[VottCetaVeivE]

I have no doubt that shinobi/ninja/spies existed...but probably less to the degree of the black suited tree climbing shuriken throwing variety hollywood has nursed us on.

I kinda compare it to Terry Pratchett's take on assasins being killers with ego. Dressed stylishly in the finest velvety black clothes...which is utterly useless for camouflage unless you happen to be in a pitch black room with no lights and no windows.

************************************************** ******

On the subject of modern day ninjas/shinobi, during the leadup to the invasion of Malaya and the Fall of Singapore, many such operatives were working in Malaya at the time.

Villages were often visited by travelling Japanese barbers and dentists. When Singapore fell it was suddenly discovered that all those guys were officers in the Japanese army. Good ole' Toshi the Barber often turned out to be Colonel Toshi.

These modern day Shinobi were actually mapping a way to travel down to Singapore by bicycle as quickly as possible. They also marked off lumber yards, rice stockpiles, etc (they placed mirrors on the roofs of such key installations so that the bombers would not destroy these buildings).

Thailand claimed neutrality and basically let the japanese army cross its territory right up to our back yard. The Japanese armed forces commandeered every bicycle it could and this force literally rode down the peninsular on premapped courses.

When the British blew up bridges to slow the advace, the army merely took a quick detour to the nearest premarked lumber yard and would get a bridge up and running in a few hours.

Quite brilliant from a tactical standpoint...