Levels in the Way of the Ninja

The ninja or shinobi warriors were the guerrilla fighters and assassins of feudal Japan. When the ruling samurai warriors needed to engage in espionage, assassination or other tactics usually seen as dishonorable, they would hire the services of warriors from the regions of Iga and Koga who specialized in this kind of work.

  1. Three Levels of Ninja

    • Ninja clans were organized into guilds or groups for the purpose of hiring out their services to the samurai warlords. There were three levels or ranks in a traditional ninja guild. The lowest ranking ninja was called a "genin." A middle-ranked ninja was known as a "chunin." The head of a ninja clan was called a "jonin."

    The Genin

    • Genin ninja were the lowest rank. A genin was a kind of field agent or hired mercenary. Genin were further subdivided by their areas of expertise. Some genin served as spies while others worked as scouts, assassins or trouble-makers. After Japan was unified in the Edo period, some ninja continued to work as spies for the new shogunate government.

    The Chunin

    • "Chunin" literally means "middle ninja," and the chunin were the middle-men of a ninja clan. When a particular mission had been determined by the heads of the clan, the task of the chunin was to pick the genin who would carry out the orders. Therefore, a chunin had to be very familiar with the skills and talents of the genin under him.

    The Jonin

    • The head of a ninja guild or clan was called a jonin. When a samurai warlord wanted to hire ninja to perform some task, he would pass the order through the jonin. The jonin would then select a chunin to put in charge of the mission, and then the chunin would select the appropriate genin.