Shibata’s ancestor was an Iga ninja samurai who, together with his relative Nagamochi, accompanied Tokugawa Ieyasu on his journey across Koga and Iga in 1582, and was employed by the Tokugawa family in the same year.
Ninja (Shinobi Samurai) were local samurai who studied ninjutsu, taught it to their retainers, and acted as ninja. It was not ninja who served Ieyasu, but ninja samurai who commanded them. The ninja disappeared during the peace of the Edo period, but the ninja continued to inherit their culture under the feudal system, adapting to the demands of the times.
In 1582, Ieyasu was touring the Kinai region a few days before the Honnoji Incident, and heard about it in Sakai, Senshu. At the time, Ieyasu was accompanied by about 30 people. He decided to return to his homeland of Mikawa and regroup.
Ieyasu and his party chose the shortest route, crossing the Koga and Iga borders and crossing to Mikawa by boat. However, even though they were samurai, it was very dangerous for such a small group to travel the back roads. So Hattori Hanzo, who was from Iga, requested an Iga ninja to escort him. Protected by the Iga and Koga ninja, Ieyasu and his party went to Ise and were able to return by sea to Mikawa. Since this “crossing of Iga,” Tokugawa Ieyasu employed ninja such as Shibata and Nagamochi, who had been his escort, and gained excellent ninja.
The Edo Shogunate’s “Igamono History” contains an article about Shibata Suo and Nagamochi Tokuzou, who accompanied the divine lord on his journey across Iga.
In 1584, Tokuzo Nagamochi fought alongside Hanzo Hattori in the Battle of Matsugasaki Castle to support the Oda army and was killed in battle.
In 1590, the Iga ninja Shibata Nagamochi clan followed Ieyasu to Edo (Musashi) and became part of the Musashi clan .
Shibata Suo was killed in battle during the Winter Siege of Osaka in 1615 while engaged in espionage activities with two Iga warriors.
The family was a hereditary ninja, and did not serve as gatekeepers like many of the Iga and Koga families. The two families formed a very close-knit clan through intermarriage, and by the end of the Edo period they had become a force that had absorbed other ninja families and garden guard families.
In 1794, the shogunate began recruiting talent based on an examination system called Gakumon Ginmi, a very fortunate development for the Musashi clan.
The clan had a tradition of mastering local dialects from the beginning, so it seems they did not find it difficult to study classical Chinese for their academic examination. They were familiar with reading the original texts of Taoism, Confucianism, and Neo-Confucianism from childhood, and were recognized by the shogunate. As a result, the ninjas were able to pass the shogunate’s academic examination on the Four Books and Five Classics, and many of them became shogunate officials specializing in diplomacy and maritime affairs.
Notable ninja from this clan who were active in diplomatic affairs were Shibata Takenaka and Nagamochi Kojiro.
In 1584, Tokuzo Nagamochi fought alongside Hanzo Hattori in the Battle of Matsugasaki Castle to support the Oda army and was killed in battle.
In 1590, the Iga ninja Shibata Nagamochi clan followed Ieyasu to Edo (Musashi) and became part of the Musashi clan .
Shibata Suo was killed in battle during the Winter Siege of Osaka in 1615 while engaged in espionage activities with two Iga warriors.
The family was a hereditary ninja, and did not serve as gatekeepers like many of the Iga and Koga families. The two families formed a very close-knit clan through intermarriage, and by the end of the Edo period they had become a force that had absorbed other ninja families and garden guard families.
In 1794, the shogunate began recruiting talent based on an examination system called Gakumon Ginmi, a very fortunate development for the Musashi clan.
The clan had a tradition of mastering local dialects from the beginning, so it seems they did not find it difficult to study classical Chinese for their academic examination. They were familiar with reading the original texts of Taoism, Confucianism, and Neo-Confucianism from childhood, and were recognized by the shogunate. As a result, the ninjas were able to pass the shogunate’s academic examination on the Four Books and Five Classics, and many of them became shogunate officials specializing in diplomacy and maritime affairs.
Notable ninja from this clan who were active in diplomatic affairs were Shibata Takenaka and Nagamochi Kojiro.
In particular, Shibata was involved in all matters related to foreign affairs, from the opening of Yokohama Port to the aftermath of the Namamugi Incident. There is a scene in the NHK historical drama “Ryomaden” where Shibata is seen chatting in English with the ambassador at the US Embassy at the time. He believed that while mastering the local dialect was a given in order to gather information from other regions, knowledge of a foreign language was essential in order to gather information internationally, and so he studied English.
After Japan opened its borders to the world, the first Japanese people to be sent overseas was the 1861 mission to the United States, with Awajinokami Muragaki of the Oniwaban family serving as deputy envoy.
Then, in 1862, Shibata Hyuganokami Takenaka was sent to Europe for a year as the leader of the Japanese Embassy to Europe. Western newspaper reporters knew that Shibata was the key figure in intelligence in Western Europe and wrote about him as “Shibata, also known as the Shadow.” A famous subordinate at this time was Fukuzawa Yukichi. Among his particularly close friends were Mizuno Tadanori and Katsu Kaishu. Shibata’s diary records that Mizuno would often come over to Shibata’s house after work and the two would share a drink (although it is not written what they talked about).
Immediately after his return, Shibata was assigned to Hakodate as the magistrate of foreign affairs, and began negotiations with Russian Consul General Goshkevich regarding the closure of the port of Yokohama. The details of this process are recorded in the form of a conversation, “Shibata Hyuganokami Hakodate-yuki Goyo-tome (Excerpts),” which is held at the Hakodate City Central Library.
Shibata’s diplomatic negotiations were well-balanced, explaining Japan’s policy while accepting Russia’s demands. Shibata’s foresight was also evident in the talks. One example was his mention of sending students to Japan. This led to the later Koide Mission and the dispatch of students to Japan.
In May 1865, Shibata Takenaka was dispatched to England and France again as the chief envoy of the Keio Shibata Mission to investigate the construction of a steelworks and the military system. He entered France in July and concluded an agreement with the French government to invite French troops for the construction of the steelworks and military training of the Shogunate army. Among the French soldiers who came to Japan in accordance with this agreement was Captain Jules Brunet, who became the model for the Last Samurai.
Around this time, Tomoatsu Godai, who had stowed away to England to study, wrote a letter to the Satsuma clan, warning them to beware of the shogunate’s actions when Shibata’s investigation reached them. (The shogunate did nothing even after receiving Shibata’s report.)
Shibata’s younger brother, Kojiro Nagamochi, was a member of the Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office, and conducted interviews with the head of the Dutch trading post, opened an English school in his home, and procured excellent interpreters. His intelligence activities regarding the Russian landing on Tsushima and the negotiations surrounding the occupation of Tsushima by the Russian warship Posadnik in 1861 are particularly noteworthy.
After returning from Europe, Shibata was appointed as the magistrate of Osaka in May 1867, and on July 9th was appointed as the magistrate of Hyogo, in charge of foreign affairs. With regard to the port of Kobe, he promoted the construction of the customs office, wharf, and settlement, as well as the construction of the Tokugawa Road.
On January 1, 1868, at the ceremony for the opening of the ports of Osaka and Hyogo, Shibata Takenaka read out the declaration for the opening of the port of Hyogo and the city of Osaka on behalf of Japan, in the presence of envoys and consuls from the UK, the US, France, China, the Netherlands, and other countries. (The shogunate had collapsed, and the Meiji government had no experience in diplomacy and was unable to act.)
After completing the external affairs, he submitted a request for retirement. He was invited to serve by the Meiji government because of his insight and character, but he declined. (However, when asked by the government, he responded sincerely to consultations on diplomatic issues.)
This is the original reason why Musashi Ichizoku (now the NPO Musashi Ninja Corp.) decided to train shinobi interpreters. “Language is a weapon.”
The ninjas of the Edo Shogunate were called ninja warriors (shinobi samurai), and ninjutsu was not a martial art, but a strategic technique for intelligence activities. Ninpo is a compilation of fundamental principles that serve as guidelines for ninjutsu. The way of the ninja is called ninshido. It is also the ninja’s view of the universe based on Taoism and Confucianism.
The current interpreters are NPO members who have obtained an interpreter guide license and have studied Ninshido. At the dojo, a second-degree qualification is required to be in charge of interpretation and Ninshido workshops.
