“Dressed entirely in black, ninja were simultaneously the most feared and most respected warriors in Japan's history. Their legendary areas of expertise were quite diverse: not only were they skilled swordsmen and martial arts experts, but they were also considered to be masters in acrobatics and the art of survival. Their lightning-like speed evoked the idea that they could virtually come and go, appear and disappear, at will. They possessed special knowledge about herbs and medicines, and often carried hidden poisons and fiery powders. They were renowned warriors--spies, subversives, and, when need be, even assassins. Ninja were given very strict training from birth, which required far more discipline and dedication than that received by ordinary samurai. Social outsiders themselves, much of their knowledge was passed on within their particular family or clan, and kept from outsiders. Ninja, in fact, were instructed to commit seppuku (hara-kiri) if there was any possibility of their being captured; this way they could not confess their secrets of black arts or even who hired them. Their origins were not entirely clear, but they may have descended from secret societies of Buddhist priests. Needless to say, tales attributing amazing, superhuman talents to ninja readily arose.
“Recently a popular novel aroused ninja-interest in the U.S., and several studios have started making their own ninja films. Ninja have been popular Japanese movie topics for the past two decades...
“Ninja, A Band of Assassins and Return of the Band of Assassins, the first two films in the “Shinobi no Mono” series, started the genre. Despite their lack of reputation in this country (they are not discussed in any of the major books on Japanese cinema written in English), both are quite remarkable. Not only are they the best and most accurate ninja films ever, but they also rank among the best films ever made at Daiei. They are action plus.
“In both films Raizo Ichikawa stars as Goemon, a young Iga ninja apprentice. Kenzaburo Jo, who plays Oda, later changed his name to Tomisaburo Wakayama and starred in the Sword of Vengeance series. The Iga band of ninja are believed to have descended from Buddhist sects, according to some legends. General Nobunaga Oda, the powerful warlord, sought to unify and rule Japan. He believed the Imperially sanctioned Buddhist sects of the Tendai and the Shingon were his greatest obstacles, and had to be eradicated. Because of their origins, the ninja decided to fight back, attempting to liquidate Nobunaga. Told from the ninja perspective, the first episode depicts their unsuccessful efforts, culminating in a major battle and their defeat. Goemon is one of the clan's few survivors. In the second part, he attempts to disguise himself and lead a normal life. Goemon is based on an actual historical personage whose legend ends with the second part....
“Satsuo Yamamoto, director of both episodes, passed away on August 11... A committed member of the Communist party in Japan, he found himself black-listed by all the major studios after the war. He turned to independent left-wing production companies, for whom his brutal 1952 film Vacuum Zone still ranks as one of the strongest anti-military features.... Shinobi no Mono helped mark his return to the studios. He continued to treat social issues with the bulk of his films.” Bill Thompson