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A ninja or shinobi was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations. The underhanded tactics of the ninja were contrasted with the samurai, who were careful not to tarnish their reputable image
Ninja in the native kun'yomi reading, it is read shinobi, a shortened form of the longer transcription shinobi-no-mono. The term shinobi has been traced as far back as the late 8th century to poems in the Man'yūshū.The underlying connotation of shinobi means "to steal away" and by extension "to forbear", hence its association with stealth and invisibility. Mono means "a person".
Roles
The ninja were stealth soldiers and mercenaries hired mostly by daimyos.[41] Their primary roles were those of espionage and sabotage, although assassinations were also attributed to ninjas. In battle, the ninja could also be used to cause confusion amongst the enemy.[42]
A degree of psychological warfare in the capturing of enemy banners can be seen illustrated in the Ōu Eikei Gunki, composed between the 16th and 17th centuries
The skills required of the ninja has come to be known in modern times as ninjutsu, but it is unlikely they were previously named under a single discipline. Modern misconceptions have identified ninjutsu as a form of combat art, but historically, ninjutsu largely covered espionage and survival skills. Some lineage styles (ryūha) of ninjutsu such as Togakure-ryū were known in the past.
Superhuman or supernatural powers were often associated with the ninja. Some legends include: