But if we know he’s a ninja, did he really earn it? 🙂
Photo for illustration only. Photo from pixabay.com.
One of the things feudal Japan is known for is its ninjas or what they locally call “shinobi.” A ninja is a covert agent or mercenary whose tasks usually include espionage, deception, and stealth attacks.
I used to think ninjas were folklore but apparently, they aren’t, and recently, Japan has produced its first and only master’s degree graduate in Ninja Studies.
Genichi Mitsuhashi, a 45-year-old man finished a graduate course from Mie University. This university is situated in Mie, about 350 km southwest of Tokyo. It is known as the home of the ninja.
Mitsuhashi spent two years to finish the course. Finishing it included learning basic martial arts, survival skills, and how to stealthily climb mountains. In addition to these practical lessons, he was also required to learn about the history of the ninja and their way of life.
“It has been a fulfilling two years because I lived in a mountainous farming village in Iga to study ninja and pursued my research in my own way,” the ninja master said.
Believing that ninjas are also independent farmers, it was the reason why he moved to the province of Iga and now tends his own farm and grows his own rice and vegetables. He also operates a local inn. Moreover, he has his own dojo where he teaches martial arts and ninjutsu (the art of the ninja).
So, what’s in store for Mitsuhashi? Apparently, he plans to take a doctoral degree in Ninja Studies.
Sounds pretty exciting.
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