August 12, 2011

The Iga region of  Japan is now Western Mie Prefecture. It is located to the South/Southwest of What used to be the Koga region, now Shiga Prefecture. Many famous ninja also came from this region including the notable Hattori Hanzo (the real one).

Iga was the long-time home of many ninja clans until Oda Nobunaga launched the massive Iga No Ran (War on Iga) in 1581. The resident ninja of Iga were so deeply entrenched that it actually took 2 attempts on the part of Nobunaga to drive the ninja of Iga from their ancestral homelands. Many of the fleeing ninja actually ended up in the service of the man who eventually overthrew Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi .

Many famous relics still adorn Western Mie Prefecture from it's heyday as a ninja stronghold.

Iga Region

Iga Ueno Castle in Winter

Iga Ueno Castle Moat

Iga Ueno Ninja Week

Scenic Spot

Iga Ueno Ninja Museum

Temple

Today Western Mie Prefecture is a tourist hotspot with temples, castles, tours, ninja museums, traditional crafts such as pottery and much more. Once a week the people of Iga Ueno even hold a "Ninja Week" where virtually everyone dressed up in a shinobi shozoku for everyday mundane tasks and even for work. You can find ninja on the train and walking down the street.