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Long before the modern Japan we know today,
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the ninja worked secretly in the shadows for hundreds of years.
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Public records about the ninja are scarce.
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NINJA TRUTH
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What image comes to mind when you hear the word "ninja?"
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Maybe a worrior of the shadows who uses super-human physical strength, the speed and agility of a monkey...
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and impressive fighting skills to defeat enemies.
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And come to the rescue of those in need.
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This image is said to have come from one ninja in particular.
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And his name is "Sarutobi Sasuke."
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There are a number of manga, anime, even movie characters based on Sarutobi Sasuke.
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So how did Sarutobi Sasuke become a ninja hero?
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Let's discover the NINJA TRUTH!
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"Sarutobi Sasuke: The Original Ninja Hero"
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The earliest stories about Sarutobi Sasuke are found in the art of Kodan.
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Today I'll tell you a story about Sarutobi Sasuke.
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Kodan is the traditional Japanese art of dramatic storytelling,
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with the storyteller tapping a fan on the lectern for emphasis.
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Sarutobi Sasuke was from Torii Pass in Shinshu.
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This is a place that is in the deep recesses of the mountains.
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As a boy, Sasuke met an old ninja master.
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Going deeper into the mountains, he began his ninja training.
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After rigorous training, Sasuke mastered the ninja arts.
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He, then, met the warlord, Sanada Yukimura.
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He was leaping around all over the place just like a monkey.
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Why don't you change your name to "Sarutobi (leaping monkey)" Sasuke?
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Sasuke became Yukimura's retainer and set out on a quest to defeat evil.
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However, Sarutobi Sasuke didn't really exist.
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He was a fictional ninja hero created by the Kodan storyteller Tamada Gyokushusai I around 150 years ago.
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The Kodan stories were made in the books, and the tales of Sarutobi Sasuke became popular with the general public.
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Gyokushusai didn't invent everything.
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In the story, Sarutobi Sasuke served Sanada Yukimura, who actually existed in real life.
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In search of clues about Sarutobi Sasuke,
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we visit the Agatsuma district of Gunma Prefecture, which was once ruled by the Sanada clan.
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There, we meet Yamaguchi Michiyoshi, an expert on the history of ninja in the Agatsuma area.
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- There are no clear records of Sarutobi Sasuke.
- Oh, really.
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However, there are two people who served as an inspiration.
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Sarutobi Sasuke is a fictional character, but it's said to be based on actual ninja from the Agatsuma area.
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These two records describe the battles fought by the Sanada clan during the Warring States period.
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In fact, these records show the exploits of the two ninja who served as models for Sarutobi Sasuke.
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The first model was Karasawa Genba, an extremely agile ninja with extraordinary jumping ability.
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According to one famous story about Genba,
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he once snuck into an enemy castle alone and stole some golden horse armor.
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Karasawa Genba was called "O-saru" or "monkey" when he was a child.
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"O-saru?"
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The same kanji character as in Sarutobi's name.
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The other model is the master archer Yokoya Sakon.
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This is a letter of appreciation from the Sanada clan to Sakon.
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He was a very skilled ninja, and a close aid to the Sanada entrusted with guarding them.
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Please look at this.
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What do you see?
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It's a sword.
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That's right.
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At first glance, it looks like an ordinary sword.
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But look here.
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It has a monkey engraved on it.
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This sword passed down through the Yokoya family for generations has monkeys depicted on their hand guard, collar and pommel.
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Sakon was a highly accomplished ninja and said to be one of the models for Sarutobi Sasuke as he carried this monkey sword.
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These capable ninja supported the Sanada clan from the shadows.
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They were, the Sanada ninja.
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The Sanada ninja were very strong.
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And often caused trouble for the Tokugawa forces.
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These ninja feature in a story called the Sanada Ten Braves.
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The hero of this story was Sarutobi Sasuke.
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It can be said that the Sanada ninja were the inspiration for Sarutobi Sasuke.
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We came here seeking the origins of Sarutobi Sasuke and we found the Sanada ninja.
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So what were the Sanada ninja like?
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The Sanada ninja specialized in gathering information.
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The important task of gathering information was carried out by Shugenja, mountainous ascetics.
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In this mountainous area there were people who practiced the mountain religion of Shugendo.
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They were called "Shugenja" or "Yamabushi."
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The Agatsuma region is set to have around 50 Shugendo training grounds and more practitioners than any other area.
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Shugenja practitioners could pass through checkpoints and challenged and could travel freely to other domains.
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This allow them to obtain information about various areas without having to sneak about like a ninja.
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They also used a Buddhist shakujo staff to measure distances and the sizes of building size
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by the number of times their staff struck the ground.
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The Sanada ninja excelled at taking advantage of the rugged mountainous terrain.
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If an enemy swung their sword as normal, it might get caught in the branches.
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The Sanada ninja gained an advantage by using their short swords effectively.
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Because they lived in mountainous regions from an early age,
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they learn to move and maintain their balance as if they were on flat land.
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The Sanada ninja took advantage of information received from the Shugenja,
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and they hung their combat skills in the mountainous terrain.
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The Sanada clan use these ninja to achieve victory in numerous battles.
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The Sanada ninja were active around about 400 years ago.
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In fact, some of their descendants still live here in the Agatsuma area, and we're going to meet them.
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We visit Warita Kiichiro, a descendant of the Sanada ninja.
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His ancestor was Warita Shimousa, described as "the most skillful ninja that ever lived."
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What kind of things did he get up to?
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We have one story he sneaked into the "Shiroi Castle" by himself and took the enemy's famous horse.
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Warita's ancestors were active as ninja working undercovers as traveling entertainers until about 150 years ago.
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He still has some of the ninja equipment used at that time.
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- That's a kiseru tobacco pipe, right?
- Yes.
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When asking for a light, you can quickly pull the end off and stab the enemy.
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- That's quite scary.
- Yes, it is.
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Warita was taught ninja skills such as strengthening his fists and fingers
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and standing on his tiptoes by his grandfather from an early age.
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There are many things that I can do, but I often use the breathing technique.
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When I breathe in, I tuck my stomach in.
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When I exhale, I expand my stomach.
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If you practice this repeatedly, you can hold your breath for a long time.
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That's amazing.
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Even now, I can hold it for about two minutes.
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Warita said he often felt that his grandfather was a real ninja.
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He always carried a stick that was about 6 feet long.
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When jumping down from a high place, he would quickly stick it in the ground to land safely.
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Wow, really?
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He attached a weight to the end of a thin rope, hung it on a tree, and then used it to swing.
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Your grandfather sounds like a hero from a Sarutobi Sasuke movie!
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Yes, he was very agile.
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He sounds amazing.
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Some of the Sanada ninja descendants are working to pass on their teachings to future generations.
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One is martial artist, Iyoku Matsukaze.
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Who was your ancestor?
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I'm the 14th generation descendant of Iyoku Uneme.
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Iyoku Uneme served as an "uma mawari," one of the lord's elite mounted guards.
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Iyoku says that without realizing it his grandmother taught him many of the Sanada ninja martial arts disguising it as play.
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For example, they played a game where he had to dodge his grandmother's stick when napping.
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I would be taking a nap, and start to feel wary.
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I would raise my body and kick up off the floor.
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This is a technique passed down by the Sanada ninja.
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The technique is called "Taiten" and teaches one to dodge the surprise attack, and turn it into a counter attack.
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Iyoku also played a game, balancing a teacup on his head practicing to prevent it from falling.
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At first, he practiced balancing while walking, but later running and even climbing trees.
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Okay, I'll fill the cup.
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Now let's try it.
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It's quite full.
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Is that ok?
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That's fine.
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It makes no difference.
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Even with movements like this.
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This training strengthened their sense of balance,
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so that even in the mountains where footing is poor, they could move as easily as if they were on flat ground.
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I learned about the line in the center of the body, which was very useful for martial arts and sports.
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How will Iyoku pass on his grandmother's teachings to the next generation?
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I want to be a storyteller who preserves Japan's ancient techniques, lifestyle, and way of thinking.
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I was taught different things and I want to pass on what I have learned to future generations.
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Oh, that's a good idea.
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While searching for the truth about Sarutobi Sasuke, who inspired the image of a ninja hero,
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we've encountered the Sanada ninja who lived in the rugged mountains area of Agatsuma.
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The truth of the Sanada ninja will continue to be passed down to future generations,
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along with the stories of Sarutobi Sasuke.
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And with that, we find ourselves another step closer to... the NINJA TRUTH.