Japan Still Has Ninjas — But They’re About to Go Extinct

Ninjas are doomed. Can anything be done to rescue them?

The time has come for ninjas to permanently retire (Image by Philip and Linda Naudus/freepik)

For centuries, little was known about ninjas. Official records rarely confirmed their existence, making ninjas a fascinating mystery. But in 2012, Jinichi Kawakami came forward as the last surviving ninja grandmaster. “In the age of civil wars or during the Edo period, ninjas’ abilities to spy and kill, or mix medicine may have been useful,” Kawakami said:

“But we now have guns, the internet and much better medicines, so the art of ninjutsu has no place in the modern age.”

Shortly after Kawakami revealed himself to the world, another ninja grandmaster — Masaaki Hatsumi — also came forward. Neither of these men has appointed an heir. Once Kawakami and Hatsumi have passed away, ninjas will forever cease to exist.

Contrary to popular belief, these elite fighters lived ordinary lives, enabling them to blend into society. Kawakami was trained as an engineer because “you cannot make a living being a ninja.” When BBC interviewed Kawakami, this grandmaster found the idea of a full-time ninja laughable.

In feudal Japan, everyone was divided into four castes — warriors, farmers, artisans…