Japanese university sets up first ninja study centre
Interest in ninjas is resurging. The famous mercenaries are now used to promote tourism in the country. The facility will be located in Iga, a city once home to many ninja. The goal, says Japanese historian Yuji Yamada, is “to apply the wisdom of ninja to modern society”.
Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A Japanese university is planning what it says will be the world’s first research centre devoted to ninja – the black clad assassins known for secrecy and stealth.
Whilst mostly confined to history books and fiction, ninja have been enjoying something of a resurgence as Japanese authorities increasingly deploy them to promote tourism ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Now, Mie University in central Japan – the region considered the home of the feudal martial arts masters – has announced that a ninja research facility will be established in July.
It plans to compile a database of ninja and encourage cooperation between scholars from different disciplines who study ninja, according to Yuji Yamada, a professor of Japanese history at the university.
“We’ll conduct research on ancient documents and collaborate with science researchers to be able to apply the wisdom of ninja to modern society,” Yamada said.
The facility will be located in Iga, 350 km southwest of Tokyo, a mountain-shrouded city that was once home to many ninja.
Yamada also said that the centre plans to publish its research in English and well as Japanese so as to make it accessible for interested researchers and fans overseas.
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