There has never been such a book - not only in Russia, but also in any of the European languages. This is the only complete NINJA encyclopedia based on authentic Japanese sources. Everything about the martial art of ninjutsu and the legendary “invisible” warriors, nicknamed “demons of the night” (the word “shinobi”, which is synonymous with “ninja”, translated from Japanese means “scout-saboteur”). The origin of the ninja and the genesis of their unique fighting skills , the formation and flourishing of ninjutsu in the era of internecine wars and its decline under the shogunate, the “code of honor” and the secrets of the skill, the greatest “schools” and “clans” of ninjas, their weapons and equipment, fire weapons and spy devices, medicines and poisons - for this The encyclopedia has no secrets! It has nothing in common with those cheap sensations, advertising myths and movie cliches that are fed to the inexperienced public. This is a serious professional study based on a colossal amount of information collected by the author during his trips to Japan, on medieval “gunkimono” (“war stories”), where you can find detailed descriptions of the operations of spies, on the diaries and orders of military leaders, and the genealogies of famous families ninjas and authentic manuals and instructions passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years.