7810jh+Ancient+Civ+Report

I am studying Medieval Japan. The word Japan means “Land of the Rising Sun.” Medieval Japan is nowadays known as Japan. Current day Japan is near China and the Pacific Ocean. Medieval Japan started in 1185. Many Medieval Japanese stories were based on warriors.

My main idea for this report is Ninja’s. My focus for this project is warriors and weapons. You know how when you were little you always wanted to be a spy? Well, Ninja’s are like spies. In this report I will teach you about how Ninja’s train, their weapons, and their greatest enemies.

Training is very important to a Ninja. Ninja’s must train for many years starting at the age of five. When you’re five, they teach you agility and balance. And when you’re twelve, they teach you flexibility, kicking and self defense. Training to become a Ninja is very hard and not just anyone can do it. Although it may seem easy to put on a black costume and run around in the night, trust me, it is not easy at all.

Ninja’s use weapons to protect themselves or to defeat their enemy. There are many weapons to choose from. One is the bow staff which is like a long pole of wood. Another one is a sword. They also use metal claws as a weapon. Every Ninja has their own weapon that fits their fighting style. Even though some people think that Ninja’s can use any weapons, that’s not true, some Ninja’s are better at certain weapons than others.

The Ninja’s greatest enemies were the Samurai's. Samurai’s are very strong warriors and brave fighters. Usually they fight with katanas, which are basically like swords. One of the many differences between Ninja’s and Samurai’s is that although very brave, Samurai’s won’t do life-threatening things like the Ninja’s. If you are a Samurai, the odds are in your first battle you have a high chance of dying because they put you in the front where you are exposed to all the arrows and weapons thrown at you. They are later placed further back which is safer. Samurai’s are very honorable warriors. Because of the Samurai’s honor, honor has become very important in the Japanese culture.

Warriors are very important to Medieval Japan to protect their land. The Samurai and Ninja culture eventually faded away. They tried to pass on Ninjutsu and the Art of the Samurai for many years, but eventually technology overrode the need for Ninja’s and Samurai’s. Samurai’s are known for being very honorable and Ninja’s are known for being very sneaky and deceitful. These two types of warriors are very different from each other.

Glossary:

Agility=the ability to change the body’s position efficiently.

Exposed=made visible/easy target.

Ninjutsu=more an art of tricks, than a martial art.

Deceitful=dishonest, trickery.

Bibliography

Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 04 June 2014.

Malam, John, David Antram, and David Salariya. You Wouldn't Want to Be a Ninja Warrior!: A Secret Job That's Your Destiny. New York: Franklin Watts, 2011. Print.

"Ninja Weapons." Ninja Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2014.

"Ninja." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 May 2014. Web. 29 May 2014.

Turnbull, Stephen R., and James Field. Real Ninja: Over 20 True Stories of Japan's Secret Assassins. New York: Enchanted Lion, 2008. Print.