Reading Someone’s Character
by His Face
人相を知る事
Ninso wo Shiru Koto
This is the first of two chapters that are the most difficult for our modern minds to comprehend; at first glance you may see no connection between his writings and our modern world. For Natori, he judges people by their looks and appearance, whereas in a modern society, we are told that you can never judge a book by its cover. It is here that we really have to examine ourselves and not the medieval ninja. We all, each and every one of us, do judge people by their appearances, we just don’t admit to it. If we see an obese person or an unattractive face, a person of another race or social class, we can find ourselves harboring a stereotype, even if just for a moment. Thus, we can see that Natori is asking here for you to understand that people’s personalities can come from their features and to have an open mind as you examine each person and try to see them for who they are.
It is said that you can read what someone’s natural character is just by looking at him or her; however, there are some doubts about this method. Still, the tradition says that if you look with a serene mind, it will reflect all, as clear as a mirror. However, when your mind is disturbed and not at peace, you may interpret a face incorrectly, so it will do more harm than good. It is fundamental for a shinobi to observe the opponent as carefully as possible and to get into their mind by trusting their trained instincts.
First, you must observe the person’s posture, movements, voice, face color, and expressions. Within the face there is a name for every part, from your hairline all the way through your nose and to your chin.*
The five areas of the forehead divided from the top down.
| Tenchu 天中 | — | Top part of the forehead |
| Tentei 天庭 | — | Upper part of the forehead below the tenchu above the shiku |
| Shiku 司空 | — | Upper middle part of the forehead below the tentei above the chusei |
| Chusei 中正 | — | Lower middle part of the forehead below the shiku above the indo |
| Indo 印堂 | — | The glabella, which is the space between the eyebrows and above the nose |
Other Parts of the Face
| Sankon 山ん根ん | — | The base of nose |
| Nenjo 年上 | — | The top of the nasal bone |
| JuJo 寿上 | — | The top of the nasal cartilage |
| JunTo 準頭 | — | The tip of the nose |
| Ninchu 人中 | — | The vertical line between the nose and the upper lip |
| Suisei 水星 | — | Mouth |
| Shojo 承漿 | — | Between the bottom lip and the chin |
| Chikaku 地閣 | — | The chin |
Menso Santei 面相三停 The Three Areas Within the Face
| Jotei 上停 | From the hairline down to the eyebrows. If this is long, you will be happy in your old age |
| Chutei 中停 | From the eyebrows to the tip of your nose. If this is long, you could be a king of men |
| Katei 下停 | From the nose to the chin. If this is long, it means bad luck in most cases |
People who have good features in all the three areas are considered to have a “lucky face.” As for women, it is said to be almost the same as men. Yet, those women with a masculine voice, with a prominent uneven forehead and who are angry looking will have bad luck.
* These names are also shared with acupuncture points.