The Koga Ninja

                                                                         Koga Ninja


For hundreds of years the Iga group of Ninja were the major force in ninjutsu. Smaller groups existed in other parts of Japan, but in the Sengoku era Ninja groups sprang up throughout Japan. Within these groups of spies, saboteurs, and killers, there developed two super groups: the Iga of Mie prefecture and the deadly Koga of Shiga prefecture. Not surprisingly, Shiga is next to Mie prefecture in southern Japan. The Koga and Iga inhabited the same mountain range, in two valleys divided by a mountain. Completely isolated from the outside world, they lived as farmers and were sought after by the locals for medicine, herbs, weather forecasting, and agriculture help.

In time there were great generals who gradually unified Japan. These leaders such as Oda Nobunaga, Takeda Shingen, and possibly the greatest general in Japanese history Tokugawa Ieyasu all employed the Ninja to help control the country through a complex spy network.

The Koga Ninja consisted of fifty-three families. They specialized in medicines and explosives and developed many of the tools and weapons used by the Ninja. Though small in number, they were an elite force and became the second most famous group, besides the Iga, in the annals of ninjutsu. Based near Kyoto, they were recruited by the great leaders of Japan as counselors and military strategists.

In 1600 the Koga rescued lord Tokugawa from an assassination attempt by rival Ninja. They made a dummy of Lord Tokugawa, filled it with explosives, and placed it in Tokugawa's carriage. Then, acting as personal escort, they made it known that Tokugawa was on the move through enemy territory. This diversionary tactic succeeded when the false carriage was attacked by the enemy and all the Koga Ninja killed, giving the real carriage with Tokugawa precious time to escape.

In time Tokugawa became the shogun of Japan. He ruled from the city of Edo, now called Tokyo, and took three hundred ninja with him from both Koga and Iga to be his personal bodyguards. They were placed in positions of gardeners and personal valets. The Koga ninjas were at the front, and the Iga were responsible for the rear of the castle.

And under Tokugawa there began a reign of peace that lasted for 265 years. As the years passed the need for Ninja's declined and the number of men willing to endure the intense training needed to become a ninja declined as well because these young men did not want to just become gardeners for Lord Tokugawa. This was the decline of the powerful Ninjas from Japans proud history.