Title: Modern Ninja Warfare
Author: Antony Cummins
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Publish Date: 2019
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Cover Price: $14.99
Regardless of the culture you look to, it is easy for the idea of “the warrior” to get overly romanticized. The gory and gritty details are frequently lost amidst pop culture. Simply looking at a cop movie, reading a spy novel, or looking at a Halloween ninja costume will tell you such.
Antony Cummins’ Modern Ninja Warfare is like a sword, cutting through the mythos of the all-purpose warrior. This is a book just as much on ancient ninja and samurai as it is on the modern special forces and army personnel.
Content
Throughout the entirety of Modern Ninja Warfare, both the culture of modern warriors and those of ancient times are presented. At the beginning of the book, Antony Cummins mentions that the contents of the book are primarily for education, not application.
He goes on to say that the material covered and the tactics illustrated are what would be considered immoral and even illegal in many cases. With that being said, it is a very insightful read into how the warriors of the past and the present deal with violence on every scale.
The book quickly delves into the terminology of modern army personnel and ancient Japan to be sure that the author and the reader are on the same page (I don’t regret the book pun!). Succeeding that chapter, Modern Ninja Warfare elaborates on the tactics and mentality of a warrior working “in the field”. The focus here is on infiltration, combat, arresting, security, secret communication, and more. The book even mentions tactics based on your environment.
Do keep in mind it isn’t all “rainbows and sunshine” though. Some of the darker subjects covered in the book include manipulation, interrogation, delivering/receiving torture, and much more.
This ain’t your kids’ book on Ninjago!
Pros
It is easy to get lost in the romantic illusion of the ideal warrior but the truth is often grittier and visceral than we dare imagine. This is a book that knows what it wants to present and is unabashed in giving it all to the reader, however.
Antony Cummins covers many of the various aspects of warfare, giving enough detail to cover the topic without droning on too long. Most tactics presented are followed by the closest equivalent tactic the warrior of the contrasting culture would rely upon.
Illustrator Jason Kane provides over one hundred unique and informative illustrations, a great help in clarifying what is written by the author. Another great tool included is the two-page glossary, given for the Japanese words and military terminology.
As this is primarily a knowledge-driven read, being able to confirm the validity of what is written is also important. Those concerned with this will be happy to find an extensive bibliography in the back of the book. This provides a great place to begin further study into what is written.
Similarly, direct quotes from various training manuals and books the author drew from are sprinkled throughout.
Cons
I don’t have many complaints on the book and the few that I do are quite minor.
To start with, there are a couple of spots where I feel an idea could have been explained better. Thankfully, the illustrations provide relief to this small concern.
Moving on, there is an occasional lack of connectivity between the warriors of the past and the warriors of the present. In looking into the past, Modern Ninja Warfare delves into not only ninja culture but also, by extension, samurai culture. This feels natural considering how the roles coexisted.
In looking into the present, the book mentions special forces, spies, terrorists, and more. At one point, it even uses the example of a Gurkha soldier!
I love how diverse the spectrum of warriors it looks at is. Problem is though, most of the time, Modern Ninja Warfare does a well enough job at providing the “connective tissue” linking the various warriors, there are a few times that they feel disjointed entirely. A few of the sections could use more information or insight into the cohesive overlap the various warriors share.
This is a slight annoyance for reading a book that promotes itself as providing “Ninja Tactics for the Modern Warrior”.
Conclusion
Antony Cummins provides a very frank and disillusioned look into the warriors of old as well as insight into the warriors of the 
present. Each chapter showcases the dedication of the author’s research and passion for the subject.
present. Each chapter showcases the dedication of the author’s research and passion for the subject.Whether the book is covering espionage and intelligence gathering or torturing and killing, it gives you plenty of knowledge. Don’t be mistaken! Expect what is written to be gruesome, immoral, and in many cases, illegal.
Keep in mind that this is a book for history and understanding, not application. Go into your reading session with the expectation of gaining knowledge, not skills you will likely use every day.
Recognize that and you will enjoy a book that imparts a lot of insight into an often overly romanticized idea.
Overall score: 4.5 Ninja Stars
What pops into your mind when you hear the word…”Ninja”? Let us know in the comments!
Justin Lee Ford is infatuated with enjoying as many experiences as possible within the world of martial arts. A few of his current experiences include building a career in martial arts writing, actively competing in tournaments, traveling and training around the world, and running a successful martial arts school. He can be contacted via email at justin@martialjournal.com. Be sure to also check out his martial art website, cupofkick.com!
Latest posts by Justin Lee Ford (see all)
- GUEST POST: Getting It Done (by Ori Cohen) - October 18, 2022
- Martial Journal Magazine (Big Ole Reminder!) - July 28, 2021
- Book Review: Shodai-Soke - July 1, 2021
Leave a Reply