The ninja were indeed assasins. The were created not by the elite Japanese Society but by its baser elements as a means of retliation much like gangs today. Ninjas are not experts in all weapons but are proficient in ranged weapons (bows, shurikens, darts, etc.) since stealth was the best weapon.

The sword was usually carried on the back since the ninja needed his hands free for use of ranged wepons ( their primary weapon of choice )and to increase stealth. The Ninjas sword was not the same as the samurais weapon. Ninjas primarily carried the wakashasi, a shorter form of the kitana. Samurai kitanas were thicker and broader blade wise than the ninjas swords. This was due to the immense cost of making one ( heavier weapons cost more and were usually paid for by the warlord the handed down )and the extra strength needed to be effective against wooden armor worn by adversaries.

The Ninja were not the cold blooded killers that 80’s movies would have us believe, they were men and women who were trained to defend themselves and others by stealth and deception. To learn or practice a weapon or martial art openly was forbidden in Feudal Japan. This accounts for the veil of secrecy around ninjitsu that most people confuse as “bad”.

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