Anachronism: Naruto and the History and Culture of Japan
Many have argued that the world of Naruto is an original magical world created entirely by Kishimoto Masashi; a world that defies time and logic. While this world has skyscrapers, televisions, and cars, radios, computers, and advanced medical technology, the "new" or modern features of Naruto exist in juxtaposition with "old": there are no telephones, and communication takes place largely through bird carriers; the world of Naruto itself seems to be rather undeveloped, with tracts of land and forest stretching wide between villages and towns. It is a world that is both new and old, one that interprets the ancient world while presenting it in the modern to its readers, creating an anachronistic space in which it exists.
The similarities between Naruto and the history of Japan and its culture are so ubiquitous that they are difficult to ignore. From the fictional history of Naruto we are given, to the many similarities in social structure, to the shinobi system and values that make up the very spine of Naruto, there are many overlapping details within the framework of Naruto and ancient Japan that must be considered. This essay will examine the relationship the world of Naruto has with the history and culture of Japan, as well as its anachronic presentation.
The History of the Shinobi System and Naruto
What stands out the most about Naruto is the shinobi system, which creates warriors out of children as young as the age of six (as seen with Kakashi), to the more common age of twelve (as seen by Naruto and all of his peers). They are highly trained in martial arts, espionage, and subversive tactics, and all have fierce loyalty to the kage and the village from which they are from. In many ways, they represent the shinobi and samurai culture of ancient Japan.
The history of shinobi in Japan began during the fourteenth century, shortly before the start of the Sengoku Period, or the era of the Warring States. This was a period of time in which samurai clans were rising in power as the central government started to lose power and control to the daimyo, or lord, who the samurai served.
"Medieval" Japan was characterized by an unstable political authority, with a social structure replete with contradictions and tremendous regional differences. This society was in no way capable of forming a "national economy." The weakness of the central government was such that it left absolutely no economic indicators that cover the entire country. As this condition continued, a state of anarchy developed which brought on a "crisis." (Nakamura, The Economic History of Japan)
The daimyo were feudal lords who held power over territories in Japan and were fighting for more power and dominance, and the samurai who served them acted as their military forces in order to gain this land. Samurai clans, however, abided by a moral system and code of conduct known as bushido, which upheld values such as honor and good conduct, as well as ethical rules of battle between warriors, to the utmost extreme. Subversive tactics such as espionage, assassination, and sabotage to cause social conflict and to create public distrust with daimyo could not be carried out by samurai clans who all honored bushido. As a result, the shinobi clans were formed.
Like the samurai, the shinobi clans all served a daimyo, and frequently worked in tandem or were controlled by the samurai. Initially, they began in small villages around families, before growing into a more military-like structure that allowed them to interface more closely with their samurai counterparts. They were responsible for everything from undercover espionage, infiltration, assassination, sabotage, and kidnapping, to guerrilla warfare that the samurai could not engage in. Many hitokiri, or assassins, while trained in the ways of the samurai, would be more accurately defined as shinobi because of the underhanded tactics that they performed which did not honor bushido. (Fans of Rurouni Kenshin may be surprised to discover that Kenshin's identity as the Hitokiri Battousai would actually fall under the shinobi category and not the samurai.) And like the hitokiri, the information and history of the shinobi is not nearly as extensive as that of the samurai, as it was considered extremely illegal due to its dishonorable ways and countered the samurai ruling class. While there is a wealth of information on samurai culture, historical knowledge of shinobi culture is not nearly as comprehensive.
But from what information can be found, it is clear that while the shinobi were a counter culture to the samurai, the one thing they had in common with the samurai was complete, unquestionable loyalty to their daimyo until death. While "honor" for the samurai existed on many levels, including codes of conduct in battle, "honor" for shinobi was reserved for their relationship with their daimyo. In many ways, the shinobi system we see in Naruto reflects these aspects of bushido.
Bushido was so highly upheld that aspects of it became feudal law during the Tokugawa Period, otherwise known as the Edo Era, of Japan, and originates from the samurai moral code that "was one of honor, emphasizing duty to one's master, and loyalty unto death" (Cleary, Training the Samurai Mind), and held the notion of self-sacrifice as the most honorable and noble ideals. Samurai observed a tradition cultivated from "a thousand years of training in the law of honor, obedience, duty, and self-sacrifice... It was not needed to create or establish them. As a child he had but to be instructed, as indeed he was from his earliest years, in the etiquette of self-immolation. The fine instinct of honor demanding it was in the very blood" (Knapp, Feudal and Modern Japan).
Self-sacrifice is one of the most prevalent themes in Naruto, starting with Izuna during the warring period of Naruto, who supposedly offered his eyes and life to Madara in order for Madara to continue leading the Uchiha clan to victory over the Senju. The concept is further reflected by Obito, who dies to save Kakashi; the Yondaime Hokage, who gives his life for Konoha; Haku who dies for Zabuza; Neji and Chouji during the Sasuke retrieval arc (while they did not die, they were ready to die, and almost did die in combat); Sakura in her fight with Sasori to protect Chiyo, who later gives her life in exchange for Gaara's; Ebisu, who we assume dies in his refusal to give up information on Naruto; Kakashi, who "dies" to save Chouji; and Yahiko, who dies to save Konan. All of these examples are ones that show that self-sacrifice is one of the most important values of shinobi culture, and sacrificing yourself for your village, ideals, or for those you love and want to protect, is amongst one of the most important ideals. Those who have their names engraved on the cenotaph in Konoha are considered "heroes" who gave their lives by dying in battle. They are glorified and memorialized for the honor they exhibit in the sacrifice of life, which reflects the bushido ideal of self-sacrifice.
Moreover, the very setup of the shinobi villages to serve as the military force for their daimyo is one that directly reflects the historical relationship between samurai and shinobi clans and their daimyo. In Naruto, each country has one hidden village, and each village provides military protection and services for the daimyo, in exchange for financial support. The fact that the villages are "hidden" or concealed implies that the hidden villages actually act as secret military power, similar to the historical secret relationship between the daimyo and their shinobi. While the relationship between the daimyo and the samurai and standing armies who served them were not a secret, shinobi relationships were always kept private due to their "dishonorable" ways. According to Stephen Hayes in Mystic Arts of the Ninja, "Ninjutsu developed as a highly illegal counter culture to the ruling samurai elite, and for this reason alone, the origins of the art were shrouded by centuries of mystery, concealment, and deliberate confusion of history."
If we consider the actual framework and relationship of the daimyo, shinobi system, and culture of Naruto, it can be argued that the majority of Naruto takes place anachronistically during the reign of the late Sengoku Period, shortly before the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate that started the Edo Era of Japan.
The Sengoku Period and Naruto
While this essay will later examine why Kishimoto might have incorporated so many modern features in an otherwise ancient world, this section of the essay will only discuss how the Sengoku Period of Japan is illustrated in Naruto. While Naruto has many modern features that did not and cannot possibly exist in ancient Japan, what is important to consider is not the technology that exists in Naruto, but the framework of the setting it exists within: every country has one hidden village, and each village serves one daimyo who controls the country. According to Madara, this system was developed after a period of time in which ninja clans fought as mercenaries for countries who were struggling to gain power in a bloody and war-filled time.
If we look at Japanese history, the warring period in Naruto seems to reflect the early Sengoku Period, or the period of the Warring States of Japan. During the Sengoku Period, the centralized government had completely lost power and samurai clans who served daimyo fought with one another to gain territorial power. These clans worked with shinobi mercenaries to help establish power for their daimyo. If we consider the historical battle armor that was worn during the Sengoku Period and compare it to Kishimoto's rendering of Madara's and Hashirama's armor, we can see that Kishimoto was clearly influenced by the Sengoku Period. In addition, the establishment of five major countries in Naruto can be read as an illustration of the latter part this era, as there were five major daimyo who were appointed by the most powerful shogun of the time in Japan to govern together known as the Council of Five. This council was comprised of the Tokugawa, Maeda, Uesugi, Ukita, and Mori clans, and was originally established to maintain a balance of power between each of the daimyo, as to prevent one of them from rising up to take control. This kind of balance is similar to the balance held between the five countries in Naruto, each of which is ruled by a daimyo and whose military force is controlled by a kage.
The kages in Naruto seem to have a similar function as the shoguns of Japan. The shogun is a position that is given to one who controls the armed forces. Traditionally, the daimyo who control vast amounts of land serve under the shogun. In Naruto, the kages are the most powerful ninjas in the village. They are responsible for protecting the village and overseeing how it is run, and answer to the daimyo of the country they are in. If we assume the kages are, in fact, shoguns who control the military who answer to a daimyo, in a reversal of roles of the military-political structure of the late Sengoku Period, a clear relationship can be seen.
Kishimoto's world is not one that is original; it is, instead, a reinterpretation of an ancient world's military and political structures.
Genpuku and Honorable Death
Many have criticized Naruto as a manga about "child soldiers" and Kishimoto for his seeming lack of consideration for the psychology of a child. Some question how Itachi, a thirteen year old child, could possibly have the maturity to understand the complexity of political issues that Madara seems to give him, and the supposed reasonings for assassinating the Uchiha clan. However, usually such criticism is based off of readings that are informed by Western culture. As has been already demonstrated, Naruto is a manga that is undeniably rooted in Japanese history and culture; similarly, the shinobi system and the ages at which children become shinobi and adults, is reflected as well.
In 1948, Japan established the coming of age to be twenty years old; this is known as hatachi, and is quite an important event. However, for thousands of years before this time, historically the coming of age was between the ages of eight and fifteen, known as genpuku. The coming of age was very important in ancient Japan, as it marked the age at which a boy turned into a man, and could marry and start families. During the later Sengoku Era and Tokugawa Era of Japan, most boys went through genpuku at age twelve, which also happens to be the age Naruto and his peers become genin. At that age they are not considered children anymore, but adults -- soldiers who can and will fight and kill for their village. We might remember Kakashi admonishing Iruka when he tries to appeal to Kakashi for entering Team 7 into the Chuunin Exams. He says, "They are no longer your students. They are now my subordinates." That Kakashi would recognize them as "subordinates" and not "students" represents Kakashi's understanding of Team 7 as adults by the shinobi system. While our Western culture tells us that "children" are "children" until the age of eighteen, this certainly was not the case in ancient Japan, especially due to the life expectancy during that period of time which, for men, was 36.8 years, while women lived for 36.7 years with the age of marriage falling between 15 and 18 (Nakamura, The Economic History of Japan).
If we consider shinobi culture and the world of Naruto to be heavily informed by the cultural expectations during the Sengoku, or even the Edo Period, why shinobi as young as twelve are considered adults is clear: not only is the life expectancy for shinobi far shorter than the average civilian, but the coming of age is also one that is much earlier. Even as late as the Meiji Era, genpuku was considered to be age fifteen; which is still, by Western standards, incredibly young. But this was the age at which many married and had children, the age that boys were no longer boys, but men. That Itachi and Kakashi were thirteen and fourteen year old jounin and ANBU captains is not all too different from the prodigy samurai and swordsmen of ancient Japan. In fact, one of the most important and famous Sengoku daimyo, Uesugi Kenshin, was only fourteen years old when he contested his brother's rule over the Echigo province in Japan. It is important to note that military might here was important, and that Uesugi was known for his military genius even from a very young age. But by then, he was already considered an adult. At fourteen, he was not a child, but a man who contested the seat of the daimyo, a position even more powerful than that of the kage. And it was through his military strategic ability that he ultimately took that seat at the age of seventeen.
Seventeen is the age at which most children in the United States are graduating high school and starting college; it is the age just before America's coming of age at eighteen. For many of us, to consider a fourteen year old as a powerful warrior is something very difficult; but Asia has a history and a culture of young warriors, warriors that would be considered child soldiers by Western standards, but are considered heroes and legends by Asian culture. This concept is very difficult for a Western audience to understand, as Western culture is largely constructed around the Judeo-Christian pastoral, whereas Eastern cultures are rooted in Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, and Buddhism, all of which uphold honor amongst the most important aspect of life. If we continue to consider that Naruto is anachronistically set during the late Sengoku Period, bushido and aspects of samurai culture must continue to be taken into consideration in our reading.
Many Western readers criticize Itachi for his lack of sympathy and love for his family, or relegate him into the category of the insane (which Madara is also frequently thrown into), as well as characters such as Hatake Sakumo, who kills himself and leaves Kakashi all alone. Historically and traditionally, ritualistic suicide, known as seppuku, was the only way a fallen samurai could re-establish honor; to kill oneself to evade capture or to die on the battlefield were the only other two honorable ways by which a samurai could die. Harakiri, or disembowelment, was the commonly accepted mode of suicide. Historically during the Bakamatsu and the Boshin Wars, the Shinsengumi established a code of conduct that extended seppuku to entire squads; should a captain of a squad fall during battle, the entire squadron would follow him to his death -- this was known as oibara or tsuifuku.
As the shinobi system was modeled very closely upon the samurai system, that Sakumo kills himself in order to restore honor to his name, as well as to the family, is not very surprising to an Asian audience. In fact, it would be expected. Sakumo was considered a fallen warrior, and in such a society, it is his duty to kill himself in order to cleanse his name. Similarly, Itachi faced a very important decision: the Uchiha massacre would serve not one, but two purposes. The first would be the imminent prevention of a coup d'etat which could lead to the Fourth Great Ninja War; the second purpose was to restore honor to the Uchiha clan, who were, in the eyes of the elders and those who knew of the coup d'etat, now disgraced due to their lack of loyalty to their Hokage. As shinobi, they have failed to honor the code of conduct that demands them to have complete loyalty until death to their lord, which would be the Hokage. To challenge Hokage authority and attempt to take power is a failure of the shinobi system and the shinobi way, as well as a complete disregard for bushido.
The only way that a dishonorable shinobi can achieve honor is through death. As such, if Naruto occurs within the ancient world of Japan, and if the shinobi culture within Naruto reflects the historical traditions of shinobi society, then it can be argued that Itachi kills his entire clan in order to restore honor to the Uchiha name. He does not merely kill everyone who contributed to the coup d'etat, but the entire clan, in order to prevent further dishonoring by future generations. If he had only killed the participants of the coup d'etat, it would be inevitable that a second coup d'etat would eventually occur, lead by the children and ancestors of those he killed. Moreover, by killing the entire clan, Itachi would be able to cover up that a coup d'etat was being planned in the first place, and maintain the prestige and honor of the Uchiha name. By Japanese standards and shinobi/samurai culture, killing the clan would be the only way to genuinely restore their honor. Itachi failed to completely do this by leaving Sasuke alive and not committing seppuku as well, believing, instead, that Sasuke would one day grow up and avenge their clan, claiming honor and glory for himself in the process. As a result, according to Japanese shinobi tradition, Sasuke ends up dishonoring the Uchiha clan by running off with Orochimaru. The Uchiha name has fallen and is now known as the genius clan that was massacred by one of its own, and produced another who abandoned it for one of the most notorious villains to ever emerge from Konoha.
The Anachronistic Presentation of a New-Old World
The Sengoku Period was extremely important for the history of Japan, as it led to the Edo Period during which Japan saw extensive economic and political growth; but it was only with the Meiji Restoration and the abolishment of the military dictatorship of the Tokugawa Shogunate, that Japan was thrust into Industrialization and Modernity. It was in the Meiji Era that the samurai and the shinobi were forced to give up their swords, and the four social classes of Japan that were established and stringently upheld during the feudal times of the Edo Period were abolished in favor for egalitarian social equality.
While much of Naruto does seem to reflect the ancient world of the Sengoku Period, Kishimoto also included many aspects of modern culture and technology in his construction of the world. I believe this setting is intentional, as it reflects how even the modern age of Naruto is still inexplicably linked with old ways. As Naruto is a "modern" shinobi culture set in an ancient world, it might suggest that in order for true modernity to occur, the ancient ways must also be left behind -- including the shinobi system.
Madara and Danzou, the true villains of the series, are old and set in their ways; relics of the past that must be defeated. Perhaps with their defeat and the abolishment of the shinobi system, the "ancient" aspects of the world will be left behind in favor for revolution that occurs on social, political, and even geographical levels.
What we have learned most in the course of Naruto is that the shinobi system itself is the source of all the conflict in the series, and as long as the shinobi system exists, true peace cannot be achieved. As this seems to be the most important message of late that has been delivered in Naruto, perhaps the critique of the system and the many problems found within it is illustrated by the world that it is set within -- a world that is as new as it is old, as modern as it is ancient, anachronistic by its very definition.
The similarities between Naruto and the history of Japan and its culture are so ubiquitous that they are difficult to ignore. From the fictional history of Naruto we are given, to the many similarities in social structure, to the shinobi system and values that make up the very spine of Naruto, there are many overlapping details within the framework of Naruto and ancient Japan that must be considered. This essay will examine the relationship the world of Naruto has with the history and culture of Japan, as well as its anachronic presentation.
The History of the Shinobi System and Naruto
What stands out the most about Naruto is the shinobi system, which creates warriors out of children as young as the age of six (as seen with Kakashi), to the more common age of twelve (as seen by Naruto and all of his peers). They are highly trained in martial arts, espionage, and subversive tactics, and all have fierce loyalty to the kage and the village from which they are from. In many ways, they represent the shinobi and samurai culture of ancient Japan.
The history of shinobi in Japan began during the fourteenth century, shortly before the start of the Sengoku Period, or the era of the Warring States. This was a period of time in which samurai clans were rising in power as the central government started to lose power and control to the daimyo, or lord, who the samurai served.
"Medieval" Japan was characterized by an unstable political authority, with a social structure replete with contradictions and tremendous regional differences. This society was in no way capable of forming a "national economy." The weakness of the central government was such that it left absolutely no economic indicators that cover the entire country. As this condition continued, a state of anarchy developed which brought on a "crisis." (Nakamura, The Economic History of Japan)
The daimyo were feudal lords who held power over territories in Japan and were fighting for more power and dominance, and the samurai who served them acted as their military forces in order to gain this land. Samurai clans, however, abided by a moral system and code of conduct known as bushido, which upheld values such as honor and good conduct, as well as ethical rules of battle between warriors, to the utmost extreme. Subversive tactics such as espionage, assassination, and sabotage to cause social conflict and to create public distrust with daimyo could not be carried out by samurai clans who all honored bushido. As a result, the shinobi clans were formed.
Like the samurai, the shinobi clans all served a daimyo, and frequently worked in tandem or were controlled by the samurai. Initially, they began in small villages around families, before growing into a more military-like structure that allowed them to interface more closely with their samurai counterparts. They were responsible for everything from undercover espionage, infiltration, assassination, sabotage, and kidnapping, to guerrilla warfare that the samurai could not engage in. Many hitokiri, or assassins, while trained in the ways of the samurai, would be more accurately defined as shinobi because of the underhanded tactics that they performed which did not honor bushido. (Fans of Rurouni Kenshin may be surprised to discover that Kenshin's identity as the Hitokiri Battousai would actually fall under the shinobi category and not the samurai.) And like the hitokiri, the information and history of the shinobi is not nearly as extensive as that of the samurai, as it was considered extremely illegal due to its dishonorable ways and countered the samurai ruling class. While there is a wealth of information on samurai culture, historical knowledge of shinobi culture is not nearly as comprehensive.
But from what information can be found, it is clear that while the shinobi were a counter culture to the samurai, the one thing they had in common with the samurai was complete, unquestionable loyalty to their daimyo until death. While "honor" for the samurai existed on many levels, including codes of conduct in battle, "honor" for shinobi was reserved for their relationship with their daimyo. In many ways, the shinobi system we see in Naruto reflects these aspects of bushido.
Bushido was so highly upheld that aspects of it became feudal law during the Tokugawa Period, otherwise known as the Edo Era, of Japan, and originates from the samurai moral code that "was one of honor, emphasizing duty to one's master, and loyalty unto death" (Cleary, Training the Samurai Mind), and held the notion of self-sacrifice as the most honorable and noble ideals. Samurai observed a tradition cultivated from "a thousand years of training in the law of honor, obedience, duty, and self-sacrifice... It was not needed to create or establish them. As a child he had but to be instructed, as indeed he was from his earliest years, in the etiquette of self-immolation. The fine instinct of honor demanding it was in the very blood" (Knapp, Feudal and Modern Japan).
Self-sacrifice is one of the most prevalent themes in Naruto, starting with Izuna during the warring period of Naruto, who supposedly offered his eyes and life to Madara in order for Madara to continue leading the Uchiha clan to victory over the Senju. The concept is further reflected by Obito, who dies to save Kakashi; the Yondaime Hokage, who gives his life for Konoha; Haku who dies for Zabuza; Neji and Chouji during the Sasuke retrieval arc (while they did not die, they were ready to die, and almost did die in combat); Sakura in her fight with Sasori to protect Chiyo, who later gives her life in exchange for Gaara's; Ebisu, who we assume dies in his refusal to give up information on Naruto; Kakashi, who "dies" to save Chouji; and Yahiko, who dies to save Konan. All of these examples are ones that show that self-sacrifice is one of the most important values of shinobi culture, and sacrificing yourself for your village, ideals, or for those you love and want to protect, is amongst one of the most important ideals. Those who have their names engraved on the cenotaph in Konoha are considered "heroes" who gave their lives by dying in battle. They are glorified and memorialized for the honor they exhibit in the sacrifice of life, which reflects the bushido ideal of self-sacrifice.
Moreover, the very setup of the shinobi villages to serve as the military force for their daimyo is one that directly reflects the historical relationship between samurai and shinobi clans and their daimyo. In Naruto, each country has one hidden village, and each village provides military protection and services for the daimyo, in exchange for financial support. The fact that the villages are "hidden" or concealed implies that the hidden villages actually act as secret military power, similar to the historical secret relationship between the daimyo and their shinobi. While the relationship between the daimyo and the samurai and standing armies who served them were not a secret, shinobi relationships were always kept private due to their "dishonorable" ways. According to Stephen Hayes in Mystic Arts of the Ninja, "Ninjutsu developed as a highly illegal counter culture to the ruling samurai elite, and for this reason alone, the origins of the art were shrouded by centuries of mystery, concealment, and deliberate confusion of history."
If we consider the actual framework and relationship of the daimyo, shinobi system, and culture of Naruto, it can be argued that the majority of Naruto takes place anachronistically during the reign of the late Sengoku Period, shortly before the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate that started the Edo Era of Japan.
The Sengoku Period and Naruto
While this essay will later examine why Kishimoto might have incorporated so many modern features in an otherwise ancient world, this section of the essay will only discuss how the Sengoku Period of Japan is illustrated in Naruto. While Naruto has many modern features that did not and cannot possibly exist in ancient Japan, what is important to consider is not the technology that exists in Naruto, but the framework of the setting it exists within: every country has one hidden village, and each village serves one daimyo who controls the country. According to Madara, this system was developed after a period of time in which ninja clans fought as mercenaries for countries who were struggling to gain power in a bloody and war-filled time.
If we look at Japanese history, the warring period in Naruto seems to reflect the early Sengoku Period, or the period of the Warring States of Japan. During the Sengoku Period, the centralized government had completely lost power and samurai clans who served daimyo fought with one another to gain territorial power. These clans worked with shinobi mercenaries to help establish power for their daimyo. If we consider the historical battle armor that was worn during the Sengoku Period and compare it to Kishimoto's rendering of Madara's and Hashirama's armor, we can see that Kishimoto was clearly influenced by the Sengoku Period. In addition, the establishment of five major countries in Naruto can be read as an illustration of the latter part this era, as there were five major daimyo who were appointed by the most powerful shogun of the time in Japan to govern together known as the Council of Five. This council was comprised of the Tokugawa, Maeda, Uesugi, Ukita, and Mori clans, and was originally established to maintain a balance of power between each of the daimyo, as to prevent one of them from rising up to take control. This kind of balance is similar to the balance held between the five countries in Naruto, each of which is ruled by a daimyo and whose military force is controlled by a kage.
The kages in Naruto seem to have a similar function as the shoguns of Japan. The shogun is a position that is given to one who controls the armed forces. Traditionally, the daimyo who control vast amounts of land serve under the shogun. In Naruto, the kages are the most powerful ninjas in the village. They are responsible for protecting the village and overseeing how it is run, and answer to the daimyo of the country they are in. If we assume the kages are, in fact, shoguns who control the military who answer to a daimyo, in a reversal of roles of the military-political structure of the late Sengoku Period, a clear relationship can be seen.
Kishimoto's world is not one that is original; it is, instead, a reinterpretation of an ancient world's military and political structures.
Genpuku and Honorable Death
Many have criticized Naruto as a manga about "child soldiers" and Kishimoto for his seeming lack of consideration for the psychology of a child. Some question how Itachi, a thirteen year old child, could possibly have the maturity to understand the complexity of political issues that Madara seems to give him, and the supposed reasonings for assassinating the Uchiha clan. However, usually such criticism is based off of readings that are informed by Western culture. As has been already demonstrated, Naruto is a manga that is undeniably rooted in Japanese history and culture; similarly, the shinobi system and the ages at which children become shinobi and adults, is reflected as well.
In 1948, Japan established the coming of age to be twenty years old; this is known as hatachi, and is quite an important event. However, for thousands of years before this time, historically the coming of age was between the ages of eight and fifteen, known as genpuku. The coming of age was very important in ancient Japan, as it marked the age at which a boy turned into a man, and could marry and start families. During the later Sengoku Era and Tokugawa Era of Japan, most boys went through genpuku at age twelve, which also happens to be the age Naruto and his peers become genin. At that age they are not considered children anymore, but adults -- soldiers who can and will fight and kill for their village. We might remember Kakashi admonishing Iruka when he tries to appeal to Kakashi for entering Team 7 into the Chuunin Exams. He says, "They are no longer your students. They are now my subordinates." That Kakashi would recognize them as "subordinates" and not "students" represents Kakashi's understanding of Team 7 as adults by the shinobi system. While our Western culture tells us that "children" are "children" until the age of eighteen, this certainly was not the case in ancient Japan, especially due to the life expectancy during that period of time which, for men, was 36.8 years, while women lived for 36.7 years with the age of marriage falling between 15 and 18 (Nakamura, The Economic History of Japan).
If we consider shinobi culture and the world of Naruto to be heavily informed by the cultural expectations during the Sengoku, or even the Edo Period, why shinobi as young as twelve are considered adults is clear: not only is the life expectancy for shinobi far shorter than the average civilian, but the coming of age is also one that is much earlier. Even as late as the Meiji Era, genpuku was considered to be age fifteen; which is still, by Western standards, incredibly young. But this was the age at which many married and had children, the age that boys were no longer boys, but men. That Itachi and Kakashi were thirteen and fourteen year old jounin and ANBU captains is not all too different from the prodigy samurai and swordsmen of ancient Japan. In fact, one of the most important and famous Sengoku daimyo, Uesugi Kenshin, was only fourteen years old when he contested his brother's rule over the Echigo province in Japan. It is important to note that military might here was important, and that Uesugi was known for his military genius even from a very young age. But by then, he was already considered an adult. At fourteen, he was not a child, but a man who contested the seat of the daimyo, a position even more powerful than that of the kage. And it was through his military strategic ability that he ultimately took that seat at the age of seventeen.
Seventeen is the age at which most children in the United States are graduating high school and starting college; it is the age just before America's coming of age at eighteen. For many of us, to consider a fourteen year old as a powerful warrior is something very difficult; but Asia has a history and a culture of young warriors, warriors that would be considered child soldiers by Western standards, but are considered heroes and legends by Asian culture. This concept is very difficult for a Western audience to understand, as Western culture is largely constructed around the Judeo-Christian pastoral, whereas Eastern cultures are rooted in Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, and Buddhism, all of which uphold honor amongst the most important aspect of life. If we continue to consider that Naruto is anachronistically set during the late Sengoku Period, bushido and aspects of samurai culture must continue to be taken into consideration in our reading.
Many Western readers criticize Itachi for his lack of sympathy and love for his family, or relegate him into the category of the insane (which Madara is also frequently thrown into), as well as characters such as Hatake Sakumo, who kills himself and leaves Kakashi all alone. Historically and traditionally, ritualistic suicide, known as seppuku, was the only way a fallen samurai could re-establish honor; to kill oneself to evade capture or to die on the battlefield were the only other two honorable ways by which a samurai could die. Harakiri, or disembowelment, was the commonly accepted mode of suicide. Historically during the Bakamatsu and the Boshin Wars, the Shinsengumi established a code of conduct that extended seppuku to entire squads; should a captain of a squad fall during battle, the entire squadron would follow him to his death -- this was known as oibara or tsuifuku.
As the shinobi system was modeled very closely upon the samurai system, that Sakumo kills himself in order to restore honor to his name, as well as to the family, is not very surprising to an Asian audience. In fact, it would be expected. Sakumo was considered a fallen warrior, and in such a society, it is his duty to kill himself in order to cleanse his name. Similarly, Itachi faced a very important decision: the Uchiha massacre would serve not one, but two purposes. The first would be the imminent prevention of a coup d'etat which could lead to the Fourth Great Ninja War; the second purpose was to restore honor to the Uchiha clan, who were, in the eyes of the elders and those who knew of the coup d'etat, now disgraced due to their lack of loyalty to their Hokage. As shinobi, they have failed to honor the code of conduct that demands them to have complete loyalty until death to their lord, which would be the Hokage. To challenge Hokage authority and attempt to take power is a failure of the shinobi system and the shinobi way, as well as a complete disregard for bushido.
The only way that a dishonorable shinobi can achieve honor is through death. As such, if Naruto occurs within the ancient world of Japan, and if the shinobi culture within Naruto reflects the historical traditions of shinobi society, then it can be argued that Itachi kills his entire clan in order to restore honor to the Uchiha name. He does not merely kill everyone who contributed to the coup d'etat, but the entire clan, in order to prevent further dishonoring by future generations. If he had only killed the participants of the coup d'etat, it would be inevitable that a second coup d'etat would eventually occur, lead by the children and ancestors of those he killed. Moreover, by killing the entire clan, Itachi would be able to cover up that a coup d'etat was being planned in the first place, and maintain the prestige and honor of the Uchiha name. By Japanese standards and shinobi/samurai culture, killing the clan would be the only way to genuinely restore their honor. Itachi failed to completely do this by leaving Sasuke alive and not committing seppuku as well, believing, instead, that Sasuke would one day grow up and avenge their clan, claiming honor and glory for himself in the process. As a result, according to Japanese shinobi tradition, Sasuke ends up dishonoring the Uchiha clan by running off with Orochimaru. The Uchiha name has fallen and is now known as the genius clan that was massacred by one of its own, and produced another who abandoned it for one of the most notorious villains to ever emerge from Konoha.
The Anachronistic Presentation of a New-Old World
The Sengoku Period was extremely important for the history of Japan, as it led to the Edo Period during which Japan saw extensive economic and political growth; but it was only with the Meiji Restoration and the abolishment of the military dictatorship of the Tokugawa Shogunate, that Japan was thrust into Industrialization and Modernity. It was in the Meiji Era that the samurai and the shinobi were forced to give up their swords, and the four social classes of Japan that were established and stringently upheld during the feudal times of the Edo Period were abolished in favor for egalitarian social equality.
While much of Naruto does seem to reflect the ancient world of the Sengoku Period, Kishimoto also included many aspects of modern culture and technology in his construction of the world. I believe this setting is intentional, as it reflects how even the modern age of Naruto is still inexplicably linked with old ways. As Naruto is a "modern" shinobi culture set in an ancient world, it might suggest that in order for true modernity to occur, the ancient ways must also be left behind -- including the shinobi system.
Madara and Danzou, the true villains of the series, are old and set in their ways; relics of the past that must be defeated. Perhaps with their defeat and the abolishment of the shinobi system, the "ancient" aspects of the world will be left behind in favor for revolution that occurs on social, political, and even geographical levels.
What we have learned most in the course of Naruto is that the shinobi system itself is the source of all the conflict in the series, and as long as the shinobi system exists, true peace cannot be achieved. As this seems to be the most important message of late that has been delivered in Naruto, perhaps the critique of the system and the many problems found within it is illustrated by the world that it is set within -- a world that is as new as it is old, as modern as it is ancient, anachronistic by its very definition.