Sometimes fantasy is better than real life.

At Uzumasa Movie Land even the meekest of visitors to Kyoto can, for a modest fee, be transformed into a ninja, that fearsome, shadow-clad assassin of legend. But first, a brief review.

The only thing more shadowy and elusive than a ninja himself is the history of the ninja. No figure from Japan’s past is more completely buried in myth, speculation and misinformation than the ninja.

Consider this. To the extent that there is any historical account of ninja at all, they were either extraordinarily inept or absolute masters in their efforts to conceal their successes. In the earliest known account of ninja, in a medieval epic called the Taiheiki, the ninja are discovered before they carry out their attack and are slaughtered. Despite the fear they inspired, there is not a single verifiable instance of ninja having carried out a political assassination. Three ninja once faced down the legendary Oda Nobunaga. Wielding that most subtle and easily concealed of weapons, the cannon, they pointed it at Nobunaga and fired from close range. They missed. On the other hand, at least one area famous for ninja activity, Iga, had risen against Nobunaga, raising the possibility that the story is just a bit of anti-ninja propaganda from Nobunaga’s camp.

There are a few tantalizing leads. Hattori Hanzo, a famous samurai who served Ieyasu Tokugawa, was allegedly a ninja from the Iga clan or group. Iga and Koga had a long reputation as centers for two competing ninja groups, and in the area around Iga there are still folk songs urging the listener to hide his children from the ninja, who would scout the countryside looking for likely children to purchase and train. When they were not active as ninja, they apparently lived as any other commoner of the time, engaged in farming, sake brewing or similar pursuits.

It turns out that, to the extent that any legitimate record of ninja activity exists at all, what they were mostly good at was dressing up in the enemy’s uniform, sneaking over castle walls and lighting everything in sight on fire. They were particularly adept at disguise, slipping by various means through fortifications, and creating the impression that their numbers were larger than was actually the case. Then, if they were lucky, they managed to escape again in the confusion they had caused.

In stories, plays and woodblock prints of the Edo period, the ninja began to take on some of the aspects we associate with him today. He was seven feet tall. He could fly, or transform himself into a rat. One fictional ninja rode about on the back of an enormous toad. Very, very mysterious.

Several centuries later, the ninja arrived in Hollywood. At around the same time that the ninja was becoming increasingly popular in Japanese films and TV dramas, James Bond creator Ian Fleming included ninja in the novel You Only Live Twice. When the book was adapted for the screen, the scriptwriter was Roald Dahl, the same man who brought us Willie Wonka. Flying Ninja? No real stretch after the Oompa-Loompas.

Whatever the actual history, it’s the movie ninja we all know and love. And one of the greatest purveyors of the movie ninja has been the Japanese film company Toei. At Toei Uzumasa Eiga-mura, or Movie Land, visitors can wander around the sets and back lots where some of Japan’s best-loved ninja have appeared from a cloud of smoke to dispatch a band of hapless samurai. There’s usually a historical drama for television being shot in one of the indoor studios, and the outdoor lots are great fun.

They include Edo period villages, farmhouses, and other settings populated by actors playing the roles of feuding warriors and demure geisha. There are also special effects shows and a theater with live demonstrations of stage fighting. If the mood strikes, visitors can join in by donning historical costume and being photographed. And yes, if you like you can even become a ninja for a time. It’s a lot of fun, especially if you’re traveling with kids who are burned out on temples and teahouses. Go check it out.

Matt Mangham

10 Higashi Hachigaoka-cho, Uzumasa, Ukyoku, Kyoto 616-8586

JR Kyoto station===(City bus No.75, 30-40min.)====Uzumasa Eigamuramichi===(On foot, 3 min.)===Uzumasa Movie Land

JR Sanjo Kiehan stop===(City bus No.11, 20-30min.)====Ukyoku Sogo Chosa-mae===(On foot, 5 min.)===Uzumasa Movie Land

Open Hours:
March 1-November 30: 9:00-17:00 (Last entry 16:30)
December 1 - February 28: 9:30 - 16:00 (Last entry 15:30)

Entrance fee:
Adult: 2,200yen
Junior high/high school student: 1,300yen
Child: 1,100yen

Costuming fee (at Funsono Yakata):
From 8,500yen

Uzumasa Eiga Mura website: http://www.eigamura30.com/index.shtml
Kyoto Tourism Council "Kyoto Travel Guide": http://www.kyoto.travel/