Like modern ninjas, thieves have acted in the shade. A chest containing one million yen (around 8,000 euros) was stolen from a museum dedicated to famous spy warriors in central Japan.
The chest, which contained the recipes for the Iga-ryu ninja museum in the Mie region, was stolen overnight from Sunday to Monday, triggering the alarm system, local media reported.
Arriving there a few minutes later, the police could only note the disappearance and break-in of the museum’s front door, apparently with a crowbar, the agency reported. Kyodo.
Contacted by AFP, the police confirmed having “received a report” on this subject, but declined to comment on an ongoing investigation.
A 150 kg chest
The chest, weighing around 150 kg, contained the recipe for the weekend’s entries, during which some 1,100 people visited the museum, according to the daily Asahi. The management of the establishment was not immediately reachable.
The very popular Iga Museum, about 350 km southwest of Tokyo, offers to visit a traditional ninja house, learn about their secret techniques, watch demonstrations or try your hand at throwing the shuriken, the traditional metallic throwing weapon of the ninjas.
The two most famous ninja clans were originally from the Iga and Koka regions, in what is now neighboring Shiga Prefecture.
Mie University set up a specialized research center at Iga in 2017, and offers a ninja studies course, devoted to the history of these characters shrouded in mystery and their place in popular culture.
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