Most of us know what a ninja is, or at least we think we do from growing up watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and old kung-fu movies. But how and where did they come from? Did someone roll out of bed and just decide to be a ninja one day? Did someone go to a school with classes like Shruiken Throwing 101? All jokes aside, many of us don’t know much about the origins of these shadowy spies and assassins. That’s where this article comes in.

It should be noted there are many theories as to the origins of ninjas (more properly called shinobi), with very few records in regards to them. This is due to the practice of Ninjutsu, the fundamental skills of the ninja, which was a highly illegal counter culture to the ruling samurai class. Unlike today’s counter culture of drugs and music downloading, ninjutsu was a much larger offense and it’s because of this, the origins of ninjutsu AND ninjas, have been shrouded in mystery and confusion since their early conception.

One theory about the origin of ninjas, claims they were originally peasants who used everyday farming tools as weapons. They also commonly used indigenous plant life around them for making poisons. While this theory certainly has some gravity to it, it doesn’t explain some of the other skills ninjas were known for, such as the ability to disguise themselves as anyone - like a rich inner city merchant for example (something a rural farmer wouldn’t know much about).

Another theory is that some samurai became ninjas. But again, there are some holes to this logic as samurai were raised to believe that not fighting face to face was dishonorable. Still, it’s not out of the imagination that a disgraced samurai, forced to commit seppuku, decided to turn tail and run off and become a ninja. What’s generally agreed upon by most historians, is that the ninja art of stealth began to develop sometime between 600-900 A.D. with early ninjas employed by royalty. One story tells of the first emperor, Jimmu, who was able to win a losing battle by employing two ninjas who disguised themselves as an old peasant and his wife and slipped into enemy territory. After that successful battle, the art of ninjustu is said to have been passed down for further development.

Of course, Japanese folklore would tell us that the ninja descended from a demon that was half crow and half man but that sounds a bit too much like a National Inquirer cover story than anything else. So while there isn’t a clear cut answer as to how ninjas came into being, the theories here are widely considered the basis of the start of ninjutsu and ninjas. In some regards, it’s actually better that there isn’t one definitive answer as it adds a certain mystique to the already mysterious and elusive ninja.