Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Ninjas, Japan's Hidden Warriors?

Reset Quiz ♻️
What were some of a ninja’s most important duties?
Question image
Ninjas were often hired mercenaries, holding no allegiance to any specific lord. They were turned to when it came to the dirty work that respectable lords wouldn’t touch.
Advertisement
What did a ninja use to treat an injured general at the Battle of Sekigahara?
Question image
Ninjas knew a lot about medicine, but they were very secretive with their knowledge. Sources of the battle make reference to the ninja’s “black medicine,” but with no indication as to what it actually was. However, it did successfully stem the general’s bleeding, saving his life.
Advertisement
How did ninjas at the Siege of Osaka get their own forces to retreat?
Question image
When the attacking force during the siege needed to retreat, the commanders ordered ninjas to fire at their own men from behind. The army turned and charged at a nonexistent foe, and the retreat was underway.
Advertisement
What was a countermeasure that people used to fend off ninja strikes?
Question image
As ninjas become more of a threat, people started planning for them, leaving traps to make sure ninjas couldn’t sneak into fortifications unnoticed. Some households even hid weapons under the floorboards in lavatories in case a ninja tried to strike when their target was most vulnerable.
Advertisement
Which of the following were ranks in ninja guilds?
Question image
Jonin, Chunin and Genin mean “upper men,” “middle men,” and “lower men,” respectively. Ninja guilds followed a very strict organizational structure, and the different ranks all had very different roles.
Advertisement
How did the legendary Yamoto Takeru kill two enemy chiefs?
Question image
Takeru, also known as Prince Osu, lived centuries before true ninjas existed, but he’s sometimes considered their forerunner because of the similar methods he’s said to have used.
Advertisement
Why did very few historians or poets write about ninjas?
Question image
While the samurai were aristocratic warriors akin to European knights, ninjas were often from the lower classes, so many writers didn’t consider them worthy of recording.
Advertisement
Which of the following was one of a ninja’s methods of infiltration?
Question image
The ghost technique involved making lanterns adorned with the enemy’s crest to fool their guards. In at least one recorded instance, a group of ninjas used it to infiltrate an enemy castle then burn it to the ground.
Advertisement
Why did samurai hire ninjas?
Question image
Samurais held to an extremely strict code of honor. There were some things that they simply wouldn’t do, and they would turn to ninjas at these times.
Advertisement
What were female ninjas called?
Question image
Kunoichi would frequently pose as maids or servants to infiltrate an enemy estate. Once inside, they could work to smuggle people or items in or out, or even act as an assassin or saboteur.
Advertisement
What would ninjas use to create their smoke bombs?
Question image
Ninjas would hide the ash in eggshells, or sometimes in the sheath of a weapon, and would release it to confuse their enemies.
Advertisement
Why would ninjas rarely use a large sword like a Samurai’s katana?
Question image
Forgoing the intimidating katana, ninjas would use more compact blades for a variety of purposes, not just killing—kind of like a Feudal Japanese multi-tool.
Advertisement
What was one of a ninja’s most common guises?
Question image
Ninjas were very frequently tasked with gaining important information about enemy property. While posed as a gardener, ninjas could stake out a house or fortification for future attacks.
Advertisement
The word ninja only started being used in the 20th century. What were ninjas usually called instead?
Question image
The word shinobi came to mean “covert agent,” and was derived from a word meaning “to steal away” or “to hide.”
Advertisement
What common tool would ninjas commonly use as a deadly weapon?
Question image
The sickle and chain was one of the most common and deadly ninja weapons. It was developed because a ninja dressed as a farmer could carry it around without arousing suspicion.
Advertisement
What were a ninja’s throwing stars called?
Question image
Though today we think only of the iconic bladed stars as shuriken, the word could actually describe all manner of thrown weapons, including knives and darts as well.
Advertisement
Ninjas didn’t actually wear black. Why would an all black outfit have been a bad idea?
Question image
Ninjas were spies first and foremost, often hiding in plain sight amongst their enemies, so they tended to dress like simple commoners, or perhaps like enemy soldiers. If they’d worn all black, they’d have stuck out like a sore thumb.
Advertisement
How would ninja families begin training their children?
Question image
Ninjutsu usually stayed within the family, to protect its secrets. If a ninja’s child was found worthy, they would start playing games that began to teach the young ones important techniques.
Advertisement
What were some of the abilities that have been attributed to ninjas over the years?
Question image
Ninjas themselves perpetuated many of the rumors about them to use people's fear of them to their advantage.
Advertisement
What insects would Ninjas use to help them move secretively?
Question image
Ninjas were able to make their captive crickets chirp using a special mix of chemicals, which could cover up the sound of their footsteps while they were infiltrating an enemy position.
Advertisement
What were some of the disciplines that a fledgling ninja trained in?
Question image
Ninja training wasn’t all sneaking and killing—they needed to be extremely well-rounded warriors to do their job properly. They would also gain at least a cursory knowledge of various professions, because they might end up needing to take all kinds of guises in their work, and they needed to be able to pass.
Advertisement
Where was a common place for ninjas to hide poison, needles, or small weapons?
Question image
A writing case, or yatate, could be used to conceal weapons, but also, since a ninja’s primary role was often to gather information, a simple pen and paper were often an extremely important part of their arsenal.
Advertisement
What strange technique did ninjas use to tell the time?
Question image
Cats' eyes are very sensitive to light, and their pupils change shape depending on the time of the day. Ninjas called the art of telling the time through a cat’s eyes nekome-jutsu.
Advertisement
Neko-te, or “cat hand,” is the Japanese word for what kind of hidden weapon?
Question image
Female ninjas might wear their neko-te to defend themselves while undercover, or to deliver a deadly blow when an enemy least expects it.
Advertisement
What simple accessory could be a female ninja’s most deadly weapon?
Question image
These ornate hairpins, called kanzashi, could be sharpened for use as a weapon, or dipped in poison for assassinations.
Advertisement
What strange method did ninjas use to pass secret messages?
Question image
Different colors of rice had different meanings, so ninjas could get important messages across to their allies.
Advertisement
How was Ishikawa Goemon, the ninja Robin Hood, killed?
Question image
Though much of what we know about Goemon is likely mythical, he was said to have been a ninja apprentice who ran away from his clan to become a heroic outlaw before he was finally captured and brutally killed, along with his son.
Advertisement
According to legend, how did Mochizuki Chiyome secretly train her army of ninja assassins?
Question image
Chiyome has become a legendary figure in Japanese lore, but sadly it is now believed that her legendary orphanage and legion of ninjas are merely fiction. That hasn’t stopped her from making frequent appearances in films and video games, though.
Advertisement
What was one of the infamous Hattori Hanzo’s nicknames?
Question image
Also sometimes called “ghost,” Hanzo wasn’t technically part of a ninja clan, but he used similar techniques to brutal results. He was feared across Japan, and has become something of a legendary figure, even getting referenced in the film Kill Bill.
Advertisement
What made the Iga and Koga regions of Japan effective ninja strongholds?
Question image
Eventually, the most skilled and famous ninjas in all of Japan would come from guilds based out of these two isolated regions.
Advertisement

Quiz Complete!

Ready to see how you did?

View My Results

Your Results

Klutz

If you infiltrated an enemy castle, you would probably make such a racket that you’d wake the entire place. You’ve got some training to do before you’re a true shinobi.

Ninja in Training

You’ve got some skills, but you’ve still got some training to do before you can call yourself a true Trivia Ninja.

Trivia Ninja

You really know your stuff—any samurai would be lucky to hire a shinobi with skills like yours!

Quiz

Pop culture is obsessed with ninjas, but a lot of what we know about them is seriously inaccurate—partially because real-life ninjas were intensely secretive about their methods. Do you think you really know about these agents of chaos? Can you separate fact from fiction? Then prove it and ace our quiz on Japan’s hidden warriors.




Dear reader,


Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? We’re always looking for your input! Please reach out to us to let us know what you’re interested in reading. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from “Life” to “Compact Cars and Trucks” to “A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius.” We’ll get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics you’re interested in. Please submit feedback to hello@factinate.com. Thanks for your time!


Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? At Factinate, we’re dedicated to getting things right. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. We want our readers to trust us. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Please let us know if a fact we’ve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect it’s inaccurate) by reaching out to us at hello@factinate.com. Thanks for your help!


Warmest regards,



The Factinate team




Want to learn something new every day?

Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter.

Thank you!

Error, please try again.