Oniwaban

The Oniwabanshū (お庭番衆, The Guardians of the Garden) was a group of onmitsu ninja established by the 8th Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, who was considered one of Japan's greatest shoguns (1684-1751).

Purpose

Yoshimune established the Oniwabanshū to perform security, information gathering, and espionage functions. It is believed that during the tumultuous time of the Bakumatsu Revolution that the Oniwabanshū were sent to America to spy not only on the shogun's opposition, but on the Americans as well.

Originally mercenaries serving different warlords, by the Edo Period, they were in the service of the central government. Oniwabanshū acted as secret agents, gathering intelligence and working as guards for the shogun, while also protecting generals or other high-ranking officials of the shogunate. They also followed a strict set of regulations, which, in some cases, forbade them from socializing with the general public. The most famous were the ninja of Iga and Kouga, north of Kyoto. Oniwabanshu-type characters in films and television are most often portrayed simply as ninja.

The Oniwabanshū were, in the beginning, Negoro ninja from Kii. Later they were thought of belonging to the samurai class. The Oniwabanshū rarely were involved with assassination. In fact almost all their missions were based on gathering intelligence or capturing criminals.

Membership

Members of the Oniwabanshū were chosen from the Kii clan. Positions were hereditary and were passed down in families. This is most likely because Yoshimune was originally the leader of Kii.

Deployment

• Acted as security guards in the Edo castle.
• Spied on other clans.
• In Bakumatsu times, Oniwabanshū members were secretly included in missions sent to the United States.

Speculation

There are not any known records of the end of the Oniwabanshū. They could have been disbanded during the Meiji Restoration or they could have been absorbed into the Meji secret police. They may also have some relation to the Nakano School.

In fiction

The Oniwabanshū have been depicted in many jidaigeki and more recently in manga and anime, such as in Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's influential manga Kozure Ōkami and its television and film adaptations, in which they are portrayed prominently and very realistically and accurately by the authors, based on historical references.

More recently, the Oniwabanshū have been depicted by Nobuhiro Watsuki in his manga Rurouni Kenshin, (major characters Aoshi Shinomori and Misao Makimachi were associated to them at different points).