The History of The Ninja Suit

A ninja, also known as a shinobi, was a covert agent or spy of feudal Japan. Believed to be originated from the 14th century, the ninja is trained for sabotage, infiltration, assassination and espionage missions. They were known for being extremely stealth in performing their duties.

Although the ninja is typically known to be wearing black outfits just like a samurai‘s, there is no written evidence that supports the speculation. Ninjas were depicted as dressed in black in the early drawings. Well known to be as dark as a shadow and as quick as lightning, ninjas wore all black to portray a sense of invisibility. It is a part of the ninja's responsibility to keep stealth, especially when they were on a mission.

Ninjas were usually said to dress like a civilian, as opposed to wearing a ninja suit. However, black garments, possibly stained with red to hide bloodstains were said to be the perfect outfits for infiltrations. Loose garments such as leggings were tucked into trousers. Ninjas would also have a tenugui, a multi-functional piece of cloth, typically used in martial arts. The tenugui could be used to cover the face, form a belt or to be used as climbing aide. Other than that, ninjas would typically cover their head with a piece of black cloth too, to protect their identity.

According to the feudal Japan history, there is no hard proof that ninjas had any armor, other than the light armor similar to samurai armor. Examples of purported ninja armor includes a ring mail or lamellar. These items were designed to be worn under the regular black garments. Additionally, arm and shin guards, with hoods that are reinforced with metal are also believed to be part of the ninja's armor.