A ninja tale?

> I have just reread "Sahashi Jingoro" by Mori Ogai, and a
> surprising thought sprang to mind.
>
> Without giving the story away, Jingoro, a samurai in the
> service of the Tokugawa, flees after an incident in which
> another samurai is killed. His brother requests an interview
> with Ieyasu and explains the details, asking forgiveness and
> that Jingoro might return.
>
> Ieyasu observes that whilst it is understandable, it cannot be
> allowed to pass. However, if Jingoro would perform a service
> for Ieyasu, then he might consider it. The service is the
> assassination of a Amari Shirasaburo, a Takeda vassal holding
> Koyama castle in Totomi Province and a thorn in Ieyasu's side.
> Ieyasu wanted possession of Koyama.
>
> A tall order, but examining the clues I have shortlisted this:
>
> Jingoro, we are told, was famous for his martial skills;
> He was an accomplished flautist;
> He was an excellent shot with the arquebus;
> His opponent in an argument drew his sword, but Jingoro struck
> and killed him with a single blow that left no visible mark
> upon the body.
>
> All in all - quite a talent.
>
> Jingoro enters the service of Amari, woos him with his flute
> playing, and when they are alone together, kills him.
>
> Ninja? Or simply a samurai with useful shinobi skills?
>
> Whatever, the garrison of Koyama did not surrender so the death of
> Amari achieved nothing of significance.
>
> Interestingly, Jingoro returned to Hamamatsu, but did not stay
> long. When it was suggested he accompany an envoy to Kyoto,
> Ieyasu declined. "I don't want him out of my sight. I have
> heard that Amari loved him like a son," Ieyasu said, "yet the
> cruel fellow killed him in his sleep."
>
> This is a clue to the role and relationship of the samurai to
> the ninja. I do believe that most samurai, if they possessed
> the aptitude, developed shinobi-nin training and were entirely
> capable of the exploits usually accredited to the ninja.
>
> When Ieyasu odered his son to commit seppuku, Hattori Hanzo,
> his celebrated ninja master, was sent to make sure the act was
> carried out. At the last, even Hanzo could not bring himself to
> act as kaishaku (second) knowing the man was innocent. Another
> samurai took his place and struck off Nobuyasu's head.
>
> Later, Ieyasu was heard to say, "even that devil Hanzo could
> not bring himself to kill my son," at which point this samurai
> decided life would be safer elsewhere.
>
> The problem being, once they have proved themselves skilled in
> the arts of deception, they themselves are never quite trusted
> again, even by their masters.
>
> Basically, I reckon most daimyo could find willing volunteers
> from among their own ranks for suicide missions, without having
> to resort to employing untrustworthy outsiders.
>
> Ieyasu and others did employ ninja, but I reckon it was for the
> more mundane and time-consuming operations of surveillance and
> information gathering, the day-to-day donkeywork of military
> intelligence, rather than the fantastic feats of fiction we
> read about.
>
> Thomas