Ninja Snipers and the Truth Behind the Nobunaga Assassination Attempts

The Firearm Revolutionary

When it comes to firearms in Japan, one name stands out: Oda Nobunaga. After the matchlock gun (tanegashima) was introduced to Japan in 1543, it was Nobunaga who first integrated it systematically into warfare. His use of volley fire with thousands of guns at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575 was a revolutionary tactic that changed Japanese warfare forever.

Ironically, the very weapon Nobunaga championed was also turned against him. Few people know that he was the target of multiple assassination attempts using firearms—and the would-be assassins were not samurai, but ninja. This is the story of the first attempted sniper assassination in Japan and the ninja who risked everything to pull the trigger…

(Sources: Wikipedia – 杉谷善住坊, National Diet Library)

Who Were the Ninja? The Iga-Kōka Alliance

Globally, “ninja” conjures up images of shadowy assassins in black suits wielding throwing stars. But the historical reality was far more complex. Ninja were covert agents specializing in espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and ambush.

The two most prominent ninja clans were based in Iga (present-day Mie Prefecture) and Kōka (present-day Shiga Prefecture). These regions developed hereditary ninja families who passed down skills in disguise, information gathering, poisons, and covert tactics for generations. Some of these ninja even mastered firearms, adapting their techniques as military technology evolved.

According to the National Diet Library’s article “The Appearance and Reality of the Ninja,” both the Iga and Koga clans are well documented as acting as secret agents for their feudal lords, combining practical tactics with complex political loyalties.

Ninja and the Evolution of Weaponry: From Blades to Bullets

While the popular image of a ninja might include short swords and shuriken, their true arsenal was far more diverse. Among the tools they mastered was kaji-jutsu, the art of fire and explosives, which naturally extended to the use of firearms.

In regions like Kōka and Iga, matchlock guns were not only adopted but refined. Ninja who mastered shooting were capable of calculating wind speed, humidity, and movement patterns to take highly accurate shots. In effect, the first “sniper” roles in Japanese history were often held by ninja.

The Man Who Brought Guns to Japan, Shot at by Guns

It’s a poetic irony that the first man to weaponize firearms in feudal Japan was also one of its first high-profile targets. Nobunaga’s strategic reliance on guns made him both admired and feared. But to the disenfranchised forces of Iga and Kōka—who had seen their domains crushed or absorbed—he was a tyrant.

Thus, the very weapon he had made central to his military doctrine would be used in attempts on his life. And those who took the shot were men from the shadows.

Sugitani Zenjubō: Kōka’s Lone Sniper

Sugitani Zenjubō was born in the Kōka region, likely around 1537, into a local warrior family. From childhood, he trained in survival, disguise, herbology, and the use of poison—standard skills for ninja of the region. But his true gift lay in marksmanship.

By the 1550s, Sugitani had become renowned in Kōka as a sharpshooter with the matchlock. According to the Chinese Wikipedia article, he could shoot birds in flight and was said to never miss.

In 1570, Sugitani ambushed Nobunaga at the Chigusa Pass. He fired from a distance of about 20 meters, but the shot only grazed Nobunaga’s sleeve. Failing to escape, Sugitani was eventually captured by Nobunaga’s forces.

His punishment? One of the most brutal known in the Sengoku era: sawed in half with a bamboo saw at Kyoto’s Rokujo Riverbed. Even under extreme torture, he never revealed who had ordered the attack. This event is described in detail in Yoshiteru Hasegawa’s book Ano Kata o Kitta no…Soregashi Desu (2018), which serves as a narrative dramatization of several samurai and ninja confessions.

Kido Yazaemon: The Double-Strike Illusionist from Iga

Known as “Otowa no Kido,” Kido Yazaemon was a mid-ranking ninja (chūnin) from Iga, trained in hōjutsu (firearms and pyrotechnics). He was recognized as one of the most skilled snipers among Iga ninja, as recorded in the classic ninja manual Bansenshūkai and covered in Ryūyuki Eguimiya’s article in Rekishijin.

In 1579, he attempted to assassinate Nobunaga near Zeze (modern-day Ōtsu City), but the bullet was deflected by Nobunaga’s large umbrella. Astonishingly, the next day, Kido approached Nobunaga with a gift box, posing as a concerned citizen eager to help find the shooter. Nobunaga, unaware he was speaking to his attacker, accepted his aid.

But Kido had unfinished business. In 1581, he returned—this time with two additional gunners and a large-caliber firearm. They set up a triple-pronged ambush at the Aekuni Shrine in Iga, where Nobunaga was rumored to be resting. Despite injuring several of Nobunaga’s guards, the warlord himself remained untouched.

Kido’s identity was eventually exposed. After capture and severe torture, he managed to escape but was surrounded soon after and committed seppuku. His grave is located in Iga City’s Saionji Temple, beside a statue of En no Gyōja, the mystic whom Kido revered.

The Bullet Missed, but History Was Hit

Neither Sugitani nor Kido succeeded in their mission to kill Nobunaga. However, their actions changed history in more subtle ways:

• Nobunaga tightened his personal security.
• He increased repression against Iga and Kōka ninja, culminating in the devastating Tenshō Iga War (1581).
• His paranoia and isolation may have laid the groundwork for his eventual downfall at the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582.

According to legend, when Nobunaga was finally killed by Akechi Mitsuhide, some in Kōka celebrated the event with a secret festival, believing that Sugitani’s spirit had been avenged.

The Legacy of the Ninja Snipers

The two men who tried—and failed—to kill Nobunaga never made the history books as victors. But their names live on as symbols of resistance, skill, and resolve.

They remind us that history is not just shaped by kings and conquerors, but by shadows. The bullet missed the man, but it struck the heart of an era.

Suggested Sources for Further Reading

• Hasegawa, Yoshiteru. Ano Kata o Kitta no…Soregashi Desu. Bestseller Publishing, 2018.
• Egumiya, Ryūyuki. “The Sniper Ninja Who Targeted Nobunaga Twice: Otowa no Kido,” Rekishijin, Tokuma Shoten.
• Sengoku Bushō Retsuden Ω: Bushō Jiten (Encyclopedia of Sengoku Warlords)
• National Diet Library, “The Image and Reality of Ninja” → NDL Kaleido
• Japaaan.com article → Oda Nobunaga: The First Man to Be Targeted by a Sniper Ninja