Database: Iga

Behind the mountains that dominate Nara, the ancient, 8th century capital of Japan, lies the land of Iga. When you pass through the gorge that separates the provinces of Yamato and Iga, you emerge into the small basin of Nabari, where the tradition of the ninjas is preserved. The land of Iga forms a basin surrounded by steep, forest-covered mountains that separate it from the more populated regions to the northwest (Kyoto), or to the west (the Yamato basin). The Iga basin itself is fragmented by hills forming the domains of warrior lords.

Iga was small, about 30 km by 40 km or roughly a day's walk from one end to the other. Although about 80 km from the capital of Kyoto, the province was off the main communication routes. To leave or enter Iga, there were only paths running along the gorges of a narrow valley, or mountain passes. From the Middle Ages, a tradition of fierce autonomy had developed in this region. It is said that banished court aristocrats or defeated warriors took refuge in Iga. In the 16th century, the land of Iga was divided into free communes. The small samurai, who were village chiefs supported by peasants, made their region an independent space, a sort of republic (sōkoku ikki) which recognized no higher authority. However, these community structures were crushed in 1581 by the armies of Oda Nobunaga, who devastated Iga. The countryside was pillaged by Nobunaga's soldiers, the villages burned, and the people massacred.

After the 1608 victory of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the province was entrusted to the daimyō of the Tōdō family, who governed Iga from their castle in Ueno.