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by ibgames

EARTHDATE: May 14, 2017

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REAL LIFE NEWS: THERE’S A NINJA SHORTAGE IN JAPAN

by Hazed

Practitioners of the ancient art of “ninjutsu” are worried that there is a major shortage of people with the talent to become ninjas.

You might wonder why we need ninjas in the modern age, but apparently as tourism to Japan has grown there has been an increasing demand for ninja shows in which the iconic warriors perform in front of enthusiastic audiences. But the martial arts squads who put on the shows are having problems recruiting new members who have the right skills.

Takatsugu Aoki, who manages a martial arts squad in the city of Nayoga, explained that those who do apply to become ninjas lack the basic skills required – they need to be trained in unarmed combat, acrobatics, concealment and first aid. They also have to be able to use throwing stars and fight with swords.

Ninjas first emerged as mercenaries in the 15th century, skilled in using weapons such as shuriken (throwing stars) and the fukiya blowpipe which fires poisoned darts. They were recruited as spies, raiders and assassins.

Now their function is to entertain, but they still need a high level of skills. If this skill shortage can’t be addressed, the tourists won’t be able to watch the ninja shows!

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-ninja-shortage-foreign-tourist-shows-martial-art-nayoga-takatsugu-aoki-a7716011.html

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