Ninja

Ninja, or shinobi, were warriors of pre-modern Japan who specialised in espionage, scouting, infiltration and surprise attacks, especially in the Sengoku period of the 15th and 16th centuries. The best-known came from the provinces of Iga and Kōka, whose warrior leagues hired them out to daimyo. Under the Tokugawa some served as guards and spies, and later legend greatly embellished their image.