Iga

Iga (伊賀国; Iga no kuni) was a province of Japan whose territory now constitutes the western districts of in the present day.Kuroi Hiromitsu. (2019). "History of the Ninja". In Ninja: Bilingual Guide to Japan, translated by Chris Glenn. Tokyo, Japan: Shogakukan Inc., pp. 11–21. An isolated and mountainous region, it was one of the two most prominent centres of shinobi activity during the Sengoku period, the other being . Its people had integrated ninjutsu as a normal aspect of their lives because it was vital for their communities' safety in the midst of civil war. 
Unlike other regions, Iga had no daimyō, for which reason many contending warlords sought to gain their allegiance. It operated as an egalitarian confederacy led by three jōnin (上忍; lit. 'upper ninja'). At the height of the Sengoku era, these were Hattori Hanzō, Fujibayashi Nagato, and Momochi Sandayu.Turnbull, Stephen. (2019). "Iga: True Land of the Ninja". In Ninja: The (Unofficial) Secret Manual. London, UK: Thames & Hudson Ltd., pp. 44–59. In 1579, Oda Nobunaga invaded Iga as part of his unification campaign, setting off the Tenshō Iga War. In 1581, he returned and ravaged the entire province with the aid of his African retainer Yasuke. Nagato's daughter Naoe survived this attack and by chance later joined forces with Yasuke as an Assassin.
==Behind the scenes==
Iga is a location that will feature in the upcoming 2024 video game Assassin's Creed: Shadows as the homeland of one of its two main protagonists, Fujibayashi Naoe.
==Gallery==
ACShadows Iga Forest Concept.jpg|Concept art of a forest in Iga
ACShadows Iga Night Concept.jpg|Concept art of Iga at night
==Appearances==
*Echoes of History – Shadows 
*Assassin's Creed: Shadows 
==References==
Category:Provinces of Japan
de:Iga
zh:伊贺国