The Intellectual Peak of the “Ninja Mayor”

While Heishichirō Okuse’s famous 1959 trade book, Ninjutsu Hiden, was a highly visual, geographical catalog of tools, his 1964 masterwork 『忍法 その秘伝と実例』 represents his peak intellectual work.

At the time of this book’s release, Okuse was the sitting Mayor of Ueno City (modern-day Iga Ueno). Utilizing his public authority to access secure private storehouses, he spent years researching authentic shinobi strategic principles. In this text, he systematically details the mental, strategic, and tactical side of espionage—such as the highly analyzed 「離行の術」 (Rikō no Jutsu / The Art of Strategic Disruption)—anchoring these methods directly to authentic historical battlefield records rather than cinematic pop-culture fantasy.

2. The Collector’s Trap: Facsimile vs. Hand-Signed

This title holds a notorious trap for koryū and shinobi book collectors. Almost every copy listed on secondhand Japanese marketplaces is routinely, but incorrectly, advertised by antique dealers as “hand-signed” (著者署名入り).

• The Facsimile (Printed): On the standard title page, the title 忍法 その秘伝と実例 and the cursive signature 奥瀬平七郎 are printed directly onto the textured paper by the publisher. The calligraphy was written once by Okuse, photo-engraved into the metal printing plates by Jinbutsu Ōraisha, and pressed onto every single copy in the 1964 run.
• The Authentic Autograph: True hand-signed copies of this book do not feature the signature on the standard title page. Authentic presentation versions were written with a live, hand-brushed calligraphic pen on the blank white endpapers prior to the title page.

1. Exemplary Provenance: The Hachiya Yasuo Inscription

This specific volume is a premier presentation association copy featuring an ironclad provenance trace. The blank front flyleaf page contains an authentic, beautifully balanced hand-brushed dedication written in rich, black organic ink (sumi):

• The Inscription: 謹呈 蜂谷靖夫 様 (Kintei Hachiya Yasuo Sama / Respectfully Presented to Mr. Yasuo Hachiya).
• The Sign-off: 奥瀬平七郎 (Heishichirō Okuse).

This incredibly rare presentation copy proves that the “Ninja Mayor” was actively utilizing his academic publications to gift customized, high-grade presentation copies to political and civic peers to educate them on the authentic historical heritage of the Iga region.

4. Unbroken Time-Capsule Ephemera

What elevates this copy into a definitive museum-grade “time capsule” is the inclusion of the fragile, loose publisher inserts preserved inside the pages for over 60 years:

• The 1964 Rekishi Dokuhon Advertisement: A promotional flyer issued in September 1964 for Jinbutsu Ōraisha’s flagship monthly journal, highlighting the upcoming October Special Issue focusing on “Genealogies of Great Commanders” (名将の系図).
• The Original Publisher’s Order Slip (Chūmon Denpyō): Slipped inside at the factory, this ledger document lists Ninpō: Sono Hiden to Jitsurei with its original retail release price of ¥490 JPY.
• The Accordion Fold-Out Catalog (Shuppan Mokuroku): An exceptionally long, double-sided, accordion-folded marketing insert detailing Jinbutsu Ōraisha’s book series from the turn of the decade (circa 1960–1961), including historical travel series supervised by Katsuichirō Kamei.

The preservation of these loose, high-acid paper inserts alongside the unique handwritten presentation dedication provides absolute, ironclad proof of original 1964 first-edition provenance.

Rare & Unusual Facts About the Book and Author

• The Mayor’s Ghostwriters: Local Iga lore suggests that due to his intense, round-the-clock political duties balancing city budgets and infrastructural expansions as Mayor during 1964, Okuse heavily utilized research assistants from the Ueno City Library to verify the expansive line-item chronologies found in the text, making this an early crowd-sourced municipal history project disguised as a solo trade book.
• The Olympic Censorship Scare: Because the volume dropped precisely during the opening week of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, the publisher intentionally delayed mass retail shipping by a matter of days. They feared that the intense global media presence in Tokyo would focus negatively on books detailing historical Japanese assassination, torture, and subversion tactics rather than modern sportsmanship.
• The Hachiya Yasuo Political Connection: The recipient of this volume, Yasuo Hachiya, was not a martial artist. He was a highly influential mid-century regional administrator who worked closely with Okuse on historical landmark designations in Mie Prefecture. This volume was directly responsible for convincing local regional councils that Iga’s ninja history was an asset worthy of state museum investment, effectively laying the groundwork for the modern Iga Ninja Museum tourist destination.