The pampered geisha feared them like fire, and cold-blooded ninja bypassed the twentieth road. Legends were made about their education and refined beauty, every man secretly dreamed of meeting them and … was mortally afraid of this meeting.
Indeed, there is no enemy more dangerous than a beautiful woman. The fragile Kunoichi no jutsu entered the impregnable citadels, where the Japanese ninja could hardly climb the steep walls, stepping silently with tiny legs like chrysanthemum stalks. An ogi (fan) fluttered in a small hand, for a second he opened the deep languid eyes of the beauty for men and immediately hid them in fright. She could entertain those present for several hours with an intelligent and informative conversation, play musical instruments for guests, dance and sing, and brilliantly conduct a tea ceremony. And then, just as quietly and imperceptibly dissolve in the predawn haze, taking with it the life of the one for whom this visit was actually intended.
Who were these mysterious, dangerous and beautiful girls at the same time?
The origin of the word "kunoichi"
"Kunoichi" (く ノ 一) is the name of a female ninja.
This term may have come from the names of three kanji-like characters used to write the word "woman" (女, onna):: "ku" (く) - "but" (ノ) - "iti" (一). Early literary sources such as Enshū Senkuzuke Narabi Nihyaku In (遠 舟 千 句 附 并 百 韵, 1680) and Maekuzukeshū (前 句 付 集, 1716) clearly associate this word with kanji 女.
The background to the appearance of kunoichi.
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Immortalized in Takeda Stone!
The legendary Japanese commander and daimyo (prince) Takeda Shingen never knew the bitterness of defeat, covering his sword with immortal military glory, because he always walked one step ahead of the enemy.
Mochizuki Chieme - head of the kunoichi school!
He received the main operational information from female shinobi. When the most famous espionage master of the time, Mochizuki Moritoki, died in 1561 in the battle of Kawanakajima, his widow Mochizuki Chieme did not go to the monastery according to the existing tradition to mourn her husband, but decided to fight under the auspices of her uncle, the very Takeda Shingen, who was fighting for the unification of Japan. … The Mochizuki family has long been engaged in intelligence activities, and the young widow learned a thing or two during her husband's lifetime. Chieme founded and headed the school of female ninja who went down in history under the poetic name "kunoichi" - "deadly flowers".
Since the Mochizuki clan from ancient times controlled the activities of the yamabushi and miko monks (female mediums who acted as diviners at Shinto shrines, as well as servants at temple ceremonies) in the territory of Shinano Province (now Shigata), Prince Takeda came up with a brilliant idea, according to which Chiome Mochizuki was to train a group of well-trained miko girls who, along with the usual tasks of espionage, surveillance or running errands in Kai (now Yamanashi), where Prince Takeda's domain was located, could also be used in Shinano (now Shigata) province. Strategically, this province was particularly important, as both Takeda Shingen and his rival Uesugi Kenshin regarded it as an important strategic foothold in their future conquests. During his reign, Takeda attached great importance to the service of his devoted ninja infiltrators. For the most part, he recruited them from the ranks of his opponents. The kunoichi were just another link in his chain of informants, and a very important link, sometimes obtaining invaluable information.
Sometimes girls were simply bought from ruined peasants, and in the person of the kunoichi abbess they found a caring mother and a strict teacher. In the eyes of the peasants, such an abbess was deified, because she was a woman who warmed dozens of orphans with the warmth of her heart. At the first stage, the children were instilled with a feeling of boundless devotion in gratitude for the table and shelter, then they mastered the basics of obtaining and transmitting secret information, spreading rumors and destroying the enemies of the adoptive mother. As a result of many years of training and artificial sterilization, poor orphans turned into deadly weapons, before the spell of which no man could resist. The main thing in their training was the ability to manipulate men, to use their weaknesses to their advantage. Deep knowledge of psychology, acting talent, subtle intuition - these are the main weapons of a female ninja. Of course, this does not mean at all that the kunoichi could not use the techniques of physical influence - but about them and their specifics below.
Kunoichi training and secret activities
On a cold winter night at the pass of the Kaidomen mountains, a young kunoichi Masako in a dark dense forest came across a pack of hungry wolves. Not wanting to offend the kaiken blade with the blood of an unarmed animal, she clamped her thumbs in her palms with a “tight squeeze”, straightened her shoulders and walked towards the wolves. Fascinated by an unprecedented powerful internal energy, the animals set their tails between their tails and did not dare to attack the extraordinary girl …
Ninja girl
The kunoichi girls were fluent in different types of weapons. The silk folds of their clothes hid the shine of the shuriken (throwing stars), and sharpened hairpins were hidden in their skillful hairstyles. One injection - and the soul of a warrior in love with kunoichi went to the Buddha. No one knew their earthly names, only the Blooming Plum, Dancing Sakura, Heavenly Azure, Shiny Pearl … Long-term practice with heavy weapons rubbed calluses on the palms, and after training fights, bruises and abrasions could inevitably remain, especially on sensitive and tender female bodies. Therefore, the rate in women's preparation for a deadly fight was placed on something else. Above all, attention was paid to the sophisticated aspects of close combat (taijutsu) and the use of hidden, surprise, and small weapons (hibuki, shikomibuki, and kobuki). Ambush tacticsmethods of removing sentries or techniques of guerrilla warfare suitable for male ninjas - when training women, were replaced by manipulation skills and training intuition due to their great inclinations in the field of practical psychology when meeting a male enemy. Their main weapons were resourcefulness and flexibility, dexterity and speed of movement, accuracy and cunning … And, of course, female deceit - these are qualities that are very suitable for a kunoichi entering into an uncompromising duel with an enemy or defending her honor and life.accuracy and cunning … And, of course, female deceit - these are the qualities that are very suitable for a kunoichi entering into an uncompromising duel with the enemy or defending her honor and life.accuracy and cunning … And, of course, female deceit - these are the qualities that are very suitable for a kunoichi entering into an uncompromising duel with the enemy or defending her honor and life.
The kunoichi arsenal was huge, but the kanzashi were the weapon of choice. In many adventure books of that time, the phrase "she pulled a hairpin out of her hair with a reverse grip and got ready for battle" is often repeated. "Kanzashi" was made of wood, brass, cupronickel, sometimes treated with poison, so that even the slightest scratch would become fatal. The girl could instantly send the enemy to the next world with a special fan with double paper walls, between which a poisonous powder was poured, sprayed towards the victim.
"Kanzashi" - hairpins and the murder weapon
Fan "senseu-tessen" made of thin paper impregnated with poison, which is difficult to tear, but cuts like a blade.
Other notable weapons were the 70 cm weighted manrikigusari chain or the naginata halberd. The cat's claws looked more fantastic - "nekode", something like thimbles with a 2-centimeter claw made of hardened steel (borrowed from the musicians of the traditional kato instrument), which could easily rip open the stomach, pull out a piece of meat and even pierce the skull. Moreover, many girls grew their own nails and, by treating them with special solutions, brought them to a state of incredible hardness.
"Manrikigusari"
Halberd "naginata"
Cat's claws - "nekode"
The most popular self-defense weapon of medieval Japanese women - ten-centimeter thick needles with tassels of silk threads - also used "invisibility", they were worn in a whole set on the left behind the belt in a tiny paper sheath. The Kunaichi knew very well where to drive them into.
There were also triangular "spitting" needles that were blown from a paper tube directly into the victim's eye. However, in the hands of an experienced ninja, any object turned into a deadly weapon. A sharp blade or a poisoned arrow could suddenly jump out of the staff of a harmless nun, a gentle geisha could instantly cut her throat with a sheet of paper or tickle her hair to her last breath. Kunoichi knew how to do without weapons at all, applying the technique of "death touch" to special points on the head and spine.
In case of failure …
Enemy counterintelligence has always been on the alert. For all these "cute" spy tricks with the declassified kunoichi, the enemies dealt with them accordingly: they gave them to the guards to be mocked, and then boiled them alive in boiling oil. Very rarely they were given life, while turning them into a "pig", chopping off their arms and legs, gouging out their eyes and cutting off their tongue … Therefore, often, falling into a trap, not defeated by the hand of the enemy, but a loser, kunoichi sacrificed herself. She punished herself severely for a single blunder, depriving the enemy of the well-deserved pleasure of being caught. A hairpin, a dagger or a drop of poison often served as an assistant in this. For example, they cut their throats with a dagger, after having tied their legs at the knees so that the death cramps would not give the body an unworthy position. The worst self-destruct was to die of pain and bleeding:the captured kunoichi bit her own tongue and kept her mouth closed until suffocation and pain drove her soul out into the kingdom of shadows.
Insidious and deadly grace and beauty of warrior women!
They knew everything about …
In most men, the feminine forms evoke the thrill of lust. If you like a certain woman too much and want her too much, that can become weakness and make you insane. Therefore, the Kunoichi had an excellent mastery of the land technique (sex). They knew many ways of sexual pleasure and surpassed most modern masseuses in their knowledge. Koshoku ho (literally "methods to show sensuality and arouse voluptuousness") is, so to speak, the "first step", the basis from which to start. In order to seduce a man, it was first recommended to awaken a sensual attraction (shikijou) in him, best of all, by appearing in front of him in the role of a keisei (courtesan) and becoming attractive to the "object being developed." impliedthat kunoichi can build on their success in one of three ways.
Lurking danger!
The first, the simplest and most "rude" method, is called shushoku ho or "the ability to seduce a drunk." As the proverb says, "what's on the mind of a sober, drunk on the tongue" and a female ninja who possessed the special art of maintaining conversations on any topic (ubaguchijutsu - literally "the art of chatting like an old woman", "the art of gossip"), achieved her goal quickly and without any problems. Sometimes, to enhance the effect, of course, narcotic "additives" to drinks or food could be used, so that in the morning the chatterbox would not even remember not only what he was saying, but also the beauty he was telling all this. If necessary, deadly poison could also be used.
Kunoichi with poison in a cup
The second method, which is comparatively longer in time, is called injection (literally translated as "lust"). This method is based on the impact on the physical senses of a man: sight, hearing, smell, etc. Its essence is that a man really wants the insidious kunoichi physically and cannot do anything about it, burning with carnal lust. All his thoughts are occupied only with how to master it in the shortest possible time and for this he is ready for anything. Here, for the seductress, the ability to take the recommended sexual positions, talk and breathe in a special way, and also use special perfumes, and even food and drink come to the fore … If such a madman is promised to give a night of love, he can give anything for it, even go to betrayal and treason …
Insidious beauty, which is difficult to refuse!
The most difficult, but also the most productive (and long-term) method of obtaining the necessary information is the third method - ironna (danseku) ho ("the way of a lover (gay lover)), based on the art of aijutsu or, in short, jojutsu -" the art of love. " The most complex schemes for the development of relationships, tactics of love dating, the art of looking, the art of crying and rejoicing correctly and in time, and, of course, a sophisticated sex technique - this is an incomplete arsenal using this type of strategy based on miryokujutsu.
Among other things, kunoichi girls knew how to kiss perfectly.
The kiss that cost your life!
This pleasant procedure, performed by them, usually ended very badly. If it was necessary to kill, the kunoichi with a sharp jerk pulled out the root of the tongue, and the man began to literally choke in his own blood. And the painful shock that occurred at the same time completely deprived of the ability to react and after a few seconds was fatal.
Free cocktail "Jasper dew"
But the most insidious invisible weapon, of course, remained poisons. Mochizuki Chieme knew the secrets of more than 300 potions of various properties: medicinal and tonic, relaxing and stimulating, intoxicating and stimulating, and, of course, poisons and antidotes. If a slow-acting poison was required, tea was brewed with the poetic name "Gekuro" - jasper dew.
Gekuro tea.
It was poured into a bamboo vessel and buried for forty days to rot. The resulting black gruel, 2-3 drops per day, was mixed into food. A healthy person fell ill after 10 days, after 70 he died, the weak died earlier, and not a single doctor could determine the cause of death. "Dzagarashiyaku", poisons that kill on the spot, were also readily used. For example, seeds of unripe plum and peach, which are cooked together for a long time. If you want it for food, if you want it, spray it in the air. There is only one outcome.
"Blood" poisons were used to lubricate arrows, needles and "death stars" - shurikens. You could roast a giant, 22-centimeter body, Japanese toad "hikigaeru" on a spit. The poison will drain from the glands, ferment - and the victim will be paralyzed.
There were many soporific drugs. "If you dry hemp in the shade and grind it into flour, then boil it, add it to tea: from one sip you fall asleep, from two or three you will fall asleep with fever, and in a few days of such a treat, you will go crazy." It looks like a recipe from an ancient treatise.
House sweet to heart
The kunoichi dwelling was also a very peculiar structure. The usual one-story house was three-story inside, full of secrets and traps.
Here is such a house, which is full of surprises!
Most of the puzzles were located on the right, residential part. In addition to the main entrance, one could get inside through a small barred window that was opened in a clever way with a sheet of paper. Right at the entrance was the first trap: a secret staircase behind a sliding panel, standing on which, the pursuer flew into a deep pit with pointed bamboo stakes. The fleeing kunoichi knew the safe path, disappearing behind a secret revolving door or in an inconspicuous closet with a retractable staircase to the second floor. In the same closet there was a secret underground passage to the forest. Between the first and second floors there was one more: hidden, cramped (kunoichi were trained to fight in small spaces), connected with secret passages and a rope ladder to other rooms. Weapons were kept here. The floors in the attic could have collapsed under the feet of intruders. Even in the small shed there was a special niche with red clay, from which the blinding powder "metsubishi" was made. To this day, all of this can be seen in the Chieme Museum Estate, reconstructed by the descendants of the Mochizuki family.
The martial art of kunoichi, the only one that combines physical training, psychology and female physiology, has survived and is developing to this day. Modern "deadly flowers" own more than 150 types of the most modern weapons, and developing science has improved the methods of collecting information. Well, in the matter of psychological treatment of opponents, they still have no equal, and they can commit murders that do not leave any marks on the victim's body.
