Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Being small-sized does occasionally have advantages, especially if you are a Ninja who has been sent on a deadly mission.
Sometimes referred to as the Dwarf toilet Ninja, Ukifune Jinnai did not let his height prevent him from achieving his goals. As a matter of fact, he succeeded where others had failed.
Ukifune Jinnai may today not be as famous as the Ninja Hattori “the Demon” Hanzo, Shinobi no Mono, but he was an extraordinary personality nevertheless.
Uesugi Kenshin Was A Rival Of Oda Nobunaga
Standing less than 3.28 feet (0,9 m), Ukifune Jinnai could perform deeds impossible to other Ninjas. His specialty was to squeeze himself into clay jars. This unusual ability gave him the opportunity to remain completely still in small hiding places for longer periods. This is the method Ukifune Jinnai took advantage of when he committed the toilet assassination of Uesugi Kenshin.
Left: A Ninja. Image source – Right: Uesugi Kenshin. Credit: Public Domain
Uesugi Kenshin was protected by Samurai and his own Ninjas. Previous attempts to murder him had failed, and Uesugi Kenshin was on his guard fearing Ninjas sent by his enemy may try a new assassination.
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This event happened in the year 1578. The Sengoku Jidai (Warring States period) was a turbulent and violent epoch in Japanese history. Rivalries and civil war among powerful Japanese families led to the creation of the shogunate. Japan had an emperor, but he was merely a figure. It was the Shogun who held supreme power.
Oda Nobunaga (1534 – 1582) who attempted to unify Japan during the late Sengoku period was a rival of Uesugi Kenshin (1530 -1578). Nobunaga was determined to eliminate Kenshin, but this was easier said than done.
Ninjas who were masters of stealth warfare and espionage were regularly employed by warlords. The name Ninja refers to a profession. Unlike the Samurai, it did not give the warrior a place in any of the different Japanese societal classes. It was a role or job. A member of any class could join the Ninja.
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