Gathering Information at
Shrines and Temples

宮寺計聞ノ習

Kyuji Keibun no Narai

The main job of the ninja is not that of an assassin, as some may think. In fact, it is postulated that the ninjas of Natori’s school of ninjutsu were experts in all forms of espionage and infiltration. In a secular world and lifestyle, we may find it hard to comprehend the reality of a temple or a place of worship as a major hub for gossip and information networks. However, in a world where religion is fundamental to daily life, the priests and monks, as men of the cloth, hold key positions—they make it their business to understand what is happening within their own community. If money and religion go hand-in-hand, so does knowledge and power, and if knowledge is power, then a shinobi must tap into that at its source. That source was, for the feudal shinobi, the shrines and temples of the Japanese highways.

There are no better places than shrines and temples for trying to investigate what is happening within a said province and to acquire the information you want. For this purpose you should give the priests or other men of the cloth gold and silver coins generously, sparing no expense. If you give ordinary people gold and silver, they will become suspicious of you because this is not normal. However, Buddhist or Shinto priests, if given silver and gold, will not suspect you at all but instead will be delighted to accept it and offer to treat you with meals and hospitality. Taking advantage of this opportunity, you should probe them for information while getting them drunk.

If you “get wind” of a rebellious plot, you should ask your hosts if they have any plans to construct a new building to pray for the fulfilment of someone’s wishes, suggesting and hinting at your willingness to help financially. Let them talk on about their hopes, enough to loosen their tongues. Then they will not be able to stop themselves from bragging about their wonderful religious power or the divine wonders, and then they will give away everything you need to know at great length. During their attempts to make you donate for their cause, they are likely to make a display of their knowledge as a show of power. Thus, by exploiting their very nature, you can attain your goal.

To know what the people in any given province are thinking and what the situation is within the area, you should go and eavesdrop at an ageya 揚屋, this is a licensed house of assignation where the highest rank of courtesans are appointed to their clients, or at the public baths, or a keiseiya 傾城屋 brothel or a gambling den and so on. There are no secrets that cannot be revealed at places such as these.