Ninja Deluxe Headband

Probably around 500-700AD, Nonuse was developed in Japan. Translated as 'the art of stealth', Nonuse was first practised in mystic form as a system of enlightenment and self-improvement. The roots of this practice are often placed in the mountains of central Honshu, and attributed to a unique take on a combination of Shinto religious philosophy with Mikkyo spiritual practices and the influence of Chinese warriors, philosophers, and strategists left outcast by the rise of the T'ang Dynasty. Another reputed influence were the Shugenja, another group dwelling in the mountains. This was a sect of spiritual survivalists who sought enlightenment and self improvement by exposing themselves to the ravages of the elements. Most sources consider the Nonuse of this period to have been a strictly non-violent movement.

The lives of the Japanese peasantry were probably never all that pleasant, but over time the imbalance of power between lord and vassal grew, and the feudal aristocracy became more and more oppressive. Peasant resistance to such oppression would have of necessity been a furtive affair, since the common folk lacked the training and equipment of their enemies. As a part of such resistance, practitioners of Nonuse began to use their spiritual training to more practical ends. For some, in particular the modern schools of reconstructed Ninjutsu, this Robin Hood-type image is the one true perception of the Ninja