Ninjutsu to Yojutsu
Ninjutsu and Magic 忍術と妖術, published in 1909, is an important early work on the history and traditions of the ninja and ninjutsu. It was written by Gingetsu Itoh 伊藤銀月, a newspaper reporter and researcher who began investigating ninjutsu in the early years of the twentieth century. His writings became widely popular in Japan and helped spark the growing fascination with the ninja that would develop into a major cultural phenomenon.
Originally serialized in the Asahi Shimbun, Ninjutsu and Magic was later published in book form. Long out of print and now sought after by collectors, this edition presents the first English translation of this influential work of early twentieth-century ninja research.
The book also includes three substantial supplemental sections. The first presents a collection of articles and historical accounts concerning ninjutsu from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including material on the Koga ninja and the Shoninki, as well as an account by the novelist Eiji Yoshikawa. The second examines yojutsu, or supernatural magic, and reproduces an illustrated account of Tenjiku Tokubei, the legendary traveler and reputed practitioner of magical arts. The third turns to the martial arts, recording encounters and duels between Japanese jujutsu and judo practitioners and Western boxers.
Together, these materials offer a fascinating glimpse into how ninjutsu, magic, and Japanese martial arts were being researched, interpreted, and popularized during the formative years of the modern ninja legend.
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