exile for various other famous people such as Hidetsugu, Hideyoshi's nephew who was asked to commit seppuku there. Over a million pilgrims visit the temples there each year. (Ninja Terror)

Koyu Ninja One, Kodayū, worked for Kongō to follow Shintarō but was suborned by Tarōbō and tried to kill the master ninja with an oar during an ambush. They did not otherwise seem to be involved in the contest of skills (Contest of Death)

*Kozaka, Jinnai Betrayed the so-called "first" Fūma Kotarō, Kotarō's ancestor who was then executed. Jinnai was the ancestor of Sōshūya Denzō. Jinnai stole the Fire Dragon and the Wind Thunder mirrors from Fūma Kotarō which was why these mirrors had been in Sōshūya's family. (Fuma Ninjas)

Kozaru the Flame One of Genkurō's men. He and Tōma were sent to Fuchū to eliminate Sadanobu's guards. He carelessly left his hat with the character "saru" written on it in plain view of an official and Tonbei who were inspecting the guests in the inn, checking their names and occupations. He and Tōma were disguised as tea merchants there for the tea auction. Tonbei used the officials to return to arrest the pair but they found the beds empty and Kozaru, back in ninja garb, on the ceiling taunting them before setting fire to the room and disappearing.  Outside Tonbei attacked him and he called to Tōma for help. Tōma arrived and captured Tonbei and stole his face. He was instructed to find Shintarō  and finish him off after Tōma, disguised as Tonbei, tricked him into falling down the Utsunoya Pass. Later he told Okayo that Shintarō  was dead, though his body had not been found, only his scabbard and a sandal on the rocks below. He asked if she was happy now her brother had been avenged. (Iga Ninjas)

Kozaru the Flame  A skilled Iga ninja who belonged to the group founded by Mogodai. Tonbei was reminded of the story about him when he found a hat belonging to another Kozaru, one of Genkurō's men. (Iga Ninjas)

Kudō, Bunshirō Head of security at the gold mine works on the Shibuchari River whom Shintarō demands to see with a view to sorting out the trouble caused by two of the guards with the Ainu. He agreed to do so after a samurai whispered in his ear. (Spy Swordsman)

Kugutsu This term was originally applied to immigrant Korean gypsy tribes who may or may not be related to the gypsies of North-West India. Like the gypsies of Europe they had many skills, acrobatics, music, juggling, illusion, horsemanship. They had a particular religion, worshipping a god named Hyakudayū. Some congregated around Ise where geisha and ninja were recruited in Edo times. Oe Masafusa (1041-1111) described them thus:" They have no settled communities, nor permanent houses. ..They wander wherever fancy takes them. The men are good horsemen and archers. Their main occupations are hunting, acrobatics, sword-juggling and knife throwing. They put on puppet-shows and can make the puppets fight like human beings. They are magicians who pretend to change plants into birds and animals. The women use their charms to seduce men....They are quite unlike any people we have seen in Japan before. They neither cultivate the soil, nor gather fruits and vegetables. They are subject to no official control for they are not native-born Japanese but complete nomads. They have no lord or master to obey. They keep no herds, pay no taxes but spend their whole days in idleness.." This ties in with Genshin's description of the origins of the Puppet ninja (kugutsu does also mean puppet). For more about the kugutsu, there is a novel about them set in 17th century Edo called Blade of the Courtesans by Ryū Keiichirō (Verical 2008, ISBN 9781934287019) (Puppet Ninja)

Kugutsu Yonai Fūma ninja who had a trick of hiding in vases to emerge to kill his enemies. He overheard Sōshūya tell Shintarō  that the Fire Dragon was probably the mirror given to his wife's younger sister who was a nun in a convent near Odawara. He emerged and thanked Sōshūya before he killed him. He then hid in a vase in the convent while Shintarō  succumbed to drugged incense while Oboro, disguised as a nun, attacked Tonbei with other Fūma. He was killed as he emerged from the vase  by Shintarō  when Tonbei threw a fire-cracker and brought Shintarō  out of his incense-induced stupor. Yonai's vase cracked open and his body fell out. Later, when Shintarō  and Tonbei returned after seeing off the other Fūma, they found the body gone and suspected one might still be there. in the convent (Fuma Ninjas)

Kuma A Japanese guard at the Shibuchari gold mine. He and his fellow, Akaushi, tried to take advantage of the starving Ainu woman, Kurara, by offering her rice in exchange for her valuable necklace. To keep her quiet, they poisoned the rice. When they were interrupted by Kiba who berated them, telling them "We'll be be fighting the Ainu forever if you keep on with these low tricks. I'm sick of it!" He then struck them repeatedly. Realising that if anything happened to her, they would be in a lot of trouble, they ran back to her hut and tried to stop her feeding the child the rice. In the struggle the child was killed. Later on, they were on the gold wagon seized by Kamokuin. He managed to escape and return to the mine where he collapsed. (Spy Swordsman)

Kumeno daughter of Handayū. She had ninja training and could fight but she was raised to be gentle. Tonbei used to carry her up and down the river when she was a child. She saw the three Negoro monks approaching Nabari while she was picking flowers and overheard them. They threw knives at her which she collected and brought to her father. She was embarrassed by Tonbei's teasing about when she was a child but got her own back with a sharp remark about his face being difficult to forget. She offered to guide Shintarō  to the pine forest where Tonbei was held captive by the monks but he said he would go alone. However, she rescued him from the monks when he had been wounded, took him to a nearby temple and treated his leg wound with a salve. He told her to go back to Handayū and make sure Yorikata was safe. Later she and Tonbei were sent by Shintarō  out of Handayū's house to catch up with Handayū via a secret passage while Shintarō  remained behind because of his wound to deal with the Negoro watchers. They arranged to meet up at a cottage in Taka Mountain. She and Tonbei helped in the final fight against the Negoro in which she lost her father. She promised him she would be a gentle woman and be kind to others as he had taught her. (Ninja Terror)

Kumi Sister of Jūzō the hunter. She lived with him in Kōfu. When he was arrested, she went to Toranosuke to ask for help but he had been arrested, too, so she turned to Shintarō  who believed her story that her brother was innocent. She was tied up and left in Toranosuke's house when Kogenta took Shūsaku. Later she was wounded in the shoulder when she ran along a bridge calling for Jūzō and he thought he had shot her and was horrified. ( Koga Ninjas)

Kunashiri Island off the coast of Nemuro to where the Shibuchari women were heading. Shintarō went to see a man about getting a boat across there but was refused. (Spy Swordsman)

Kunechip Younger sister of Kamokuin. She was with a group of Ainu women who had been driven out of Shiubchari village and were separated from their menfolk. She offered to find out if the letter from Yuki was a trap and Sanpei agreed to accompany her. She was captured by Onibishi until Kamokuin and his men arrived and Sanpei fought his way to rescue her. (Spy Swordsman)

Kunoichi Term for a female ninja.  Many appeared in The Samurai. They fell into two broad groups: those who were undone by compassion or being deflected by Shintarō's persuading them to give up being a ninja; and those who were bad to the end.

Female characters in Japanese period dramas often are undone by "female" weaknesses, despite their skills. (This type of archaic, stereotypical thinking can be seen in as relatively recent a production as the animation, Ninja Scroll (1993). Sometimes I think Japanese film-makers are stuck in a time-warp.) In The Samurai two kunoichi  saved Shintarō and co. because they formed a bond with Shūsaku. Oyo could not bring herself to blow up a hut Shintarō and Shūsaku were in so she freed them and disobeyed her master, Genzō the Spider. Chika  listened to Shintarō when he told her to live a normal life tending her father's grave but found a real friend in Shūsaku. Both these women were killed for breaking the ninja code.

Okayo was one confused ninja. She wanted revenge for her brother's death and gloated over the prospect of Shintarō being killed by Genkurō's poisoned sword but then gave him the antidote. Tonbei appealed to her humanity to free him when he was captured and she wavered, finally did so but was mortally wounded by her fellow Iga ninja. Her reward? To watch in Shintarō's arms, Sadanobu pass by in procession, unharmed,

Kazeba was another one who started off with all the right intentions, revenge for her brother's death at Shintarō's hands. She managed to lead him into a trap but then got herself into trouble with her ring of fire trick and he rescued her. Thereafter she changed sides and helped him, despite Tonbei's suspicions. She was killed trying to steal the agreement from the Retired Lord of Owari's house.

The most egregious of this class of kunoichi was Oboro who actually fell in love with Shintarō and ended by betraying her brother by enabling Shintarō and Tonbei to follow them as they headed into the mountains to find the Hōjō treasure. This change of heart was, like Kazeba's, occasioned by being rescued by Shintarō. However, she was also motivated by a desire to stop Kotarō finding the treasure as she feared his obsession with it would destroy them all. She was right. She was the only "turned" ,kunochi to survive. She became a  nun.

The bad girls also died in the end but at least they seemed to have more fun along the way. Ayano, like Okayo before her, did the damsel in distress act, trying to get through a barrier and seemed so sweet and innocent even Tonbei was taken in. However, she latched on to Shintarō's back like a wildcat and put a knife to his throat during an ambush though was thrown off him where she fell on her own sword. Oko was a real piece of goods. First she tried force (tried to capture Gohei and force the location of the letter to Sadanobu from him), then guile (disguised herself as a young country girl and rescued him to get him to open up).. When she realised she'd been tricked and her life was put on the line, she persuaded a ronin to help her, then poisoned him when she had no more use for him. He wasn't dead and cut her down with his sword. But the Queen Bee of them all was Chidori. Unlike the others, she was a mature woman and quite single-minded  not to mention ruthless and cold-blooded. No way Shintarō would "turn" this lady. She was loyal to her group and felt keenly their deaths but anyone else, look out. Shame she had to encounter a ninja even more ruthless and single-minded than she - Kongō.

There was a handful of "business as usual" kunoichi - those who were just doing a job or who had no real grudge against Shintarō. Chiyo was a ninja, a government spy, placed as a maid in Abe Castle, along with her father, also a ninja. Shintarō got them out of a jam and abstracted a promise that they would not spy on the Abe Clan anymore. Yugiri only undertook to assassinate Shintarō in order to get Kongō off her and her father's backs and live a non-ninja life as a reward. Shintarō enabled her father and her to find a new life in the guise of pilgrims. Nagisa was tricked by Kongō (someone lock this man in the Pandorica) into trying to kill Shintarō but once she found out that not only did Shintarō not kill him, he was still alive she turned her and her ninja's weapons on Kongō.

Kuraida, Genichirō Son of Magojūrō, aged about 10 or 11 and brought up to be a samurai, though proud to be the son of a ninja. Wanting to inherit his father's name as a ninja. he had practised ninjutsu and his father had seemed pleased until the night Magojūrō was to duel Hōgen, when Magojūrō realised the heartlessness and treachery of a ninja's life. At first he protested when his father asked him to promise to live as a samurai saying he wanted to be a ninja. When asked by his father who would train him, he replied "Uncle Hōgen" which was a painful irony to his father. He then promised to do as his father asked and also not to hate the man who killed him. He followed Magojūrō out in the evening, using his ninja skills but was intercepted by Onime who wanted to take him to the duelling ground to use against Magojūrō in case Hōgen failed. However, Shintarō  appeared and drove off Onime and took Genichirō home where they waited. When Hōgen came to tell him that his father was dead and that he was the killer, he kept his word and made no attempt to attack Hōgen. Hōgen virtually had to run on to his sword. Later Tonbei undertook to train Genichirō. They were seen practising on a beach, first with running, then  throws and other forms of unarmed combat in a wood near the beach. When Genichirō gave up, Tonbei told him that if he gave up so soon he would never become the fine ninja his father had been. He then suggested they practise with shuriken. He did well and Tonbei said they should stop and return to the Prince's quarters. He then collected the shuriken from the tree and told Genichirō he should take care of his knives because one day even one could save his life. Genchiro gathered some from the ground and found an old woman with one of his knives in her arm. He was mortified but Tonbei said it was just an accident and took the woman back to their quarters. Later, Genichirō saw the Black Shadow take Tonbei captive. The Negoro ninja told him to tell Shintarō  that if he wanted to save the Iga ninja he should go to the Negoro house. Genichirō wanted to come with Shintarō  because he blamed himself for what happened. Shintarō  refused. However, donning  ninja gear, he followed him (what part of "stay at home" don't you understand?) When Shintarō  failed to come out of the house, he ran back to the Kishū ninja for help. They were reluctant because of the traps in the Negoro house, the skills of the Shadow and they had to guard the prince. However, Kurando was shamed into helping. Later Genichirō followed Shintarō  and Tonbei when they took their Negoro prisoner to Edo. He warned them of the plot to kill Yorikata when he visited his ancestor's graves on Mt. Kōya. . (Ninja Terror)

Kuraida, Magojūrō Kishū ninja, one of the six guarding Prince Yorikata and  father of Genichirō. He had grown up with Uda Hōgen, a Negoro ninja, stayed at his house and Hōgen had stayed at his. Hōgen's father had been kind to him. This was back in the days before Kishū and Negoro were at each other's throats. Magojūrō, sensing that soon they would be divided by ninja politics, came to see Hōgen armed with a bottle of sake and to say goodbye. They spent a pleasant afternoon sparring, then drinking and talking with Magojūrō admiring the flowers and saying he felt at peace which he hadn't done for years. The Kishū ninja were then sent a challenge, setting a time and place for a duel between Magojūrō and Hōgen. Magojūrō then told his son that he was going out, quite probably to die but if that happened he must remember he was the son of a samurai and lead a good life and serve well; and he must not hate the man who killed him. He met Hōgen at dusk on a lonely heath (Kasumigahara) where it was shuriken at 20 paces, then full engagement with sword (Magojūrō) and staff (Hōgen). Magojuro was killed after a lengthy duel.. (Ninja Terror)

Kurando Constable of Kōfu who had arrange to meet Shintarō  at the Shimadaya inn in Fuda Gokashuku.He had compiled a report on all the missing persons in every town and village. Shintarō  concluded that these young men were being used as labour in a mine. Ichinensai overheard this and determined that Shintarō  should die. Kurando later fell victim to a scattering of tetsubishi left behind by Ichinensai in the corridor of the inn to discourage pursuit. Shintarō  asked Seibei to call for a doctor and bandaged Kurando's foot. ( Koga Ninjas)

Kurando of the Night (aka Kage Kurando or Kurando the Shadow) One of the six Kishū ninja. He went to rescue Tonbei from the Negoro house after Genichirō shamed them into taking action. He killed many Negoro ninja before the Black Shadow killed him. His speciality was wearing layers of clothes and shedding outer garments to confused the enemy. (Ninja Terror)

Kurara Ainu woman who lived near the Shibuchari gold mine. Her husband, Hajika, worked at the gold mine but he and their only son were starving. She came to the goldmine to see him but was intercepted by two of the guards, Kuma and Akaushi. They claimed they had no food, either since, the famine but were willing to trade some for her necklace. They instructed her to meet them by the black pine. One of the guards tried to carry her off but Kiba appeared and berated them. She fainted with hunger and Kiba returned her necklace to her and the rice packet the two had brought. "You truly are a good person," she told him. However, unknown to either the two guards had poisoned the rice "to shut her up". They realised that if she died there would be repercussions so tried to stop her feeding it to the child. In the struggle the boy fell, hit his head and was killed. She swore vengeance and joined the Ainu rebel leader Kamokuin. Later, when Kamokuin had captured Kiba, she gave him a knife with which he cut himself free. She also intervened when Kiba ordered his men to fire on Shintarō, saying that bother were honourable men and that the god Saimukuru would not forgive them for fighting. When next seen, she had tetanus caused by a cut and was with a group of other Ainu women who had been driven out of Shibuchari village and separated from their menfolk. She was taken to Tojuin shrine to recuperate Spy Swordsman)

Kurata Town where Shintarō and Tonbei stayed on Tarōbō's advice and where they were attacked by the Shintō ninja. (Contest of Death)

Kurobei (Maki Fuyukichi) One of the 13 master  Kōga ninja. He was assigned to kill Shintarō  by getting close to him and getting him to trust him. His usual guise was as a travelling monk.  He appeared in Shintarō's room at the Yoshino inn in Yoshino. He claimed to be an Iga ninja sent by Sadanobu to protect Shintarō  and gave him a letter purportedly from Sadanobu. Shintarō  thought the writing looked like Sadanobu's but was still suspicious as ninja were well known as forgers of handwriting. He cast the letter on a brazier which Kurobei seized and threw out the window where it exploded. This gesture still did not quite satisfy Shintarō . Later when they were all in bed, Kurobei eased his staff towards him while Shintarō  loosed his sword in its scabbard. Then Kurobei jumped on the ceiling and went out through a hole in pursuit of a  Kōga ninja whom he fought on a bridge and killed. This was Tarōmaru, the deathless ninja, who simply crawled back up on the bridge when the coast was clear. This convinced Shintarō . Earlier he had beguiled Shūsaku with a lengthy explanation and history of ninjutsu (incoming: major info dump). Shintarō  asked him if he was content with his life. He had trained from an early age and after many years had become a ninja. He risked his life on a daily basis. If he was successful he got no credit. If he failed he had to cut his face with his own sword or burn it to conceal his identity. He added that he lived and died in darkness and didn't he think there was something ridiculous about a ninja's life. Surely he was aware that there were other ways of living, that man was born to live free and in the bright sun and be happy. The next day on the road Kurobei showed off his running skills to Shūsaku as he scouted the road ahead. Off the road he met Tarōmaru who praised him for his skills in getting Shintarō  to trust him. Kurobei had some poison which would paralyse the body concealed in a bivalve shell. When he had administered this to Shintarō  he would whistle and Tarōmaru would come and finish him off. However, Kurobei was troubled by memories of his conversation with Shintarō  the night before about a ninja's life and he was tormented by his conscience. He finally decided to put the poison in Shintarō's canteen on the pretext of testing it for poison, having decided he was a  Kōga ninja and would never be anything else and sympathy was forbidden to a ninja. However, he pretended to fall and knocked the canteen from Shūsaku's hands and spilled the water so he wouldn't drink it. He then sent Shūsaku off to a nearby stream. Shintarō  collapsed and he whistled for Tarōmaru. He told him to be quick before the boy came back. However, Shintarō  was not poisoned. He had seen clearly on Kurobei's face that his conscience was bothering him. He killed Tarōmaru and Kurobei begged him to kill him, too. He ignored him. Kurobei took his sword and was about to thrust it up into his chin but Shintarō  knocked it aside. Shintarō  told him he was not much of a ninja and should try to live a normal life from then on. Shūsaku called him a fool and would not forgive him. Kurobei resolved to try to protect Shintarō  from the other  Kōga ninja .He made himself useful by giving Shūsaku a medicine for Shintarō 's eyes and telling him about a medicinal plant which would help. Shūsaku accepted him and Shintarō  did as well especially as his eyesight did start to improve. He returned to the  Kōga ninja fort and asked for forgiveness as he wanted to find out what they were up to. He was told to find Shintarō  who had disappeared. However,  Kōga Ryūshirō was suspicious and sent Kasumiwatari Gyōbu after him. Gyōbu captured Kurobei and accused him of treachery and suspended him from a tree branch intending to kill him after dealing with Shintarō . He used Kurobei's voice to lure Shūsaku away and the crept up on Shintarō  who was blindfolded. Shūsaku rescued Kurobei and brought him back to where Shintarō  had just killed Gyōbu.  Kōga Ryūshirō shot Kurobei in the back with a poisoned arrow He was badly wounded but Shintarō  carried him. When they arrived at a place where there was a good view of Mt. Fuji, Kurobei said he had never realised how beautiful it was, though he had seen it many times before. Shintarō  pointed out that was because he had been a ninja then and being a ninja he could never seen the pure beauty of nature. Shintarō  went on to say that the true spirit of human life was to love your fellow man, help him, trust him and try to build a peaceful world. Most people believed that but ninja had twisted ideals and dedicated their lives to one goal: sowing the seeds of hate and fear in the world. They were the tools of very wicked people and could never find peace. Kurobei was very grateful to be with Shintarō  among such natural beauty and felt reborn into a better world. Shūsaku found a note in the stream written in ninja code which involved the elements and colours. Kurobei translated it as meaning "This is the road to death". Shintarō  had him lead them along another road to Kobushigatake. Kurobei's wound got worse and he became feverish but struggled on before collapsing. Shintarō  found  a temple nearby but Kurobei considered he had become a burden and when they would not leave him behind, set out by himself intending to return when he was better. Kanbe, one of the  Kōga ninja attacked him and left him for dead but he was able to crawl into the temple and warn Shintarō  that the priest, the hunchback and the  Kōga ninja were one and the same. He died knowing he had saved Shintarō  and Shūsaku and was buried near the view of Mt Fuji he had admired, the hikarigusa flowers at the foot of the grave-marker.   ( Kōga  Ninjas)

Kuroda Assistant to Okuno Masakatsu. He suggested Okuno had better find out who had told Jindai of the bribes he had accepted. He was rendered unconscious by a blow from Yaheiji when he entered the room and remained in a heap on the floor while Okuno and Yaheiji discussed their plans. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Kuroda, Saemon 12th of the 13 master  Kōga ninja. His speciality was great leaps in such a way you didn't know where he was coming from. His downfall was that he was so proud of this skill he could not resist showing it off, first to Tarō the monkey, then Shūsaku. Shintarō  was thus able to work out there was a pattern, that of a five-pointed star and so was able to predict his next jump and cut him down. However, he said that in the dark, he would have had no way of defending himself. Saemon sent two ninja to guard the approaches to the mountain. They killed one of two woodsmen come to cut trees illegally. One of these ninja used Shūsaku's missing pet monkey to lure Shintarō  (following Shūsaku) to where Saemon was waiting. He attacked him with his "swallow magic" but was killed. Shintarō  described him as "A fearful man and a fearful art of ninja. He had too much confidence in his art." ( Koga Ninjas)

Kurokami Gentatsu See also Katsuya Ippeita. A Togakure ninja known for his reverse-throw skill with shuriken whereby they returned to his hand after he had thrown them. Tonbei wanted to find him as the next challengers in the contest of skills were the Togakure. He asked fellow Iga ninja Ippeita to guide him to his last known residence, a hut in Shadow Pass near a castle in Musashi. He was said to have renounced the world and that he did not see anyone between sunset and sunrise. He was however, one and the same man as Ippeita. (Contest of Death)

Kuromaru the Sleep (aka Nemuri no Kuromaru) One of the most dangerous of the Fūma ninja, not even Kotarō could control him. He disguised himself as the priest of the Sōunji and invited Tonbei and Shintarō  to take tea after they found grave markers with that day's date and their names on them. Tonbei was hesitant believing Shūsaku would worry but he assured him it wasn't poisoned and even drank some. Shintarō  had one cup and then Kuromaru offered one to Tonbei, then exclaimed he saw death on his face. Tonbei saw a ninja's face reflected in the cup, apologised to the "priest" and ran out in pursuit. Shintarō  had a second cup of tea. Kuromaru had taken Shūsaku and Koshinjo hostage and his ninja used this to force Shintarō  into a litter. At Stone Mountain Castle he re-appeared still in priest's garb and attacked Shintarō  who had just killed a number of Fūma but was feeling dizzy. Kuromaru told him that he had put sleeping powder in the tea and he had had two cups. Kuromaru shed his priest garb and they fought. Shintarō  eventually  killed him. From a distance Oboro watched and said, "Kuromaru, forgive me" as she had warned Shintarō  about him. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Kurome Monjūrō Chief samurai of Lord Rokkaku, he was impersonated by Kongō so he could get close to Shintarō, keep an eye on his movements and lead him into a trap to kill him. He first appeared walking with a lantern to the Rokkaku mansion thus Tonbei was able to identify the place Chidori had entered as Rokkaku's by the crest on Kurome's lantern. This may have been the real Kurome. Shintarō and Tonbei encountered him when they went to search the mansion (this was Kongō in disguise). he offered to help them but told them Rokkaku had taken everyone to Hakone and only he was left. They were attacked by Phantom ninja led by Chidori and in the fight he killed Chidori after she tried to use her blinding snow trick on him and it failed. She may have suspected who he really was, partly because he was able to resist her trick as a master ninja would. She certainly gave him a very hard stare as she died. He stabbed to her make sure before Shintarō and Tonbei arrived and tried to interrogate her. They were not best pleased as they hoped to do just that. He apologised and blamed his rage when he thought she was the one who harmed his lord. He insisted in accompanying them to Hakone. On the road he intercepted a messenger hurrying back to Edo who told him Lord Rokkaku had been kidnapped. He defended himself against attacking ninja, chased them into the forest knowing Tonbei would follow and thus captured him, appearing as Kongō He rejoined Shintarō at a temple where the second lot of ninja attacked. Ironically they both worked well together fighting side by side. He next appeared to strike Densai who had his sword at Tonbei's throat and was demanding Shintarō drop his swords. He then freed Rokkaku and knelt to ask if he was all right. As the four of them left, Densai called out "Merciless!" and addressed Kurome as if he were Kongō so that Shintarō realised who he really was.  (Phantom Ninja)

Kurozumi Ninja Next after the Ninkō ninja in the challenge of skills, they were based in the Devil-Mask House, known for its many traps, and were led by Devil Mask Dōjin. (Contest of Death)

Kushiro Region in Ezo wherein is located Shiranuka, the site of a gaol holding many Edo criminals. Also where Daikokuya came from. The Ainu there did not take part in Shakushain's Revolt and were protected by the Matsumae clan. (Spy Swordsman)

Kuwana Town across Ise Bay from Miya and the 42nd stage on the Tōkaidō. It is famous for its clams. Sadanobu was to take a boat from Miya to Kuwana but Genkurō planned to put gunpowder aboard with a long fuse set to go off at noon the next day, blowing up all aboard when they were out of Owari territory. This plot was foiled by Shintarō  when he went looking for a missing boy and found him and his mother tied up by the boat and Gensai putting chests aboard it. (Iga  Ninjas)

Kyōgoku, Lord of Bizen One of three lords summoned to Sadanobu's mansion at night to discuss his impending trip to Kyoto in May 1788. (Iga Ninjas)

Kyūdayū One of Genkurō's men. Suiki was instructed to show him how to get into Dōgan's house. Once there he overheard Dōgan tell Shintarō  he would not help them and learned that Suiki was really Dōgan's grandson which he relayed to Genkurō. He also stole Shintarō 's inrō in case Genkurō wanted to use it in a trap. Shintarō  threw his sword into the ceiling, wounding Kyūdayū in the shoulder but he carefully wiped the blade before sending it back down again. However, this wound proved his undoing when attempting to escape with the rest of Genkurō's men using the the ninja flying trick. Shintarō  was able to throw his sword into him, killing him. (Iga Ninjas)

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*Laxman, Adam Russian naval officer who in 1792 brought back to Nemuro some Japanese who had been shipwrecked on the coast of Siberia. Referred to in "Outlaw Brothers" (Spy Swordsman)

Litter Bearers Two were bribed by Genzō, disguised as a pilgrim, to pretend to kidnap Oyo in her guise as Chikage. They were promptly driven off by Shintarō  using no more than a pole and reported to Genzō to receive some gold coins. They were pleased to receive the money thinking they had made a mess of things letting Shintarō  drive them away. Genzō also offered them a drink which poisoned them. He left their bodies on the side of the road. ( Koga Ninjas)

Lord of Night aka Kurayami Udayū  see Rokkaku Udayū

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Mae Jinnai Henchman of Daikokuya and boss of a gang. He was a typical bully, rough with those weaker but a coward once bested. He was scornful of the Ainu Haboro but later used him to kill Daikokuya because he wanted to take over his business. He then accused Shintarō of the murder. He and his gang went to Mt. Osonae to kill the Ainu woman Inakushi because she was a witness to the double murder of Daikokuya and Haboro but she held them off with her musket. Shintarō arrived and had Jinnai at his mercy as did Inakushi. Jinnai grovelled and begged to be spared. Shintarō told Inakushi people like her were the true heroes. People like Jinnai were just cowards. Jinnai tried to run off but Inakushi shot him. Shintarō told Kiba, who had just arrived, that Jinnai was the true killer and that Inakushi was a witness. (Spy Swordsman)

Magic Ninja Kite Giant kite with a swastika painted on it, anchored to the ground by ropes, it was used by  Kōga Ryūshirō who threw bombs at Shintarō  from it. He could descend using a rope and re-ascend the same way. Shintarō  came up a rope after him but he started to cut through rope above Shintarō . Meantime, Shūsaku discovered one of the guy rope and cut through it, destabilising the kite, causing Ryūshirō to drop his knife. They both dropped to the ground. ( Koga Ninjas)

Magojūrō see Kuraida Magojūrō

Maid A widow with a daughter, Nami, she worked at the Yūnoya inn at Tonosawa where Shintarō stayed on his way to Kyushu. When Shintarō sympathised with her hard lot bringing up a child single-handedly, she said the innkeeper was good to her and she enjoyed her work. Nami was the only reason she kept working. When Nami was kidnapped by Dōhaku, she had no choice but to do as he told her and give the soup which he had poisoned to Shintarō. She was very upset but could not act suspiciously because she knew Dōhaku would kill Nami as he was watching her. She ran to the shrine where Nami was being held but two Puppet ninja stopped her and said they would kill her as she was no longer of any use to them. Shintarō arrived and killed them. She ran to  Nami who was sleeping inside the shrine and gathered her up. Shintarō gave her some gold coins to help her. She and Nami watched horrified as Kongō threw a rope around his neck and dragged him behind his horse but were relieved when he managed to free himself and ride off on Kongō's horse. (Puppet Ninja)

Manabe, Gyōbu One of five Iga ninja sent with Tonbei to Edo to go through the records relating to Odawara Castle in order to discover the significance of the three mirrors. He was the first to try to break through the Fūma cordon around the hut.  He exited through the front door, covered by the smoke bombs of the others but was cut down by Dōjin (Fuma Ninjas)

Manji Kurojō Leader of the Yūgasumi ninja. When talking with Kongō he hung upside down from a tree branch by his knees, as Kongō told him that he had tossed Tonbei in the river and now he and Shintarō would stop at a nearby inn while Tonbei's clothes dried out. Manji and some of his men went to the inn  disguised as pilgrims but by this time they had gone over to Tarōbō. He and his men  were killed by Shintarō in the forest outside the inn. (Contest of Death)

Manji Valley In Iga country,  where ten ninja had disappeared from. Those ten ninja from the Manji valley were said to be the best in Japan, especially since Genkurō took over, or so Tonbei had heard.. Sakon rebuked him, saying that even in the secret world of  ninja, there was no one who was unbeatable. Unlike other ninja, they attacked and operated in daylight something Tonbei's Iga group had a hard time coming to terms with as they assumed they would not attack until night. "Ninja are night crawlers." Tonbei pointed out that they had tried to use a rocket against Sadanobu in broad daylight but a few hours before. (Iga Ninjas)

Manrikigusari A length of chain with weights at each end used to entangle an enemy's sword or to strike them, Minbu's favourite weapon but also used by other  ninja..

Map, Water Castle Shintarō  took the real one when he escorted "Namiji" around the Komagino Barrier, leaving Tonbei with a blank one back at the inn where he was attacked by Fūma ninja who were after it. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Map, Wind Fort Shintarō  had Tonbei  memorise, unknowingly, a false map so that he would mislead Jinkurō when he compelled him to draw the map. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Marishiten Powerful Buddhist deity of invisibility and protector of warriors (Marichi-deva in Sanskrit). Invoked for protection against fire and depicted in female form with a diadem, the right hand held out, palm up, the left holding a leaf-shaped fan often with a swastika on it. A temple of Marishiten in Edo was used as headquarters by the Fūma ninja. It was not far from the river and backed on to fields. Fūma Kotarō invoked Marishiten to look down on his destruction of Shintarō . The temple was destroyed by fire when attacked by government officers (Fuma Ninjas).

*Matsudaira, Sadanobu (1758-1829) was the 7^th son of Tayasu Munetaka and grandson of the 8^th shogun, Yoshimune (hence his claim to power) and was adopted by Matsudaira Sadakuni and succeeded him in 1783 to the Shirakawa fief. He distinguished himself by wise administration and in 1787 he replaced the disgraced Tanuma Okitsugu as rōjū. He was the instigator of a series of reforms to encourage frugality and thrift and restore the ailing economy of the bakufu. These reforms are generally known as the Kansei Reforms, after the era (1789-1801).

Other aspects of these reforms included the strengthening of coastal defences, forcing hatamoto to pass examinations in military matters, banning of foreign books, cracking down on samurai who attended the theatre, easing the burdens of the peasant class and assigning a government official to any person who did not adhere to the officially sanctioned Chu Hsi school of Confucianism. Indeed, his regime was renowned for the wide use of spies made by the government to check on the activities of just about everyone from the feudal lords down to the lowliest servant. Tokugawa Japan was, after all, a police state with a very thorough network of spies. So it was natural that Sadanobu be shown not only as a key player in the government whose downfall was sought by a number of feudal lords, but also as hiring ninja and assigning missions to Shintarō  and Tonbei.

Sadanobu was forced to resign over a dispute with the Imperial court in Kyoto in 1793. He retired to his fief at Shirakawa and devoted all his attention to running its affairs. He was distinguished as a man of letters, poet, critic with an interest in archaeological matters. He left behind a number of literary works.

He was seen first in  Koga Ninjas (played by a different actor from his subsequent appearances) and  the most in Iga Ninjas which concerned assassination attempts by a group of Iga Ninja led by Momochi Genkurō during Matsudaira's journey to Kyoto in May 1788 (which actually occurred). The ostensible purpose of the journey was to supervise the rebuilding of the the emperor's palace which had burnt down in January of that year. In history the shogunate had paid for the rebuilding but in the series, the emperor had refused the offer of the shogun to rebuild saying that the farmers could not afford the necessary taxes and the wealthy Lord of Owari offered to rebuild it himself at his own expense. Sadanobu's secret purpose in making the trip was to check this out and prevent  any plot by Owari. There were also rumours that there were documents in the palace which could prove how weak the position of the shogun's family was. He next appeared when he summoned Tonbei to his house to discuss the actions of the Black Ninja and the need to maintain public peace. He gave Tonbei a letter to give to Shintarō  as this was a job for him. This letter was taken by the Black Ninja and Tonbei left for dead until rescued by Shūsaku. The note left by the Black Ninja "This man is a shogun spy" attached to Kanabe's body was brought to Sadanobu and passed around his councillors. He noted that there were two reasons to be concerned. The first was that samurai spies were their only sources of information about disloyal lords and two that if the clans found out there were spies among them, they would be deeply offended and might indeed rebel, believing the shogun was about to attack them. He believed that the Black Ninja would take advantage of this unrest. One of his councillors declared that the Owari clan would be the first to revolt. Sadanobu said he would continue to use samurai spies and that he had set one of his best men (Kijima) to watch the Hotta clan. He got to stay in some odd places a person of his rank would normally never use in avoiding ninja assassination attempt. He slept in his palanquin on one occasion and on another he stayed in the warehouse attached to an inn where he cheerfully remarked he could catch up on his poetry writing as he hadn't had time before. He had a rather fatalistic attitude to his Kyoto trip. At the outset he felt he could be killed and at the end, when captured by Genkurō and offered the chance to commit suicide, he felt it was his fate and calmly prepared to disembowel himself.  ( Koga Ninjas, Iga Ninjas, Black Ninja, Phantom Ninja)

Matsumae  The name of a family, a castle and a town in Oshima, Hokkaido. The family were descended from the Takeda and settled in Hokkaido in 1442 They were colonizers and encouraged the immigration of Japanese from other provinces.. They built a castle in 1606, aslo called Matsumae, where the family resided until 1869 when the castle was besieged by shogunate forces except for a brief period between 1807 and 1821 when, Matsumae Akihiro,  the domain lord was transferred to Yanagawa in northern Honshū because he failed to prevent an incursion of the Russians. The castle town of Matsumae was the political and economic centre of Hokkaido and the only castle town on the island. (Spy Swordsman)

Matsumae, Michihiro, 13th Lord of Matsumae whose family had governed the south-western part of Ezo (Hokkaido) since the 15th century. He was described as a hardliner likely to oppose the shogun's plans. He was furious on hearing that a government spy had been sent to Ezo and ordered to be him killed. (Spy Swordsman)

Maya A "hidden Christian" girl, accompanied by Taimon, an old manservant who addressed her as "princess". She found the wounded Tonbei after Yamizō had attacked him and taken his identity. She told him that since the Puppet ninja had come to Black Mountain there had been a reign of terror. She nursed the dying Kansai and was genuinely grieved when he died. She prayed over his grave-marker. She offered to guard the captured Yamizō but was taken in, despite Taimon's warnings, by his feigning of illness. She fetched him some water which he spat back in a jet and knocked them over. He captured them and hung them from a tree as bait for Tonbei who rescued them nonetheless. When Shintarō decided to get into Shiranui Castle by pretending to be one of the Christian workers, she gave him her cross. (Puppet Ninja)

Metsuke Officials, of which there were 16, whose job was to keep an eye on the daimyo and hatamoto to ensure not plots, uprisings, etc. Every year two of them would go to inspect Nagasaki and there were always two of them on watch in the shogun's palace. They were created in 1617. Sometimes translated as "censors" or "all-seeing eyes" though not in The Samurai where "judges" was sometimes used. Kawayama Daizaburō, the first victim of the Phantom ninja, was one.

Miminashi One of four ninja bound from birth to serve Genzō and obey him  everything whom he ordered to go on a rampage in Kōfu, murdering, robbing, setting fire to buildings, etc. to draw out Shintarō  ( Koga Ninjas)

Minakuchi Castle town in Ōmi province (present day Shiga Prefecture), residence of the Katō family. Gensai the Wolf's home town. (Iga Ninjas)

Minbu  see Hakuryū Minbu

Mirrors, Magic Three mirrors originally owned by the Hōjō family. They are: Water Tiger (located in Edo Castle and stolen by the Fūma ninja); Wind Thunder (belonged to the girl Kaori, a descendant of Kozaka Jinnai) and Fire Dragon (owned by Kaori's aunt, the nun Koshinjo who gave it to Aya, daughter of Lord Okubo and located in Odawara Castle). When placed together in order (Water, Wind, Fire) in corresponding slots in the wall of a hidden cave temple on Enoshima, they opened a compartment in which was found a map which gave directions to the Wind Fort. At the Wind Fort was another map which led to the Water Castle. At the Water Castle was a third map which guided one to the Fire Tower. By chanting, "Water calls Wind, Wind calls Fire, Fire calls Water" over the Water Tiger mirror, Kotarō was able to locate the Wind Thunder mirror. (Fuma Ninjas)

Misaki-chō Where the first murder took place in Kongō's murderous spree as a ronin (Phantom Ninja)

Mishimaya Inn in Noboribetsu where Kotsuru stayed after collapsing after the inconclusive duel with Nagaoka. There she hung origami cranes to signal to her brother she was safe. She and Tonosuke met Kiba at the inn and Shintarō stayed there too. (Spy Swordsman)

Miya now called Nagoya was the largest post town on the Tōkaidō and boasted two honjin (official inns for the use of travelling daimyō) and there were 250 inns for ordinary travellers. It was the 42nd stage. From there Sadanobu intended to travel by sea to Kuwana (some 20 miles) then there would be another 80 to Kyoto. It was felt that it would be too dangerous for Genkurō to try to kill Sadanobu in this area as it was only 6 miles to the Lord of Owari's castle and this would expose his part in the plot. However, Genkurō was cunning and planned to place chests of gunpowder in Sadnonbu's boat with a long fuse so that they would explode the next day when he was out of Owari territory in the middle of the bay. (Iga Ninjas)

*Mizuno Tadatomo (1731-1801): Lord of Numazu fief (30,000 koku) in Suruga Province. His father was Mizuno Tadayoshi (Dewa no kami). In 1739 he became an attendant to the shogun Ieharu and in 1742 he succeeded his father as lord of Numazu and served under Ieharu in a number of positions. In 1768 he became a wakadoshiyori (one of six members of a shogun's council below the rōjū, or chief councillors) and worked with. national receipts and disbursements and the finances of the shogun's women's quarters. In 1777 he built a castle at Numazu. In 1785 he was put in charge of receipts and disbursements for the nation and for the shogun's women's quarters. In 1788, at the behest of the rōjū Matsudaira Sadanobu, he was obliged to resign because he was a politician of the disgraced Tanuma Okitsugu faction. Former employer of Kongō of  Kōga Yamizato, in his guise as Gensuke, tried to divert suspicion that he was the Lord of Night on to Mizuno. (Phantom Ninja)

Mochizuki, Sakon Chief of the Iga Ninja at Edo Castle, one of the best of the 200 Iga there and said to have "mastered all the secrets of ninja". He was the only one, apart from Shintarō  (who was off fishing) that Sadanobu felt he could trust. He was the one who discovered the Owari-employed Iga ninja spying on Sadanobu's secret meeting and chased him to the roof of another building. He was ordered to take nine of the best Iga ninja to protect Sadanobu on his journey to Kyoto, He already had been spying on Owari to discover how many worked for him and expected a report early the next morning. He drew up a list of ninja to accompany Sadanobu to Kyoto. He went to prepare his weaponry but was surprised by one of Genkurō's men. He managed to escape into the roof cavity but was captured with ropes and died in a hail of shuriken after Genkurō introduced himself, "Of all the 200 Iga ninja, you are the best. This will be the first and the last time we ever meet." The fatal blow was caused  by a shuriken to the head. (Iga Ninjas)

Momochi, Daizen Lord Owari's chief retainer who came to the honjin (official inn) in Miya  to bring the Lord of Owari's greetings, an invitation to stay at the castle and the gift of a short sword to Sadanobu. Genkurō accompanied him dressed as a samurai and was the one who brought the gift to Sadanobu. Sadanobu graciously accepted the "beautiful sword" and said that he would gladly accept the invitation to stay in the castle on his return journey and would stay a few days. He hoped that "Dainagon" (the Lord of Owari - the same name given on the agreement in Black Ninjas) was well. (Iga Ninjas)

 Momochi Genkurō (Katsuki Toshiyuki) Leader of the 10 Iga Ninja from the Manji Valley where he trained. (The English dub on the recent Siren release had these as  Kōga Ninja but that is wrong as not only are they described as Iga Ninja in the original Japanese they were also called that in the 1960s broadcasts here).  Hired by the Lord of Owari to assassinate Matsudaira Sadanobu on his way to Kyoto. He was a descendant of Momochi Sonosuke, described by Mochizuki Sakon as "an evil man who had led a revolt in 1605 against the Iga society." He knew Shintarō  was really called Matsudaira Nobuchiyo and that he was one of the best swordsmen in Japan. He himself was a master of disguise and an excellent swordsman (he claimed to be the best swordsman of  all the ninja). Tonbei regarded him as the most feared ninja in Japan. He seemed to like a challenge to his skills of which he was extremely proud. He thought it "interesting" to attack a castle the size of Odawara and when two Iga ninja following him were baffled when he vanished and said that no ninja could disappear in daylight, he boasted, "This ninja can!"  . At one point Shintarō  warned him, "Beware, Genkurō, your false confidence will be the death of you." Of himself, he said, "I was born and I have lived in darkness. I have nothing to fear in the dark." and he told Shintarō  that if he had faced him broad daylight he wouldn't have a chance. He hated to kill someone of Shintarō 's intelligence, he said, and that seemed to be a theme with him: not killing people he could make use of or whose skills he respected. Something of an idealist, he claimed he did not leave Iga country for his own profit. He wanted to bring prosperity to the ninja. Ninja only prospered in a time of war so if he succeeded in killing Sadanobu, the Owari clan would rise up against the shogun. However, the Lord of Owari was not the man to run the country so the other lords would also rise and the central government would collapse, plunging the country into civil war. The ninja would then come into their glory. He told Suiki that in this time of peace his art was useless :everything he had learned - disguise, magic, the secret 90 arts of the society of ninja -  and asked if he wanted really to use his art or was he happy to use it to catch fish. He also told Dōgan that his aim was to cause civil war so as to return the ninja to their glory. Dōgan chided him for trying to turn back time and living in the past. Genkurō countered by citing two ninja who had, in years gone by, used their skills to bring down a castle. He said his ambition was greater than that. He wasn't after just one castle he intended to overthrow the whole country. Later Dōgan described him as a "madman living with the past glory of the ninja". Even as late as Ōtsu he offered Ban and Natsumi a chance to work for him, offering them land to rule over and positions of great power. When he captured Sadanobu and took him to the boat on the lake, he told him that he had no personal hatred of him but wanted to return the ninja to their former glory. Sadanobu said that killing him would not result in civil war as he was not that important. Genkurō replied, "Genkurō believes in Genkurō's own ambition so it is no use arguing. You may kill yourself." Sadanobu then said he regretted not seeing Kyoto but he thought that this must be his fate. "Genkurō Momochi, please assist me." Genkurō treated Sadanobu with courtesy, addressing him as "My lord" and kneeling when speaking to him. He rose to his feet and drew his sword to act as Sadanobu's kaishaku as the latter drew his short sword, ritually cleaned it and prepared to disembowel himself. However, Shintarō  was disguised as the ninja rowing the boat and put a stop to that. They fought but Genkurō took a great leap which carried him right up to where Sadanobu was standing and was about to kill him when Shintarō  threw his sword into his back. He turned, staggered and pulled his own short sword and disembowelled himself, then flung himself into the water, uttering the now standard line, "I have lost this fight." . Later Shintarō  suggested that he and Tonbei pray not only for the Iga ninja killed along the Tōkaidō but also Genkurō and his group.  (Iga Ninjas)

*Momochi Sandayū (fl.1581): Also known as Momochi Tanba no Kami. Semi-historical figure said to be a founder of Iga style ninjutsu, the ruins of his house are said to be at Ryūguchi in Nabari City, Iga Province (modern Mie Prefecture) and the remains of his fort where he trained so many ninja are at Hojiro in Ueno City. He was the head of the southern Iga ninja. In 1581,when Oda Nobunaga attacked Iga, he fled the province and disappeared. Some legends say he was the same person as Fujibayashi Nagato, head of the northern Iga ninja, maintaining not only two separate ninja groups but three households. He figures in some Ishikawa Goemon legends as the master to whom Goemon was apprenticed and whose wife he ran off with. He is also said to have been Momochi Yasumitsu. He seems to have been a shadowy figure, deliberately so, a person who caused events to happen behind the scenes leaving no evidence of his hand in matters. There are the usual collection of legends attesting to his cunning. Other legends say he went to Wakayama and trained the Negoro ninja after the Iga invasion.

Moshiriya-chashi near Mt. Osonae and near Oshirigata where Inakushi lived in a hut. (Spy Swordsman)

Motome Chief retainer of Lord Akizuki, he came to persuade him it would be politically sound to go to Edo Castle to offer his condolences on the recent fires even though he can't stand Sadanobu. He was also the one to notice (finally) that the litter bearing Akizuki was going round in circles on its way to Edo castle, much to Akizuki's scorn. (Contest of Death)

Mountain Path from where Oishi Mountain, Noritake Mountain and the Katsuragi Mountains could be seen (Tonbei doing his tour-guide routine again) was where Jingo met and challenged Shintarō  to a duel and Shintarō  fell down the slope. (Ninja Terror)

Muei Ninja One of the ninja clans in the contest of skills who followed on after the Kurozumi ninja, Urabe Hidari was their chief. They were set to watch for Shintarō on the Kiso-Kaidō but failed to find him as he had taken the other road, unknown to them. While Hidari was reporting this to Kongō, the Muei discovered Tarōbō spying on them and attacked him. He killed them in such a way that they remained upright so that when Hidari returned he thought they were still alive.  Their main distinction was a curious top which could be used for sending messages or harassing an enemy. (Contest of Death)

Muei Top Speciality of the Muei ninja, this was a small spinning top like a gyroscope which could be used to carry messages to someone at a distance or to confuse and spin around an enemy striking him randomly with the sharp spike through the centre. (Contest of Death)

Mumyōken The name Shintarō  gave to the style of sword fighting he discovered while fighting blind. He had to rely on his other senses - he described it as seeing his opponent with his spirit. He used it to kill first Tarōmaru then Gyōbu. ( Kōga  Ninjas)

Murakami Hankurō Disaffected samurai who disguised himself in white with a white hood and attacked Matsumae tribute gold going to Edo and Matsumae samurai. He wanted revenge on the Matsumae clan for driving out his people. He left notes in identical handwriting at each crime scene stating the government soy has come. Shintarō wanted to unmask this impostor as much as Kiba wanted to trap him. He first set upon a Matsumae convoy 5 ri from Matsumae. Kiba told the survivors he ought to have them commit seppuku but that would not bring the gold back and they would all have to live with the disgrace. Murakami then killed a samurai in the Hogenji temple so they realised the government spy was in the castle grounds. Kiba set a trap by having two porters go round various taverns saying when the tribute money would be leaving for Edo. Shintarō encountered Murakami  and duelled briefly with him then when he saw him again asked to be introduced to this government spy. Murakami had him dress up the same as he and ride into the convoy. While they were firing at him, Murakami came and stole the gold except he found it was rocks in the cases. Shintarō surprised him by reappearing. Again he asked to be introduced. When Murakami started to do so he asked why not make it a bigger audience and called to Kiba who appeared with his retainers. He explained Kiba had been following him. "So the real onmitsu set up the impostor" was Murakami's comment. Shintarō insisted on fighting Murakamai to send him to those he had killed to show that he, not Shintarō, had killed them. Kiba agreed to this and stepped aside. He accepted this as proof that Murakami was committed the crimes. (Spy Swordsman)

Musashiya Name of an inn  where Shintarō  and Tonbei stayed and where Tonbei was poisoned by Jinkurō the Owl. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Musuke or Flying Eagle Musuke Black Ninja who, with his sister, Kazeba, also a Black Ninja, posed as two siblings who were children of a man ordered to kill himself in Owari. They wanted revenge and to keep the peace in Owari. They attacked the Old Man and his entourage but were rescued by Shintarō . Shintarō  told them to go to the clan leaders to tell them to resist. Tonbei doubted them, thinking they were ninja. Later a Black ninja entered the inn where they were staying and attacked Shintarō  who drove him off. Kazeba next door claimed she and her brother had also been attacked and the Black Ninja had cut her brother's arm. They had to get to Owari as soon as possible so she resolved to go. Tonbei decided to go with her. On the way, he went to get water as his canteen was empty and while down at the stream he was attacked with spears by a Black Ninja who turned out to be Kazeba. They fought with poles, then Kazeba used a sickle and chain, then blinding powder, then a sword. Tonbei tumbled down a cliff. Musuke, walking with Shintarō  and Shūsaku feigned pain from his wound so Shintarō  led him to a temple to rest. There he attacked Shintarō  while his men surrounded the temple. He used a grappling hook to grab Shūsaku and swing with him into a tree while Shintarō  was battling the other Black Ninja. Shintarō  cut the branch and Musuke fell on to his sword and died. Kazeba swore revenge. (Black Ninja)

Musuke the Tiger or Musuke the Deceiver.  Kōga Ninja, also calling himself "Black Ninja" who disguised himself as a blind masseur. He met up with Gensai disguised as an old man and asked what all the fuss was about. Gensai told him that a dead samurai had been found (Kanabe) and offered to guide him to the Goku Bridge. Under this pretext they discussed Musuke's mission to kill all the shogunate spies so as to leave the shogun at their mercy. Musuke noted Gensai's special assignment to kill Shintarō . Gensai swore on his "blood oath as a ninja" that he would kill Shintarō . Musuke then went to the gate of the Hotta mansion and handed a letter addressed to Kijima Matasaburō to the gatekeeper who then passed it on to Matasaburō. This letter purported to be from Kanabe and asked to meet Kijima at 6pm at the Shiba Temple. Musuke, disguised as Kanabe arrived to find Shintarō  in place of Kijima. During the duel, he was badly wounded by Shintarō  and escaped under the building where he took a suicide pill and exploded Shintarō  thought he had killed the Black Ninja but a voice and laughter were heard and he saw a Black ninja on the roof. . Tonbei used his name when he disguised himself as the captured Black ninja in Denamchō prison and Gondayū asked his name as he had never seen him before. Gondayū expressed surprise that such a famous ninja would have allowed himself to be captured by the police. (Black Ninja)

Musuke the Weasel see Black Ninja

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Nabari Village in Iga country where Handayū, Tonbei's teacher lived and Shintarō  and Tonbei stayed. (Ninja Terror)

Nabari Saden One of the 13 master  Kōga ninja. Anyone who knew his name had to die. His special trick was creating an illusion there were several of him so that an opponent never knew which was the real one. He first killed Tanabe, a secret agent of the government sent to Kōshū by Sadanobu to investigate strange stories about General Takeda's lost gold treasure. He then went to the Sainenji temple, entered through the roof and overheard Shintarō  and Donkai discussing the Takeda treasure and that Shūsaku who had come to the temple had a pouch given to him by his father with a very old map in it. Saden then went to where Shūsaku was talking to Sakuzō, a temple servant, and put smoke into the room which sent them to sleep. He then stole Shūsaku's pouch and the secret records of the Iga and  Kōga societies of ninja which were held at the temple. Outside the temple he was challenged by the Iga ninja but defeated and killed them with his multiplying  trick. Shūsaku grabbed him and demanded he return the stolen pouch. He was about to kill the boy when Shintarō  intervened. They fought and although he used his trick on Shintarō  and confused him, he was killed by a lucky blow. ( Koga Ninjas)

Nadeshiko  Fief in Hizen whose lord had bought foreign-made guns from Shiranui (Puppet Ninja)

Nagaoka Genba He killed the father of Aizu samurai Tonosuke and Kotsuru and went to Matsumae where he assumed the name Yokochi Genbei and became the "hot shot new sword instructor" (Kiba's description) to the Matsumae clan. He stole the Bizen Osafune short sword which belonged to the siblings' father and this was the way to prove he was Nagaoka. He had a scar on his chin caused by the father. He was arrogant and cocksure, deliberately baiting Kiba by implying he was incompetent not to have caught the government spy in the two months he had been tracking him and sarcastically offered the help of him and his men. He was killed in a duel by both the siblings. (Spy Swordsman)

Nagisa Ninkō Ninja tricked by Kongō of  Kōga into trying to kill Shintarō . He told her that Shintarō  had killed her father who was, in fact, very much alive. She used a group of Kagerō ninja in her quest rather than Ninkō. She assumed the identity of Kirimaru's sister to trap Shintarō. Her speciality seemed to be the poisoned blow-dart. She was cunning but a bit gullible and somewhat impulsive and obsessed with a tendency not to listen She accepted reports of Shintarō's death based only on sightings of Tonbei going back to Edo alone in tears. Kongō, unsurprisingly, wanted proof in the form of Shintarō's head. (Contest of Death)

Naitō, Daigaku Retainer of the Lord of Kishū. He was in Edo when his lord died. He wanted to put the younger son, Yoshitsuna, in power so he could rule the domain  through him as regent. He wanted the older prince, Yorikata, dead. He was a youngish, handsome man, urbane and quite at home talking to the rather fearful  if not downright weird Garyūdōshi. He was the one who persuaded Yorikata to visit the graves of his ancestors on Mt. Kōya so that he could be killed by the Negoro  (Ninja Terror)

Nakata, Nobuhito Samurai spy, associate of Kazama, who was supposed to meet him at the Onoya inn and became concerned when he was late. A maid came and asked if she could open the door to let in some air as it had been hot but he refused but did order food. While she was away, the three Black Ninja disguised as monks entered and killed him, fastening his body to the ceiling. When the maid returned the room looked empty but she noticed drops of blood dripping on to the mats. When she looked up she found Nakata's body..( Black Ninja)

Namaji of Kawachi Alias Kazeba used as a maid in the Black Mansion. (Black Ninja)

Nami Little girl who followed Dōhaku in his guise as a puppeteer and was kidnapped by him to force her mother, a maid at an inn where Shintarō was staying, to put poison in his food. She was drugged to sleep and left at a nearby temple. (Puppet Ninja)

Namiji see Ayano

Naminosuke Fūma ninja whose speciality was water. He was usually in charge of the Dragon Ship. He used it to rescue Kitōbō from Shintarō  when they were on a boat on the river. He also attacked the government officials who were coming by river to the Temple of Marishiten. He rammed their boats, then, standing on the back of the Dragon Ship, by its long neck, he taunted Tonbei. before submerging.  (Fuma Ninjas)

Naruko Ichiden Former leader of the Hakuun ninja, he had given up being a ninja after his only son and heir died. He created a fake grave on a lonely moor near Honjo in Kōzuke (Gunma Prefecture) burying the secret scrolls in it. He then lived quietly with his daughter, Yūgiri, and was known as Ichiden the Buddha where he had been called Ichiden the Demon (yasha) before. He was described as a man in his sixties, thin with a sword scar down one side of his face. Kongō sought him out, uncovering his fake grave and removing the scroll. He followed Yūgiri whom he found near and told Ichiden about the contest of skills and what it was really about. He immediately grasped that Kongō would trick the lords into a civil war. Kongō was pleased he understood and told him it was to stop the decline of ninja. Ichiden told him Naruko Ichiden was dead and refused to take part. They glared at each other like cats. Then Kongō told him that the code of ninja would not allow him to live in peace, that other ninja would come. He still refused and there was another fighting cat stare-off. Kongō then politely took his leave with a "Sorry to have bothered you". Ichiden was glad to see the back of his visitor, sighing and calling him a "Terrible man". He called Yūgiri whom Kongō had told to leave the room but there was no reply. He then heard Kongō's voice telling him she had accepted the challenge in his stead and had gone to Honjo to kill Shintarō and that  no matter how well trained she was she was no match for him. He thus manoeuvred Ichiden into resuming his identity as Ichiden the Devil. Kongō noted that the Hakuun ninja lived again and laughed. Ichiden went to the inn to rescue her where Yūgiri had attempted to use her father's sleeping smoke on her targets but had been unmasked. He ended up fighting Shintarō while Tonbei fought Yūgiri. Shintarō blocked his sword with the palms of his hands so Ichiden could not move. He told him he was doling it for his daughter and she for him and to calm down and think about it. They surrendered and Shintarō and Tonbei went in disguise to Kongō and showed him the challenge so he concluded that they were dead. Thus Shintarō hoped father and daughter, now setting off in the guise of pilgrims, would be able to lead peaceful lives. (Contest of Death)

Natsumi, Kanroku One of Tonbei's Iga ninja who rebuked him for his nervousness about Genkurō, telling him he wasn't immortal. If he was stabbed, he would bleed. Tonbei told him to guard Sadanobu while he ran off to the Ōtoku temple. He and Ban Tōnai were the only ones of the original ten to survive by the time they got to Ōtsu, the last stop before Kyoto. He and Ban impersonated two Wolf Ninja and were able to discover Genkurō's plans, except that he knew they were impostors all along. The Wolf Ninja attacked them and they prepared to die but Genkurō told them not to be in such a hurry as if he succeeded in killing Sadanobu the ninja glory days would come again. If they worked for him he would give them land to rule over and positions of power. They said they were no traitors and they were killed. (Iga Ninjas)

Negishi ... see Negoro ...

Negoro House A ninja house and thus full of traps but rather oddly (given the alleged secrecy of ninja) clearly labelled "Negoro" on a name-board outside it. It appeared to be out of town near fields. Within, the grounds looked a bit overgrown. Anyone walking down the corridors could expect spears or swords to emerge from the walls and the floor. Walls revolved depositing the visitor in another corridor. One room had a trapdoor and an oubliette into which oil could be poured so the victim could be burnt without loss of either time or effort. It also had a room below floor level surrounded by bells which would sound if an intruder stepped on a wire attached to them. This allowed whoever was in the room to tell from which direction the intruder came. Kurando came form the west. The house burnt down after Shintarō  ignited the oil near the trapdoor. (Ninja Terror)

Negoro Magic Rope This, in the right hands, could become rigid like a staff or else wrap around enemies and imprison them remotely from the operator. The Negoro ninja who wielded it tried to kill Yorikata and the four remaining Kishū ninja. He was killed by Shintarō  who cut the rope. (Ninja Terror)

Negoro Mountains Sakon told Shinigami, who has assumed Yotoji's guise that Shintarō  and Tonbei had taken Yorikata over the Negoro Mountains to a boathouse on the Chibu River. (Ninja Terror)

Negoro ninja (misromanised as Negishi in the series) Used by the Kishū fief over the years. They were led by Garyūdōshi. Their preferred dress was either that of a yamabushi or a pilgrim and their preferred weapon was the staff. They also had a penchant for appearing grouped upside down on a ceiling when summoned. Their shuriken were multi-point stars like pastry cutters. (Ninja Terror)

Negoro Tōjūji One of the 13  Kōga ninja masters. He was assigned to kill Shintarō  before he reached Kobotoke Pass. At Fuchū, he disguised himself as a merchant. Unfortunately for his plans, Sanji, a pickpocket decided to steal Shintarō 's purse and then palm it off on him when pursued by the police. The police then decide to search him as they felt sure Sanji had passed the wallet to him and assumed he was an accomplice. He claimed innocence and challenged them to search him. They only found his own wallet and he started on his way but Shintarō  stopped him as he had seen him put the wallet in a nearby water butt. Therefore he was not just an innocent  traveller. He fought them and disappeared in a smoke bomb. Later he was hurrying along the road and passed Shūsaku, knocking him down. Shūsaku was incensed and followed him, teasing him by running beside or just behind him though told to keep away. In trying to avoid having Shūsaku knock against the basket round his neck, he accidentally dropped it revealing it to be full of ninja weaponry. He turned on Shūsaku  but just knocked him out before running when he saw Shintarō  approaching. He then kidnapped Shūsaku from the bath at the Daikokuya inn and left a message written on the wall saying that if Shintarō  wanted the boy back, he should be at the Tama River at 4 o'clock the next morning. He bound and gagged Shūsaku and hid him in the pampas grass near the water, leaving a track of footprints, ninja-style, to lure Shintarō  in. Shūsaku's kicking against the grass only helped. He then attacked Shintarō  by leaping and slashing at him as if he were many ninja. Finally Shintarō  killed him. ( Koga Ninjas)

Ninja Barbs  see Tetsubishi

Ninja Bat Trick Genkurō and his men appeared standing upside down on the ceiling of the secret passage between Dōgan's house and his temple. From there they launched an attack on Shintarō  who was at a disadvantage because his eyes were accustomed to the light of his torch which made him an easy target in the dark. If he put out the torch he would not be able to see. (Iga Ninjas)

Ninja Calming Ritual Tonbei tried to teach Shūsaku this at the inn in Oiwake. It consisted of sticking a strip of paper to one's nose and not disturbing it by breath while chanting. Shintarō  teased him that Shūsaku was turning into a ninja. Tonbei was apologetic saying that some people thought that ninja work was not respectable but during training they were taught to ignore pain and to control themselves. He thought it would benefit Shūsaku if he could learn this special control so he could grow up to be a better man. Shintarō  commended his thoughtfulness and added, "A ninja spirit has goodness in it. I may fight against ninja but I do not hate them." (Black Ninja)

Ninja Circle Attack Trick used on Shintarō  at Odawara after he escaped from the palanquin in the temple. The ninja formed a circle and ran around  him, presumably to make him dizzy and disorientated. This effect was broken by the arrival of Tonbei and Sannosuke with bows, shooting from the ceiling. (Iga Ninjas)

Ninja Circular A letter addressed to each of the lords who came to Edo Castle to offer their commiserations on the recent fire. Each one got his separately. It reminded them that Tokugawa Ieyasu conquered the country and became shogun by using ninja and offered the services of same. (Contest of Death)

Ninja Clans. There were 73 clans according to Kongō (Puppet Ninja, Contest of Death)

Ninja Country Shintarō  described it as being so mysterious that it was also called the Hidden Country. It was surrounded by mountains. Yamashiro, Ise, Ōmi and Yamato were the areas which surrounded it. The passes into it were Otogi, Kasagi, Nagato and Nagano plus a few narrow trails. Tonbei said this home of the ninja had changed much since the coming of peace.  Ninja were originally trained for only one thing: to use their skills in time of war. These days there were no trained ninja in the whole country. Dōgan was the only one left plus his four pupils. Genkurō was an expert ninja but not as good as Dōgan. (Iga Ninjas)

Ninja Cutting Tool Leaf shaped blade with serrated cutting edge used to cut holes in floors to enter a room or overhear. Sometimes used to cut holes in ceilings or outer walls. Shintarō  used one to escape the palanquin he was trapped in by Genkurō's men. (Iga Ninjas)

Ninja Disappearing Through Wall Trick One of Ichinensai's specialities. Shintarō  explained it as an illusion, that the ninja really bounced off the wall but moved so fast that it appeared that he disappeared into it. ( Koga Ninjas)

Ninja Disguises Tonbei told Shintarō  that when ninja travelled they used one of seven disguises. These disguises were strolling flute player (komusō), mountain priest (yamabushi), merchant, travelling entertainer, innkeeper or weary traveller. (Iga Ninja)

Ninja Fire Starter Ninja appeared to use a sprinkling of gunpowder to help start an open air fire in snowy conditions. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Ninja Flying Trick The use of grappling hooks over tree branches in order to escape to safety, used by Genkurō and his men to evade Shintarō , Dōgan and his pupils. Kyūdayū, who was hampered by a shoulder wound was an easy target for Shintarō  to throw his short sword into. (Iga Ninjas)

Ninja Hiding Trick "Devil surrender, enemy retreat / Seven wars all win / Never die, live seven lives" If this was said with the appropriate hand gestures (kujiin) it meant you couldn't be found. Tonbei taught it to Yoshimatsu, a boy playing hide and seek on the beach. (Iga Ninjas)

Ninja Incense (aka "jakumetsu") A particular incense used by ninja to signal to each other in the dark attracted Tonbei's attention when he and Shintarō  visited Sōunji during the day. They followed it to a pair of new grave-markers with their names on them and that day's date (15th March) (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Ninja 'Miracle Pills' Small balls of a compound made of a quarter of a pound of rice which had been dried in cold weather mixed with an ounce or two of wheat powder, two ounces of boiled and dried fish, two ounces of eel, two ounces of dried plum and two ounces of pine bark. This was then soaked in sake for three years. Just three of these could stave off hunger for ten days, according to Tonbei. However, if a ninja was on a mission which required concealment in an attic for several days, a stronger "pill" was used which also stopped thirst. Shūsaku, seeing them, wanted to know if they were only for ninja. Tonbei said that they were good for anyone (Black Ninja)

Ninja Owl Signal Used to communicate, particularly at night or to indicate part of a group was coming. (Iga Ninjas, Black Ninjas)

Ninja Ranks Tonbei explained to Shūsaku that there were three grades of ninja. The first was like a commander, the second was like a deputy commander and the third was like soldiers in an army. He believed Hakuunsai belonged to the first rank, the 13 Black Ninja belonged to the second rank and that the third rank were without number. (Black Ninja)

Ninja Spirit  According to both Tonbei and Dōgan, this is based on a clean mind to protect humanity and to uphold justice and never to work for personal gain nor to do wrong. (Iga Ninjas)

Ninja Skills According to Kurobei they could jump 18 feet, fall 50 feet, walk 112 miles in a day, hear 14 times better and see 18 times better as well as see in the dark. Their joints were flexible and could be dislocated and rotated without difficulty. They could eat poison and survive and also eat mud, dirt and sand without harm. ( Koga Ninjas)

Ninja Tools Tonbei said there were six basic ones. These were a hat for disguise; a hook and rope for climbing, tying people up or closing doors; a stone for communication; a special ninja medicine kit which could cure just about anything including bruises, cuts and stomach aches; a five foot cloth which could be used for a cap, mask or to scale high fences or filter muddy water so it could be drunk safely and a flare for signalling. Shūsaku was not overly impressed but Shintarō  pointed out that was only because they were familiar to him. Tonbei added that because people believed ninja could perform miracles, it made it easier for them to seem mysterious but most ninja tricks were simple. (cf Granny Weatherwax's "Headology" in Discworld). (Black Ninja)

Ninja Tacks see Testubishi

Ninja Tracks Tōjūji deliberately left these distinctive footprints in the sand to lure Shintarō  to where he wanted him by the Tama River. Shintarō  likened them to bird tracks and said that birds had a lot of tricks to protect themselves and their eggs which was why you never found the eggs if you went directly to where the bird landed. They often landed a long way from their nests. They could fool you for some of the time but eventually you would see through them. Ninja were like birds. Shūsaku thought Tōjūji walked funny, all zigzags. ( Koga Ninjas)

Ninja Tree Disguise Shintarō  suddenly paused in following Ryūshirō in his farmer's disguise and slashed at a tree. A cloth appeared with blood on it and under it a ninja with a slashed head. He described this as the "ninja tree disguise" (similar to Jihei the Cat's skill). ( Koga Ninjas)

Ninja Two Wing Trick Genkurō used this at Miya. Basically it was a two-pronged attack. On the one hand he had Gensai and some of his men put gunpowder in Sadanobu's boat so he would be killed the next day out on the water and well out of Owari territory, which would fulfil their mission of killing him. At the same time he lured three of the Iga guards into following him to a temple where he killed them. The first "wing" failed but the second one worked. Now he was going to ninja country to recruit more men to replace the six he had lost. (Iga Ninjas)

Ninja Water Disguise Ninja concealed in a stream from which they could launch an attack. ( Koga Ninjas)

Ninja Water Finding Skills Tonbei told Shūsaku that ninja were trained to find water as a water supply was important to a fort. Edo Castle had the Sumida River in the south, for example. Usually a ninja would stick a bird's tail feather in the ground and if dew appeared, there was water. However, he didn't have a bird feather so dug a hole in rock and listened to the sounds of the earth. If there was water he would hear it moving. He determined that there was water on the other side of the mountain. Shūsaku complained he could not hear anything when he put his ear to the hole. Shintarō  told him that was because ninja's hearing was 14 times more acute than normal people's. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Ninjutsu according to Kurobei, when Shūsaku asked him what it was, it was all in the universe and everything in nature. He said that the first person to use ninjutsu was a man named Oido in the reign of the Emperor Tenmu (673-686) during the Jinshin revolt (672, a short lived revolt over the imperial succession). Thereafter people of Iga and  Kōga learned ninjutsu and developed their own arts. He said the five basic ninja arts were: gold, tree, water, earth, fire. These divided into the 30 arts of disappearing. The 10 arts of the sky included sun, moon, tide, clouds, mist, thunder and lightning;  the 10 arts of the earth included tree, glass, fire, smoke, dirt, stone, roof.; the 10 arts of human male and female included aged, child, noble, vulgar, animal, bug, bird and fish. (At this point Shintarō 's eyes must have been glazing over and one wonders why when the introduction to each episode stressed that to reveal anything about the secrets of the society of ninja was a big no-no, Kurobei was giving out lectures on the topic)( Koga Ninjas)

Ninkō-ryū Seventh ninja group to accept challenge of the contest of skills or at least their leader, Nagisa did. The ninja she had with her were Kagerō ninja. (Contest of Death)

Ninzō One of three Iga  ninja sent by Tonbei to discover if the Phantom ninja had returned to Kōga or were still in Edo. In disguise as komuso, yamabushi and traveller, they ran along the road, then paused for a rest by a river. Hagenbō's scornful voice taunted them with sweating like pigs and said he'd save the the trouble of going all the way to Kōga. His face appeared as a reflection in the water and then he attacked them, using his "human steel technique to smash their swords. He and Hitonashi knocked them out and took them to a temple as bait to lure Tonbei and the other Iga  ninja into a trap. There they were tied up but rescued when Shintarō arrived and defeated the Phantom ninja. Later on Tonbei recalled that Ninzō was attacked by Hitonashi using his water trick.  Phantom Ninja)

Nishikawa Town on the Akiba Road where Genkurō surmised the six pilgrims (the Iga guards in disguise) and the two komusō (who he believed to be Tonbei and Sadanobu) would meet up. He had his men assume pilgrim garb, take the place of the Iga guards and attack the party. However, he was wrong about the identity of one of the komusō as it was Shintarō  who told him Sadanobu had already gone by boat to Goyu. Genkurō and his men retreated. (Iga Ninjas)

Nishina A guard in the gold escort who saw ninja signal flares on Mt. Asama and tried to warn Captain Shindō, who thought he was overzealous and ought to grow up. He was conscientious and didn't let go. He went up Mt. Asama looking for signs of robbers and found Tonbei who showed him some ID and told him that Black Ninja were after the gold. He reported this to Captain Shindō who still didn't listen. He tried to stop the porters from drinking but they ignored him. Kakuzō the Hawk challenged him and fought with him so as to keep him away while the Black Ninja took the gold. He was rescued by Shintarō .( Black Ninja)

Noboribetsu  Spa town in Iburi in Hokkaido. Kotsuru and Tonosuke stayed there while seeking revenge on Nagaoka Genba. (Spy Swordsman)

Noda, Ichinojo Chief samurai of the Okubo clan. He was senior to Seta Samon and Seta's sister was advised to consult with him as to what she wanted to do now her brother was dead. He was ordered by Jindai Naiki to come to his house where he was asked what he thought about Samon's death. Jindai thought it had something to do with the secret meetings and that they could not let the murder come to the attention of the government as it could embarrass Lord Okubo. On his way out of Jindai's house, Noda was surrounded by Fūma ninja and killed. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

North Mountain Where the Puppet ninja were going to take their guns and gunpowder, disguised as farmers. (Puppet Ninja)

Notice Board One originally from Nagasaki and dated 11 day of the 12 month of Tenmei 8 (i.e. 1788) was found near a soba vendor's stall in Edo. It listed the punishment for anyone involved in smuggling or buying smuggled goods. The punishment was death by beheading for the perpetrator, their spouse, siblings, children and servants. It was signed by the bugyō (chief administrator). It next appeared just inside the gate of Sadanobu's mansion while the doorkeeper was trying to find who it was who knocked on the door claiming to be a messenger from Superintendent Sakakibara. It's final appearance was in Sadanobu's bedroom, covered with blood and next to a chest of smuggled goods. (Puppet Ninja)

Noto-ryū  The fifth ninja group to take up the challenge of the contest of skills. They probably came from the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. There were three of them, the leader Isshiki Dōjun and his subordinates, Ichirōta and Jirōta. (Contest of Death)

Nun Found stripped of her head gear and outer clothes (so Oboro could use them) and bound in a cupboard. Shintarō  and Tonbei found her and untied her. She was able to tell them Koshinjo was not there but had gone to visit a friend in Soga Village and that the Fūma ninja had asked her the same question. Kotarō criticised Oboro for not killing this nun so she couldn't talk to which she replied that the nun was a woman like her and it seemed wrong to kill a defenceless woman. "Sympathy!" he spat. "If because of your sympathy, Shintarō  and Tonbei find the woman with the Fire Dragon mirror, then what? What will become of us?" (Fuma Ninjas)

                                                                                                O

Oboro (Saga Naoko) Fūma ninja, younger sister of Fūma Kotarō Kaneyoshi.  She was raised and trained by Musai, as a daughter (who may have also trained Kotarō, he was old enough). She was very fond of him  and called him 'Uncle' while he called her "Young one". She was first seen disguised as a nun when Shintarō  and Tonbei came to the Antoku convent. There her soft-heartedness (for a ninja) was seen in that she tied up a nun instead of killing her. Kotarō reprimanded her for this and asked her what would become of them if Shintarō  got the Fire Dragon mirror because of her sentiment She impulsively swore she would get the Fire Dragon mirror herself. After cautioning her to control her emotions, he gazed out to sea and said, "For 200 years the Fūma ninja have suffered and waited for this chance. Forget you are a woman. Give up being human and become a devil and if you can't do that, the Fūma ninja will desert you. The fact that you are my only sister won't make any difference at all." . She swore on the book of ninja that she would risk her life to get the mirror but he told her she would not have to risk her life and added, "Fūma are the wind. Fūma are ninja" and laughed. (It was at this point the song, Ware wa kage nari shinobi mono was first heard and sung in its entirety. It began as Oboro watched her brother staring out to sea, continued as we saw Kitōbō and his ninja running towards Odawara with Mt. Fuji behind them, as Shintarō  and Tonbei walked down the highway and as Shūsaku ran along the highway.)

She overheard Koshinjo tell Shintarō  and Tonbei that she had given the Fire Dragon mirror to Princess Aya, daughter of Lord Okubo and she resolved to enter the Princess Aya's service disguised as a lady's maid and lure her away to the Sōunji temple to pray for her father's recovery at the graves of her ancestors while she (Oboro) searched Aya's quarters for the Fire Dragon mirror. She was most particular that Kitōbō (and his men) who had appeared at the Hōjō graves and captured Aya treat her with the respect due her rank while she was gone to search for the mirror. She told Aya that as soon as she returned she would be escorted safely back to the castle and her father would soon recover. Kitōbō noted that given Oboro's swiftness, it would not be long before she returned. However, she found the box the mirror was kept in empty and Tonbei surprised her as he had the mirror. They fought and she was eventually captured by the guards. Kotarō heard the commotion in the castle and surmised that she had failed. He told Shintarō  that they would be coming for Aya. Later he and Kitōbō overheard that Oboro had been captured. Kitōbō immediately offered to to go the castle to rescue her but Kotarō said she had to be eliminated. She had failed and to make one mistake was forgivable but not two. Kitōbō protested she was not just any Fūma ninja but his only sister. Kotarō angrily asked if he would not obey his orders. He then explained that Fūma ninja were bound by a strong and ancient code of rules thicker than blood. He did not just think of Oboro as his sister as all Fūma were related and were to him as brothers, sisters and children. Because Oboro was in Shintarō 's hands, she was an obstacle and had to be killed. He advised Kitōbō not to think of it as killing Kotarō's sister or he would fail. He should  only think he was killing according to their code.

Aya came to her in the castle prison and cut her bonds, saying she would free her and give her the mirror if she would make her father well. Oboro promised to lift the curse of Musai's magic and Aya took her place in the cell. Thus she was able to appear in the Gongen forest with Kitōbō as Shintarō  was about to exchange "Oboro" (Tonbei in disguise) for Shūsaku. She said that if Shintarō  gave her the Wind Thunder  mirror she would release Shūsaku. Shintarō  asked her to check that she really had the Water Tiger mirror and told her that she had been given a fake which he had had made in Edo against such an eventuality. In the ensuing fight, Musai sacrificed himself to that Shintarō  might die, though he actually escaped. Musai died in Oboro's arms and she told him that Shintarō  was indeed dead with his help. His last words were, "Musai's last work as a ninja is now finished." Oboro wept. She led the group which attacked Tonbei with blinding powder in the inn at Fujisawa where he was led to believe Shintarō  and Tashiro were staying because of a hat, with Tashirō's secret name, hanging from the eaves. She joined her brother in his duel with Shintarō  on the cliffs at Enoshima, attacking Shintarō  with her sword. However, in the fight, Kotarō accidentally cut her with his sword.

She was cunning and pretended to be trapped by Tonbei in the mountains out of Hachiōji when he was teasing her and belittling her (his intention was to stop the Fūma from following them) while she used the opportunity to steal his water canteen, thus forcing him to leave Shintarō  and Shūsaku to search for water later. She was also shrewd and suspicious as she did not trust Saizō from the off. She led the Fūma ninja who entrapped Shintarō  and Tonbei by the waterfall where the Water Castle was. During the fight, she was wounded in the shoulder by a Fūma shuriken and dropped back, to sit by a tree, her sword falling from her hand. Shintarō  rushed over to bandage her but she refused him, pulling it off and asking why he was helping her and didn't kill her. He had to hit her across the face before he could bandage her. Presumably this was when she fell in love with him as there were Meaningful Looks exchanged.   When Kotarō used Shintarō 's ploy to save Jindai Naiki by impersonating him as an opportunity to kill him, he called Oboro and her group to prevent Shintarō  escaping. However, when she engaged him at close quarters in a duel she whispered that there was a horse by the gate of the Sōunji and he was able to escape. She said, "Now I have paid my debt". However, Kotarō was puzzled that a horse was there in the first place. Someone must have brought it. The episode concluded with her moping around the upper gallery of the Sōunji while Ware wa kagenari shinobimono played on the soundtrack. However, Shintarō  told Tonbei they owed everything to a woman: Oboro. When Kuromaru was sent to kill Shintarō , she diverted the litter he was being taken to meet Kuromaru in and warned him how dangerous he was and not to go further. She also returned his swords. He asked her why she was helping him, her enemy. She replied, she was a woman ninja and didn't always understand her own mind. She added that she just wanted to save him and was doing what her heart told her to. She left a clue for Tonbei so he also came to Stone Mountain Castle and there she stopped him from following Shintarō  and told him where to find the kidnapped Koshinjo and Shūsaku. She betrayed the group's whereabouts to Shintarō  by leaving a trail of shuriken starting at the grave of the earlier Fūma Kotarō, her ancestor, at Sōunji and then  stuck in tree trunks along the mountain trail the group took to Fire Valley in the Hakone Mountains. When one of the Fūma discovered how close Shintarō  and Tonbei were ((the pair had realised it might be Oboro helping them), Kotarō realised he had been betrayed and set a trap to see who it was. He was shocked and angry it was Oboro. When he asked why, she replied that they could not return to the past and the Fūma would be destroyed. He declared they could return to the past and that he could do it. She retorted that if Shintarō  got the gold , "Kotarō's silly desire to conquer everything would die out" She added she wanted to lived quietly in the mountains with him like they used to do. He hit her and responded sharply, "I don't!" and added, "What can you do with a woman's mind!". .She begged him him to give up the treasure but all he did was remind her of the Fūma law which she had broken and that she would be punished even though she was his sister. He had her tied up and suspended from the rafter in a hut as a trap for Shintarō  who had disguised himself as one of his men. When Shintarō  cut her down, Kotarō had the hut locked and set fire to it, saying it was a fitting punishment for the woman who betrayed her brother and broke their law. Shintarō  could not believe he would kill his own sister, "If you have a heart, let your sister go.". Kotarō replied that Fūma ninja had no hearts and since she broke the law she was no longer his sister. When next seen, she was in a nun's habit and praying at a single, lone grave marker on a hill above the road on which was written, "Here sleep the Fūma clan".

In the final episode of the whole series  she was a nun at the Antoku convent  where Koshinjo was abbess. She found the badly wounded Kongō by the river bank where she and Shūsaku had gone to gather flowers for the graves. Momentarily confused by his strong resemblance to her late brother, she  cried out, "Older brother!" and had a flashback to when she begged Kotarō for the chance to steal the Fire Dragon Mirror. She got Shūsaku to help her bring him back to the convent where she had a doctor tend his gunshot wound.. She then was prepared to fight the other ninja to stop them entering the convent to kill him and was, ironically, asked by them if she was a Kōga  ninja. She never actually spoke to him.

She was a skilled fighter, cunning and good at impersonation. She was also known for her speed in running.. However, from the first we see of her we see she has a warm, softer side. She is very tactile, touching or holding the others in the Fūma group. The affection between her and her teacher Musai is plain as is that between her and her older brother. She is considerate of her captive, Princess Aya, telling her ninja guards not to "be rude to the Princess", in other words treat her with respect. Nonetheless this didn't prevent her from speaking up to her brother, warning him of her fears that his obsession with the Hōjō treasure will destroy them all. Given Kotarō's reputation, that took courage, even though they were tied by blood and he was obviously fond of her, especially as she gave him quite an earful. He certainly entrusted her with important missions. Of course, she did fit the pattern by falling in love and so betraying her brother and comrades but she was as much concerned about the consequences of his quest and that was as much as part of her motivation as love for Shintarō. .(Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued, Contest of Death)

Oboro Kirimaru Genmu ninja who accepted the challenge of the contest of skills. He was young and hot-headed, impatient, fiery, quick tempered with a tendency to jump to conclusions which various people kept telling him, particularly the bit about being young which really got on his wick. The reason he accepted the challenge was to test his skills on a strong opponent like Shintarō, this, after he tested his skills on Kongō (not how to win friends and influence your prospective boss at a job interview, tying them up by a leg and hanging them from a tree. Throughout this, Kongō managed to maintain his dignity. What a man,). Kongō said he was wild like he was when he was his age and tried to talk some sense into him. Kirimaru didn't want a position with a lord as his reward, he was happy as he was, running in the woods, eating and sleeping when he liked. He had an older sister, Yuri and they seemed to live alone in a large farmhouse. He was also very strong able to throw a shuriken across a gorge to hit a tree near Shintarō.  He deliberately left a copy of the challenge notice where Tonbei would find it down by a stream near the Usui Pass. He then offered to show him where there were more. This was a ploy to separate him from Shintarō. He then attacked him and made him unconscious in a shrine. He then went to find Shintarō who was looking for Tonbei and said he'd seen him being followed by men in black. He offered to take Shintarō to where he had seen them but Shintarō did  not take up the offer which a mused Kirimaru because it was not predictable. When Shintarō reached the clearing where Kirimaru had attacked Tonbei, he appeared disguised as an old Shintō priest who told him he had taken his friend to a nearby shrine. However, once in the shrine Shintarō saw through his disguise even before he attacked him because he could not disguise his youthfulness. He bested him in a sword fight but did not harm him, only his ego. He had never been beaten and burst into tears. He then wanted to follow Shintarō and Tonbei who kept shooing him away like a persistent stray dog. Shintarō told him not to admire strength alone as everyone had some weakness and to use his life for good. (Usual Shintarō jaw-jaw).

They must have accepted him because he then went to Kongō to try to find out for them who the next ninja was. He told him it was the Ninkō ninja but no more as it wasn't his business. Kirimaru found Kongō had kidnapped Yuri and with Tonbei's help captured a ninja in the garden and forced him to tell them where she was being held. He immediately wanted to rush in and rescue her but was told that would alert Kongō he had changed sides. .Shintarō and Tonbei would rescue her. Shintarō got her away despite oodles of  ninja appearing from every which way and they reached a river bank where they rested as it was now dark, Yuki saying she would keep an eye out for Tonbei. However, it was all a trap. Kongō was aware all along Kirimaru had changed sides. "Shintarō has tamed the tiger and turned him into a kitten",  The woman Shintarō rescued was not Yuri but the Ninkō ninja, Nagisa who wounded Shintarō with a poisoned dart. (Contest of Death)

Odawara Castle town and the 10th stage on the Tōkaidō, formerly the seat of the Hōjō family in the 16th century until the castle fell to Hideyoshi in 1590. The lords current at the time of the series were the Okubo family. Sadanobu stayed there on his way to Kyoto. Shintarō  and Tonbei helped prevent a Fūma plot to suborn  Jindai Naiki and have him join the Fūma so they could take over the castle and restore the Hōjō. (Iga Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Ofuyu Daughter of Izumiya. She became suspicious of the servant Jiekichi who seemed preoccupied and then she found him putting powder in the water butt. So she was kidnapped by the Phantom  ninja and forced to go to Shintarō  and say the gold was in danger of being stolen by the Phantom ninja and not to do anything suspicious or her parents would be killed. This was a ploy to draw Shintarō to Izumiya's house so he could be killed. She was watched closely by her companion, a Phantom ninja in disguise. Once back at the house,, she was pushed into the room with Shintarō  where her parents were tied up. Samunba threatened to kill all three unless Shintarō  dropped his sword. (Phantom Ninja)

Ogasezawa One of three checkpoints on the way to Owari from Shinano where a samurai spy had been discovered and killed and where Gensai hoped to trap Shintarō . He sat at the gate checking each traveller and either gave the nod or shook his head. He allowed Tonbei to pass the first time, when he was disguised an old man, knowing full well who it was. The second time he stopped him and had him surrounded by musketeers. Tonbei managed to escape.  (Black Ninja)

Ogin Wife of Izumiya. She ordered tea be prepared for everyone, unaware the water had been drugged. She came to Izumiya to tell him Ofuyu had disappeared. He was disbelieving at first, stepped out to call his employees or servants and when he turned back Ogin had vanished, too. Later she was tied up with him in the middle of a room and Samunba threatened to kill them and Ofuyu if Shintarō  did not drop his sword. (Phantom Ninja)

Ōhara, Sannosuke One of Tonbei's Iga ninja, disguised as an itinerant priest who was said to be nervous lately. He asked why they were following Tonbei so blindly when he was no better than Hikoroku and himself. He and Hikoroku followed Genkurō, disguised as an old fisherman along a beach. He challenged them to kill him and in the fight Hikoroku was killed and Sannosuke captured. Genkurō suspended him by a rope from a tree branch and prevented him from committing suicide by dislocating his jaw and asked him to join them. "We are both believers in ninja magic". He claimed he could read minds and knew that Sannosuke hated Tonbei and wanted to be boss himself. He admired skill and needed to replace a man he had lost. He then ordered Sannosuke to kill Shintarō  that night. Sannosuke went to Shintarō  at the Tajimaya inn where he was staying and said he was wanted at Odawara Castle. Shintarō  was suspicious but went with him in the litter provided in which he was trapped.  Sannosuke returned to Tonbei, claiming to have found the Iga hiding place. He took him to a remote building where they found Hikoroku's body. Tonbei demanded to know what he was doing as the body was stiff, indicating he had died before noon. He threatened him with his own sword which he had seized from him and Sannosuke confessed that Shintarō  was in a trap, that Genkurō forced him to do it. Tonbei was furious and beat him, severely calling him a traitor and a fool. He followed Tonbei to Odawara where they both rescued Shintarō  who was surrounded by Genkurō's men by loosing arrows at them through a hole in the ceiling. He asked Shintarō  for forgiveness and offered to die but Shintarō  told him life is sweeter than death. Later he brought a message from Tonbei and queried Okayo's presence. Shintarō  told him she was his sister, at least until well past the Hakone Checkpoint. Sannosuke stared hard at her and warned him she could be a spy. Shintarō  seemed surprised at the idea she could be a female ninja. Sannosuke warned him that Genkurō would go to any length to kill him. He decided to go back to Edo to check up on her, feeling obligated to protect Shintarō  as he had saved his life. However, he was ambushed and badly wounded by Yashamaru and two others. He then  managed to wound Okayo as she was about to shoot a poison dart at Shintarō . Then  realising he was dying, he chased Yashamaru who was tyring to escape across the lake and killed him before dying himself.( (Iga  Ninjas)

Ōiso Seaside town 64 miles from Edo at the 9th stage of the Tōkaidō. Shintarō  and Shūsaku stayed at an inn there while Tonbei and five Iga ninja went to Edo to find out the history of Odawara Castle. Kotarō set fire to the inn and attacked Shintarō  and Shūsaku as they ran out. Shintarō  and Shūsaku escaped on to the roof where Kotarō threatened to kill Shintarō . He demanded both mirrors and Shintarō  told him Tonbei had taken them. Kotarō contemptuously told him that Fūma ninja would kill him and showed him Tonbei's charm.  In the confusion of the fire, it was believed Shintarō  and Shūsaku were burned to death. Kotarō, disguised an employee of the inn burnt in the fire on his way to identify the bodies, was asked by the surviving Iga ninja to confirm this and took him to where the bodies were. Shintarō  interrupted and said he would kill Kotarō which Kotarō doubted as it was a small room, adding that ninja only fight when there is a chance of winning, "I am no samurai. I am not ashamed of running away". As he escaped, by throwing a knife and a smoke bomb, Shintarō  cut his arm badly. (Fuma Ninjas)

Oiwake The town (in Shinano, i.e. modern Nagano Prefecture) where the gold shipment from Sado destined for Edo was to be stolen by the Black Nina. Shintarō , Tonbei and Shūsaku stayed in an inn opposite the one the Old Man stayed at. The gold shipment, the porters and guards stayed at an official inn further along. Mt. Asama could be seen very close by from the inn where Shintarō  and friends stayed. Shintarō and Tonbei came through the Usui Pass to stay there when Kirimaru went to investigate Kongō and find out who the next ninja would be.   (Black Ninja, Contest of Death)

Ojimaya, Denbei A marine produce dealer from Oshima with a profitable side-line in smuggling weapons from foreign traders and selling them to the Ainu. He found a shipwrecked samurai, Tōdō Sanpei, and hit on the idea of passing him off as Matsudaira Nobuchiyo (Shintarō's real name) so he could more easily transport a shipment of guns to the Ainu, smuggled in the baggage of this high ranking personage. To that end he has  hollyhock crests made and stamped on all the boxes and barrels. He also had two customers among the Ainu, Yatsugai representing  Onibishi the Chief of Hai and Hajika representing Kamokuin,  the chief of Shibuchari. On offer were 30 new style guns with gunpowder. Both said they would buy the lot much but Yatsugai outbid Hajika much to hiss annoyance. Hajika vowed to get the guns anyway. .Shintarō blew up the guns and gunpowder as a result of Hajika's ambush. Denbei himself was arrested by Kiba for hiring a government spy as part of the baggage train and then cut down by him when he tried to run away. (Spy Swordsman)

Okayo (aka Okei) One of Genkurō's Iga ninja and Koheita's sister. She sparred successfully with Yashamaru an older ninja who was pleased with her use of the bamboo pipe trick and gave her her mission: to kill Shintarō  and avenge her brother and Mimihei. Disguised as a traveller, she claimed to have lost her purse with her travelling papers at a teahouse in the Hakone Mountains, about 70 miles from Edo. She was on her way to see her mother who was sick and likely to die and who would worry about her if she was late. The teahouse owner warned her that the Hakone Checkpoint was very strict and that she would have to go back to Edo. Another traveller suggested sneaking around the checkpoint but this was considered too dangerous. Shintarō  offered to take her through with him but warned her he could be killed that night (his idea of a joke)  and not to stay too close to him. Sannosuke who met them on the road with a message from Tonbei was suspicious of her as was Tonbei when Ban told him about Sannosuke's going to Edo and why. She entered the bath at  the inn where she and Shintarō  were staying, changed into ninja clothes and spied on Tonbei telling Shintarō  of his suspicions about her. Shintarō  said that she wasn't a ninja just a sweet girl who was worried about her dying mother. She learned that Sannosuke had gone to Edo to check up on her story and had him surrounded by Yashamaru and his group and apparently killed. Yashamaru and his men met up with her at the inn at Hakone but Shintarō 's room was empty. He was waiting for them at a shrine down by the water, preferring to fight there rather than in an inn which would disturb the other travellers. Okayo told him she was Koheita's sister and that he murdered her brother. He denied that he had murdered him. She used a blow-gun to try to kill him while everyone else used swords. She just had him in her sights when a badly wounded Sannosuke attacked her and wounded her. She called for help and Shintarō  having killed two of the three ninja in the lake, ran towards her. Okayo then drew her shuriken and rushed Shintarō  who knocked it aside and told her she would have many other chances to kill him but not that day. Later he encountered her in ordinary dress on the road near Yoshiwara and asked after her wounded hand. She demonstrated it worked fine by throwing a knife at him. She told him that there was a horse tied to a tree in the forest and when Shintarō  went there, Genkurō met him, telling him he only wanted to talk. She was the means by which Genkurō met up with Shintarō  and challenged him to a duel at a temple in Yoshiwara. She set the torches there and gloated, "You will die. No man alive can defeat Genkurō. I will be very happy to see you lose." This was the reason she was his guide. She added, rather dreamily (she was one spooky dolly), "Genkurō Momochi is my lord and master. I will do anything he orders." When asked why she became a ninja, she replied, "Among the ninja, a woman is always looked down upon. I wanted to change this...I was born and I was raised as the daughter of a ninja." He told her that she could have been his younger sister and when she bridled at being described thus by the murderer of her brother, he pointed out he did not murder him and that he was killed accidentally when his weapon misfired. This gave her pause. Instead of killing the wounded Shintarō  she applied an antidote to the ninja poison Genkurō had put on his sword, declaring she would kill Shintarō  another day. Shintarō 's first words when he woke up in a temple, tended by Tonbei and Kanroku were "Where is she?" and he smiled when told that she had given him the poison to the antidote. "She looked after me." Later she came to watch over the captured Tonbei and Kozaru told her that Shintarō  was dead, killed at the Ustunoya Pass. She remembered Shintarō  telling her that a woman should live like a woman and that she could have been his younger sister. They were alike as he didn't know what his parents looked like. Tonbei took advantage of her mood and asked for her help, pointing out that if Genkurō succeeded in killing Sadanobu, civil war would result, people would lose their homes, their beautiful country would be destroyed. "Sometimes even a ninja must have mercy." Okayo was torn. "Because I am a woman, I can never be a good ninja. I am going to leave here. I will pray for the souls of my brother and Shintarō ." Tōma then returned and accused her of treachery and wounded her badly. Shintarō  arrived and killed him. Okayo urged him to hurry Later, after Shintarō  had thwarted Genkurō's attack on Sadnaobu in the Pass, he took the dying Okayo, at her request to watch Sadnaobu's caravan pass and see that he was safe. Shintarō  told her that it was due to her help.

She was a pretty girl, perfect for playing the innocent young person, and skilled as a ninja, particularly with the blow-dart. She was a proto-feminist. She came of a ninja family (father and brother were ninja) but felt that female ninja were ignored and not treated well (this wasn't strictly true historically speaking as the pragmatic ninja took council from all and knew there were things a woman could do and places she could go that a man might have problems with). So she became a ninja to try and change all that. She wanted vengeance on Shintarō for killing her brother, the archer Koheita (who was actually blown up by his own weapon, a rocket launcher). However, her feelings for the samurai became decidedly mixed and she saved him from Genkūrō's poison on one occasion and didn't kill him when she had the chance on another (this lapse cost her her life). One felt that Shintarō, too, rather cared for her, as well.   (Iga Ninjas)

Oki Senzō A Kōshū ninja, the second ninja to take up the challenge of the contest of skills though he and his men had been committing acts of arson in Edo while the Hakusan ninja were trying to kill Shintarō. He first approached Lord Akizuki with the ninja circular and an offer to work for him to help him achieve his ambition of supplanting Sadanobu. When Akizuki expressed surprise he knew of this ambition, he told him it was easy for a ninja to read a man's heart. Akizuki took some convincinvg tghis wasn't all madness. First Senzō stopped his litter in the grounds of a temple on the way to Edo Castle, drugged his retainers and demonstrated the totals obedience of ninja by having two low-rank ninja fight each other, not because they bore each other a grudge but because they had been ordered to. Akizuki couldn't believe one had really been killed in what was supposedly just a demonstration and thought that merely proved how ruthless Senzō was. So Senzō told him to return to the temple at midnight and he would see Sadanobu's number one man killed. He sent a ninja to spy on Shintarō and Tonbei and report back but Shintarō threw a sword into the ceiling and wounded this ninja badly. Though he disguised his return path by wiping up the blood and using a dog, he still died at Senzō's feet without anything to report. He told Shintarō that it was a ninja tactic to keep his enemy at a disadvantage and that he would fight in place of Shikoro Jingosa. During the fight he trapped Shintarō in invisible Kōshū ropes but he managed to escape. They ran into the temple and Shintarō knocked out the light. Senzō mimicked Tonbei's voice, then Shūsaku's to confuse him. He then ran at Shintarō who threw a torch at him and he caught fire and died on the well outside, leaving behind the next challenge in the contest, this with Togakure. (Contest of Death)

Okinu Maid at the inn Sadanobu stayed at in Fujisawa. Her sister, Tamae, came to tell her their father was sick but she didn't have the money to pay for a doctor as they owed the doctor so much. Okinu gave her some, saying she had saved a little. In reality it was all she had. She was approached by Gensai who offered her money in return for her putting medicine in the inn well. She claimed she could not as the well was inspected by the government. Gensai told her it was not poison but a sleeping potion. She still refused. Gensai threatened her but her supervisor called her. Gensai forced the packet of powder on her and said he would watch her. At night she left the inn, using the excuse of her sick father but was intercepted by Gensai. She said she'd used the powder but he told her she would die as she was no longer needed. However, Shintarō  rescued her and asked her why she was being pursued by ninja. She refused to tell him. He warned her that the ninja would still come after her as they never forgot. She confessed what had happened and asked for help.  (Iga Ninjas)

Oko (aka Devil Mask) A Negoro ninja who fought with a devil-mask. Her task was to get the secret letter Matsudaira Sadanobu had sent Shintarō . When the ploy of capturing Gohei and forcing him to reveal the letter's whereabouts failed, she turned to guile. She disguised herself as a young country girl and rescued him from the stream he had fallen into. She took him back to her hut and tended his wounds, thus gaining his trust, He asked her to go in his stead to meet Shintarō  and Tonbei in Iwamoto as he was too weak from his wounds. Having found out where the rendezvous was, she and her Negoro ninja attacked the pair. When this failed, she resumed her guise as Oko and brought Shintarō  and Tonbei to her hut, sure that Gohei would reveal where the letter was and she could take it. When he withdrew it from his sword hilt, she snatched it while Negoro ninja attacked. However, it was a blank piece of paper and Onime was most displeased.  Realising that she, not Gohei, had been the one to be used, she swore revenge. Garyūdōshi chastised her not only for failing but for allowing Shintarō  and Tonbei to meet up with  Gohei. He gave her two days to find and kill Shintarō  and to torture Tonbei to discover where Yorikata was. If she failed, she would die according to their code. He warned her that Onime was following Shintarō  who was travelling along the mountain road north and not to let him kill him first. She and her group attacked Jingo the master swordsman by a stream believing him to be Shintarō . Seeing his skill, she tracked him down and made him a proposition that if he killed Shintarō  he would earn a high place in Wakayama Castle. She provided a distraction by shooting arrows at Tonbei while Jingo engaged Shintarō  in a duel. Taunting Tonbei that he couldn't even catch a woman, she led him into the forest and had him in her rope but Onime and his group came along and cut it and took Tonbei prisoner. Later, after two Negoro reported that Shintarō  was really dead. Jingo had been torturing Tonbei for a while with  no result, so she invited Jingo to have some sake which she had poisoned. When he collapsed she taunted him that they would never have given a high position to an outsider. However, he hadn't survived as long as he had by trusting people, least of all ninja and was only pretending. He cut her down with his sword.  (Ninja Terror)

*Okubo family: Okubo Tadayo (1531-1593) served Ieyasu in all his campaigns and was given Odawara after the fall of the Hōjō family in 1590. His son, Tadachika (1553-1628) succeeded him with a revenue of 70,000 koku. In 1614 he was accused of conspiracy against the shogun, Hidetada, and dispossessed of his fief and died in exile. His grandson, Tadatomo (1604-1670) was implicated in his disgrace and was transferred to a series of fiefs but his descendants moved back to Odawara in 1686 and remained there until 1868 with a revenue of 100,000 koku. Current occupiers of Odawara Castle whose retainer was implicated in a move to revive the Hōjō (Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Okubo, Lord Current lord of Odawara Castle who was put in a coma by Musai's spell where he saw the ghost of Hōjō Ujinao saying there was a curse on him. When Musai died, he recovered. (Fuma Ninjas)

Okuno, Masakatsu the assistant minister to Jindai Naiki at Odawara Castle and head of the samurai. He was corrupt and had accepted bribes (Shintarō  noted that his house was better than Jindai's, his superior. Tonbei told him that Okuno's reputation was not very good). He was sly and ambitious wanting to take over Jindai's position. This made him an obvious target to be used by the Fūma to get to Jindai. Yaheiji arranged for a secret message to be sent to Jindai revealing Okuno's corrupt activities. Jindai brought the letter to Okuno's attention. Okuno denied everything and Jindai seemed satisfied. However, Okuno was furious and wanted to know, once Jindai had gone, who had revealed these things. His assistant, Kuroda, said he had better find out before he tried to take over from Jindai. Okuno wondered who would make a good spy and at that point Yaheiji appeared and offered his services. He suggested finding a bigger weakness in Jindai and told him that he had been seeing a shogunate spy which carried the death penalty not only for the spy but the minister. It was this spy who had told Jindai about him and he was at Jindai's house at that moment. Okuno offered Yaheiji a reward and as he did so, he inched his hand toward his sword but Yaheiji disappeared and pulled up a tatami around Okubo. He then told him he was a fool as he was a skilled ninja and to go and get the spy. Okuno sent a litter to fetch Jindai in which was apparently Shintarō  tied up as proof that Jindai had been consorting with spies. Okuno told Jindai he should resign and commit suicide but was interrupted by Yaheiji who told Jindai he didn't have to kill himself. They squabbled with Yaheiji claiming this was his hostage and Yaheiji slapped his face, then knocked him down. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Old Man aka Sadayori Retired Lord of Owari who lived in the Black Mansion. He was also Hakuunsai, the head of the Owari ninja. He plotted to overthrow the shogun by having various domain lords sign an agreement which he intended to present on the 20th of the month at the shrine at Nikkō when all the lords were gathered to offer prayers for the shogun. This would force the shogun to resign and he would take power in his place. . He offered Gensai the position of Master of the Guard as a reward in the new shogunate once he had taken power but only if he killed Shintarō .. His son, Naritomo, the current lord, refused to have anything to do with the plot. When Shintarō  visited him privately and revealed he had the agreement and knew he was also Hakuunsai, he at first tried threats. "Do you think you can get out of Owari alive?" Shintarō  said he was prepared to die if necessary. The Old Man wondered that he would defend the shogunate but Shintarō  said he was not protecting the shogun or the lords. he was more concerned with keeping the peace for the people of the country. "This is not the age for war. Struggles for power disturb the peace and that is what is most dangerous."  The Old Man said that if he took the agreement to the shogun, the Owari clan would be destroyed but Shintarō  said that would only happen if he persisted. Now a broken man, he said that Shintarō  had finally won. He took all the blame for the plot and said no one else in Owari was involved. He did not want the Owari clan destroyed and he wouldn't do it again. (Black Ninja)

Ōmiya, Seihachi Samurai spy with medicine shop in Owari who knew of the hidden path over the mountains around the Ogasezawa checkpoint. He was very reluctant to reveal its whereabouts to Tonbei, claiming it had taken three years to build and cost many lives. Tonbei eventually managed to persuade him and he told him that Sakuzō the Hunter who lived at the top of Eagle Pass would guide him and let him stay in his house in Owari. (Black Ninja)

Omura Town in Hizen within the Shiranui fief. On moonless nights, rumour had it, strange fires were seen and the fishermen were terrified to go out. The castle officials ordered everyone to remain inside. (Puppet Ninja)

Onibi Densai aka Devil-Fire Densai The leader of the seven Phantom ninja, his speciality was not staying dead when killed, hence his nickname of "Densai the Immortal". This trick was known as his "shadow-step" (kagebashiri)  technique. He acted as Kongō's right hand and was often seen in close consultation with him, one would echo the other. He didn't take the field until the kidnapping of Sakura no Tsubone when he and Chidori went in disguise to the Sainenji to check whether Shūsaku remembered the way to the House of Night and saw him pacing out the way. He thought the boy was behaving oddly. He noted an Iga ninja following them and told her to go on ahead while he lead Kisaburō and Yaheiji, his Iga ninja pursuers into the forest, trapped and killed them. This convinced him Shūsaku did know something. He ordered Sakura to be taken elsewhere, realising Shintarō knew where the House of Night was. This was Shintarō's intention that he come out with Sakura and in the ensuing fight, Densai was apparently killed while Samunba and Hitonashi escaped. However, Densai revived once everyone had gone. He was very upset by all the deaths of his people though Samumba reproved him for it, saying it was all right for Chidori to cry as she was a woman but if he carried on like that, their dead comrades would never rest in peace. He was to cause confusion outside, using the fire-trick, while Kongō organised the gaol-break inside Denmachō  However, he was driven off by the guards and Iga ninja after Shintarō foiled the gaol-break. Afterwards, contemplating their failure, Chidori said that neither Densai's "shadow-step" technique nor her "blinding snow" had been defeated by Shintarō so they should kill him. However, Kongō told them they had to fulfil their duty to Rokkaku and another ninja, trained in the arts of killing, the Spider, was coming. Later he was designated as the one to keep in touch with Chika and he was the one who witnessed her betrayal of the location of the supposed hideout to Shintarō. He reminded her what the punishment was for treachery and was impressed when she accepted her fate so calmly. He told her that the location she gave Shintarō was false, it was not their hideout and it was all part of a trap laid by Kongō. When she fought, he ran her through with his sword. Shortly after, he found himself defending another kunoichi, Chidori, who had been captured. Kongō wanted her killed and he declared she would not talk Kongō told him if she could not be rescued, she had to be killed. If Densai would not do it, he would. Densai reflected sadly that he had trained her back in the Phantom Valley and now he would have to kill her. He killed three Iga ninja following Chidori and her rescuer using his "shadow-step" technique. He then intercepted her on her way back to the Phantom hideout and told her she has fallen into a trap set by Shintarō to discover where the Phantom ninja were located. He unmasked her rescuer as Shintarō and sent her on her way while he took revenge on him for all the Phantom ninja he had killed. He thanked him ironically for saving Chidori.  He then had to watch as Kurome killed Chidori in Lord Rokkaku's mansion. Heartbroken, he swore her death would not be in vain and that he would avenge her. He next "kidnapped" Rokkaku from his bath in Hakone He had to reassure Rokkaku that this time would be different, that they knew every move Shintarō made and that he had to get through all of Kongō's traps. He was confident Shintarō would not get past. His mean managed to pin Shintarō with ropes and Densai ran at him but he cut himself free at the last minute. Densai ran off to where Tonbei (and Rokkaku) were being held captive. He threatened to kill Tonbei unless Shintarō dropped his sword but was cut down by Kurome. As Shintarō, Tonbei and Rokkau were leaving, he called out, "Merciless!": and then added, "You called us from the Phantom Valley to work for you and this is how you repay us?" Before he could say more, Kurome ran at him to kill him but was stopped by Shintarō. "Sounds like he has something interesting to say." Densai added, "Is the man known as Kongō of Kōga really capable of such a thing?" He then passed out from his wounds. From these remarks, Shintarō realised that Kurome was Kongō in disguise and that Rokkaku was the Lord of Night. During the fight, Tonbei had Rokkaku pinned but it was Densai, with his dying strength who finished him off with a knife thrown to the head.

Densai seemed to have been a decent man, though no less lethal when required than other master ninja. He cared about his team and was genuinely grieved when each of them was killed.  He defended them from criticism by Kongō. His sense of  honour and what was right and acceptable by ninja standards was outraged by Kongō's ruthlessness in pursuit of his mission. He was equally disgusted with Rokkaku in the end, hence betrayed his identity and later killed him. (Phantom Ninja)

Onibiki Dōhaku A Puppet ninja leader, described as one of the greatest and Genshin's right hand. He was first seen operating in Edo disguised as a travelling puppeteer complete with jaunty song and a box of ninja dolls he would throw down and they would transform into full sized and fully functional ninja, though once they were killed, hey resumed being dolls. He spied on the Iga Mansion and tried to find out from Shūsaku what Tonbei had told him and where he was going until interrupted by Shintarō.. He watched as Puppet ninja ambushed and killed Unosuke on his way from the Sainenji to Sadanobu's mansion with Shintarō so overheard that Tonbei and Kansai were in Shiranui Castle. He tried to assassinate Shintarō on the road from Edo by having some of his men in disguise waylay him while he fired a pistol at him. He also threw his finger stalls like shuriken at Shintarō. He then found he was being followed by Kongō who warned him that he could never defeat Shintarō. Dōhaku accused him of interfering which Kongō denied. Since they were after the same man he offered to help, an offer Dōhaku refused as not needing any help from some Kōga ninja. They fought and Kongō caught him in a rope and suspended him in a tree then vanished, saying if his skills were so good, he could get himself down. At Tonosawa in Hakone he tried to poison Shintarō by kidnapping a maid's daughter to force the maid to give him the poisoned soup. Unfortunately for him Shintarō did not swallow the soup and merely feigned death. He set a trap for Shintarō and Tonbei by pretending the Puppet ninja were taking the guns in farm carts, disguised as farmers to North Mountain. Shintarō and Tonbei hid in the carts. The puppet ninja surrounded and attacked them and Shintarō was tied with rope and left in his cart which Dōhake had lit with a fuse and set careering off. Shintarō saved himself by using the rope to hang in a tree while the craft crashed and exploded. Dōhaku launched himself at him and was killed. Genshin swore to avenge him. (Puppet Ninja)

Onibishi Chief of Hai. He falsely claimed descent from Minamoto Yoshitsune and once ruled over a village of ethnic Japanese where he took Yuki, the wife of a fisherman as his wife and separated her from her son. He sent his agent Yatsugai to buy guns from Ojimaya Denbei but these were destroyed by Shintarō. Kiba came to his village and told him the guns were destroyed by Shintarō  and charged him with rebellion, smuggling and kidnapping. He threatened him with crucifixion but said he could avoid the cross if he killed Shintarō. He agreed to do it but got no cooperation from Yuki when he asked his whereabouts. Kiba got her cooperation when he said he would have to kill the child if he was under Shintarō's protection. Onibishi laid a trap using Yuki as bait but she was shot by one of his own men. He challenged Shintarō to a duel (Spy Swordsman)

Onime Dōgan Old master ninja described as the "Guardian of ninja country". He had one grandson, Suiki, who was unaware he was Dōgan's grandson though the other pupils knew. Suiki's parents had left Iga country. His house was near the Otogi Pass but no one knew when he came there nor how old he was. He had been there a long time and had white hair even in Tonbei's grandfather's time. He had four pupils. In Tonbei's view, he was the only true ninja left. Both Tonbei and Genkurō separately intended to ask for his help but he claimed that this was none of his business nor that of his pupils. He said he didn't even know what they were fighting for. Of Genkurō, he said that he was a very clever man who, if only he had lived during the time of civil war, would have become a very famous and important ninja. When Genkurō approached him to ask for his help, he refused because he didn't want to see his pupils die. Genkurō threatened to kill him, he seemed a little incredulous that Genkurō thought he could kill him but said that living made him tired. However, when Genkurō tried to strike him with his sword, he found he could not move to complete the blow and no matter how much he tried to struggle free, he remained locked in position. Finally he dropped his sword arm and seemed exhausted as he retreated. All Dōgan had done was close his eyes while kneeling before the altar in the study temple. Outside Genkurō told his men that Dōgan's four pupils were stronger than he thought and he could have easily been killed. A little later Dōgan foiled Genkurō's ninja bat trick while returning along the secret passage between his house and the temple. Shintarō  had been plunged into darkness but Dōgan threw some torches in to the wall. Realising the game was up, Genkurō and his men retreated. From early next morning, he and Shintarō  sat in a room of Dōgan's house and stared at each other. At the end of this staring match Dōgan said he refused to help the Iga society of ninja. Tonbei protested vehemently until Shintarō  told him to pull his head in. He then confirmed that Dōgan would also give the same answer to Genkurō. Satisfied he apologised for bringing his troubles into the quiet of Dōgan's house and would leave at dawn. Tonbei also apologised for his outburst. Shintarō  said he had never expected to meet a man like Dōgan and that even though he was old, he was still a great man  He said that he watched everything with clear eyes and made sound judgements. Genkurō knew that Dōgan would take terrible revenge if his grandson were killed (unconsciously channelling The A-Team's B.A. Baracus, he said of this putative killer, "I pity the fool.").  However, Dōgan admitted he had allowed his mind to be clouded by thoughts of revenge when Suiki was killed and he no longer thought with a clear mind. Genkurō offered the aid of his own ninja when Dōgan took revenge but Dōgan refused, saying he didn't need him and it was because of him that Suiki had been killed. He only let Genkurō live because he was a brother ninja. He showed Shintarō  Suiki's body and accused him of killing him. Shintarō  started to deny it but Dōgan was  not listening to excuses. The three pupils loosed arrows and shuriken at him and he managed to jump to the ceiling to evade them. He then threw Dōgan his sword to examine. Dōgan saw no blood and realised he had been tricked, which was confirmed when Genkurō's voice told him they had killed Suiki. They set fire to his house but Dōgan, his pupils and Shintarō  escaped through one of the passages Genkurō's men had not discovered.  Describing Genkurō as an expert ninja  who had chosen the wrong path and who had to be stopped, Dōgan offered his remaining pupils, even though they were not fully trained.  (Iga Ninjas)

Onime the Bat see Onkei Onime

Onkei Onime aka Onime the Bat or Devil-Eye (episode 12 only). Negoro ninja, second in command to Garyūdōshi. He sometimes dressed as a yamabushi but more often in a black ninja outfit with a cloth-tipped staff. He was troll-like, ruthless and cold with a deep voice. He lost one eye in a fight with Shintarō  in episode 5 and wore a shuriken over his eye-socket, which only added to his charm. His special skill, apart from mayhem, was  gripping an object (letter, someone's arm, etc.) and causing it to burst into flames. He was killed by Tonbei. (Ninja Terror)

Onmitsu A government spy sent by the shogunate to keep an eye on each domain, usually, though also applied to Shintarō, though he was not based in any particular domain. They were not thought highly of and were keenly resented. The lord of Odawara, in Fuma Ninjas Continued, would have any found on his lands put to death as well as anyone caught consorting with them. In Black Ninjas, mention of their presence in a domain was enough to spark resentment in a lord that he was so little trusted by the shogunate it sent spires.  

Oribe, Hida Kishū retainer loyal to Prince Yorikata, cunning and good at pre-empting Naitō Daigaku. He sent a letter to the shogun to confirm the succession of Yorikata while Naitō was returning from Edo. Shame it got intercepted by the Negoro under Onime who destroyed it  with his Gomez Addams style trick of auto-combustion. The six Kishū ninja reported to him. He asked Shintarō  and Tonbei to guard Yorikata. Later he had Shintarō  take a captured Negoro ninja to Edo to expose the Naitō conspiracy. This was just a ploy by Garyūdōshi to lure Shintarō  away from Yorikata. His next task saw him in charge of the guards and the Kishū ninja who were accompanying Yorikata's empty palanquin which was a decoy to draw the Negoro ninja away from Yorikata's real whereabouts. Once this trick was discovered, he and his guards hastened to join Yorikata. However, they were captured in a boathouse on the Chibu River and killed, with Oribe being strung up so he was the first thing the three remaining Kishū ninja saw when they opened the door.  (Ninja Terror)

Oriora Young Ainu man who hoped to win the gun contest at Kiritap. He was a good shot with a musket and wanted the prize money sp he could marry Hibari, an Ainu girl. He was popular among the Japanese settlers as well as his own people, except for a group of toughs. The rōnin Shaguma beat Oriora in the contest and Shintarō in turn beat him and offered the prize to Oriora. Afterwards Takisaki, one of the officials was killed and Oriora framed. Some of the villagers wanted to lynch him but Kiba insisted he be punished by proper process and called for anyone to speak on his behalf. The next day he was to be hanged and many of the Japanese settlers expressed sympathy for him. Shintarō turned up with proof of his innocence, showing that Oriora's knife was too large to have made the cut in Takisaki's clothing but the cut was just right for Kinta's blade. . Kiba had Oriora released. (Spy Swordsman)

Oshi Castle Seat of the Abe family, located in Musashi, 200 miles from Edo and the destination of the Black Ninja once they left Edo. (Black Ninja)

Oshima Peninsula On the southeast tip of Hokkaido, it had a lot of people originally from Edo in it and was outside Matsumae's jurisdiction (Spy Swordsman)

Oshino Woman whose husband, Seisaku was missing and owed Hidaya, the local moneylender 5 ryo. She and her son, Shūsaku, were repeatedly harassed by Hidaya and his gang as Hidaya wished to force her to give him her land. She refused saying she had worked hard to turn that land into something useful and resisted with Shintarō's aid but collapsed with a fever shortly afterwards. When Kiba arrived looking for Shintarō, Oshino showed him where to hide in her room and Shūsaku told the search party not to disturb his mother who was sick. Kiba searched the room anyway, found no one except Oshino and left her some medicine which cured her. (Spy Swordsman)

Oshizu Maid at the inn  in Miya where Shintarō  and Tonbei stayed. She was widowed (her husband had died at sea) and had a young son, Yoshimatsu. She had dreamed of travel when younger but had never been to Edo or Kyoto and wasn't likely to now she had a child. She asked Shintarō  if he was going to Ise or Kyoto. When she realised Yoshimatsu was missing she asked for his help to find him. (Iga Ninjas)

Oshoro Area in Ezo where Ojimaya Denbei came from (Spy Swordsmani)

*Ōta, Dōkan (1432-1486) built Edo Castle in 1456 and was a vassal of the Uesugi. In 1524 Edo Castle fell into the hands of Hōjō Ujitsuna. In 1590, after the downfall of the Hōjō, it was chosen by Tokugawa Ieyasu as his residence. Hence the comment by the Iga ninja the Hōjō were in Edo Castle for a while and that was how the Water Tiger mirror could be there. (Fuma Ninjas)

Otaka Maid at Wakayama Castle who served Yorikata. Oribe Hida told her to guard him well. However, Onime kidnapped her mother and used this to force her to put poison in Yorikata's tea. Gen'yōsai knocked the cup from his hand, spilling the contents which promptly set fire to the mat. He then identified it as "Yellow Death". Meantime, Otaka returned to the shrine where Onime had her mother. He criticised her for not staying to see the outcome of  her poisoning attempt then said he would kill both  and her mother as Otaka had betrayed her lord and would die anyway. Shintarō , disguised as a komusō intervened, reproving Onime for playing on people's weaknesses and then killing them. Otaka was left alone at the shrine with her mother. (Ninja Terror)

Otanome A servant or employee of Izumiya's whom he called when his daughter disappeared and got  no reply (Phantom Ninja)

Ōtoku Temple In a suburb of Fujiwara and the location of a duel between Genkurō and Shintarō . The idea was that while Shintarō  was fighting with Genkurō, Gensai and the other ninja would kill Sadanobu as Tonbei and his Iga would follow Shintarō  to the temple. Gensai begged to be the one who killed Shintarō  but Genkurō told him he was needed to lead the other Iga ninja. During the duel both were wounded on the arm. Genkurō declared, "I have lost this fight." Okayo told Shintarō  that Genkurō's sword was tipped with a secret ninja poison but she had applied an antidote. (Iga Ninjas)

Otowa Matazō One of five Iga ninja who were sent with Tonbei to Edo to discover the history of Odawara Castle. One of the three last to survive, he became impatient and wanted to leave the hut, believing the Spider Ninja had gone and that they would lose their chance if they did not act. Tonbei cautioned patience, reminding them that ninja could wait many days to accomplish a mission and the the Fūma had not given up. He went outside though Kuichirō tried to stop him. He found no evidence of Fūma. However, Dōjin was still there and he was soon surrounded . He said he had the mirrors and so it was useless for Kitōbō to kill Tonbei. However, Dōjin and his men still attacked and killed him (Fuma Ninjas)

Ōtsu  Post town on the Tōkaidō, the 54th stage, situated on the southern shore of Lake Biwa and 10 miles from Kyoto. This was Sadanobu's last stop before arrival in Kyoto and Genkurō's last chance to kill him. Sadanobu was staying at an official inn in the town and Genkurō had to find out which room he was in, then attack at midnight. In the end, he discovered Sadanobu was concealed in the inn's warehouse and was able to carry him off to a boat on the lake while the Wolf Ninja and Hayato fought with the Iga guards outside the warehouse. (Iga Ninjas)

Ōtsuki Town about 77 km from Edo.  Kōga Ryūshirō said that Shintarō  was near it when he assigned Kanbe to kill him. ( Koga Ninjas).  The place Namiji claimed she must reach on the other side of the Komagino Barrier by the next day if she was to prevent a conspiracy to take over the clan by the chief retainer. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Ōtsuki, Gorōta Samurai spy who had been sent to Owari two years before (1786?) and not returned. His sister, Keiko, had given up on him and prayed regularly before a grave-marker with his name on. Tonbei came to see her as he was a friend of the family and had seen Gorōta off on his mission, along with Keiko. He attacked Shintarō  in the Hakone Mountains, near a stream, then collapsed. Shintarō  tended to him and he regained consciousness but his mind was shattered and he spoke of darkness everywhere and the Black Ninja heading for Edo  then went on believing he had come home. Shintarō  put him in a litter. They were attacked by Musuke the Deceiver and Gensai the Wolf. Gorōta was wounded but managed to say there were 13 Black Ninja involved in a plot but died before he could say more. (Black Ninja)

Ōtsuki, Keiko Gorota's sister who believed him dead when he did not return from Owari. Shintarō  saw her after he returned from Hakone and told her of her brother's death and gave her his sword. She said as the sister of a samurai spy she understood these things. Just then Shūsaku entered with tea for them and when introduced, she offered to be a big sister to him. He demurred saying she was much too pretty. Tonbei offered to be Shūsaku's uncle but he said he wasn't as pretty as Keiko Later Shintarō  took Shūsaku to her for safekeeping while Tonbei infiltrated the Black Ninja. However, he disobeyed Shintarō 's command to stay and ran after him while Keiko was fetching tea. . (Black Ninja)

Owari Fief centred around Nagoya ruled by a branch of the Tokugawa family descended from Ieyasu's 7th son, one of the three branches from whom shoguns could be drawn in the event of failure in the main line. The other two fiefs were Kii (Wakayama) and Mito. Though the Kii and Mito branches provided, at different times, a shogun, Owari never got a guernsey which is no doubt why its family was sometimes depicted as plotting against the shogunate in The Samurai. (Iga Ninja, Black Ninja)

Owari, Dainagon Munechika  Lord of Owari. He was passing through Fuchū which was why the police were checking the names and destination of everyone until Shintarō  gave them a hard time before producing his official pass ( Koga Ninjas) His name appeared first on the agreement put together by the Old Man (Black Ninjas). His health was enquired after by Sadanobu when he stayed at Miya on his way to Kyoto and he was the one who hired Genkurō and his group to assassinate Sadanobu so he could become shogun (Iga Ninjas)

Oyo (aka Chikage) One of the 13  Kōga ninja. She worked with Genzō the Spider who had volunteered to kill Shintarō  before he reached the Kōshū Mountains and discovered the  Kōga ninja gold mine. She assumed the guise of a girl, Chikage, who had been kidnapped by litter-bearers. Her father Tōgane, a goldsmith and her ancestors used to work for Takeda Shingen, she claimed. She was on her way home in response to a letter from her father. Shintarō  rescued her from the litter bearers and escorted her to her home, seven miles from Kōfu. Shūsaku reminded her of her little brother who had been killed when he fell over a cliff. For that reason she was appalled when Genzō said he intended to blow up the house taking not only Shintarō  but Shūsaku as he had to stay in the house to keep Shintarō  there. He instructed her to imitate Shūsaku's voice calling Shintarō  (they had kidnapped the boy). She defied  Genzō to set Shūsaku free even though the punishment for disobeying an order was death as he reminded her. He struck her down, badly wounding her with his sword but she managed to come through the secret door into the room where Shintarō  and Shūsaku had run into each other, thus showing them a way out. She died saying she had done it for her little brother. ( Koga Ninjas)

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Phantom ninja (Maboroshishū)  Seven were recommended to the Lord Rokkaku by Kongō. They were Devile-Fire Densai, their leader, Akanabe Hitonashi, a water trick export, Hakuryū Minbu, known for his speed, Hagenbō of the "human steel" trick, Chidori known for her echo butterfly and blinding snow tricks, Kagemi, Samumba and Yamizato Danjō, a master of disguise. They proudly claimed (to Lord Rokkaku) "We succeed where others fail". Unfortunately a mixture of bad luck and Shintarō caused them to fail to kill any of the people in the "book of death', except the first named, much to their frustration. They were a close knit lot and were saddened by the deaths they incurred. (Phantom Ninja)

Phantom Valley Where the phantom ninja lived and trained before being summoned to Edo. They claimed to have run the distance 364 miles between the two points in one day much to the disbelief of the Iga ninja. (Phantom Ninja)

Poison Grass from Yogori Mountains in Izu. The juice of this rubbed on the skin caused paralysis and numbness; on the second night rot set in, and on the 3rd night the heart stopped suddenly. The only antidote was Purple Grass tea. It was used by Jinkurō on Tonbei to force him to draw the map to the Wind Fort. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Pouch Contained an old map which Shintarō  thought might lead to Takeda's treasure. It was given to Shūsaku  by his father and he showed it to Donkai. However, Saden stole it along with the secret records of the  Kōga and Iga  ninja. ( Koga Ninjas)

Puppet Ninja (Kugutsu ninja) Led by the old and spooky Genshin, they claimed that they had brought ninjutsu from overseas centuries before and that both Iga and Kōga were derived from their teachings. They considered themselves superior to other ninja and were not impressed with Kongō's title. Among their skills were impersonation, a water trick, poppets which turned into real ninja until killed. They were based at Black Mountain near Omura in Hizen though came from somewhere else as wanderers. Some of them wandered about the country or Edo in the guise of travelling puppeteers (of the Punch and Judy type), most notably Dōhaku.  (Puppet Ninja)

Puppet Ninja Binding Trick Used by Kagehiko and Usuzumi to capture Kongō, albeit temporarily. They threw chains over him to bind his arms at full stretch while chains entangled his ankles. He could not move and had difficulty freeing himself, though he did eventually and they were left with his priestly robes. (Puppet Ninja)

Puppet Ninja Magic Staff Long, twisted, knobby staff carried by Genshin which he used to control his men and could levitate it. Shintarō cut it in two just before he killed Genshin (Puppet N inja)

Puppet Ninja Mirror Trick Used by Genshin to appear in two places at once in the upper room of the castle keep where Shintarō was being held. It served to confuse Shintarō who was trying to kill him. (Puppet Ninja)

Puppet Ninja Water Technique  Used by Yamizō to free himself from captivity. He feigned illness so Maya would fetch him some water. He then drank it and spat it back at her and Taimon, drenching them and immobilising them while he escaped his bonds. (Puppet Ninja)

Purple Grass tea The only antidote to Poison Grass, also found in the Yogori Mountains in Izu (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

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Ritsu see Kazeba

Rōjū  Position held by Matsudaira Sadanobu, usually translated as "premier" or "chief minister" in the English dub of  the series. His predecessor in the post was the rather dodgy Tanuma Okitsugu. There were five of these officials and they were chosen from among daimyo with a revenue of at least 25,000 koku. They performed their duties in turn, each one serving a month at a time.

Rokkaku Udayū aka Lord of Night aka Kurayami Daiyū  Although highly placed in the bakufu (Sadanobu took counsel from him), he wanted to cause Sadanobu's downfall so hired Kongō of Kōga to bring this about. Only Kongō knew his true identity. He always appeared behind a screen and wearing a hood when addressing the seven Phantom ninja. He was on record as the former owner of the House of Night, a gloomy mansion lit only by candles and totally closed to natural light. He had a scroll with the names of those he wanted killed on it which he gave to Kongō and from which Kongō selected the next victim.  If they were successful in eliminating those around Sadanobu. thus forcing his resignation, he would reward them by making them the shogun's bodyguard in place of the Iga ninja. He was quick to show his displeasure at the repeated failure of the ninja to kill anyone in the "book of death"  berating Kongō, dismissing his excuses and even telling him to shut up. All Kongō could do is wince and bow very respectfully. He took an active part in furthering their plans, offering them a boat so they could kidnap Sakura no Tsubone  and feigning being wounded in a fake attack on his mansion to divert suspicion. Later he connived in his own kidnapping by the Phantom ninja so Kongō, disguised as his chief samurai, could shadow Shintarō. He was  by then very nervous, particular as Shintarō had almost discovered his identity and said if they failed this time it would be very bad. He was prepared to face Shintarō and took on Tonbei in a swordfight when exposed by the dying Densai as the Lord of Night.

 The historical Rokkaku family was a branch of the Sasaki family of Ōmi ((where the Kōga ninja came from). They originated in the 13th century and fought with or against various warlords until  one Yoshisuke of that ilk who died in 1612. He lost all his domains to Oda Nobunaga and lived at his court, then took service with Tokugawa Ieyasu. His descendants were given the title of kōke (lit. "high family"), meaning they one of a  number of great dispossessed daimyo who had no domains nor castles but  received a very small pension from the bakufu. They were entrusted with certain privileged missions such as taking the shogun's messages to the imperial court and entertained imperial envoys at Edo. (Phantom Ninja)

Rokugō Crossing At a wayside teahouse near there, Shūsaku and Tonbei waited for Shintarō  whom neither had seen. Both had been told that Shintarō  was in Hakone and had followed him there but not found him. An innkeeper in Hakone said that he had helped a sick samurai get down the mountain. They were now going back to Edo. As they left the teahouse, as Shūsaku was tired, Shintarō  appeared just missing them. (Black Ninja)

Rokurō Leader of the Iga ninja who accompanied Handayū to fetch Prince Yorikata. He had a burn scar on one side of his face. He and his men were sent back to Nabari when Handayū saw smoke rising near his house and was concerned about his daughter. They were waylaid by Garyūdōshi who demanded they show him respect and call him master. He killed all of them on a bridge single-handed but Rokurō did call Garyūdōshi 'master' with his dying breath.. (Ninja Terror)

Ronin (Amatsu Bin) Henchman of the moneylender, Hidaya. He was a master swordsman who cut the bamboo rod holding the bucket in Oshino's well without seeming to draw his sword. Shintarō called this "kainuki". Despite his skill, he was somewhat psychotic, offering to rough up Oshino, later holding her at sword point while the other men destroyed her home. He refused to back down though Hidaya did when Shintarō pointed out that extortion carried a stiff penalty. He said he would kill Shintarō as well as  Oshino and Shūsaku. In the ensuing duel, he lost an arm and collapsed. He later disappeared causing Hidaya to look out for another bodyguard, hence he hired Tendō. (Spy Swordsman)

Ryoan A doctor summoned by Chidori late at night to see to Hagenbō. He was known to be highly skilled but greedy. He also appeared to be drunk and somewhat annoyed to be called out late at night and to go so far as Tama Hill. His palanquin was brought right into Hagenbō's room in the House of Night where he treated him, watched by Kongō and Densai. He said that he would recover if the fever broke. Kongō said good. They wondered what to do with him but Densai said he could be used to get at Shintarō. He gave him money and offered him sake. Ryoan was surprised they were letting him go and promised to say nothing.  Samunba killed him with his sword. His body was found at a temple  by two young women come to pray. While Shintarō  and Tonbei were out at the temple investigating this, the Phantom  ninja kidnapped Shūsaku. (Phantom Ninja)

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Saburō Kaneie Ancestor of  Kōga Ryūshirō, a great swordsman during the Genpei Wars and founder of the  Kōga society of ninja. ( Koga Ninjas)

Saburōbei One of the 13  Kōga master ninja whose special skill allowed him to disappear and reappear during a fight and to hang upside down in a tree from where he would launch himself, almost as if he were flying at an enemy. He reported to Genzō who stressed that Shintarō  had to be killed before he reached Kōfu. He disguised himself and followed Shintarō  and Shūsaku and managed to insert a mouse and a gun into Shūsaku's bundle so that the guards at the Kōfu checkpoint tried to arrest him. He attacked Shintarō  when the latter went out to find his host who had been kidnapped. He killed him along with the two who had taken the man. ( Koga Ninjas)

Sadayori see Old Man

Saden see Nabari Saden

Saemon see Kuroda, Saemon

Saga Residence of the Nabeshima Clan in Hizen. The lord had bought guns made overseas from Shiranui (Puppet Ninja)

Sagamiya Inn at Hakone where Shintarō  and Okayo stayed and from where she intended to leave at around 6am the next morning to walk to her mother's .(Iga Ninjas)

Sagamiya, Gohei Owner of the inn at Fujisawa where Shintarō , Tonbei and Shūsaku stayed on their way back from Ōiso and where Kagerō Jinnai tried to steal the Wind Thunder and Fire Dragon Mirrors. (Fuma Ninjas)

Saigorō Iga ninja whose speciality was the water trick. He was killed when the Dragon Boat attacked the boat he was rowing with Shintarō  and Kitōbō in it. His body was placed in the litter originally used to carry Kitōbō as Shintarō 's prisoner. Along with the body was a challenge to the Iga ninja written by Kotarō. As soon as the Iga ninja read it, the litter exploded. (Fuma Ninjas)

Saimukuru Ainu god . Kurara claimed that he would not forgive two such honourable men as Shintarō and Kiba if they fought .(Spy Swordsman)

Saisuke One of Hidaya's henchmen, involved in the fight between Tendō and Hidaya's gang. (Spy Swordsman)

Saitsu Unosuke One of two Iga ninja sent with Tonbei to investigate reports of smuggling in Hizen. During the fight in Shiranui Castle where he and the others discovered guns being smuggled, he managed to grab one half of Tonbei's notebook which had fallen and escape and make his way to Edo to tell Shintarō what had happened. He asked for help as he was being followed and could not approach either Sadanobu's mansion or the Iga Mansion. Shintarō offered to come with him. He was killed on the way back from the Sainenji temple by a group of Puppet ninja. He tried to pass Tonbei's notebook but it caught fire and burned.. (Puppet Ninja)

Sainenji Temple associated with Hattori Hanzō and the Iga society of ninja. In it were kept the secret records of the Iga and  Kōga societies of ninja including the names of all the members. The high priest was Donkai who was a friend of Sadanobu's. Shintarō  was brought to the temple to be raised by Donkai many years before. Shūsaku was told by his father to go there and see Donkai if ever he went missing. Donkai was out when he came and the temple servant, Sakuzō, tried to chase him away but Shūsaku insisted on staying until Donkai returned, even sitting down in front of the main gate and eating some rice cakes. Saden broke into it through the roof to eavesdrop on Donkai and Shintarō  and later to drug with sleeping gas Shūsaku and Sakuzō so he could steal Shūsaku's pouch with an old map in it and the secret ninja records. Shintarō's home where he lived with Shūsaku when the latter was not at the Antoku convent in Odawara. ( Koga Ninjas, Black Ninjas, Phantom Ninja, Puppet Ninja)

Sakai, Lord of One of those approached by Hakuunsai to sign the compact to overthrow the shogun. He did not sign it immediately as he wanted to know the names of the other lords. Hakuunsai pointed out a spying device in Sakai's home, remarking that this was a fine reward for his loyalty and killed the spy (Kazama) and the his associate (Nakata). (Black Ninja)

Sakaki Kaheiji Father of Nagisa and head of the Ninkō ninja. Kongō told Nagisa that he had been killed by Shintarō at Annaka but in actual fact, he was very much alive and wandering around in monk's guise. He gave Shintarō medicine to counteract the poison in the blow dart Nagisa shot into him. The silent type, he communicated with Shintarō and Tonbei with short notes he'd drop in their path. Shintarō came to rescue Yuri and protested his innocence of killing Kaheiji to Nagisa who with her men had surrounded him at Kongō's behest. Kaheiji appeared and told her Shintarō was telling the truth and in fact he wasn't dead at all. Father and daughter were reunited once Kongō was seen off. (Contest of Death)

Sakakibara (Superintendent i.e. Ometsuke) Official who reported to Sadanobu about the appearance of the Nagasaki notice prohibiting smuggling outside Sadanobu's mansion. He also assigned the eight groups of Iga ninja to investigate eight provinces of Kyushu in response to reports of smuggling. (Puppet Ninja)

Sakakibara, Toranosuke A samurai at Kōfu Castle and the best swordsman. He was standing in the street when Shintarō  chased Saruichi disguised as a blind man. Then Saruichi hid behind Toranosuke and screamed murder. Toranosuke decided that when confronted by a blind man and a masked man, it was the masked man who was the villain and drew both his swords. Shintarō  withdrew. Saruichi later investigated him and found he drank like a fish, talked a lot and had many strange ideas and was always in trouble. Genzō decided he could use a man like that and, in the guise of a pilgrim, bought him a drink in a pub when he had run out of money. Toranosuke railed against the government's financial crisis which was why he had run up such a big bill, the famine of the previous year (suggesting this was set in 1788), the present weak administration, the shogun's youth, etc. Genzō steered him outside and offered him a chance to bring about  new government. He decided to accept when surrounded by  Kōga ninja. All he had to do was kill a samurai spy. Genzō brought him to the secret temple where Shintarō  had been lured when he captured a  Kōga ninja and apparently forced him to say where Genzō was. However, Toranosuke and Shintarō  were childhood friends and Toranosuke drew his sword and turned and killed the four  Kōga ninja behind him. Shintarō  said he never ceased to be amazed at his skill. It was at Toranosuke's house that Shūsaku had been staying for safe keeping and they considered it lucky that none of the ninja had come to his house. Later Toranosuke was arrested by the officials as he was saying goodbye to Shintarō  and Shūsaku. He was accused of aiding Jūzō, whom he knew, to escape as his seal had been found at the scene.  Kogenta, disguised as a gaoler offered him sake and dried fish as it was a cold night. He was about to drink the sake when Shintarō  intervened saying it was poisoned and Kogenta escaped. Toranosuke was eventually freed once Shintarō  had discovered that Kogenta was  responsible for the gaolbreak and for Jūzō's original arrest. ( Koga Ninjas)

Sakawa River and Ferry Crossing Crossing the Sakawa River would take Shintarō  and Tonbei into Odawara. They boarded the ferry but Shintarō  became suspicious that all the passengers were men with no women or children. The ferryman dropped his oar into the river and asked Tonbei to get it for him. Tonbei berated him for his clumsiness and reached for it. He saw a Fūma ninja in the river who grabbed the other end and pulled him in. The other passengers revealed themselves to be Fūma ninja and the festivities were on.  Eventually Shintarō  killed those on the boat and Tonbei took care of his assailant. They returned to shore and spent the night in a hut, Tonbei trying to dry off. The water was cold and he kept sneezing though was fine the next day. It was on the Sakawa River that Shintarō and Tonbei found a boat with a note from Kongō  telling them to cross the river in the boat (to where he was waiting for them for a duel). However, they were tricked by Tarōbō into coming ashore elsewhere while he and his group took the boat to Kongō and ambushed him when he jumped on to it, thinking it carried Shintarō. It was on the bank of the Sakawa that he was washed up and where Oboro found him.   (Fuma Ninjas Continued, Contest of Death)

Saki Granddaughter of Den, a poor, old man of a village near Kiritap who took charge of the thief Goromatsu. She rode after Shintarō to get him to come back as things had gone horribly wrong: the villagers were squabbling over the reward and Den was trying to keep them at bay so he could have the money for himself. On their return, she was taken hostage by Goromatsu who had freed himself (and killed Den, unknown to anyone). Kiba was prepared to kill her to destroy Goromatsu as he believed he could not afford to let him escape since he would just return for revenge and cause a lot of destruction. He was apologetic about this but determined. Shintarō's timely recovery from being knocked unconscious by Goromatsu saved her. When the villagers found Den was dead, they were overcome with remorse at their greed and offered to look after Saki as she were their own. Shintarō told her shad the most beautiful eyes and that he had learned something from her that day. Later when Kiba and Onibishi came to her village asking if they remembered the samurai Shintarō, she rode after him to warn him they were after him. She agreed to look after Zenta when Shintarō  asked her to.  (Spy Swordsman)

Sakon One of the six original Kishū ninja who guarded Prince Yorikata. He was blinded in a fight with Shinigami who then tried to trick him into telling him where Yorikata was hiding, by assuming the guise of a fellow Kishū ninja. Sakon was suspicious and gave Shinigami false information. When Shinigami discovered this, he killed Sakon. (Ninja Terror)

Sakuma, Gonbei One of the 13 master  Kōga ninja. His speciality was hypnotism and illusion. He was sent in pursuit of the three fugitives from the  Kōga gold mine and killed two of them with shuriken. The third escaped in a farmer's wagon of straw and although, in the guise of a rōnin, he thrust his sword in the load, he didn't find anything. Shintarō  then made it his business to guard the wagon but Gonbei set the straw alight and killed the fugitive and the farmer. He volunteered to kill Shintarō  when Ryūshirō called for someone to do it. He overheard Shintarō  reading out a message from another fugitive who was hidden in Shūsaku's old home. He got there ahead of him, dressed up as a tengū and hypnotised the man into remaining mute and leading Shintarō  where he told him to. Using hypnotism, he cause Shintarō  and Shūsaku to see a bridge and a road which Shūsaku said he had never seen before. Shintarō  followed the man on to the bridge asking him to stop while Shūsaku remained behind. The bridge disappeared in an explosion as did the road but Shintarō  managed to stop himself from falling into the gorge with a rope. In the meantime, unaware of this, Gonbei menaced Shūsaku still on the real road. Shintarō  appeared behind him and and used the rope to capture his sword. He caused Shintarō  and Shūsaku to see lighting flashes before their eyes.  They duelled and Shintarō  struck him across the forehead then ran his sword through his gut. He collapsed into the river. ( Koga Ninjas)

Sakura no Tsubone The shogun's nursed. She was accustomed to taking a walk around the Tsukimi lake in Edo Castle each day, accompanied by her maid, Sanae. She was kidnapped by the Phantom ninja who used a tunnel connecting the moat to the lake to reach her with a boat lent by Lord Rokkaku and the skills of Hitonashi. Chidori used a butterfly to cause her to send her maid after it because it was out of season. Once she was alone the P:hantom ninja took her and held her in the House of Night. They threatened to kill her and leave her body exposed in Suzugamori (one of the execution grounds)  unless she persuaded the shogun to dismiss Sadanobu. She was indignant and refused to cooperate. Densai had her moved out of the house when he realised Shintarō had found its location. She was put in a palanquin. Shintarō  and Tonbei attacked the ninja around the palanquin and seemed to have killed Densai while the others escaped. Shintarō told Tonbei to escort a grateful Sakura back to the castle (Phantom Ninja) 

Sakuzaemon of Nabari Iga guard at Edo Castle. He accompanied Tonbei to see Sayo, Kakuzō's widow to giver her the toy her husband had bought for their son. He was the one who told Tonbei the other guards thought the Iga ninja were covering up the death of a clumsy ninja. He was concerned about Kakuzō's widow and child, being all alone. Tonbei said he had one of the three things ninja were not supposed to have. These things were fear, underestimating the enemy and worry. Sakuzaemon had worry and Tonbei suggested he re-read ninja teachings to set his mind at rest. He was attacked by a single Fūma ninja and while engaged, a second threw a rope around his neck and strangled him. They then propped his body up and one imitated his voice when Tonbei passed, "Tonbei, everything is all right".  (Fuma Ninjas)

Sakuzō A hunter who lived on Eagle Mountain and knew the way over the mountains around the Ogasezawa checkpoint into Owari. He was actually the Black Ninja, Goroku the Ghost, in disguise. He guided Shintarō  and Shūsaku while Tonbei went in disguise through the checkpoint. In a hut a few hours from their destination, he tried to stab Shintarō  with his sword while he slept. However, Shintarō  was only feigning sleep and struck back. Sakuzō ran out of the hut where Seihachi (also Goroku in disguise) appeared claiming to have killed Sakuzō .(Black Ninja)

Sanae Maid to Sakura no Tsubone, she was with her when she disappeared. She was interrogated by two officials and was briefly under suspicion. She explained that they were walking as usual when Sakura espied a butterfly out of season on a shrub near the lake. She had Sanae chase it, nagging her to get it before it flew away. She then heard her scream and when she ran back she was gone. She called and called her but could not find her. (Phantom Ninja)

Sanji Pickpocket who stole Shintarō 's wallet at Fuchū. The police recognised him and chased him so he passed the wallet to Tōjūji who was disguised as a merchant. Tōjūji did not want to be searched by the ;police either and found with such a thing on him so he hid it in a nearby water butt. ( Kōga  Ninjas)

Sanji Another pickpocket, this time working with a partner, Denzō, along the highway to Takasaki. He followed Denzō who in turn followed what looked like three country samurai (actually three Noto  ninja) in order to steal a wallet. Denzō stole the leader's wallet and ran to a temple where he was joined  by Sanji. While they were congratulating themselves, the wallet was snatched from them and they blamed each other and started fighting. They were interrupted by the three Noto ninja who decided to use them to select which of them would take up the challenge in the contest of skills. He called himself Sanji the Monkey an a futile attempt to impress the Noto.  They told the pickpockets to run and chased them. Denzō ran out of breath and was cut down by Ichirōta who then captured Sanji. He impersonated him in order to lead Shintarō and Tonbei into a trap. The real Sanji was paralysed and dressed up as a ninja. They released him and told him to give up his life of crime and get a decent job or he would end up like Denzō (Contest of Death)

Sannosuke see Ōhara Sannosuke

Sanpei see Tsuge Sanpei

Sanzō the Swift Black Ninja disguised as blind man who met Gensai disguised as an old man then travelled with him to the Bridge of Goku where they discussed their orders to kill samurai spies and expose the shogun's spying. Afterwards Sanzō went to the gates of the Hotta mansion and passed a message to a servant. He was killed by Shintarō . (Black Ninja)

Saruhashi Town named after a famous bridge spanning the Katsura River, originally built in the 7th century, the rendezvous point for Shintarō  to meet up with Tonbei and Shūsaku after he had escorted "Namiji" to Ōtsuki. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Saruichi One of four ninja bound from birth to serve Genzō and obey him  everything whom he ordered to go on a rampage in Kōfu, murdering, robbing, setting fire to buildings, etc. to draw out Shintarō  He disguised himself as an old blind man to evade capture after murdering someone in the street. Later Shintarō  challenged him, suspecting he was a ninja and tricked him by telling him his sword-cane's scabbard was not completely closed and to look at it which he did. He ran away and hid behind Toranosuke who had come into the street and cried murder. Toranosuke took his part and drew his swords to defend him. Shintarō  backed off. Later Saruichi did some research on Toranosuke and found he was rather fond of drink and talked too much and was always in trouble at Kōfu Castle where he worked. He reported this to Genzō who thought he could use such a man. He, along with Miminashi, Jiheiji and Hanakake were sent to look for Shintarō  while Genzō went after Toranosuke to trick him into killing Shintarō .He was killed with the other three by Toranosuke  when instead of fighting Shintarō  as planned, he turned on them and cut them down.  ( Koga Ninjas)

Satsuma Province in Kyushu where one of eight groups of Iga ninja were sent to investigate reports of smuggling (Puppet Ninja)

Sayama A small fief in Kawachi where the descendants of the Hōjō family were living peacefully. Jindai Naiki feared that this interest shown in his secret meetings with the other samurai with Hōjō connections could lead to trouble for the Hōjō descendants. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Sayo Kakuzō's wife who was ill. She was made unconscious, along with her baby son, by burnt incense so the wrapping paper on which Kakuzō had written his message could be stolen. Tonbei and his ninja assumed it was the Fūma who had done this when in fact it had been Shintarō . (Fuma Ninjas)

Sayo Daughter of Seibei, the innkeeper of the Shimadaya. She knew her father very well and loved him best so realised that Ichinensai was not her real father despite looking and sounding like him. She was crying by a bridge on the outskirts of town where Shūsaku found her. He thought he had hurt her when he threw a stone in a fit of pique at Shintarō . He apologised and Sayo told him that her father had disappeared, or rather the man who appeared to be her father wasn't him. Shūsaku offered to follow her father and thereby found the real Seibei in a hut with the false Seibei checking on him. Sayo herself was captured by Ichinensai when she saw him putting his ninja gear in the ceiling. He took her prisoner but the real Seibei rescued her after being freed by Shūsaku. ( Koga Ninjas)

Secret Passage Underground with water in it, it led from Dōgan's house to the small personal temple in the forest. Genkurō used it to trap Shintarō  as he had his men study all the secret passages in Dōgan's house. He had Hayato in the guise of Suiki offer to guide either Shintarō  or Tonbei along it so Genkurō could ambush him using the "ninja bat trick". (Iga Ninjas)

Seibei Innkeeper of the Shimadaya inn in Fuda Gokashuku. He had a daughter, Sayo and a wife who was the girl's stepmother. He went fishing and almost fell asleep. He decided to go home as he had wasted enough time but his hook was caught on a bamboo tube which turned out to have a ninja on the end of it. This was Ichinensai, one of the 13  Kōga master ninja. He tied Seibei up in a hut, stripped him to his underwear and took his clothes and his face. He forced sleeping pills into him to keep him unconscious for several days. Shūsaku followed the false Seibei to the hut and realised there were two. He tried to wake him up but Ichinensai returned and tied him up as well. However, he was able to free himself with the aid of a sickle left in the hut and also freed Seibei and brought him to Shintarō , who produced him to show Ichinensai he knew he was an impostor. Seibei then retrieved Sayo from where Ichinensai had imprisoned her. ( Koga Ninjas)

Seisaku Owner of a homestead in Ezo. He owed moneylender, Hidaya, 5 ryo but had gone missing leaving his wife, Oshino, and son, Shūsaku, to fend off Hidaya and his gang who tried to force them off the land. He seemed to have been well-connected despite his apparent poverty because Hidaya complained that he was seen talking to the authorities "again", especially Kiba. Kiba told Oshino that he had seen Seisaku in town and to expect him shortly. (Spy Swordsman)

Seizaburō One of three Iga  ninja sent by Tonbei to discover if the Phantom ninja had returned to Kōga or were still in Edo. In disguise as komuso, yamabushi and traveller, they ran along the road, then paused for a rest by a river. Hagenbō's scornful voice taunted them with sweating like pigs and said he'd save the the trouble of going all the way to Kōga. His face appeared as a reflection in the water. he and then he attacked them, using his "human steel technique" to smash their swords. He and Hitonashi knocked them out and took them to a temple as bait to lure Tonbei and the other Iga  ninja into a trap. There they were tied up but rescued when Shintarō arrived and defeated the Phantom ninja. Phantom Ninja)

Senzō see Ukai, Senzō

Seta, Hanbei A famous samurai under the Hōjō family in the 16th century. Ancestor of Seta Samon. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Seta, Miyo Sister of Seta Samon who was her only brother. She didn't know what to do once her brother was dead. Koshinjo comforted her at his graveside and advised her to look at her as she was also living alone and was a woman. Prior to that Jindai Naiki, the chief minister of the Okubo clan spoke to her privately at Samon's funeral, advising her to decide what she wanted to do from then  on and consult with Noda, the chief samurai and Samon's supervisor. Kitōbō attempted to kidnap her when she refused to tell him what Jindai had said to her. She defended herself with a dagger and realised that he must have been the one who killed her brother. Shintarō  rescued her and she told him what  Jindai said. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Seta, Samon Samurai of the Okubo clan. He reported to Noda Ichinojo, the chief samurai. He was approached one evening by Kitōbō wearing a devil mask and asked about the secret meetings some Okubo samurai had been having. Kitōbō wanted to know when and where they met and who was their leader. He refused to tell him and only realised that Kitōbō was a ninja when he evaded his sword by leaping on to a roof. He also didn't seem to have heard of the Fūma ninja, though Kitōbō reminded him that his ancestors and Seta's fought on the same side. He was killed by Kitōbō. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Seven Flowers of Autumn Password to be used among the Iga ninja who were sent to the Temple of Marishiten. (Fuma Ninjas)

Shadow Step Technique (kagebashiri) Densai's trick of apparently being killed but when the assailant looked closer he found only an empty robe. (Phantom Ninja)

Shaguma Rōnin released from gaol in Kiritap as he was considered a good shot and was needed to give Oriora a run for his money, thus prolonging the contest and give time for the government spy to turn up. He wasn't overly thrilled until Kiba promised him ten gold pieces and his freedom. He managed to beat Oriora and claimed the prize until Shintarō stepped forward and challenged him. Needless to say Shintarō won, as Shaguma's standard 18th century pistol was no match for Shintarō's six-shooter. Kiba told him to kill Shintarō, claiming he was cheating and again offered him his freedom. Shaguma said he would do it as he needed to uphold his reputation. After Shintarō proved Oriora's innocence Shaguma challenged him to a duel but lost and was killed. (Spy Swordsman)

Shakushain's Revolt or War (1669-1672) Shakushain was a charismatic Ainu chief who managed to unite various regions against the Matsumae clan in an attempt to preserve the Ainu's political in dependence and to regain control of trade relations with the Japanese. Referred to in "Pirate treasure" (Spy Swordsman)

Shamo Ainu word for a Japanese. (Spy Swordsman)

Shiba, Koheita One of Genkurō's Iga ninja, a famous archer who never missed and who was to fire the "Flying rocket" into Sadanobu's litter from the Kimura house. In it was put gunpowder, sulphur, ash, iron filings, charcoal and camphor. During Tonbei's rescue of the Kimura family, Genkurō directed Koheita to fire the rocket. Shintarō  rushed over and tried to grab it.  In the struggle, Koheita fell and the rocket exploded, killing him. His sister was Okayo who swore to avenge him. (Iga Ninjas)

Shibetsu Port in Nemuro reached through Hell Valley from which the Ainu from Shibuchari were to sail to Kunashiri Island. (Spy Swordsman)

Shibuchari River (now called the Shizunai River). The Matsumae clan had a gold mine on it and used Japanese and Ainu to work it. The Ainu claimed that though they were given job at the mine they were neither housed nor fed properly. Two of the Japanese guards attempted to extort a valuable necklace from an Ainu woman, Kurara, in return for food, which they had poisoned. As they had already been reprimanded by Kiba, they tried to stop her feeding the food to her son and in the struggle he was killed. Incidents like this led to some Ainu banding together to steal the gold en route from the mine to Matsumae.  (Spy Swordsman)

Shikoro, Jingosa A Hakusan ninja, his speciality was hypnotising people into killing themselves or other people. He used a glass mirror to do this. He first hypnotised Heinai who had discovered him in the roof into killing himself. The he captured Tonbei at the temple near Shark's Tooth Bridge and made him try to kill Shintarō. Tonbei almost did so but Shintarō slapped him around a bit until he came to his senses. Tonbei returned to the temple pretending still to be hypnotised and reported he had "taken care of" Shintarō. Jingosa told him to draw his sword and kill himself. He told the Hakusan ninja to look behind him and Shintarō appeared who asked why he had tried to kill Tonbei and why had he set fire to parts of the city and caused so much misery (this was the work of the Kōshū ninja, actually). He replied that he was an old-fashioned ninja and did not talk. However, he would tell him his name and that he was from one of the 73 ninja clans. He then tried to use his mirror to hypnotise Shintarō during their duel but the latter closed his eyes and fought blind. Jingosa threw a chain round his sword and tied the other end to a tree so he could creep up behind him. Shūsaku's timely warning alerted Shintarō who was able to kill Jingosa. On his body he found a  ninja contest notice. Dated 1790, it listed Hakusan-ryū followed by Kōshū-ryū. (Contest of Death)

Shimabara Fief on a peninsula south of Hizen whose lord had bought foreign guns from Shiranui. (Probably better known for the revolt in 1637-1638 against the tyrannical lord and siege of Hara castle which resulted in the deaths of everyone in it, many of whom were Christians) (Puppet Ninja)

Shimadaya Inn in Fuda Gokashuku where Shintarō  met Kurando who gave him a report on the missing persons in Kōfu. The innkeeper, Seibei, was impersonated by Ichinensai. ( Koga Ninjas)

Shimano, Hokozō Lord of Matsuyama who was killed by Tarōza's father using the Fūma Toad magic. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Shimotorizawa Kurobei suggested taking the back road over the mountains to reach this place. This was so he could poison Shintarō  ( Koga Ninjas)

Shimosuwa Where the Kiso-Kaidō road forked, one way led to Kōfu an d the other on through the mountains to Kyoto. It was there that Tarōbō intercepted Shintarō and Tonbei and warned them to take the Kōfu road, thus thwarting Kongō's plans. (Contest of Death)

Shinano Ninja Jihei was one. Presumably they came from Shinano province, modern Nagano prefecture. They do not seem to have taken part in the contest of skills otherwise. (Contest of Death)

Shindō, Captain He was in charge of the  Sado gold being taken to Edo. He had been doing this sort of thing for the past 22 years and no one had ever robbed the gold. He was rather careless, more interested in drink than duty and ignored the warnings of Nishina, his subordinate that the gold could be stolen as he had seen signal flares. He also ignored Tonbei's warning, delivered through Nishina,  that the Black Ninja were after the gold. (Black Ninja)

Shindō, Hyoma One of five Iga ninja sent with Tonbei to Edo to go through the records relating to Odawara Castle in order to discover the significance of the three mirrors. He was the second to try to break through the Fūma lines around the hut. He left by the roof and killed a Fūma ninja, taking his clothing. However, he was foiled by Kitōbō who asked him for the password and when he was unable to give it, badly wounded him and left him for dead. However, Hyoma was able to get to Ōiso where he overheard to fishermen discussing the fire at the inn in which a samurai and a little boy were burnt to death. He then accosted a servant from the inn (actually Kotarō in disguise) to ascertain if this was true. The servant said he had just found the bodies and was going to take them to the police and perhaps Hyoma could identify them. They were in a warehouse which he guided him to. He then shut the door and as Hyoma asked "Bodies?" seeing none, the servant's voice changed and he said, "You'll be a body" and added that he doubted Shintarō  had died in the fire and he had come to find him. He could not let Hyoma live to tell Shintarō  where Tonbei and the other Iga were. Hyoma rushed at him with a sword but Kotarō easily disarmed him Shintarō  appeared and Kotarō said he, a Fūma ninja, would be the one to kill him. Shintarō  said he would be the one to die. "Do you mean that I in this small room with this sword cannot win? A ninja only fights when he has a winning chance." "Will you run away" Shintarō  asked. "I'm no samurai. I'm not ashamed to run away," Kotarō replied ands threw a knife to distract Shintarō  then threw a smoke bomb and disappeared up the stairs. However, Shintarō  cut him as he passed. "Only skin deep, Shintarō ". Shintarō  then went to Hyoma who was slumped in the corner, dead. (Fuma Ninjas)

Shindō, Kogenta One of the 13 master  Kōga ninja. His speciality was the "boomerang flying trick" which entailed leaping a great distance very fast then leaping back again. He arranged to have Jūzō the Hunter arrested on a false charge of hunting illegally, then  broke him out of gaol and coerced him into shooting at Shintarō , promising him protection, as he needed his skill with a musket. He left Toranosuke's seal at the gaol so he was accused of aiding the gaolbreak and arrested. Kogenta in the guise of a gaoler offered him poisoned sake but was foiled by the timely arrival of Shintarō . He next kidnapped Shūsaku and left him tied up out in the woods. When Shintarō  rescued him, Kogenta ignited a ring of fire around them, making them perfect targets for Jūzō who was up a tree with his musket.  Jūzō missed and collapsed when he thought he had wounded his sister, Kumi, who was looking for him. Kogenta then tried to kill Jūzō as he was no longer any use, reminding him he had promised only to protect him until he died. However, "Jūzō" was really Shintarō  in disguise, who commented, "You use a person, then kill him when you are done with him. Ninja! You are devils who roam the earth in human form. You will never understand what we call brotherly love."   They duelled and Kogenta used his "flying boomerang trick" but was killed when he used it at close quarters where it would not work. ( Koga Ninjas)

Shinigami (aka "Death Ninja", "Living Dead"). Negoro ninja who could not be killed by normal means such as being slashed with a sword blade.  His other ninja skills were not particularly outstanding as he was seemingly killed a number of times. Just when we started to think he's some Edo period Captain Jack Harknesss (without the style - he was a young man with a curved nose, somewhat protuberant eyes and a mane of shaggy black hair.) Tonbei discovered that only using the flat of the sword would kill him. He was arrogant and cocksure and seemed to think himself apart or above the other Negoro ninja (he preferred to stand away from them and negligently toss a shuriken into a tree trunk rather than take part in the discussion, something they found irritating). He was assigned to take care of the four remaining Kishū ninja, Sakon, Ukon, Kansuke and Yotoji, with a view to torturing them to discover Yorikata's whereabouts while Onime searched the mountains for where Shintarō  had hidden Yorikata. His first act was to use the twin of the shell the Negoro ninja who had attacked Yorikata's empty palanquin had placed in it before he was killed. He thus created a disembodied voice taunting the remaining Kishū and the guards that the Negoro knew of their plans. When they discovered that it was merely a seashell in the palanquin, they tossed it out where it exploded, blinding Sakon. Oribe ordered the other Kishū to help Shintarō  leaving Sakon behind. He followed them to warn them a Negoro ninja was on their trail and Shinigami pretended to be Yotoji, assuming his voice. However, his claim not to know where Yorikata was really going aroused Sakn's suspicions as Yotoji himself thought of the plan and he killed Shinigami in a brief swordfight. or so he thought. Shinigami revived and killed him after overhearing Sakon say to himself Yorikata was really going to Ichihara. He and a team of Negoro ninja ambushed Shintarō , Yorikata and Tonbei who were in a boat on the Chibu River, near the confluence with the Yoshino River, by forcing them ashore with a series of explosions midstream. Apparently killed by Shintarō  he collapsed in the river.. Three days later, he was much better now, thanks, and annoying his colleagues with his arrogance and his blaming their incompetence on his failure to kill Shintarō . He assumed the guise of an old woodsman and approached Shintarō  and Tonbei who were alone, except for the three Kishū ninja hiding in a tree, and asked for a light for his  pipe. Shintarō  didn't believe he was a ninja in disguise because he had no expression of evil intent (Shintarō  could be very naive) but Tonbei was suspicious as were the three Kishū who followed the old woodsman. As they were about to turn back seeing he had not acted suspiciously, Shinigami attacked and killed all three. Still in his woodsman guise he ran back as if in mortal fear to Tonbei and lured him to where he had killed the others, saying he had seen a terrible thing. There he dislocated his joints and gave him a drug to paralyse him but keep him conscious. However, it didn't prevent Tonbei from blinking or moving his eyes. Carrying Tonbei, he then found Shintarō , claiming he had found Tonbei like that on the path and directed him to a nearby ruined temple. There Shintarō  gave Tonbei some medicine the latter had been carrying and which had rolled out of his clothing and Shinigami realised the game was up. He attacked Shintarō  and they duelled. Tonbei was able to observe that if you hit Shinigami with the back of the sword and not the blade he could be wounded and managed to tell Shintarō  this. Shinigami, mortally wounded, staggered outside, sent up a single signal flare to say he was dead and died uttering the standard master ninja line: "I have lost this fight."  (Ninja Terror)

Shinkage Style of swordsmanship of which Shintarō is a master.

Shino See Toyama Shino

Shinshūya Inn where Shintarō , Tonbei and Shūsaku stayed as did Musuke and Ritsu. Musuke tried to kill Shintarō  but was wounded. He passed it off as a wound he got from a Black Ninja. He left with Shintarō  and Shūsaku to go to Owari while his sister left with Tonbei. (Black Ninja)

Shinshūya Inn near the Komagino Barrier where Shintarō , Tonbei, Shūsaku and "Namiji" stayed. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Shintō Ninja The next in the contest of skills after the Muei ninja. They were led by Ihara Sōgozaemon. They went to the inn at Kurata where Shintarō and Tonbei were staying and blew sleeping gas into their room. However, Shintarō  and Tonbei were waiting for them and attacked them. They were all killed in the fight. Shintarō found the challenge which named the Yūgazumi as the next ninja clan. (Contest of Death)

Shiranui Fief in Hizen who lords were distantly related to the Tokugawas. The current lord had come under the sway of Genshin and was buying smuggled foreign-made guns and gunpowder and distributing them to the other lords in Hizen. He used Christians to unload and carry the weapons to the castle. A feature of his fief was the number of musket brigades it had. His aim was to become shogun. (Puppet Ninja)

Shiranuka  In Kushiro where a gaol was which held a number of Edo criminals. It was at the mouth of the Shiranu River. The Ainu name was Shiranaika. Goromatsu's two brothers broke him out of the gaol by killing the guards and setting the gaol on fire. Kiba noticed the fire and quickly organised for it to be put out and the prisoners to be evacuated. "Prisoners are human beings just like us". (Spy Swordsman)

Shirōbei see Tarao, Shirōbei

Shoden Valley Where Shintarō  was when Kuroda Saemon volunteered to kill him . It was not far from Kobushigatake and Saemon was well aware that Shintarō  had to be stopped from finding the  Kōga fort there. ( Koga Ninjas)

Shukke Type of priest, one of the seven disguises used by ninja when on the road. Kongō used it for most of his sojourn in Shiranui.

Shuriken (aka throwing knives, star-knives) Different ninja groups used different shaped ones in the series (probably a convention to help identify who did what, along the lines of the convention where Iga ninja wore grey and all other ninja wore black). Iga ninja used 8-point stars (shaped rather like pastry-cutter wheels, except in  Koga Ninjas where they were 4 pointed). Genkurō's Iga ninja used four-point stars (cross-shaped) as did  Kōga ninja, including Black Ninja (except in  Koga Ninjas where they used the 8-point ones). Fūma ninja used ones shaped like curved swastikas, the only ones to do so. Kishū ninja also used 8-point stars. Negoro ninja tended to use a long thin single blade.

Shūsaku (Ōmori Shunsuke) Son of Seisaku and Oshino, a boy of about eight who lived on a homestead in Ezo. He was a feisty little chap not averse to peppering Hidaya and his gang with musket-fire. He wanted Shintarō to teach him swordsmanship so he could defeat "the bad guys". Shintarō told him swordsmanship was not for killing people and if everyone became a swordsman, there would be no one left to till the land. He added that Shūsaku's parents were strong and admirable to build up the land by themselves. He knew how to cook and prepared a meal for Shintarō and himself when his mother fell ill with a fever. (Spy Swordsman)

Shūsaku see Baba, Shūsaku

Shūsuke Shino's male servant who accompanied her into town and was killed by the Wolf Ninja when he went to discover who was following them. (Iga Ninjas)

Signpost The signpost at the fork in the road which indicated that the left hand road led to Odawara and the right to Soga village had fallen over so Shūsaku did not see it and thus became lost. (Fuma Ninjas)

Soga Village Koshinjo went to visit a friend there at the time Oboro and a band of Fūma attacked the Antoku convent. On her return, she encountered Shūsaku who had become lost on his way to Odawara and sprained his ankle. He told her that his friends were in great danger, that Sōshūya had been killed and that the Fūma were after Sōshūya's sister. She introduced herself to him, telling him she was that sister. She and carried him on her back as he couldn't walk. (Fuma Ninjas)

Sons of the Swift Black Ninja usually disguised as itinerant monks who attacked as one, confusing their enemy by appearing from all directions. They killed Kazama and Nakata.  They were killed by Shintarō  and were among those listed by Gensai when reporting to Hakuunsai. He wanted revenge for the deaths of all the Black Ninja, (Black Ninja)

Sōran bushi Song sung in the inn where Denbei lodged Sanpei and where Shintarō was surprised to hear his real name mentioned. Also sung by Ichi in Daikokuya's inn. (Spy Swordsman)

Soshichi Son of Yaichi, his mother, Katsu was dead. Both he and his father visited her grave regularly. Soshichi claimed that though his father was the strongest his cooking was n ot so great so he had been doing a lot of it himself. He worshipped his father as a hero and was subject to teasing and torment from the other children as they thought Yaichi would run when Chūsuke returned. they called him a "weak little bug". Shintarō told them off and comforted Soshichi, telling him everyone was weak and a coward deep down inside, even him, and that his father was a brave man because he would stay despite his fear. He accompanied Soshichi home and knocked out the men sent to kidnap Soshichi. Soshichi returned to the village where he saw his father, armed with a musket, facing Chūsuke also with a musket. When Shintarō shot Chūsuke, he thought his father had done it and was overjoyed. Shintarō told him again on leaving that his father was a great, brave man. (Spy Swordsman)

Sōshūya Denzō Father of Kaori, owner of the river boat with which Kaori rescued Shintarō  from the river near the Temple of Marishiten. His ancestor was a poor man from southern Soshu who used to work for the Lords of Odawara (i.e. the Hōjō) in actuality Kozaka Jinnai who betrayed the original Fūma Kotarō to the authorities. Sōshūya had a younger sister, Koshinjo who was a nun. His wife was dead He offered to pay any ransom for the return of his daughter but Shintarō  assured him that the Fūma didn't want money.  He was killed by Kugutsu Yonai, a Fūma Ninja (Fuma Ninjas)

Sōunji Neglected temple containing the graves of the Hōjō family and the first Fūma Kotarō. Anyone entering it was required to get the written permission of Lord Okubo. It was within walking distance of Odawara Castle and is located in the Hakone-Yumoto region,  6km west of Odawara. It was founded by Hōjō Soun (1432-1519) and belongs to the Rinzai secti of Zen Buddhism. It was once the largest such temple in eastern Japan and was used by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as his headquarters when he was besieging Odawara Castle in 1590. It then fell into ruins and only a few buildings remain. Princess Aya went there, at Oboro's suggestion, to pray at the grave of Hōjō Ujinao for the recovery of her father. Earlier, Fūma Kotarō and his men appeared there and Kotarō rewarded the groundsmen for taking care of his ancestor's grave and prayed at it. Later its graveyard was used as a rendezvous point for Gennai the Phantom, Fūma Kotarō and Oboro when they were watching for Shintarō  and Tonbei to come looking for the Fire Tower. Finally, when all the other master Fūma ninja were dead, Kotarō, Oboro the rest withdrew but not before Kotarō had come to three priests and hypnotised them into praying at the graves of the Hōjō. This was where Shintarō  found them and Tonbei managed to un-hypnotise them by ninja methods.  (Fuma Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Spider Dōjin see Tsubame Dōjin

Star Knives  see Shuriken

Stone Mountain Castle Ruins of a castle built by Hideyoshi on the hill Ishigakiyama while laying siege to Odawara Castle in 1590. Oboro brought Shintarō  near there to warn him about Kuromaru and to try to persuade him not to go further up the road. Oboro also brought Tonbei there by leaving a pile of stones at the convent from where Koshinjo and Shūsaku had been kidnapped which he correctly interpreted to mean "Stone Mountain". She told him Koshinjo and Shūsaku were hidden in a well in the castle ruins and he should rescue them while Shintarō  fought Kuromaru. This Tonbei did. Kuromaru was at the ruins and tried to kill Shintarō  there but was killed himself. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Suiki Grandson of Dōgan, though he did not  know this, and one of his four pupils. His parents left Iga country when they could no longer bear the ninja life and he never knew their faces. He was discovered by Genkurō using his ninja skills to catch fish in a river. He and Genkurō obviously had met before because they addressed each other by name. Suiki asked if Genkurō had been defeated and had run home to Iga country. Genkurō asked him if he looked like he was running away from anything. He said of the six ninja he had lost that they had died as ninja and were happy. Suiki pointed out that they were still dead. He got angry with Genkurō when he said that Dōgan was nothing to him, just an old man who had lived too long. He wasn't bad-mouthing him, just stating the facts. He asked Suiki if he wanted to use his ninja skills for other than catching fish and asked him to work for him. Suiki agreed. He reported to him what Shintarō  and Dōgan were up to and that Dōgan had refused to help Shintarō . Genkurō sent him back with instructions to show Kyūdayū, one of his men, how to get into the house. Dōgan privately asked what Genuro had told Suiki and was well aware he had been in contact with him, though Suiki denied it. He warned him not to let Genkurō's false words lead him stray. Suiki didn't think this fair as Genkurō was concerned only with the honour of the ninja. Dōgan told him that those days were buried in the past. He must choose his own way but it must be the right way. Suiki protested he wanted to use the skills he had been taught and didn't want to die without knowing how good he was. He ran out of the house. The other pupils tried to stop him and tell him the truth but Dōgan said to let him go and that to tell him he was really Dōgan's grandson would only hurt him more. Suiki ran straight to Genkurō and told him that even though Dōgan refused to help him, he would still help and if Dōgan asked him to help Shintarō  he would refuse. He asked what Genkurō wanted him to do. Genkurō told him he would be a weapon, having decided that Suiki, as Dōgan's grandson, was more use dead. He had him trapped and killed, telling him he was Dōgan's grandson and adding that they would kill their own men to accomplish their purpose. This was the ninja way, surely he knew that.  He had Suiki's body left where it was found by two passing woodsmen to recognised it and took it to Dōgan. On the body he placed Shintarō 's stolen inrō so that Dōgan would think he had killed him and take revenge on him, thus eliminating him. (Iga Ninjas)

Sumie see Higure Usuzumi

Suspension Bridge Near the Water Castle. Tonbei suspected the Fūma ninja might have sabotaged it and went across first to make sure it was safe. If they had fallen from that height, their ninja skills would not have saved them, he said.  He noted that it swayed a lot but was fine. Shintarō  was about half way across when Tanba garrotted Tonbei with a cord. Fūma ninja led by Saizō appeared at the other end. Tanba told Saizō to cut the bridge but instead he swayed the bridge and mocked Shintarō  as his sword skills were no use to him in those circumstances. Tanba repeated his order to cut the bridge and a Fūma ninja pushed past him to do so. Saizō cut him down and turned on the others and killed them. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Suwa, Lake A mountain lake18 km in circumference in Shinano (now Nagano Prefecture), described as being 100 miles from Edo. There is a spa near the lake shore and a lot of thermal springs. One of these seemed to feed the bath in which Shintarō , Tonbei and Shūsaku discussed their trip and the actions of the Old Man. Shintarō  felt he was waiting for someone, perhaps Hakuunsai or Gensai who would have been collecting signatures for the agreement as there were more than 100 lords in the area. Shūsaku said, "Let's close the conference. I'm getting hungry" and Tonbei offered to show him a water trick but Shūsaku said he'd rather have something to eat than just water. Tonbei then  tricked him and got out of the bath to go and spy on  the Old Man. Gensai reported to the Old Man at an inn there. In the woods nearby he staged Kazeba's punishment. (Black Ninja)

Swordsmanship During Shintarō 's swordfight with Dōjin and his men in the Gongen forest, Tonbei stood on the sidelines with Shūsaku and Koshinjo, gleefully saying he had never seen such swordsman ship and that Shūsaku should watch. "Look that's the Flying Bird...The Dark Moon...Rushing Water..." more like someone in an arena in ancient Rome watching gladiators than someone in a forest in eastern Japan looking on as his friend fights for his life. (Fuma Ninjas)

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Tadaoka Retainer of the Abe clan and the key to persuading the clan to sign the agreement to replace the shogun with the Owari clan. He found a letter-case with the shogun's crest in his room (left by Hakuunsai). When Hakuunsai came to him to get him to sign the agreement, he refused and threatened to report Hakuunsai to the shogun. He considered sacrificing the Oshi clan well worth it to bring down Owari. However, Hakuunsai pointed out that the Owari name would fade from the documents just leaving the Oshi name so only they would be incriminated. (Black Ninja)

Tae The name Oboro used when she disguised herself as a lady's maid to Princess Aya. She claimed to be the daughter of guardsman Katō. She said that her own father had fallen ill suddenly just as Aya's had and it was found his body was possessed by an evil spirit. When he prayed to Hōjō Ujinao, he recovered quickly. She advised Aya to go at midnight to to the Sōunji to pray at Ujinao's grave. This was a ploy to get her out of the castle so that Oboro could search her room for the mirror. (Fuma Ninjas)

Tahei Someone who owed Hidaya money who gave him his land to pay off his debt. (Spy Swordsman)

Taimon Old companion to Maya and a hidden Christian like her. He accompanied her everywhere and tried to look after her. He cut bamboo to make a cross to represent all the people killed because of the Puppet ninja. He was captured with her several times. The first time they were rescued by Tonbei. The second time Yamizō took on his guise unknown to Maya. Shintarō rescued both from a boat offshore where they were being held by the Puppet ninja. During the ensuing fight, Yamizō tried to stab Shintarō in the neck but was foiled by Kongō. The real Taimon was held captive in the castle with the other Christian workers until rescued by Tonbei after Genshin left the castle. (Puppet Ninja)

Tajimaya Inn in the centre of Odawara where Shintarō  stayed while Sadanobu stayed at Odawara castle. He did not think Genkurō would attack Sadanobu in the castle as there were too many guards and torches but that he would wait to attack him along the way. Tonbei stayed in the castle. (Iga Ninjas)

Taka Girl, one of a brother and sister who were catching crabs on Enoshima. She was asked by Tonbei if there was a hidden temple on Enoshima. Taka had found a cave where one could pray to Buddha and took him to it. (Fuma Ninjas)

Taka Mountains Shintarō  arranged to meet Kumeno and Tonbei at a cottage in the Taka Mountains. (Ninja Terror)

Takada Castle Tonbei's first mission was to steal the plans of this from Hori Tado. (Ninja Training)

Takaoka, Saizō (aka Iga Saizō) Iga-trained ninja who did not work for the Shogun, indeed hated him. He trained with Tonbei in Iga country where they often engaged in bouts of mock combat to improve their skills.  He described himself as a wandering ninja and claimed "vagabond ninja" such as himself worked the hardest of all as their main tasks were carrying messages, guarding processions and the like. He appeared to a group of Fūma near Mount Fuji in the snow and offered his services. Their leader Hagakure Tanba was suspicious, rejected the offer and was about to attack him when Kotarō appeared and stopped him as he wanted to hear what Saizō had to say. He repeated his offer of his skills. Kotarō wanted him to find the map to the Water Castle and kill Shintarō . While Tanba was ranting about not wanting Iga ninja and how he didn't trust him, Saizō vanished so he was talking to thin air. Kotarō saw all that but said nothing, simply ordered Tanba to follow him. Oboro also did not trust him. Saizō and Tanba worked together to steal the map from Shintarō , though Tanba still did not trust Saizō fully. Saizō directed him to go on to the roof to listen while he went inside. There he offered his services to Shintarō  and Tonbei who had much the same reaction as the Fūma ninja so Saizō said as proof of his good intentions he had brought them their worst enemy who was on the roof. Outraged Tanba jumped off and managed to escape after a fight. In the meantime Saizō stole the map while Shintarō  and Tonbei were out fighting Tanba. He explained this as an Iga trick to use a decoy when he returned to Kotarō's camp and presented himself. When asked by Kotarō what he would have done if Tanba had been captured, he said he would have killed himself. Kotarō laughed and said he had true ninja spirit. He and Tanba trapped Shintarō  on a suspension bridge near the Water Castle. Tanba called out to Saizō to cut the bridge as he held Tonbei captive but Saizō merely rocked the bridge and mocked Shintarō  as his sword skills were no use to him then. Tanba repeated his order and another Fūma ninja pushed past Saizō to carry it out. Saizō cut him down then turned on the others and killed them. Tonbei explained to Shintarō  this was the Iga Shadow Trick and now the Fūma had a shadow.  Shintarō  said he was a most remarkable man. He later contacted Tonbei by throwing a shuriken into the fish he was catching. They met up in a temple and engaged in some mock combat before settling down, lying on the floor. Saizō said the Fūma ninja were searching in the wrong direction thanks to the map he stole from Shintarō . He still did not know who the top remaining four Fūma were. Tonbei warned him to be careful and not be too hasty. He replied that he would just run away and only Kotarō could stop him. However, Oboro overheard their conversation which confirmed Kotarō's suspicions. Saizō found three Fūma ninja who, reluctantly told him of hearing about a waterfall with a cave nearby. He went with them to where it was, then killed them, again watched by Kotarō this time. He reported the news to Shintarō  who warned him not to return to the Fūma as it was too dangerous, especially if they realised the map he gave them was fake. Saizō said that he wanted to steal a few Fūma tricks as 200 years ago during the siege of Odawara castle, the Fūma had a great army and all but wiped out the Iga ninja. Shintarō  said it was futile to stop him as he was fixed on revenge and lived in a different world from them. Saizō had an unseen follower he tried to discourage with tetsubishi who turned out to be Kotarō, the only one who could keep up with his Iga running. Kotarō revealed he had known he was a spy and had planted the information about the waterfall to trap Shintarō . He was using an old ninja trick to use an enemy spy against them. They fought and Kotarō wounded Saizō who blew himself up but managed to get to the waterfall where Tonbei and Shintarō  were to warn them it was a Fūma trap and to save Tonbei by throwing a knife into a Fūma ninja who was holding him.. Kotarō paid him tribute as a great ninja but added "Let his death serve as a warning to you".   (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Takasaki Castle town in Kōzuke (Gunma Prefecture), the castle belonged to the Okōchi family at the time. At a signpost two ri from it the pickpocket Sanji took up a position watching for his partner and his marks to come along the road where he could follow them and steal their wallets. (Contest of Death)

Takase Inn In Honjo where Shintarō and Tonbei stayed and where Yūgiri attacked them, (Contest of Death)

*Takeda Shingen (1521~1573): Eldest son of Nobutora who planned to disinherit him in favour of a younger brother, so Shingen got in first and attacked his father and placed him the custody of his father-in-law, Imagawa Yoshimoto, in 1540. He then assumed the government of the province of Kai. In 1547 he attacked and defeated Murakami Yoshikiyo who went to Uesugi Kenshin for help, thus began the famous 20 year war between Shingen and Kenshin. Their most famous battleground was Kawanakajima where they fought many battles with neither side gaining a decisive victory. Both were skilled strategists. In 1551,Shingen shaved his head and took the name Shingen (he was originally called Harunobu). In 1568 he took Suruga and was attacked by Hōjō Ujimasa but victory was uncertain. (He had already occupied Shinano, Hida and part of Kōzuke). In 1569 he was in trouble with Ieyasu and made peace with the Hōjō. Gathering a large army, he answered the summons of Shogun Yoshiaki for aid against Nobunaga in 1571.Shingen battled Ieyasu at Mikata-ga-hara, then marched on to Kyoto He was struck by a bullet during the siege of Noda Castle in Mikawa and died. He requested that his death be kept secret for three years, no doubt aware of his enemies and his rather rash son. He left several buried treasures in the form of gold mines around Kai which furnished war funds for his campaigns. His war funds buried for several centuries. Sadanobu said that he was assassinated by the Iga ninja ( Kōga Ninjias)

Takeda's Treasure, Legend of According to Sadanobu, Takeda Shingen led an army of 50,000 men against Oda Nobunaga in 1573 and pushed the enemy into the mountains of Kōshū where he found a great treasure which he intended to use to continue the war. However, he died a month later and only he knew where the treasure was. Just recently there had been strange stories coming out of Kōshū so he had sent an agent to investigate. ( Koga Ninjas)

*Takeoka, Dōshun (aka Igasaki Dōshun) One of two Iga ninja Genkurō cited as having used his skills many years before in bringing down a castle, in this case Sawayama Castle in 1562 which was held by the rebel Dodo clan. He and his men copied the Dodo lanterns and just walked in. Once  inside they set fire to the castle thus enabling Rokkaku Yoshikata who was besieging it to take it. Genkurō said his own ambition was greater as he intended to overthrow the whole country. (Iga Ninjas)

Takeshimaya Inn where Shintarō , Tonbei and Shūsaku stayed while planning how to get around the Ogasezawa barrier and into Owari. Goroku disguised as Kazuichi visited Tonbei there with a letter purportedly from the chief of the samurai spies in Edo naming the samurai spy in Owari. (Black Ninja)

Takiguchi Kuichirō One of five Iga ninja who were sent with Tonbei to Edo to discover the history of Odawara Castle. He was the last to survive beside Tonbei. He and Tonbei decided on one last stand but Kuichirō was killed by Dōjin. (Fuma Ninjas)

Takisaki Matsumae official based at Kiritap. He oversaw the shooting match and held the purse. He was killed by Kinta who took the gold. His body was discovered by Oriora who was accused of the murder. (Spy Swordsman)

Takohachi One of the bars the two porters went to in order spread false information about the Matsumae tribute money convoy (Spy Swordsman)

Tama River (Tamagawa also called Rokugōgawa). A river which rises east of Kai (Yamanashi Prefecture) and flows into Tokyo Bay at Haneda. Tōjūji left a message telling Shintarō  that if he wanted Shūsaku back, he should be at the Tama River at 4am the next day. ( Koga Ninjas)

Tamae Sister to Okinu. She went to her sister at the inn to tell her their father was sick again but the doctor was refusing to treat him as they owed him so much.  (Iga Ninjas)

Tamizō Policeman who had spent the whole night chasing the Black Ninja and was now on his way home. He was accosted by two litter bearers (Gensai and Gondayū in disguise) who tried to offer him a cheap ride. He refused and when they insisted, threatened to put them in gaol. They bundled him into the litter and took him to the temple they were using as headquarters. There he woke up and saw the two black clad figures and demanded to know who they were. When Gondayū replied they were Black ninja, he said that was impossible as the Black Ninja was in  gaol in Denmachō and he would put him in prison with him. They menaced him and he broke, begging to be spared and told them what they wanted to know, namely the number of the Black ninja's cell. (Black Ninja)

Tanabe A government secret agent sent by Sadanobu to Kōshū to investigate strange stories concerning the treasure of General Takeda. He was attacked by Saden, one of the 13  Kōga master ninja and was found dying by Shintarō . He gave Shintarō  a large lump of gold and told him to take it to Sadanobu. Sadanobu asked him to find the hidden gold. ( Koga Ninjas)

Tanba Hyōgo Lord Shiranui's chief retainer and very much under Genshin's control. Shintarō used him to get inside the castle to see Lord Shiranui who blamed him for this. When Shintarō told them the conspiracy was exposed, Genshin was able to compel him to attack Shintarō and he was killed. (Puppet Ninja)

Tani, Hanroku The name of a man aged 20 who had disappeared from Kōfu and whose name was on Kurando's report to Shintarō  ( Koga Ninjas)

Tani, Kōsuke The name of a man aged 23 who had disappeared from Kōfu and whose name was on Kurando's report to Shintarō  ( Koga Ninjas)

*Tanuma Okitsugu (1719-1788) Matsudaira Sadanobu's predecessor. He served Ieshige, the 9th shogun and Ieharu the 10th shogun. In 1772 he became rōjū but was dismissed in disgrace in 1787 because of alleged corruption, bad administration and ambition . There was gossip his recent death was caused by poison in Black Ninja, which suggests the story is set in 1788 Being a known associate of his was a real career damper as Lord Akizuki complained. (Black Ninja, Contest of Death).

Tanzō see Akutagawa, Tanzō

Tarao, Shirobei One of the ten Iga ninja who were to guard Sadanobu on his trip to Kyoto. He was killed by Genkurō along with Iwamuro Daisuke and Akutagawa Tanzō when they fell into Genkurō's trap and followed him to what they believed was his secret hiding place in a temple near Miya. (Iga Ninjas)

Tarō  Shūsaku's pet monkey who disappeared around the time his father did. One of Saemon's ninja tied him to a tree to lure Shūsaku and thus Shintarō  towards Saemon. Shintarō  tried to caution Shūsaku about running after him and said he should call him and he would come if he really was his pet. He got him back when Shintarō  had killed the ninja holding him and Saemon but Shūsaku decided to free him as he was not as lonely and never meant to keep him prisoner. ( Koga Ninjas)

Tarō's Hut The name by which Shūsaku's home was known. A fugitive from the  Kōga gold mine took refuge there and sent a message written on a birch branch asking for help. Shintarō  found it in a stream but Gonbei got ahead of him and hypnotised the fugitive into remaining mute and leading Shintarō  where Gonbei directed.. ( Kōga N injas)

Tarōmaru see Bonji Tarōmaru

Tarōza the Toad  One of the 10 master Fūma ninja. Unlike the others, he was not good with a sword nor was he strong. His skill was that whoever cut him down could never use that sword again. It was effectively blunt. That was what the Fūma Toad family did. Neither  Kōga nor Iga ninja had this trick. In this case, he intended to enable Kotarō to kill Shintarō  once and for all. As Kotarō pointed out, he could only use the Toad magic once but Tarōza was willing to sacrifice himself. He challenged Shintarō  to a fair fight (a fair fight was unusual for a Fūma ninja, Shintarō  noted) and Shintarō  killed him. Thereafter in a duel with Kotarō, he found his sword useless despite his skill and he fell off the mountain they were fighting on, dropping the map which Kotarō picked up.. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Tashiro, Kōjirō Iga ninja, highly skilled but with a short temper. He stopped working for the shogun after getting in a fight with a senior samurai and returned to Iga country to train some more and study new weapons, including gunpowder which exploded while he was mixing it and it burnt his neck. He was a friend of Tonbei's Tonbei and Shintarō  encountered him at the Edo-Enoshima crossroad. Tashiro brought answers to Shintarō's questions about the history of Odawara Castle, which were in a letter from Sadanobu and another letter he found outside Shintarō's house purportedly from Koshinjo. Thus Shintarō  was made aware that three three mirrors together lead to a million gold pieces and then when all three were collected, the treasure-seeker had to go to a temple at Enoshima.  Tashiro accompanied Shintarō, disguised as a komusō, while Tonbei returned with Shūsaku to Odawara. Tashiro identified other travellers in front and behind as Fūma ninja (Oboro and Kitōbō were disguised as husband and wife)  as well as the farmers in the fields beside the highway. He offered to go and chase them away. In his absence, Shintarō 's attention was attracted by Kotarō on a boat on the river below the bridge he stood on. Shintarō  said he had not seen Kotarō for ages and asked if he was well. Kotarō gave an expansive shrug , laughed and said, "As you can see." Shintarō  pointed out that one of his Iga was chasing his sister and Kitōbō and wasn't he going to help them but all Kotarō said was that only the strongest survive and that is the law of the Fūma so he was not worried. He just wanted to talk and challenged Shintarō  to come down into the boat. Shintarō  did so, observing that to talk with Fūma Kotarō would be an interesting experience. Both loosened their swords in their scabbards and there was a short duel but then Kotarō invited Shintarō  to sit. "Will you drink with me?" Kotarō asked, adding that the wind on the river was cold and the drink would keep him warm. (interestingly at no time did Kotarō actually drink himself, he only poured for Shintarō ).  He poured sake and suggested they forget about their fight and that Shintarō  should work with him. He had checked into Shintarō 's background and found he was the shogun's half brother. Whether he was an older brother or just some wealthy lord, he was only getting a small allowance yet risked his life every day to keep his brother in power. Shintarō  pointed out that he didn't do it for the shogun He didn't follow anyone's orders and lived his own life and chose to do what he did. In  that case, Kotarō counter-argued, why not live more carefully. Shintarō  ironically observed Kotarō was very considerate. Kotarō noted the number of highly skilled ninja from his group Shintarō  had killed such as Fūma Musai, Spider Dōjin and Kagerō Jinnai but far from holding a grudge at their untimely deaths, he admired Shintarō  and didn't want to kill him. Kotarō repeated his offer of working together to find the treasure which rightfully belonged to the Fūma ninja. Shintarō  again said he was not doing this for the shogun, then picked up the sake bottle and threw it into the river, noting that it caused a disturbance in a peaceful river and that he wad there to prevent that disturbance. Kotarō saw the bottle sink and asked, "You mean we Fūma are like the bottle which caused the wave. Let's stop this now." He offered to fight for all three mirrors, winner take all, and named the opposite bank. He rowed the boat there and Shintarō  placed his two mirrors on the ground and Kotarō added his. They duelled, (Kotarō using two swords), then Kotarō fell backwards into the river and disappeared. Just then Tashiro appeared to say he had driven off the Fūma ninja while Shintarō  gathered all three mirrors.  They then went to a temple which was supposed to be where the treasure was and the Fūma attacked. Kotarō told Shintarō  he had purposely let him have the third mirror so he would lead him to the treasure. During the fight he disappeared but Tashiro emerged at the end of the fight from the temple. Tonbei, who had been blinded by Fūma ninja led by Oboro in a fight at an inn where he had been lured by a hat with Tashirō's secret name on it, found Tashirō's voice not at all like he remembered. It sounded like someone else's but he could not place whose. He and Tashiro went to Enoshima and Tonbei found the secret cave. There Tashiro said, 'Fūma are the wind and no one can see them moving" as Tonbei realised he must be Kotarō. Kotarō told him that the real Tashiro had died in a gunpowder explosion two months before and that he had died in agony which was a a pity as he had been a good Iga ninja.  He captured Tonbei and sent him to the dragon ship. He then led Shintarō  to the cave. Shintarō  realised the Fūma were watching and drew his sword with Tashiro at his back. When Tashiro turned on him he realised he was Fūma Kotarō who demanded he give him the three mirrors Kotarō did not have them for long as Shintarō  had him at sword point, all his Fūma in the cave were dead and he could not use his swords as his hands were full of the mirrors so he was forced to drop them. He escaped outside and tried to smoke out Shintarō . In the confusion Shintarō  managed to escape and duel with Kotarō on the cliffs with Oboro joining in. Kotarō accidentally wounded her but sustained a shoulder wound and a gash across the forehead from Shintarō  before falling into the sea.  (Fuma Ninjas)

Tendō Sawanosuke (Amatsu Bin) Blind rōnin formerly of Geishu and still a highly skilled swordsman. His wife was killed by a government spy. He travelled around accompanied by his young daughter, Akemi, as a sword for hire. He would have her cover her ears and close her eyes before he engaged in any swordplay. He was a proud man who had never bowed to anyone. He was devoted to his daughter, and was loving and gentle with her, she was the reason he kept going. When she accidentally knocked a bottle of sake over some of Hidaya's toughs, and they would not accept an apology but insisted he pay an exorbitant price for the damages, he took them all on in a fight, killing several. Only when one seized Akemi did he stop but Shintarō intervened and saw off the rest. Hidaya hired him to kill Shintarō (whose name he didn't know). Shintarō looked after Akemi while he was out with Hidaya and when he returned he talked to him about his life as a sword for hire, telling him there were other and better ways of earning a living, one, which his daughter would not grow up to resent or be disgusted by. He persuaded him to help the Ainu who were troubled by all the changes, the increased Japanese migration was causing. He then told Hidaya the next day he would not kill Shintarō and returned the 10 ryo he had given him. He dropped a letter from Shintarō to Kamokuin and Hidaya asked him did he know who Shintarō was, that he was a government spy. So Tendō challenged Shintarō, reluctantly, saying he wished he hadn't known he was a government spy. Shintarō knocked his sword from his hand and told him his life was not his own but his daughter's. He resolved to live a different life from that moment. He then suddenly turned and killed Hidaya who had come up behind him. He went with his daughter to Kamokuin in Kunashiri. (Spy Swordsman) .

Tendō the Dragon The 12th Black Ninja, who boasted that if he had been the one to deal with Shintarō  first, the other Black Ninja would still be alive. He managed to capture Shintarō  with the "Flying Chain" trick wherein he trapped Shintarō  and his sword with chains, bound him and took him to a temple. He tried to restrain Gensai from killing Shintarō  while they waited for Hakuunsai.. Gensai was impatient and wanted revenge for the deaths of so many ninja and challenged Tendō. Hakuunsai arrived and broke up the fight before it started. Shintarō  taunted Hakuunsai by telling him he had allowed himself to be captured so that someone else could steal the agreement. Tonbei arrived and freed him and they y all fought. Tendō tried his Flying Chain trick again on Shintarō  but was cut down by him. (Black Ninja)

Tenjinmori Valley where Shintarō  was when Sakuma Gonbei volunteered to kill him. ( Koga Ninjas)

Tenma Temple Temple in Kōchi Valley where Shintarō  lured the Negoro ninja with the intention of ambushing them and eliminating them. (Ninja Terror)

Tenmu, Emperor (reigned 673-686). In his reign (or really just before it in the Jinshin Revolt of 672, a man called Oido first used ninjutsu, according to Kurobei ( Koga Ninjas)

Tenryū River 220 km in length and rises in Lake Suwa, passes through Tōtōmi and empties into the ocean near Hamamatsu. Genkurō told his men to follow it to Nishikawa on the Akiba Road as he was sure the two groups (the Iga ninja pilgrims or the official party) would meet up there. (Iga Ninjas)

Tera Ainu scout who reported the movements of the false Nobuchiyo's train to Kamokuin. (Spy Swordsman)

Teramachi in Edo. Shintarō and Tonbei walked towards it at night looking for the murdering ronin (Kongō in disguise). Shintarō reasoned that the next murder would take place there. On the road he spied a figure which turned out to be the ronin who said he would attack anyone with a heavy purse and wanted to know who hired Shintarō. He told them he needed the  money to live on. He ran away from the fight but was caught by Tonbei with a rope and taken to the authorities. (Phantom Ninja)

Tetsubishi (aka ninja tacks, ninja barbs) Small caltrops dropped or scattered by ninja to discourage pursuit or to keep people out of an area. Anyone running on to them either barefoot or wearing tabi would be in considerable pain often needing medical aid (bandages at the least) or end up sitting on the ground picking them out from the soles of their feet.

Three Hypnotised Priests Found by Shintarō  and Tonbei praying at the tombs of the Hōjō in the Sōunji. The senior one said that "a tall man in a black hood" had come the night before. Tonbei immediately identified this as Kotarō and the priest agreed. "He was Hōjō's ninja, all right." (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Three Ninja Monks Three highly trained Negoro ninja brothers who were also monks. Their names were Wind (he had a beard), Water (who also had a beard but also sported a scar) and Thunder (clean-shaven young man of the scholarly type). They moved very fast with much leaping, use of chains, staves and swords. They could also walk on water using a ninja trick. They wounded Shintarō  in the leg on their first encounter when they lured him to the pine forest west of Nabari using the captured Tonbei as bait. Kumeno rescued him and took him to a nearby temple which the three attacked. Shintarō  negated their jumping tricks by sitting on the steep roof..  They ended up on the ground where Shintarō  killed two and Tonbei killed the third by throwing his sword into him. (Ninja Terror)

Tobei A leader of the village near Kiritap where Shintarō takes Goromatsu. He offered to help Den guard Goromatsu and told him all the villagers could help and share the reward but Den was having none of it as he wanted it all for himself. After Den's death, he offered to look after Saki. (Spy Swordsman)

Tōdō Sanpei A samurai shipwrecked on the Oshima Peninsula. When Ojimaya Denbei asked if had come from Aomori or Sendai, he said "Further" so he asked if he came from Edo. When he refused to answer, Denbei concluded he was of high rank (which he did not deny). When he gave them his name, Denbei disbelieved him and decided he was really Matsudaira Nobuchiyo. Sanpei went along with this as he got to live well, at Denbei's expense at an inn. Denbei lodged him there so he would not realise Denbei was a smuggler. Denbei coached him in impersonating Nobuchiyo but he had an alarming tendency to mix up his words with humorous results.. In this guise, he went in processions with the smuggled guns and gunpowder to Onibishi of Hai. On a beach he found an unconscious boy, Zenta, he correctly identified as being starved. He almost gave himself away when he started to say he had experience of such things. While the procession rested Sanpei asked Shintarō to spar with him. At first Shintarō demurred, saying he wasn't much for it but then agreed and trounced Sanpei who scolded him for hitting him. He then confessed he wasn't Nobuchiyo and asked what was in the barrels. Shintarō told him there were guns and gunpowder in them. Sanpei said he would not get in Shintarō's way. He helped Shintarō blow up the gunpowder. Afterwards, he followed the women of Shibachari River to the Tojuin temple and gave them a message which arrived by arrow purporting to be from Yuki and arranging to meet Zenta. He went in Shintarō's place and was wounded when the trap was sprung but recovered enough to take on several Ainu and rescue Kunechip.He continued to accompany Shintarō and the Ainu women, believing that Shintarō was really after Ainu treasure and that this was in the food box. He often carried Zenta. (Spy Swordsman)

Tōdoku One of three Iga ninja who followed Chidori after she escaped from the Iga Mansion aided by a disguised Shintarō. They hoped she would lead them to the Phantom ninja hideout. However, Densai waylaid them and killed them. (Phantom Ninja)

Tōgane Chikage's father and a goldsmith who was missing when he returned to her home. Shintarō  thought there was a connection as Shūsaku's father was also missing. ( Koga Ninjas)

Togakure-ryū The third group of ninja to accept the challenge of the contest of skills. They were represented by Kurokami Gentatsu who was also Iga ninja Katusya Ippeita. They operated out of south central Iga and the school, which still exists, was founded about 850 years ago. (Contest of Death)

Togakure Gen'yōsai. Head of the Kishū ninja. He and Garyūdōshi knew each other and had old scores to settle, though respected each other's strengths and skills. They were fairly evenly matched. Garyūdōshi tried to interest him in a partnership to put Prince Yoshitsuna in power but Gen'yōsai rejected it, scorning Garyūdōshi's overweening ambitions. They then fought a duel on a bridge crossing the Kinogawa but some of Garyūdōshi's Negoro attacked Gen'yōsai from behind with weighted chains, pinioning him. Garyūdōshi was able to kill him with a blow to the head. He decided to leave his body on the bridge to lure the other Kishū ninja out. The Negoro attacked them but with the help of Shintarō  and Tonbei, the Kishū drove them away. They then collected Gen'yōsai's body and buried it on a hillside. There they took an  oath of revenge around his grave-marker. ("Kishū-ryū sōke Togakure Gen'yōsai no haka" i.e "The grave of Togakure Gen'yōsai, head of the Kishū school" was written on it). (Ninja Terror)

Tojuin Temple of the Tendai Sect in Hidaka where the women refugees from Shibuchari River rested while Kurara recuperated from tetanus. (Spy Swordsman)

Tōjūji see Negoro Tōjūji

Tōkaidō Main highway linking Edo with Kyoto, it had 53 stages or post-towns on it. It was famous in literature and art as well as for barriers (sekisho)  most notably at Hakone, through which you could only pass if you had a pass. The idea was to stop "guns coming in and women going out", i.e. armed insurrections. It featured heavily in Iga Ninjas. Part of it can still be seen, along with a recreation of the barrier-gate at Hakone, running parallel with the modern highway.

Toku Someone who owed Hidaya money and gave him his land to pay the debt. (Spy Swordsman)

*Tokugawa, Ienari (1773-1841) was shogun from 1787 to 1837 when he retired. He was the son of Hitotsubashi Harunari and was chosen by the 10^th shogun, Ieharu, as his successor in 1781 after Ieharu's own son, Iemoto, died suddenly aged 18. Ienari was only 14 when he succeeded Ieharu, hence the fictitious Shintarō s need to defend his interests. Moreover, there was something of a cloud around his succession with rumours of not only Iemoto but Ieharu being poisoned by the agents of the Hitotsubashi clique or the then chief councillor (rōjū), Tanuma Okitsugu, who was dismissed in disgrace by Ieharu shortly before his death. In the event of the shogun's heir dying, a successor could be chosen from one of six families - the Owari, Kii and Mito on the one hand and the Tayasu, Hitotsubashi and Shimizu on the other. One of the Tayasu sons was top of the list but Hitotsubashi Harunari manoeuvred to get him adopted out leaving the way clear for his own son. Ironically, the Tayasu who was railroaded out of the shogunate was Matsudaira Sadanobu! So it is easy to see why Ienari's position in the early years of his reign might be regarded as 'fraught'.

Ienari summoned Matsudaira Sadanobu from his Shirakawa fief to be rōjū, having dismissed all the councillors who had served Ieharu. In 1789 troubles occurred on the island of Ezo (now Hokkaido) among the Ainu natives but were repressed by the lord, Matsumae Michihiro (this formed the background for the very first story in The Samurai, the only one not to feature ninja). During Ienari's reign, foreign powers again renewed their efforts to persuade Japan to come out of her centuries' long isolation but were met with refusal. Feudal lords in the north were ordered to keep a close watch on the coasts and defend them. Forts were constructed and the country more rigidly secluded from the rest of the world. Ienari's reign was peaceful but the farmers were growing poorer and more hard-pressed; city life was marked by corruption and decadence; and the government seemed incapable of coping with the problems. Ienari had 51 children, 31 of whom died in their youth. Others entered by adoption or marriage into the noblest of families.

Tōma the Face-Stealer. One of Genkurō's men, sent with Kozaru, disguised as tea merchants to Fuchū. He tricked Tonbei, who thought he could use him to find Genkurō and suspended him from a tree. Disguised as Tonbei, he then joined Shintarō  on his excursion to check the Utsunoya Pass. He tricked Shintarō  into looking over the edge, attacked him and he fell down the cliff. He then instructed Kozaru to finish him off while he returned to Fuchū, still disguised as Tonbei in which guise he had all the Iga guards take drink together and pledge to fight to the last man as they would be attacked by Genkurō's men as they were to go through the Pass the next day. The drink was poisoned. Later he returned to where he had tied up Tonbei and overheard Okayo saying she would leave that place and go away and pray for the souls of her brother and Shintarō . He attacked and wounded her badly. Warned that this was really Tōma in disguise by Tonbei, Shintarō , who arrived soon after, killed him. (Iga Ninjas)

Tome the Viper Outlaw brother of Goromatsu. He has a musket whereas one of his brothers, Genta, has his knife-throwing and the third, Goromatsu had his strength. He and Genta broke Goromatsu out of Shiranuka gaol .Goromatsu wanted revenge on Kiba and his brothers agreed to help him lay a trap.  While trying to get a clear shot at Kiba during their ambush of him, he accidentally shot Goromatsu. He was killed by Shintarō. (Spy Swordsman)

Tomokichi One of the three fictitious escapees Ryūshirō said were in the cave. ( Koga Ninjas)

Tonbei the Mist (Maki Fuyukichi)  Iga ninja originally sent with his group to assist Shintarō  to prevent Genkurō from assassinating Lord Sadanobu. He first met Shintarō  when he intervened to drive off the three ninja disguised as komusō who were attacking him near a river bank. Tonbei, who was disguised as an official courier, thanked him then dashed off as he was "in a hurry". He met him properly later when he arrived  yelling and shouting as if he were an army and not just one ninja during Genkurō's attack on Sadanobu's palanquin and succeeded in driving the ninja off.  He was considered to be the best of the Iga ninja employed by the shogun to guard his castle . His teacher was Handayū of Nabari which was right in Iga country and he was born in Hojiro. He began training as a ninja when he was five and claimed that in the following 26 years he had never made a mistake with his eyes. He spent most of his life in the mountains and to him a boat on the water was a strange sight. He became Shintarō's right hand man and good friend. His skills included disguise, running fast over long distances, sniffing the blood of an enemy and following a trail, disappearing and shuriken throwing. His speciality was the Iga Ninja Mist Technique. He was a good judge of character, cautious and not particularly trusting. He often filled a sort of commissary officer's role, providing Shintarō  and Shūsaku with prepared food on their travels, seeing to water, or offering Shintarō  a handkerchief to dry himself after washing his face in a stream. He reckoned being around Shintarō and Shūsaku had made him more human and said he was the most human of the ninja. Unlike other ninja, he did not always conceal his feelings, at least around those two and Shintarō said he liked him for his openness. He felt the heat badly and seemed to catch cold readily if he fell into a river in winter. He became like an older brother to the orphaned Shūsaku  though was not above teasing him by using his ninja skills. Like Shintarō, he tried to teach him many things about life. He remained with Shintarō  until the latter bade him farewell to go off with Kongō of  Kōga, a parting which caused the ever-emotional Tonbei great pain.

Tonosawa Spa town in the Hakone Mountains where Shintarō stays at an inn on his way to Kyushu to find Tonbei. There Dōhaku tried to kill him by forcing a maid at the inn to put poison in his soup and after he survived that Kongō seized him dragged him behind his horse, threatening him with all sorts of pain and a hard death because of all the Kōga ninja he had killed. (Puppet Ninja)

Tonosuke Young samurai from the Aizu clan who, with his sister, Kotsuru, had obtained formal permission to take vengeance on Nagaoka Genba the man who killed their father. They found him in Matsumae, now calling himself Yokichi Genei and a sword instructor for the clan. They challenged him to a fight on the road to Noboribetsu. During the fight, Tonosuke fell down an embankment where he was found by Kiba's assistant when they stopped to rest the horses. He was reunited with Kotsuru when he saws the origami cranes she hung outside her window at the Mishimaya inn in Noboribetsu. They both appeared before Kiba who seemed helpful and told them all they had to do before taking revenge was to take their formal permission and the proof Yokochi Genbei was Nagaoka Genba to the chief retainer of the Matsumae clan. Shintarō gave then advice about taking revenge, particularly when dealing with a veteran swordsman. Shintarō stole Nagaoka's short sword which he had stolen from the siblings' father and was the proof they needed and sent them to Matsumae with it. Nagaoka and his men caught up with them and they challenged him to a duel. Shintarō arrived and took on Nagaoka's men while the siblings killed Nagaoka. He congratulated them. (Spy Swordsman)

Torio, Hikoroku One of Tonbei's Iga ninja, disguised as a pilgrim and companion to Sannosuke. He rebutted Sannosuke's questioning why they always followed Tonbei by saying that Tonbei was the most skilled of them all. He and Sannosuke were challenged by Genkurō to kill him. Hikoroku lost his life in the attempt. (Iga Ninjas)

Totsuka Post town, 6th stage on the Tōkaidō. At a teahouse there 9 miles from Edo, Sadanobu's advance guard arranged for his arrival. Tonbei noted that he had not seen any of Genkurō's men yet. However, Genkurō and his men had taken over a house in the town belonging to one Kimura as from there they could fire a rocket right into Sadanobu's litter and kill him. (Iga Ninjas)

Toyama, Jirōzō Samurai at Minakuchi Castle who was considered the best swordsman and who was to stay up all night guarding Sadanobu. So good was he that the guards at the castle assured Tonbei he could relax and get a good night's sleep. He had a daughter, Shino, and a young son, little more than a boy. He instructed Shino to tell her younger brother to go to bed early and not wait up for him. He had the guards check the old well and noted that someone had been near it recently. The two Wolf Ninja who had accompanied Gensai ran off pursued by the guards. Gensai approached the well but Jirōzō had expected this and challenged him. Gensai said that there weren't many men in Minakuchi castle who were as intelligent as he. Jirōzō said that to kill a contemptible ninja like him was beneath the dignity of his sword, however, to save the life of Lord Sadanobu, he would get his blade dirty. They duelled and Gensai eventually grasped Jirōzō's sword in his artificial hand and disarmed him. He then cut him down. Jirōzō died in Shintarō 's arms, calling "Shino"  Shintarō  took his body back to the Toyama house and admonished his children not to seek revenge as the terrible memory of taking a man's life would haunt them the rest of their lives and bring no satisfaction and their father would not want that. (Iga Ninjas)

Toyama, Shino Daughter of Jirōzō, she worked in the castle as a maid to the lady of the castle who sent her in to town on the evening her father was assigned to guard the castle grounds while Lord Sadanobu was staying there.  She was accompanied by Shūsuke, her servant They both noticed they were being followed by a traveller and she sent Shūsuke to find out who the man was. As she moved from their hiding place, she broke her sandal. When Shintarō  offered to fix it for her, she ran off. She was surrounded by Wolf Ninja who demanded to know what room Sadanobu was staying in. She refused to tell them. She defended herself with her dagger but was disarmed and threatened with disfigurement and torture. Shintarō  arrived and drove them off. She thanked him for saving her life and reluctantly let him fix her sandal. Later she asked the name of her father's killer as both she and her brother wanted to try, at least, to take revenge. Shintarō  replied that this business of a life for a life was what kept their country from being peaceful and being a samurai was no reason for revenge. He then treated them to a lecture that she was a woman (what is this man's problem, some of his most deadly enemies were women) and her brother was too young to fight. The ugly memory of killing a man would haunt them the rest of their lives and would overshadow any satisfaction they had in taking revenge. Their father would not be happy if this act clouded their lives. He urged them to live honest lives and make their father proud. He asked if they understood and Shino said yes. Just then Gensai, who was under the floor (and doubtless unfortunate enough to have had to sit through the lecture as well, no wonder Shintarō  got on his wick) thrust his sword into the room and missed Shintarō  who chased him outside where he realised that Gensai was the one who had killed Jirōzō. Shino and her brother also heard this but had taken Shintarō 's words to heart and stayed where they were, making no move to try to kill Gensai. (Iga Ninjas)

Tsubame Dōjin Leader of a group of Spider Ninja whose speciality seemed to have been hanging from web-like ropes in trees. He claimed that Spider ninja had no families and lived only for their art and their swords which was why they could not be defeated. They would outlast both Iga and  Kōga ninja. He first appeared hanging from a kite which gave him a good view over most of the countryside. He was thus able to inform Kitōbō and his men that Koshinjo had already left Soga village and that he and his spider ninja would capture her. He and his band waylaid Koshinjo and Shūsaku in the Gongen forest blocking their path with rope webs in the trees from which they hung. Shūsaku bravely tried to attack them with his sword but was easily disarmed, tossed to a ninja in the trees and then tossed where Tonbei was able to catch him instead. Meantime Shintarō  waded in, sword flashing and killed many of the Spider ninja. Dōjin collected his dead and disappeared, saying they would meet again.  He and his group also surrounded a hut where Tonbei and five Iga ninja had taken refuge. They picked them off one by one except for one who escaped though badly wounded and Tonbei who almost took his own life. Dōjin was killed by Shintarō . (Fuma Ninjas)

Tsuge Sanpei One of five Iga ninja who were sent with Tonbei to Edo to discover the history of Odawara Castle. He took care of the poison from the Fūma shuriken which Tonbei had received in his shoulder in the fight with the Fūma by the river. However, the Fūma ninja taunts caused him to rush outside the hut to issue a challenge for them to face the Iga ninja. He went down in a hail of shuriken and was taken back into the hut. He needed a doctor because of the poison in the knives and the others wanted to get Shintarō 's help which is why several attempts were made to break through the Fūma lines. When Dōjin taunted them that the other Iga ninja were dead and they realised that no help would come, he ran outside, saying he was dying anyway. He announced his name and said his family were famous as the most skilled of Iga ninja. He went down in a hail of shuriken which nailed him to a tree. When one Fūma ninja knocked him over, his body exploded taking a number of them with him. (Fuma Ninjas)

Tsukimi Lake In the grounds of Edo castle. The shogun had it connected to the moat by a tunnel so it would not dry up in times of drought. Sakura  no Tsubone liked to walk around the lake every day and was kidnapped by the Phantom ninja who got in and took her out via the tunnel. (Phantom Ninja)

Tsukinoyo Kunajiri chief who the women of Shibuchari River hope will take them in and help them. (Spy Swordsman)

Tsurunosuke see Kotsuru

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Uda, Hōgen Negoro ninja who grew up with Kishū ninja Kuraida Magojūrō. He and Magojūrō were selected by Garyūdōshi, who was well aware of their friendship, to fight the first duel between Kishū and Negoro . Garyūdōshi even sent Onime along to "help" Hōgen who rejected this assistance. He didn't want to fight Magojūrō but had no choice. When he finally killed him, he held him and said "I'm sorry". He then went to Magojūrō's house and told his son. Genichirō, that his father was dead and that he was the one who killed him. He tried to provoke the boy into killing him, calling him coward when Genichirō made no hostile move, true to his promise to his father. He also told him not to call him "Uncle Hōgen" any more. There was a brief fight in which Hōgen all but ran on to Genichirō's sword and died, saying to him, "Now you have avenged your father." Shintarō 's comment: "For the sake of of the boy, you came here to die." (Ninja Terror)

Uda Valley In Iga country where Genkurō was seen walking by one of Dōgan's pupils. (Iga Ninjas)

Ukai, Senzō An Iga ninja, one of those on Genkurō's "Death notice", who missed the meeting at the Totsuka teahouse. He turned up, disguised as a komusō, at a nearby temple, as one of the walking dead with a sword slash on his forehead. Through him, Genkurō announced he had killed him and would attack Sadanobu that night. This was a piece of misdirection as he intended to attack Sadanobu that day as he passed, using a rocket. (Iga Ninjas)

Ukon One of the six original Kishū ninja guarding Prince Yorikata. He, along with Kansuke and Yotoji were killed, one by one by Shinigami disguised as a harmless woodsman. (Ninja Terror)

Unosuke  See Saitsu Unosuke

Urabe Hidari Chief of the Muei ninja. He reported to Kongō his men's failure to find Shintarō on the Kiso-Kaidō. Kongō was surprised as he had planted enough false information to induce Shintarō  to take that road. Hidari pointed out that the road branched at Shimosuwa and perhaps Shintarō had taken the other road (which indeed was the case thanks to Tarōbō). He then received a message top from his men saying Shintarō had been seen on the Kiso road. When he returned he found they had been killed by Tarōbō. He demanded Tarōbō's name and was told it and that he was  a Gen ninja, one of the original ninja clans and older than Kōga or Iga. Hidari thought they had disappeared long ago. Tarōbō loftily informed him that the ninja were to spend their lives perfecting their techniques not winning fame like the Kōga and the Iga. Like Kongō before him (when talking to Genshin), Hidari became impatient with a lecture on ninjutsu. Tarōbō then tried to persuade him to sever his ties with Kongō as Kongō's actions were hastening the demise of the  ninja clans and ninja should have no masters (basically who died and made Kongō king?). He intended to kill Shintarō himself and thus surpass Kongō. He boasted he had already interfered with Kongō's plans by diverting Shintarō from the Kiso road. Hidari was having none of it and tried to stop Tarōbō wiht his magic top. This worked for a while, causing the Gen ninja to spin around trying to strike the top as it struck him. However, he killed Hidari using the illusion he was in trouble then appearing next to him in a tree. He took the challenge from his body which named the next ninja group as Shintō. He then hid the body in some bushes but after he left, a message top emerged from the body and flew to Kongō which relayed the entire conversation. (Contest of Death)

Usu Small town where Yaichi and Soshichi lived and where Yaichi was an official. Chūsuke, when released from gaol,  returned there to seek revenge on Yaichi. (Spy Swordsman)

Usui Pass A natural boundary between Gunma Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture. The original pass is 1200 metres in altitude. Above the pass is the Kumano Shrine (perhaps where Kirimaru put Tonbei). Location of Kirimaru's attempt on Shintarō's life. (Contest of Death)

Usuzumi see Higure Usuzumi

Utsunoya Pass was considered the third most dangerous pass on the Tōkaidō, after Hakone and Satta (though Genkurō considered it the worst). He intended to attack Sadanobu there after removing Shintarō  who was tricked into looking over the edge and falling down its steep side.  (Iga Ninjas)

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Wada Pass In Nagano Prefecture, it was where Dōjin disguised himself as a wounded old man and swapped the fake letter from Sadanobu for the real one when Kaichi bent to help him. It was also where Dōjin captured Tonbei on his way to Edo and took him to the Devil Mask House. (Contest of Death)

Wadazaka Outlook Place where the Old Man and his entourage rested and was spied upon by Tonbei. As the Old Man was about to leave a young woman, Ritsu, and a young man, Musuke, appeared to challenge him, saying they were the children of the man he had forced to commit suicide. Shintarō  came to their aid when it looked like they were getting the worst of it The Old Man was amused that Shintarō  had helped those two, as he knew they were really Black Ninja. (Black Ninja)

Water canteen In the form of a length of bamboo (approx. 30 cm) with stoppers at each end and carried round the waist. Tonbei lost his in a fight with Oboro which was staged by her just for that purpose so he would have to look for water and leave Shintarō  alone. (Fūma Ninja Continued)

Water Castle Tonbei remarked that he was pretty sure there were no castles in the area (Ōyama, Mt. Fuji, Ashigara) but Shintarō  pointed out that castles often had nicknames such as Sendai Castle being known as Green Leaf and so on. However, he did not think the Water Castle would be a normal castle with walls and towers. Even though they had the map and according to it were quite close, they could not find it. Was it upstream or down stream on the river they were following? However, when Kotarō saw the map which Saizō stole from them, he said he thought he knew where it was. Shintarō  surmised it was a cave as the place on Enoshima where the first map had been found was a cave and the Wind Fort had been a cave. Kotarō fed Saizō the rumour that  villagers talked of a waterfall where people did not return if they went near it and that one man did return and he said there was a cave with a wall in it nearby. However, there was indeed a cave at the waterfall, it was behind it. The interior was similar to the caves at Enoshima and the Wind Fort except water poured down the interior like a shower. There was a panel in the wall above the slot for the mirror with the Hōjō crest on it. The mirror slot was plain with no character for "water". Inside was a map to the Fire Tower which was near Odawara. Kotarō snatched half of the map before Shintarō  could read more.  (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Water Mirror Trick Method used by Yamizato Danjo to disguise himself. He would take the victim by the scruff of the neck and hold his face over a bowl or body of water (the victim could be dead or alive). Then he would put his own face in the reflection and thus assume the victim's features. To remove the disguise, he would simply pour some water over his face. (Phantom Ninja)

Water Spiders (mizugumo) Type of shoe used by ninja for crossing water by walking on its surface. Musai used a pair to cross the moat at the Odawara castle and hung them on the lower wall when he scaled it to enter the castle. However, Tonbei removed them so that Musai had to swim back to the other side. Some were hung on the walls inside the Fūma dragon ship. Genzō the Spider also used them  ( Koga Ninjas, Fuma Ninjas)

Water Tiger Mirror The first of the mirrors the Fūma wanted which would lead them to the Hōjō treasure. They stole this from Edo Castle during a night of a typhoon (torrential rain and high winds). Fūma  Kotarō claimed they had not "stolen" it. They had reclaimed what was theirs. The Fūma ninja were not thieves. Kitōbō brought the mirror to Kotarō in the temple of Marishiten where, later, Kotarō used it to locate the Wind Thunder mirror by chanting  :Wind calls water; water calls fire; fire calls water...Water Tiger yells to Wind Thunder." (Fuma  Ninjas)

West Building The part of Wakayama Castle where Prince Yorikata lived. Gen'yōsai was waylaid by Garyūdōshi while running back from there. Onime sent three barely trained Negoro there to kill Yorikata as part of Garyodōshi's plan wear down those guarding him in order to lure Yorikata out of the castle.( Ninja Terror)

Wheel Attack Used by Yashamaru and his men against Shintarō  at the shrine by the lake. (Iga Ninjas)

Wind Fort Built 200 years before and up a mountain, guarded over the centuries by one family. When the current Guardian was about five it was said there was a treasure of a million gold pieces there. People who lived near there and in other districts who came went crazy looking for the treasure and sons fought fathers and the mountain became a bloody battlefield. Because of this fighting the Guardian's father moved the Wind Fort to a different location, or so the Guardian said but that may have been to confuse Dennai who was on the roof eavesdropping. It certainly looked old and established. . It was inside a cave, half way up a cliff, similar in appearance to the one on Enoshima as Shintarō  observed with similar carvings (of family crests) in the ceiling). On the altar was carved the character "kaze" ('wind') and when the Wind/Thunder mirror was pressed against it, a hidden cavity opened  under the stone lantern beneath it. Another map was found within , this one leading to the Water Castle. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Wind Thunder Mirror The second of the mirrors the Fūma wanted which would lead them to the Hōjō treasure. Kotarō used the Water Tiger mirror to locate it at Kaori's home. It was left to Kaori by her mother. Tonbei substituted a fake with glass in it (the Hōjō mirrors were all of polished metal with a pattern on the back) so when three Fūma tried to terrorise Sōshūya Denzō into giving it to them., he made off with the real mirror. He then hid it in the rafters of the Iga Ninja Mansion as they were expecting an attack from the Fūma ninja. When most of the Iga were killed, Tonbei retrieved it and made out through an attic window where he was confronted by Kotarō who had guessed at such an exit. In a brief duel, Tonbei was cut on the wrist by Kotarō's sword but managed to get away with the mirror thanks to Shintarō's arrival. (Fuma Ninjas)

Wolf Ninja Five of these were hired by Genkurō in Minakuchi where they seem to have been based to supplement his losses. They were known for fighting in packs whereas most ninja were trained to fight as individuals. Despite their different fighting styles, they would have been regarded as brother ninja by Genkurō's group, according to Tonbei, so the two groups could work together. All five tried to coerce Shino into telling them which room was Sadanobu's in the castle but were driven off by Shintarō . Two went with Gensai to put sleeping powder in the well in Minakuchi Castle. They drew the guards away while Gensai tossed the powder in the well. They and Hayato attacked the Iga guards outside the warehouse where Sadanobu was hiding while Genkurō kidnapped him at the inn at Miya. They were all killed their by Tonbei and Shintarō .  (Iga Ninjas)

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Yaheiji One of the Iga  ninja searching the lake for Sakura no Tsubone. He found a tunnel at the bottom of the lake and followed it thus confirming that this was the way the phantom  ninja took Sakura out of the castle. Later he and Kisaburō followed the disguised Densai who lured them into a trap in the woods where he killed them. When Tonbei stumbled across the bodies, Chidori told him that was what came of following a Phantom ninja. (Phantom Ninja)

Yaheiji the Typhoon 10th of the master Fūma ninja, his special skill seemed to have been moving very fast, encircling his opponent and pulling up tatami mats to form a sort of corral around him. He also gathered information very quickly, impressing Kotarō, who joined him disguised as a traveller, getting a light from his pipe, as they looked at Okuno in procession. He discovered that this assistant minister at Odawara Castle was corrupt and wanted to take over from his superior, Jindai Naiki. He set in motion a plan to force Okuno to make a move against Jindai and then offer to aid Jindai in return for his joining with the Fūma so they could take over the castle along with the descendants of the Hōjō. He did that by revealing Okuno's corruption to Jindai, thus forcing Okuno to act against him. He also arranged for Shintarō  and Tonbei to go to Jindai's house at midnight with a false message so was able to tell Okuno that Jindai was in league with government spies, an offence punishable by death. This led Okuno to make his move against Jindai. Yaheiji disguised himself as Okuno when Shintarō  (with Tonbei) came to demand who told the Fūma about him. In the ensuing fight Shintarō  was apparently captured and bundled into the litter sent to Jindai's house. There Yahieji quickly dealt with Okuno who was of no further use to him and approached Jindai, asking him to join the Fūma and telling him that in order to be safe he should kill Shintarō  and Okuno as they were the only ones who knew he had been seen with shogunate spies. However, it was Tonbei disguised as Shintarō , not Shintarō  himself who was tied up in the litter and Shintarō  appeared behind Yaheiji. He wanted to know where Kotarō was and if Yaheiji told him, he could go back to his mountains. Yaheiji said he would take revenge for the other nine master Fūma ninja. He then tried his trick of running around his opponent and pulling up the tatami to trap them but was killed when Shintarō  ran his sword through one of the mats into his back. Kotarō managed to seize with a grapnel the rest of the Fire Tower map which Shintarō  dropped during the fight.. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Yaichi Minor official in the small town of Usu who was known for his strength and for single-handedly throwing the outlaw Chūsuke the Weasel in gaol some years before. His wife, Katsu was dead and he had one son, Soshichi who hero-worshipped him. Everyone in the town thought he would run away when Chūsuke returned after being released from gaol. Some thought he had better leave town then they would be safe if he wasn't there.  No one would stand by him when he asked, not even his friend, Kahei, though he did lend him his musket. Deep down he knew he was afraid but he resolved to stay. Kahei reproved him for not calling on Kiba's aid when he passed through to distribute a poster of Shintarō. He said that defending the town was his responsibility alone. When Chūsuke came down the deserted street looking for him, he ran into his office where the musket was. Chūsuke taunted him and tried to draw him out. Eventually he came out and faced him with the musket. Shintarō shot Chūsuke so it looked like Yaichi had done it. He told Soshichi his father was a brave and great man. (Spy Swordsman)

Yakken Where the ronin, Hatakeyama Jihei's house was which had stolen goods in the roof. (Phantom Ninja)

Yamabushi A follower of the Shugendō sect, often translated as "mountain ascetic" or "mountain priest" or "mountain hermit". One of the seven disguises used by ninja when travelling. The Negoro ninja and their leader, Garyūdōshi and also Tarōbō favoured this costume.

Yamada Retainer of the Sakai clan who welcomed Hakuunsai and bade him enter after the gatekeeper fetched him in response to Hakuunsai's display of the shogun's family crest. Kazama asked the guard if the monk was a friend of Yamada's. Later he was sent by the lord of Sakai to find whoever had been spying on them but found the room empty. The lord ordered him to kill the spy but Hakuunsai assured him that it would be taken care of. (Black Ninja)

*Yamada, Hachiemon One of two Iga ninja Genkurō cited as having used his skills many years before in bringing down a castle. He said his own ambition was greater as he intended to overthrow the whole country. Yamada was probably best known in history for winning a bet he had with a samurai friend that he couldn't steal the samurai's sword in broad daylight. He did so while the samurai was kneeling in a crowd in prayer at a shrine. He was also said to have had a fancy ninja hood which made him look as if he had three heads. (Iga Ninijas)

Yamakawa Chōbei Magistrate at Oshima who obtained travel documents for the false Nobuchiyo (Spy Swordsman)

*Yanagisawa, Yoshiyasu (1658-1714) He was given the fief of Kōfu when the previous ruler, Tsunatoyo who was the nephew of the shogun Tsunayoshi, was adopted by him. in 1704. Yanagisawa had been a simple samurai but had risen in power and influence as the protégé of Tsunayoshi. (This is the same Yanagisawa who featured as the villain in Laura Joh Rowland's Sano Ichiro series).  According to Shintarō  he had built Kōfu Castle. In 1724 the family was transferred to Kōriyama and Kōfu belonged to the shogun who was represented by a military governor in the castle. ( Koga Ninjas)

Yanagiya Inn in Noboribetsu where Nagaoka and his men stayed. (Spy Swordsmen)

Yamizato Danjo One of the Phantom ninja and a master of disguise.  He followed the Iga ninja Gensuke who had been sent to the library in Edo Castle to discover Kongō's real name. He attacked and killed him, weighting his body with a stone and dropping it in Kappa Lake after disguising himself as him. His method was to hold the victim's face so it reflected in water then put his face in the reflection thus assuming the other's features. He called this the "water mirror trick". Bad luck for him that Shūsaku decided to go swimming in the lake and found the body. Yamizato, in his guise as Gensuke, reported to Shintarō and Tonbei that Kongō's real name was Kōga Tarōmaru and that he frequently visited the late retainer Mizuno no Dewa. Tonbei falls for Yamizato's plot and believes that Mizuno is the Lord of Night though Shintarō has his doubts simply because Kongō told them who he was, knowing that with a little research, they could discover his real name and his association with Mizuno. No ninja would do anything to reveal the name of his current master. Yamizato as Gensuke later offered to go to the Mizuno mansion, as he knew someone there, to find out what was going on and told Tonbei that with a little bribe he had discovered that a man looking like Kongō plus seven others had come there. Tonbei planned a midnight attack, detailed his plan to the other Iga ninja then "Gensuke" came back after he had dismissed them. Asked if something was bothering him, he bent over and whispered, "Yes, you see I am not really Gensuke" and revealed his true face. He then attempted to steal Tonbei's face, boasting that in that guise he could kill the others in the "book of death" with impunity. Tonbei resisted, giving Shintarō time to get in and fight him. He was killed. (Phantom Ninja)

Yashamaru Okayo's trainer who warned her that Shintarō  was a skilled enemy but she must kill him as she must avenge her brother, Koheita, and Mimihei. He and some other Iga joined her at the Sagamiya inn near Hakone to kill Shintarō  but found the room empty. Shintarō  was waiting at the shrine by the lake. Okayo was wounded and all but Yashamaru killed. Yashamaru escaped using water-spiders across the lake but was attacked and killed by the dying Sannosuke. (Iga Ninjas)

Yashimori  A master of disguise who lived many years ago who was quoted by Genkurō as saying there were many ways to disguise oneself but first get close to the enemy. He put this into action by having his men assume the disguise of pilgrims just as the Iga ninja guards had and  that they would all be concentrating on being in disguise and not be aware of the substitution. This way they would indeed get close to the enemy and be able to kill Sadanobu. (Iga Ninjas)

Yashū Ninja Jinpachi was one. Presumably they came from Shimotsuke province (modern Tochigi prefecture). They do not seem to have been a part of the contest of skills. (Cont4est of Death)

Yatsugai Ainu, a representative of Onibishi, the chief of Hai, in negotiations to  buy thirty "new style" guns from the smuggler, Denbei. He offered to  buy the lot and outbid Hajika who made the same offer. When the baggage train with the gunpowder was attacked by Kamokuin, he threatened to blow it up (and everyone else) if he was killed, He claimed he was Onibishi himself. He was captured by Kiba, who sustained a wound to the hand, when Shintarō blew the gunpowder up. (Spy Swordsman)

Yokochi Genbei Name used by Nagaoka Genba as sword instructor to the Matsumae clan.. (Spy Swordsman)

Yorikata, Prince Older son of the Lord of Kishū, a slight, scholarly youth. He was reluctant to become the new lord after his father died as he was in poor health and just wanted to live in peace. He would be quite happy to turn everything over to his younger brother. However, Oribe reminded him that his younger brother was only a boy and would need an experienced regent. Thanks to the conspiracy, he got around despite his frailness. First he was induced to leave the castle to go to his ancestors' graves on Mount Kōya which he did in the company of Shintarō  and Tonbei (at one time they dressed exactly as him to confuse the Negoro). He then went by boat down the Chibu River and up the Yoshino River. After that he was sent to Iga country to be hidden by Tonbei's old teacher, Handayū.  (Ninja Terror)

Yoshimatsu Son of Oshizu, a maid at the inn where Shintarō  was staying in Miya. He was playing hide and seek on the beach with his friends and hid in the boat which Sadanobu was to take to sail to Kuwana the next day. Tonbei taught him the Ninja Hiding Trick which seemed to have worked too well as his playmates gave up and went home. He fell asleep in the boat then woke up and was found by Gensai and two other ninja who were loading gunpowder in chests into the boat. They also captured his mother when she came looking for them and tied them up, intending to put them in the boat as well so they would be blown up with the other passengers. Shintarō  and Tonbei, who had gone looking for him at his mother's request, took on the ninja (though Gensai escaped into the sea) and rescued both him and his mother. (Iga Ninjas)

Yoshino Town in a mountainous area famous for its cherry blossoms and at one time an imperial residence. Shintarō  stopped at an inn there with Shūsaku though he had hoped to go on to Sekino. At the inn, Kurobei appeared and claimed to be an Iga ninja sent by Sadanobu. He endeavoured to ingratiate Shintarō  by testing all the dishes of their meal for poison and by amusing Shūsaku with the history and meaning of ninjutsu. ( Koga Ninjas)

Yoshino River Shintarō  said that by going up the Yoshino River, which they were approaching on the Chibu River, they would be safe from the Negoro. (Ninja Terror)

Yoshirō A servant or employee of Izumiya's whom he called when his daughter disappeared and got no reply (Phantom Ninja)

Yoshitsuna, Prince Younger son of the Lord of Kishū (not actually seen), still a boy. Naitō Daigaku, his father's retainer, and Negoro ninja Garyūdōshi plotted to make him the next lord instead of his older brother after his father's death. (Ninja Terror)

Yoshiwara Post town and 15th stage on the Tōkaidō. At a forest near it, Genkurō attacked two of Sadanobu's guards, including the captain, who were scouting ahead of the convoy. He knocked them off their horses, tied them to a tree and sent one of their horses off on a mad gallop where Shintarō  secured it. He thus tricked him into coming to the forest using Okayo's message about a horse tied to a tree. He wanted to talk. "You planned this well,": Shintarō  observed. "Ninjas always do," he purred in reply. Genkurō then challenged Shintarō  to a duel at 6pm at the Ōtoku temple in a suburb of Yoshiwara. (Iga Ninjas)

Yotoji One of the six original Kishū ninja guarding Prince Yorikata. He, along with Kansuke and Ukon were killed, one by one by Shinigami disguised as a harmless woodsman. (Ninja Terror)

Yotsuya  Town on the outskirts of Edo (now a part of Tokyo). The location of the Sainenji and the Iga Ninja Mansion. The body of the third victim of the murderous ronin (Kongō) was left in a tree in the grounds of the Sainenji where the blood drops fell on Shūsaku who fainted). Yotsuya was burnt during the fires of 1790. (Phantom Ninja, Contest of Death)

Yūgasumi Ninja Next in the contest of skills after the Shintō ninja, their boss was Manji Kurojō.  Tarōbō was successful in persuading them to betray Kongō and go over to him. They infiltrated the inn, disguised as pilgrims, where Shintarō and Tonbei were staying. Tarōbō told Shintarō they were there (in his helpful guise). Shintarō. had them leave the inn so as not to endanger any bystanders in the fight. He succeeded in killing them but found Tarōbō lurking and realised Kongō had been telling him the truth in his warning about the Gen ninja. The Yūgasumi ninja liked to fight upside down, hanging from tree branches by their knees. The next name on the challenge was Kōga, as Kongō himself had decided to take the field.  (Contest of Death)

Yūgiri Daughter of retired Hakuun ninja Naruko Ichiden and also trained as a ninja since she was six.. Kongō considered her "quite skilful" and permitted her to to take up the task of assassinating Shintarō in her father's place. She did not want the reward of having a place with a domain lord. All she anted was for her father and herself to be allowed to live out their lives in peace.  She disguised herself as a maid at the Takase  inn in Honjo where Shintarō and Tonbei were staying. She brought them tea, then noticed the lamp was playing up and offered to get another wick. She did so then watched from the ceiling as the wick oil burnt low releasing her father's sleeping gas. However, they had checked the lamp and seen nothing wrong with it so were waiting for some sort of attack. They were  surprised it was the "maid". though. Ichiden having been advised by Kongō she had taken up the challenge but no matter how well trained she was she would be no match for Shintarō, had come to rescue her. He ended up fighting Shintarō until paralysed by his sword trick while she fought Tonbei. Shintarō made them realise they were each doing this for the other and they surrendered. They set out on a new life in the guise of pilgrims while Shintarō and Tonbei tricked Kongō into thinking they were dead.  (Contest of Death)

Yuki Wife of a fisherman from a village of ethnic Japanese in Ezo. She was taken by the Ainu chief of that village, Onibishi, as his wife. She gave her son, Zenta, one of a pair of identical amulets made from her grandmother's kimono so they could recognise each other if every they met again. Shintarō  disguised himself as an old Ainu to meet her and showed her Zenta's amulet. She refused to see Zenta saying it would do him no good at this point, she couldn't go back to her old life and he couldn't come to that village. Shintarō accused her of heartlessness. She refused to divulge Shintarō's whereabouts to Onibishi or Kiba until the latter threatened to kill Zenta. Later a message was sent by arrow to Tojuin shrine apparently from her arranging to meet Zenta by the shore. This was a trap with Yuki as bait. She was shot full of arrows in the back when Shintarō  attempted to get her away. Onibishi was angry and demanded which of his men had done this. Dying, she told Zenta that she would always live on in his heart. (Spy Swordsman)

Yuki Granddaughter of the Guardian of the Wind Fort, who found Shintarō  wounded on the path to the Wind Fort where she had gone to pick some camellias. Prior to that she encountered Fūma ninja Dennai  the Bat in the guise of a samurai who asked her where the Wind Fort was. She said she had never heard of it.  She took Shintarō  to a hut half way up the mountain where she and her grandfather concealed him under the floor when Dennai came to ask if a young wounded samurai had come there. She managed to persuade her reluctant grandfather to take Shintarō  to the Wind Fort. Shintarō  was horrified that she would have the same life as her grandfather, just guarding the Wind Fort in such a remote place. While he was guiding Shintarō, she was sent to find Tonbei and Shūsaku whom she'd seen when she found Shintarō  but had not contacted. She was intercepted by Dennai again who threatened her life if she did not take him to the Wind Fort, pointing out she had fooled him twice before. Her grandfather arrived with Shintarō  and shot and wounded Dennai. Once Shintarō  had retrieved the map to the Water Castle from the Wind Fort and despatched Dennai, she and her grandfather were free to start a new life.  (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Yumesuke Black Ninja killed because of Shintarō . (Black Ninja)

Yūnoya Inn in Tonosawa where Shintarō stayed and was almost poisoned. (Puppet Ninja)

Yuri Daughter of Kokufūsai, former Fūma Ninja who left them five years before. She had been trained  by her father to live on her own in the mountains should anything happen to him. She managed to evade the Fūma sent to capture her to hold her hostage for Kokufūsai's cooperation in his mission to kill Shintarō . She next briefly encountered Shūsaku by a river where he came to fill his water canteen. She warned him away when he only wanted someone his own age to talk to. Shortly afterwards she was set on by more Fūma and Shintarō  and Tonbei came to her rescue but she disappeared. Finally she appeared at the temple to beg Shintarō  not to kill her father. When last seen she and her father were setting off for a new life, accompanying Shūsaku to Odawara where he was to stay with the nun Koshinjo. (Fuma Ninjas Continued)

Yuri Kirimaru's sister, captured by Kongō of  Kōga to use against her brother and to trap Shintarō  He substituted Nagisa so Shintarō would rescue her and she would have a chance to kill him. She did not appear to have any ninja skills or training. (Contest of Death)