Traditional Weapons of the NINJA part3

The Shinobi warrior’s blinding techniques

Although he had taken great care to ensure he was well armed and prepared for the mission, the sound of his footsteps on the loose wooden floorboards alerted the guards. Having broken the stillness of night, the hooded man in the shadows was now faced with possible death or capture. It was at times like these that the ninja warrior could increase his odds of survival by employing ‘sight-removers’ and ‘eye-closers’, known by Japan’s ninja clans as metsubushi. story by paul johnstone & eddie wazen | images by paul johnstone

Nowadays our military and law-enforcement personnel have in their arsenal tear gas, smoke bombs, capsicum spray or mace, and a host of other technologies to blind, confuse and befuddle an enemy. But centuries ago, when warfare was more simple but no less deadly, the ever-resourceful ninja developed the techniques of metsubushi - a simple yet effective method to throw his attackers into disarray and provide him with an opportunity to escape or to deploy other weapons. The art of metsubushi involved various techniques for temporarily or permanently blinding or disorienting an adversary.

Contrary to the image and mystical tales created by folklore and, more recently, the film industry, metsubushi wasn't some magical puff of smoke that allowed the ninja to disappear. Although it was used effectively to aid in escaping, metsubushi was also used to gain a tactical advantage over the adversary in situations where the fighting had exhausted the limits of the Shinobi's power.

Metsubushi involved a wide variety of eye-blinders, which included not only powdered substances such as flour and ground-up ash, but also sand, gravel, poisonous liquids, lime, chili peppers (just as used to make modern pepper/capsicum sprays) and iron filings. Often, several of these materials were mixed together to provide maximum effect in that, if the ninja was able to suddenly scatter them in his foe's direction, it would result in destroying the adversary's eyes or clouding his vision. The metsubushi was kept in hollowed-out egg shells, nut shells (walnut hulls), bamboo tubes and even in sword scabbards. The object of metsubushi was to make the adversary hesitate and to take away their sight for just long enough to allow the ninja to escape into the shadows of a tree or rock, or take out his shuriken (throwing stars/blades) and counter-attack. Obviously this tactic was not effective if the powder or liquid was launched from too far away, or if the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, so generally the metsubushi was thrown forcefully into the adversary's face and upper torso in the same manner as a punch. It was used for a surprise attack and could be thrown in many ways, including forward with the palm facing up or down, backward with the palm up or down, or with an arcing motion of the hand, which would effectively spray a wider area in front of the ninja with the metsubushi.

During the relatively peaceful Tokugawa period in Japan, metsubushi was also used by police forces to subdue lawless citizens. They would direct the metsubushi into a person's face to disable them, as while it wouldn't cause permanent damage to their eyes, it was more than effective in facilitating capture and compliance. As the Japanese proverb says, ‘The eyes are the windows of the mind'. Similarly, Bujinkan founder and 34th Grandmaster of the Togakure Ryu ninjutsu tradition, Dr Masaaki Hatsumi, has said that to blind the eyes is another important way of clouding the adversary's mind, and thus it is the core aim of metsubushi techniques to make the eye stop working, at least for a time. While a handful of grounded ash may appear innocuous, in the hands of a ninja it was both an effective and versatile weapon of self-preservation.

Obviously, readers of Blitz are strongly advised never to put these techniques to use, being that carrying anything for the purpose of using it as a weapon - for self-defence or otherwise - is illegal in Australia, and is more likely to land you in court rather than assist you in staying safe on the streets. However, the modern martial artist can take some valuable lessons from the methods and, in a more general sense, the resourcefulness of the ninja warriors of old Japan. The tool of improvisation is available to any person who finds themselves under attack - you don't have to be a ninja, or even a martial artist, to put the objects and substances around you to effective use. If you think in modern (and, importantly, legal) terms, metsubushi could involve throwing dirt, gravel or sand in an attacker's face, should you find yourself on the ground or be able to grab a fistful before an aggressor or gang draws close enough to attack. Metsubushi could be a spray of soft drink or water in an attacker's eyes, launched from the bottle or glass in a short arc, or it could even be saliva spat from the mouth. Any of these could buy you just enough time to distract an attacker and give you time to strike pre-emptively (assuming your options for de-escalation have been exhausted and you have no choice), or turn and hot-foot it out of there, if that's a more appropriate and effective response to the situation.

Ultimately, the ancient ways of the ninja (who were elite soldiers and spies, after all) are not so far removed from modern defensive tactics as people tend to think - they were just designed for a different era. There is still much the modern student can learn from their history and example.

About the authors: Shidoshi Paul Johnstone, 5th Dan, and Shidoshi-Ho Eddie Wazen, 2nd Dan, teach Bujinkan ninjutsu, KAPAP and the Street-Edge defensive tactics system at Jissen Dojos International/Street-Edge Defensive Tactics school in Brisbane.