Kunoichi
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Kunoichi (くノ一) is ninja slang for woman.
Female ninja were classified as part of the kamae of sui (water) and were cultivated to manipulate energy through preying on increased feelings of emotional satisfaction; like the ocean, they would draw out, only to come back, like a wave at riptide, in unexpected ways. These women, or kunoichi as they were called, were given special training in psychological skills and intuition. Taught to manipulate men high-up in the enemy hierarchy, they were known to conceal blades inside musical instruments and sex toys. Shimma kunoichi, ninja family members, were trained as spies who were taught not to fall in love with their targets or lose sight of their ultimate goal after successful seduction. According to Rumiko Hayes, a ninja black belt and the wife of Stephen Hayes, head female agents were sent around the country to collect young female orphans, whom they raised with care. These orphan girls were forever indebted to their agents and would do whatever they were asked in terms of seducing men. Karima kunoichi were women who were not part of the clan but were temporarily hired as maids, mistresses, entertainers, fortunetellers, prostitutes, or artists. In contemporary times, female ninja often fulfill the same roles as men, working in security and law enforcement. This is the history of the kunoichi, it has changed vastly over the ages from skilled seductive assassins, to law enforcement and special ops.
Nowadays, the term kunoichi is solely used in reference to female ninja; historically who were trained to deceive men and disguise themselves as geisha. However, modern novels, manga, film, and video games generally portray kunoichi to be fully trained in ninjutsu, much like their male counterparts.
Derivation of the word Kunoichi
The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the Japanese kanji character for woman (女, onna); said in the order they are written: ku (く) - no (ノ) - ichi (一). However, this may be a modern fake etymology, as the ninja of the time wrote it as 九の一 (one of nine) or 九一 (nine one); these transcriptions supposedly come from the fact that all humans have nine openings in common, but women have one more in addition; hence a woman is "one of nine" or "nine plus one". This however could be another fake etymology. It is also worth noting that the "くノ一" writing requires the use of one character from each Japanese "alphabet". First hiragana, then katakana, then kanji. While hiragana and kanji can exist in the same word, katakana generally cannot appear in conjunction with the others. That is the language factor of the names origins. Another proposed etymology, possibly as spurious as the others, would derive the term from 九 能 ("nô" :talent) 一, meaning nine talents in one person, though no creditable source lists these "nine talents".List of kunoichi in popular culture
- Akira Okuzaki (尾久崎 晶), in the anime My-HiME (舞-HiME) and My-Otome (舞-乙HiME)
- Asuka (飛鳥), in the film Red Shadow (赤影, akakage, 2001)
- Ayame (彩女) and Rin (凛), in the video game series Tenchu (天誅). There is also one from Power Stone.
- Haruno Sakura (春野サクラ), Hyūga Hinata (日向ヒナタ), Tenten, and others in the anime and manga series Naruto, which is about ninjas. (In fact, most females encountered in the anime are kunoichi)
- Hibana (緋花), in the video game Nightshade (Kunoichi in Japan, 2004)
- Honey transforms into Kunoichi Honey in episode 24 in the anime Cutey Honey
- Kagero (陽炎), in the anime film Ninja Scroll (獣兵衛忍風帖, jyubei ninpuchou, 1993)
- Kage-Maru's mother, Tsuki-Kage, from Virtua Fighter
- Kaede, in the video game Onimusha as well as the Kaede in Mahou Sensei Negima
- Kasumi and Ayane in the video game series Dead or Alive
- Koyuki, in the anime Sgt. Frog
- Kunoichi, in the video game Samurai Warriors
- Kurenai, in the video game Red Ninja. Coincidentally, there is also a kunoichi by the name of "Kurenai" in Naruto.
- Mahiro, in the anime Samurai Deeper Kyo
- Mai Shiranui in the game series Fatal Fury
- Kitana, Mileena and Jade in the video game series Mortal Kombat
- Misao Makimachi, in the anime Rurouni Kenshin
- Shinobu, the heroine of the comedy anime 2x2=Shinobuden
- Taki, in the game series Soul Calibur
- Ibuki, in the video game series Street Fighter
- Kunimitsu, in the game series Tekken
- Sheena Fujibayashi, in the game Tales of Symphonia
- Yuffie Kisaragi in Final Fantasy VII
- Nanami Nono/HurricaneBlue, Furabijou, & Windenu of Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger
- Yatsuha of Samurai Champloo
- Yae, in the video game series Ganbare Goemon
- Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland features a community of kunoichi in California.
See also
- ninpo
- Onna bugei-sha
External link
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