Iga
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Iga (伊賀国; Iga no kuni) was a province of Japan that constitutes the western districts of Mie Prefecture in the present day.[1] Isolated in the mountains,[2] it was one of the two most prominent centres of shinobi activity during the Sengoku period, the other being Kōka. Its people had integrated ninjutsu as a normal aspect of their lives because it was vital for their communities' safety in the midst of civil war.[1]
Unlike other regions, Iga had no daimyō, for which reason many contending warlords sought to gain their allegiance.[1] It operated as an egalitarian confederacy led by three jōnin (上忍; lit. 'upper ninja'). At the height of the Sengoku era, these were Hattori Hanzō, Fujibayashi Nagato, and Momochi Sandayu.[3] In 1579, Oda Nobunaga invaded Iga as part of his unification campaign,[2] setting off the Iga Rebellion.[3] In 1581, he returned and this time ravaged the entire province with the aid of his African retainer Yasuke.[2] Fujibayashi Nagato's daughter, Naoe, was one of the survivors of the latter attack. By chance, she and Yasuke later joined forces as Assassins of the Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins.[4]
Behind the scenes
Iga is a location that will feature in the upcoming 2024 video game, Assassin's Creed: Shadows as the homeland of one of its two main protagonists, Fujibayashi Naoe.[2]
Appearances
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kuroi Hiromitsu. (2019). "History of Japan". In Ninja: Bilingual Guide to Japan, translated by Chris Glenn. Tokyo, Japan: Shogakukan Inc., pp. 11–21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3
Assassin's Creed Shadows Explained – Samurai, Shinobi, and Feudal Japan on the Ubisoft YouTube channel
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Turnbull, Stephen. (2019). "Iga: True Land of the Ninja". In Ninja: The (Unofficial) Secret Manual. London, UK: Thames & Hudson Ltd., pp. 44–59.
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Shadows: Official World Premiere Trailer on the Ubisoft YouTube channel