Have you ever heard of ninjas? If you've watched anime or any Japanese period movie, it's not unlikely you've seen these (often) black-clad men sneaking around and looking cool. But did you know that ninjas were not only real-life spies and skilled fighters, but also the precursors to today's scientists and chemists?
In the Shiga prefecture, we can find the region called Koka (often called Koga in Western media), home to the ninja clan of the same name and a wealth of vast and amazing knowledge about ninjas that goes far beyond just being cool (but there's plenty of that too!).
(At the Koka City Pharmaceutical Learning Center visitors can learn about ninja history while having great fun)
For one, the current (October 1st 2024 to August 10th 2025) exhibit at the "Koka City Pharmaceutical Learning Center", allows visitors the opportunity to see a myriad of ninja-related items and learn about the history of the local ninjas, including historical documents, tools, traditional garments and much more up close.
(Genuine historical documents are among the many incredible items on display)
In what can only be described as a unique and fascinating trip through history, visitors can see documents written by actual ninjas, learn their connection to mountain monks, the disguises they used, the meaning behind the famous "ninja hand gestures" widely seen in popular media like anime and video games and even see the weapons and tools used by these historical figures. On the more scientific side, visitors can learn how ninjas experimented with, acquired, and applied their knowledge of plants to develop medicines, poisons and more.
(The famous "ninja hand-gestures" are not only real, but deeply connected to Japanese culture and history)
In many ways ninjas were the precursors of today's chemists and acted as actual pharmacists and merchants, going around dressed as such to both gather information and travel incognito. Just imagine that your local pharmacist was actually a master spy, highly trained in martial arts and capable of brewing powerful poisons and salves and you can start to have an idea of how well these historical figures were able to blend in.
(Ninjas would often travel around disguised as medicine salesmen carrying medicine boxes such as this)
As of the time of writing (March 7th, 2025) the aforementioned exhibit is still available, so if you're interested it's best to not waste any time!
At the Koka City Pharmaceutical Learning Center visitors are not limited to just seeing and hearing about these facts, though. They also have the opportunity to experience first-hand how ninjas prepared their own drugs, including preparing a genuine ninja emergency ration yourself, using the same tools that were used in the period and then getting to taste it (spoiler: it tastes really good!).
(Visitors get to make and taste genuine ninja emergency rations)
With the exception of unusual circumstances, ninjas would have regular meals like any other person. However, as the name implies, these little balls were prepared in advance and kept with the ninja as a last resort for emergency situations where procuring food would be hard or impossible. So, for example, when ninjas were infiltrating enemy strongholds or eluding enemy searches it wasn't uncommon to have to hide for several days on end. At times like these, a few of these rations would provide a day's worth of nutrients (although they can't do much to satiate hunger or fill one's stomach).
The process for making them involves mixing several components including cinnamon, rice powder, mochi powder and sugar, for example. To grind the components, like herbs and plants, into powder form in order to mix them, one must use a tool called yagen (薬研), a mortar and pestle-like tool.
(Using the yagen)
The experience is, of course, accompanied by professional guidance and includes a history lesson that makes every single part of the process, from grinding to boiling, easy to follow and connected to the culture and circumstances of the time, giving participants a very realistic glimpse of what life was like for the ninjas of yore.
And while reading about history is always interesting, there is something incomparable about getting to have a hands-on experience. Feeling the weight of the yagen, the smell, taste and consistency of the rations, or the act of separating the final paste in smaller parts that are carefully measured are among the parts of the experience that are hard, if not impossible, to convey through words.
So, if this article piqued your interest, do yourself a favor and go to the Koka City Pharmaceutical Learning Center as soon as possible. It's an experience that must be had in person and if you have even a passing interest in Japanese history, culture or ninjas, then I can guarantee that you'll have an absolute blast!
Author : Diego de Sousa