They could be behind you and you wouldn’t know. One could be sitting next to you as you read this. Ninjas. International Ninja Day recognizes the history and influence in pop culture of the Ninja. Whether it’s a historical period film of feudal Japan, or a bunch of mutated turtles who were trained by a mutated rat, Ninjas have become a large part of pop culture in the US. The international holiday was started in 2003 by Ninja Burger to celebrate the Ninja Speed their burgers were delivered. You are encouraged to learn about the art of Ninjitsu and not eat a bunch of burgers.
Ninjas were also called Shinobi. They were covert agents and mercenaries in feudal Japan. Their specialties included espionage, deception, and surprise attacks. This irregular warfare was considered dishonorable and beneath the honor of the Samurai. Despite the influences of pop culture, historic accounts of real ninjas are scarce. I’d wager this is because they were skilled in the art of deception and ‘invisibility.’ They were invisible in the way Batman hides in the dark to be invisible. I would like to point out there is no International Samurai Day and I feel this is equally important to learn about. So…watch out for Ninjas!