The Ninja: The History and Legacy of Feudal Japan’s Secret Agents
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by Colin Fluxman
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
To most people in the West, particularly the youth, the mere mention of Japan immediately evokes various images. A delectable rainbow of sushi, hand-rolled temaki, and platters of crispy, golden-brown tempura. An idyllic, crystal-clear lake flanked by trees covered with delicate, cotton-candy-pink sakura blossoms. A montage of unique, hand-drawn cartoons that are a masterful mix of delightfully exaggerated proportions, features, and colors, and elements of arresting realism, collectively known as “anime.”
Then, of course, there's the ninja, a willowy, graceful figure decked out in black from head to toe, his glinting eyes peering out from the window of his balaclava. He flits from rooftop to rooftop in stunning somersaults and slinks into the shadows, watching his unsuspecting marks from afar and calculating their every move. Then, as quickly as he came, he strikes, hurling throwing stars, twirling his nunchucks, and hacking away with his trusty sword, exterminating his targets with dizzying, lightning-quick speed and superhuman precision. At least, this is how those unfamiliar with the ancient art of ninjutsu, or shinobi-jutsu, see them.
Ninjas are, without a doubt, one of the most timeless and far-reaching cultural staples ever to emerge from Japan. They have become a global phenomenon, and there are countless depictions of ninjas in comic books, films, TV shows, video games, toys, and other forms of popular culture around the world, not to mention their continued relevance as a “conventional” go-to Halloween costume. Kids across the world are intimately familiar with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Snake Eyes from the G.I. Joe franchise, Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, and Black Noir from The Boys. Ninjas have also been featured in a slew of other international movies and TV shows.
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vandals: The History and Legacy of Antiquity's Most Famous Barbarians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancient and Medieval Conspiracy Theories: The History of the World’s Most Persistent Conspiracy Theories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Ninja
Related audiobooks
The Samurai and Ninja: The History of Japan’s Legendary Warriors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAutumn Bridge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anime Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Samurai: A Concise History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miyamoto Musashi: The Life and Legacy of Japan’s Most Legendary Samurai Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ancient Japan: Shinto, Ninjas, Samurai, and History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Legends of the Samurai Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sekigahara and Shiroyama: The History of the Battles that Unified and Modernized Japan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Let the Samurai Be Your Guide: The Seven Bushido Pathways to Personal Success Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Samurai Road Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ninja Science: Camouflage, Weapons, and Stealthy Attacks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warriors of Ancient Japan: The History of Ninjas and Samurai in the Ancient Orient Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Neko Ryu Goshin Jitsu: Principles to Improve Your Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBushido: The Soul of Japan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ninjas of Ancient Japan: Japanese History about the Ninjas in the Shadows Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shinto of Ancient Japan: Shinto Shrines, Gods, Temples, and Beliefs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Battle of Shiroyama: The History and Legacy of the Samurai’s Last Stand in Japan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tales of Old Japan Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Yakuza and the Triads: The History of Asia’s Most Notorious Transnational Criminal Organizations Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/547 Ronin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps: The Bloody Battles and Intrigues of the Shinsengumi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Karate-Do: My Way of Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shinto, Simple Guides Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tales of Old Japan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Asian History For You
Dressed for a Dance in the Snow: Women's Voices from the Gulag Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/577 Days of February: Living and Dying in Ukraine, Told by the Nation’s Own Journalists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gulag: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Memoirs of a Wartime Interpreter: From the Battle for Moscow to Hitler's Bunker Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hard Road Out: One Woman’s Escape From North Korea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Cold War: A New History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Spy Who Knew Too Much: An Ex-CIA Officer’s Quest Through a Legacy of Betrayal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Krakatoa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain: History's Unknown Chapters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Japan's Infamous Unit 731: Firsthand Accounts of Japan's Wartime Human Experimentation Program Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The White Mosque: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Memory: The Afterlives of China's Cultural Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Party of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China's Superpower Future Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Animal in History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Ninja
12 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I found this book to be a great grounding in the history of the Shinobi!