The Iga-ryu Ninja Museum, located in the city of Iga in Mie Prefecture, is dedicated to the history and practices of ninja. It alerted police after an alarm went off in the early hours of Monday morning.
At the moment there were no staff at the museum, which is a popular tourist site. When police arrived, they found the entrance to the museum forced open, and the safe containing the money was missing.
The safe, which weighed about 150 kilograms (330 pounds), held entrance fees of more than 1,000 visitors, according to the museum.
“It was a three-minute task,” said a museum official, who asked for anonymity for privacy reasons. “It was planned, they should have kicked us and kicked us out.”
Part of the museum’s appeal is that it’s hidden in a forest – but this also makes it a better target for thieves, as it’s largely hidden from view when one night falls.
The museum’s security cameras showed a car pulling towards the building following the construction of the robbery, and a man climbing out of the passenger seat. He walked to the camera, and lifted it down so that it would film the ground alone for the rest of the night.
The official added that the heist had happened just as visitors began returning to the museum during the summer holidays.
Known for their secrecy and high skill levels, ninjas were masters of espionage, sabotage, murder and guerrilla warfare dating back to at least the 14th century. They were considered hired killers, and have been shrouded in mystery and lore for centuries.
Now, they are a fixed part of the Japanese tourism and entertainment sector; theater and pantomime groups often perform ninja acts and scenes in full costume.
Iga, the city where the museum is located, is known as a center for ninja enthusiasts; according to local legend, it was once home to the famous Iga clan of ninjas.
Every year, Iga holds a massive ninja festival that attracts thousands of participants with traditional performances, ninja costume stations, ninja training sessions and more.
In 2017, Mie University established the International Ninja Research Center in Iga – the first in the world dedicated to ninja studies.
Genichi Mitsuhashi, 45, became the first person to ever hold a master’s degree in ninja studies after completing Mie University’s graduate course last year. He is now learning the art of ninja in his own dojo in Iga.
“Iga is where ninja lived,” he told CNN in June. “The climate of this area created the nature of ninja.”
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