Reviving Japan’s legendary ninja clan to boost local tourism

The Japanese city of Odawara, in Kanagawa prefecture, was once home to one of the country’s largest ninja clans, the Fuma.

Now, 400 years after the ninja clan fell victim to the changing tides of history, Odawara is training a new class of Fuma ninjas in hopes of sparking renewed interest in the historical city. The Fuma clan once served five generations of warlords who ruled the region, only to disappear at the end of Japan’s Sengoku, or warring states period.