From 1989 to 1990 I went to Japan to train in Ninpo, the modern evolution of Ninjitsu, and visit the area most known for their Ninja heritage. I did a lot of travelling, visiting the areas in the Japanese Alps such as Ueno, which has a strong tradition and history of Ninjitsu to the extent that it now forms a key part of their tourist industry. Through to remote parts of the coast where the Wakō, or "Sea Ninja" lived and plied their deadly trade. The Wakō were of particular interest to me as I thought that this might be the way that much of the magick and mystical aspects of Ninjitsu had arrived in Japan from China. Partially as sects and practitioners fell out of favour or were persecuted, and also as a natural desire to see what other approaches to the Divine and magick there were around.

Rumour had it that many of the magickal skills of the Ninja had their roots in Tibet and China. Certainly several of the 'spells' in old scrolls pointed to a strong Taoist influence, as do the arts of Siang Mien (Face Reading) and ways of reading omens in natural phenomena. The strategy books that the Ninja used extensively such as the "Art of War" by Sun Zi (updated spelling), and the 36 Stratagems from the Book of Qi were certainly of Chinese origin, although the roots trend back towards Tibet. One of the main reasons I was researching this was that Tibet was also rumoured to be the root of some of Ritual Magick practised in Europe. This was because of the influence of the Silk Road trade route that connected the Orient with Europe for millennia with branches that lead to both Japan and the UK.

I knew that finding any evidence was slight, but I had an interesting time exploring the coastline trying to find some. One thing I did find that was that the myths of the Ninja as masters of magick permeated throughout the country. In the Ninja Museum at Iga Ueno I was able to see copies of some of the spells reputed to have been used by the Ninja and recognised the calligraphy at the end of them from when I lived in China. The Japanese translation read "Kyukyu Nyo Ritsuryo" and this phrase translates as "May my command be carried out at once! It connects well with "So mote it be!" uttered by magick users of the same era in Europe. In Han Dynasty China (206 BC - 220 AD) it was also used at the end of both official documents and Taoist spells of the time. The heyday of the Ninja was in the 14th-17th century, although there are some examples of Ninja-type activity in 12th century Japan, so these enchantments would have been considered 'powerful ancient magickal knowledge' much as some people look upon European grimoires from the middle ages today.

Another side effect of the Ninja being considered masters of hidden things was that anything vaguely mysterious and exotic became associated with them. An excellent example of this is the Myōryū-ji Temple in Kanazawa, which is also called the "Ninja Temple". This because of its deceptive construction, although ostensibly a temple of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism it was also a covert military outpost. Built in 1643 it circumvented the building regulations of the time to keep structures at a maximum of two stories to prevent them being used for military purposes. At first glance the temple looks like it keeps to these guidelines but is actually a four story building with a seven floor internal structure, many concealed hiding places, traps, and secret doors between rooms as well as hidden staircases. It is also built around a well which is reputed to connect to the nearby castle via a tunnel for communication and escape purposes. The temple is also a very sturdy structure built to withstand attack and the extremes of nature such as typhoons.

It was a cold day in early spring when I took a tour around the temple. As usual I was the only European in the group, and the Japanese guide seemed a little worried that I might not understand the information. But I had read up on the temple's history and felt confident that I could understand most of what she was saying. As an experiment I had added a dried incense mixture of equal parts rose petals, myrrh gum, frankincense, cinnamon, and hyssop, to my hand held heater- the equivalent of the historical Ninja's 'Kairo'. This burnt a strip of charcoal inside a fireproof container and provided heat for several hours and could do the same things as the Kairo, namely help light fires, provide heat, and even provide a low light source that doesn't compromise your night adapted vision. But in this case I was using it as a safe personal incense burner for the aforementioned blend which was a basic offertory incense to any Kami (Spirits/Elementals) that might have their homes there.

However, I had forgotten one important thing about Japanese Temples – the worry about the fire risk of unattended incense and incense burners. Old Japanese buildings are particularly vulnerable to fires and most temples information reads “There has been a Temple on this site for x 100 years” and only if you know the history of the place do you know it might not be the same building for all that time. Traditional Japanese wood and paper buildings were, and are, extremely flammable and today smokers in Japan still take care to put out their cigarettes, even in non-flammable modern cities. We were in the early part of the tour when the guide started to look around and check various niches and rooms off the main tour. I wondered what she was doing until I saw her nostrils dilating rhythmically.

‘What’s she sniffing for?’ I wondered Then it hit me ‘Of course- she can smell my incense. The rest of the group think it’s part of the temple ambiance but she thinks someone’s left some burning.’ I wondered if I ought to tell her that I was the source. But having already caused a bit of confusion by taking my own Uwabaki (slippers) out of my bag rather than try to use the too-small ones provided by the temple I was reluctant to add to it. Anyway I was sure that the local spirits would appreciate it and the burner was in its own case which in turn was in a bag in my pocket so there was no danger. Indeed, I think thanks to the guide’s diligence in checking for fire risks we saw more of the special features of the temple than most groups so it all worked out for the best. When I left the building I gave a generous cash offering as a mark of respect just to make sure that the Kami were in no doubt of my respect.