| You choke on the blood that is coming out of your | | | | neko-te (NEK-OH-TAY) which was iron fingernails that |
| mouth as you double over in pain, and grope for your | | | | would be fastened to the hand by leather straps. By |
| sword. Your attacker was not another samurai and no | | | | themselves they could slash a warrior to pieces, but |
| intruder could have made it passed your castle walls, | | | | many times the women assassins would coat the |
| but as you breathe your last breath you realize the | | | | blades with poison to get the job done faster. Many of |
| female companion you brought home that night was | | | | their weapons were designed to be concealed, but the |
| more than she seemed. | | | | kunoichi would also learn samurai and Okinawan |
| The deadly art of Ninjutsu was not exclusively | | | | weapons as well. The belief was that since you were |
| practiced by men alone. The kunoichi (pronounced | | | | assassinating samurai, these weapons would be easily |
| KOO-NOY-CHEE) or "Dragon Lady" wreaked havoc | | | | accessible in a pinch. |
| in medieval Japan. Like their male counterparts, they | | | | Some kunoichi wouldn't even bother to train the |
| often used camouflage and disguise, but the kunoichi | | | | concealment tactics of their male counterparts |
| also used seduction and manipulation to make their | | | | because they hid so well in plain site. Training also |
| way to their target. They would pose as maids, | | | | included many aspects of psychological warfare, and |
| musicians, fortune tellers, and artists hiding weapons on | | | | the women were prepared to survive interrogations |
| their person or in instruments. Some women would | | | | and reveal as little as possible. Knowing they could be |
| pose as geishas, concubines, or even marry an | | | | tortured and raped if caught, the women trained hard |
| intended target and poison or kill them in their sleep. | | | | at being effective spies, saboteurs, and assassins. One |
| Like other ninjas it was all about completing the mission, | | | | female kunoichi trained her women to tend to holy |
| and though they were ready to fight, they avoided it | | | | shrines, so they eliminated their target they simply |
| whenever possible. It his hard to determine just how | | | | return to their work without being discovered. One |
| many warriors died because they let their guard down | | | | woman assassin achieved leadership of her husband's |
| in the face of what appeared to be beautiful | | | | clan after murdering him in his sleep on their wedding |
| submissive woman. | | | | night. She convinced all those around her that she had |
| Historians believe a kunoichi was probably a girl | | | | slept through the whole attack and was capable of |
| recruited from a poor family or was a runaway who | | | | stabbing her husband to death. |
| was taken in by an older kunoichi who would be both | | | | While few people are interested in becoming |
| mother and instructor to the young girl. Saved from | | | | assassins outside of the military and espionage |
| poverty the girl would be a devoted if a not fanatical | | | | community there is a lot to be learned about self |
| student, and would learn early on the ways of the | | | | defense from the kunoichi. They took advantage of |
| assassin. Ninjutsu training is often described as a | | | | the fact that most men would dismiss a female as a |
| mixture of Judo, Jujutsu, and swordsmanship training | | | | threat, and they used an opponent's strength against |
| with the emphasis on stealth and concealment rather | | | | them in combat. They trained to fight men not other |
| than disciplined brutality like the samurai employed. | | | | women and their training helped them learn how to |
| Because the women often went on missions alone | | | | deal with the worst case scenario. They learned how |
| and would go up against men their training focused on | | | | to employ concealed weapons effectively and how to |
| techniques that would allow them to fight off stronger | | | | be observant of details that might help them later. |
| and larger opponents. They learned all of the dirty self | | | | While these are all methods of an assassin they're |
| defense techniques like eye gouges, chokeholds, and | | | | also useful to a woman who wishes to protect herself |
| strikes to the groin. They would purposely train in | | | | on the street. Shock a male attacker by knowing how |
| confined spaces, so they could practice practical close | | | | to fight back with real self defense training, and turn |
| combat techniques, and practiced one-on-one fighting | | | | the tide against them. Don't ever let anyone tell you |
| tactics rather than group fighting techniques. | | | | women can't fight. This is a perfect example of turning |
| The kunoichi also trained extensively with an array of | | | | "weakness into strength". |
| weapons and poisons. One favorite weapon was the | | | | |