A ninja (忍者) or shinobi (忍び) was a secret agent or mercenary of feudal Japan who specialized in unorthodox arts of war. The ninja's roles included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination and guerrilla warfare as well as open combat in certain situations. The ninja, using secret methods of making war, were contrasted with the samurai, who had strict rules about honor and combat. Just as there were female samurai, there were female ninja called kunoichi. The "shinobi" themselves, a group of specially trained spies and mercenaries, appeared in the 15th century during the Sengoku period,[4] but may have existed earlier in the 14th century, and possibly in the 12th century (Heian or early Kamakura era) .

1664 x 1664 - Digital Painting by Yomu Yakadashi - 2022