It’s true. Even with salaries as high as $115,000, the city of Iga is facing a serious shortage of sword-wielding mercenaries according to Business Insider.
The city of 100,000, which is about 450km from Tokyo in central Japan, is known as the birthplace of the ninja – even hosting an annual ninja festival.
But like many Japanese cities, an ageing population and youth migration has left the local economy suffering – and the city’s council is turning to its ninja heritage to attract tourists.
They are relocating the town hall and building a second ninja museum in its place fully funded by the Japanese government – but they still need to find performers.
“Ninja is not an inheritable class. Without severe training, nobody could become a ninja. That’s why they have silently disappeared in history,” Sugako Nakagawa, the first museum’s curator, said back in 2008.
That said, it could be worth the tough training. According to the International Ninja Research Center (which does actually exist), ninjas now earn between $AU31,000 to about $AU115,000 – a solid salary, and much more than their medieval counterparts ever made.
Well, if you’ve ever fancied yourself a ‘Ninja Warrior’ …
