Famous ninja groups ①: Fuuma family/Hachiya masses
Methods used to swiftly contact an associate far away ・Beacon/signal fire: Ninja sent smoke signals, known as 'noroshi', straight up high into the sky as a sign for their associates. With their knowledge of chemicals and gunpowder technology, ninja could even send up smoke signals of colours other than grey, and they would devise a system in advance to attach different meanings to these colours. Incidentally, the kanji for the Japanese term 'noroshi' (狼煙, which could literally be translated as "wolf-smoke") came about because the smoke signals were made by mixing wolf droppings with gunpowder. ・Kite/flag: To send a signal, these were usually flown high in the sky during the day. ・Conch (trumpet shell): Ninja communicated with one another by blowing into conch shells to make them sound. ・Mirror: A piece of bronze was polished up to make a mirror which could be used to reflect the sun's rays in order to communicate with ninja associates. ・Dog: Dogs were trained to deliver messages (and so on) over distances. ・Running: Ninja were accomplished long-distance runners. As part of their training they learned how to perfect a fast running style and how to avoid fatigue, and when they travelled, they stuck to the kind of secret mountain ridges that normal people could not cross easily. Associates hidden nearby used cat or birdcalls to let them know of any danger lurking.
