'最后忍者'：忍术已无立足之地

choi

BBC Chinese, Nov 24, 2012.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/si ... ja_extinction.shtml

Note:
(a) daimyo 大名 【だいみょう】 (n): "Japanese feudal lord"
(b) ninja 忍者/ ninjutsu 忍術
(c) 川上 仁一  Jinichi KAWAKAMI
(d) 甲賀や伊賀
(i) 伊賀流
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BC%8A%E8%B3%80%E6%B5%81
("伊賀流（いがりゅう）は、伊賀国の地に伝わっていた忍術流派の総称。甲賀流と並んで忍術の中で最も有名な流派の一つである。根拠地は、現在の三重県伊賀市と名張市にあった")

translation: The igaryū came from Iga-no-kuni 伊賀国; alongside with 甲賀流 has been one of the most famous ninjutsu schools; and is now based at Cities of Iga and [its southern neighbor] Nabari.

* kuni 国
(ii) 甲賀流
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%94%B2%E8%B3%80%E6%B5%81
(甲賀流（こうかりゅう、こうがりゅう）とは、近江国甲賀の地に伝わっていた忍術流派の総称; 甲賀は本来「こうか」と読み、地名に因る名称であるが、忍術に関してのみ「こうが」との誤読が一般的となっている)

translation: The kōkaryū/ kogaryū came from 甲賀 place of 近江国 (おうみのくに; Ōmi-no-kuni); 甲賀 as the place name was pronounced "kōka" but, when limited to ninjutsu only, has become common to be mispronounced as "kōga."

* There is City of Kōka, Shiga Prefecture 滋賀県 甲賀市.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dka,_Shiga
The prefecure surrounds Lake Biwa 琵琶湖 (a fresh-water lake that gave the name to 近江国).

(e) The report said, "甲贺流忍术伴家忍第21代宗家川上仁一是日本公认唯一在世的忍术大师."   

伴家. Weblio, undated.
http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/banke
("日本人苗字[:] 伴家；番家; 「banke」を含む例文一覧[:] He claims he is a successor of Banke Shinobi no Den (a type of ninjutsu) of Koga school and the twenty-first headmaster of Koga school. 賀流の伴家忍之伝の継承者で甲賀流伴党21代目を称している。 - Wikipedia日英京都関連文書対訳コーパス [Corpus]")
(i) myoji 名字; 苗字 【みょうじ】 (n): "surname; family name"

Remember "daimyo" in (a)?  The Chinese pronunciations of kanji 名 and 苗 are pronounced the same.
(ii) The "nin" and "shinobu" are Chinese and Japanese pronunciations of the kanji 忍.

(f) 初见良昭自称为户隐流
(i) 初見 良昭  Masaaki HATSUMI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaaki_Hatsumi
(formerly Yoshiaki HATSUMI)
(ii)
* kakusu 隠す 【かくす】 (vt): "to hide; to conceal"
  kakureru 隠れる 【かくれる】 (vi): "to be hidden"
* 戸隠流
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%88%B8%E9%9A%A0%E6%B5%81
(pronounced as Togakushi-ryū or Togakure-ryū とがくしりゅう、とがくれりゅう; 平安時代末期、戸隠山で修験道を学び、木曾義仲に仕えた仁科大助（戸隠大助）が始祖)

translation: Founded by 仁科大助（戸隠大助） in the final years of Heian period (794- 1185/1192), who learned asceticism at Mount Togakushi and served under KISO Yoshinaga [also known as 源 義仲 Minamoto no Yoshinaga].
(iii) 武神館 Bujinkan



(2) Mariko Oi, Is this man Japan's last true ninja?  BBC, Nov 21, 2012 (video).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20431620

Note:
(a) shuriken  手裏剣 【しゅりけん】 (n): "shuriken; small throwing blade; small edged weapon often used for throwing; throwing star"

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%89%8B%E8%A3%8F%E5%89%A3
(photo captions: 棒手裏剣; 十字手裏剣)
(b) fukiya  吹き矢; 吹矢 【ふきや】 (n): "blowgun; blowpipe"

(3) Mariko Oi, Japan's Ninjas Heading for Extinction. BBC, Nov 22, 2012.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20135674