spy for the Edo shogunate; oniwaban
Historical term for undercover agents who gathered intelligence for the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period.
御庭番は江戸幕府の隠密として活動した。
The oniwaban operated as undercover agents for the Edo shogunate.
時代劇では御庭番がよく登場する。
Oniwaban often appear in period dramas.
忍者 is a more general and popular term for covert agents, often associated with martial arts and folklore, whereas 御庭番 were a specific historical organization.
Standard kanji spelling for the historical term.
Variant spelling with the honorific prefix in kana.
Literally 'honorable garden guard,' referring to the agents' role as gardeners within the shogun's castle, which served as cover for their intelligence work.