Comments
InannasPocket t1_iu2ut6w wrote
Our old (both literally and figuratively old) house had lots of squeaks. My husband loves that our new place doesn't.
I kinda want my anti ninja floors back so I don't accidently poke someone in the eye with a fork because they snuck up on me.
tacknosaddle t1_iu2z1pj wrote
Some people make everyone remove their shoes to enter the house. Instead you could have an array of tap shoes to fit all household members and guests by the door to solve that problem.
InannasPocket t1_iu33nt8 wrote
Oooh, replace all our inside shoes/slippers with something just noisy enough they can't sneak up on me, but ideally not so noisy that it makes me want to tear my hair out when my husband is pacing around.
patchgrabber t1_iu5403d wrote
> inside shoes/slippers
This is a very American thing. Why would you need shoes inside the house? It's the best place to not wear shoes. Do your feet all stink horribly bad or something?
Roonil_-_Wazlib t1_iu54wvr wrote
I have a lot of hardwood floors and they get cold (even more so during the winter). So I wear house slippers when at home. But I don’t wear them in my bedroom which is carpeted
patchgrabber t1_iu56foq wrote
That sounds normal. I just don't understand the idea of regular shoes only for inside the house. Let your dogs breathe man!
Roonil_-_Wazlib t1_iu57pk7 wrote
Full on shoes to wear inside would definitely be excessive. Almost as bad as wearing your outside shoes around the house 😱
Danno210 t1_iu5kuis wrote
Dogs [and other pets] is why I take off my outdoor shoes and put on house shoes when I get home. The pets track in enough dirt each day that wearing just socks or going barefoot isn’t as fun as it would otherwise be. But I’d rather have my pets than sparkling clean floors - spotlessly clean floors are a material thing that don’t hold a candle to the companionship and friendship of pets. Plus wearing comfy house shoes makes standing at the sink or stove for a while much more enjoyable too.
patchgrabber t1_iu7bw0g wrote
I meant dogs as in your feet.
InannasPocket t1_iu57m8u wrote
In my house, we normally don't wear shoes/slippers inside, but IF we do they're not the same ones for outdoor wear. At my kid's preschool they had to have "inside shoes" (I think so they has less worries about the kids getting their feet injured while also not having mud tracked through the classroom). We'll sometimes wear slippers for the warmth, but generally it's bare feet inside.
Zauqui t1_iu5a4h0 wrote
I usually go shoeless inside my home but i was on a friends house when i was a kid and i got splinters twice from walking of her house's floors! So yeah. I get why shoewear is a thing.
Also because feet can have fungy and that is not fun at all.
Kippilus t1_iu5f6v8 wrote
"safety first, then team work. Always wear shoes in the house."
plasticenewitch t1_iu5fkns wrote
Old feet need support, even in the house. Indoor sneakers are a thing-
tacknosaddle t1_iu3462r wrote
>when my husband is pacing around
Just curious, do you have a son?
Josquius t1_iu65o3q wrote
Surely more pertinent is that some absolute monsters don't take off their shoes indoors? :p
tacknosaddle t1_iu6m9pr wrote
But my floors are dirty from people tracking dirt in, why would I want to walk around the house without them on?
Labudism t1_iu4844x wrote
Off topic, but how can a house be figuratively old?
twirlmydressaround t1_iu4i3pt wrote
I thought they just meant their previous house that they lived in before this one.
Labudism t1_iu4iw1w wrote
That would still be "literally" old it is literally their "old house"
Tsara1234 t1_iu4fcqz wrote
It has an old soul. The trees that were used to build it were hundreds of years old.
InannasPocket t1_iu6g25y wrote
Maybe not the right description, I just meant to distinguish between "these floors are 100 years old" and "this is my old house, called old because I no longer live there".
greenmariocake t1_iu2pesr wrote
Good thinking. Gotta be ready, you never know when they’d strike.
PrettyText t1_iu3jpgw wrote
And you've presumably never been attacked by ninjas, so clearly they're working.
TheSirensMaiden t1_iu32rxa wrote
Do you know how much more it's going to cost me to pay for ceiling ninjas??? The price on your head is already too high!
Fit-Mangos t1_iu3guev wrote
Mine is anti ninja in very specific spaces got to keep them guessing!
Therustedtinman t1_iu421ng wrote
That was literally a real thing in Japan as well if I’m not mistaken
Raleford t1_iu5ncus wrote
I'm confused on who you were trying to reply to.
Gseph t1_iu4b2jg wrote
So did Michael Jackson's house, but I don't think he was worried about ninjas, if I'm honest.
Earthling7228320321 t1_iu9ev3b wrote
I learned about these a long time ago, but they introduced as mockingbird floors and they used metal on metal edges to produce a squeak.
TSAOutreachTeam t1_iu2dve3 wrote
Contractors say the darnedest things.
rebug t1_iu2jz2q wrote
All those nails and screws I dropped all over your property while building your deck are anti-ninja spikes. You'll thank me later.
Khourieat t1_iu4043d wrote
Oh, so they ALL do this then?!
mx3goose t1_iu4h3ma wrote
I can still find roofing nails from a job done two years ago around the base of my house no matter how many I pick up.
FireMonkeysHead t1_iu4m8oc wrote
I have a very strong magnet I attached to the end of a wooden board and it’s simultaneously satisfying and terrifying at how many nails and bits of metal I can pick up in the same spot
Mindful-O-Melancholy t1_iu4pxej wrote
It’s a feature not a bug. - shitty contractor
pilesofcleanlaundry t1_iu4trig wrote
In fact, the squeaky floors aren’t in the original scope, so you owe me extra for the security features.
8cuban t1_iu2b3uj wrote
As described by Sir Terry Pratchett in his Discworld novel “Interesting Times”. He takes the idea to the next step of genius when his wizards tuned the floorboards so they would know exactly where in the room a creeping assassin was, as in-
Squeak!
“Hmmm…C Sharp. Up against the wall, half way between the wardrobe and the fireplace.”
2_Sheds_Jackson t1_iu2c64y wrote
However, in Hogfather they didn't work that well. Twice.
TalosBeWithYou t1_iu2fzu4 wrote
I have not read any of these. But I imagine the skill of hearing clear notes and recalling, what I assume is a newly aquired, association would be hard.
GingerlyRough t1_iu2m0o9 wrote
Best method would be to set the notes like piano keys, with each row of ninja tiles being a different octave. Larger rooms will have less accuracy (with only 12 notes in an octave restricting the number of tiles per row) but if you know the piano it'll be easier to pull off.
The-Wizard-of-Goz t1_iu2nt11 wrote
So dancing on such a floor would create some fusion jazz number
GingerlyRough t1_iu2or2j wrote
Like "Big" but with ninjas!
DrugChemistry t1_iu4frrm wrote
When a ninja walk in with an itty bitty waste and a round thing in your face, your floor squeaks.
Stachemaster86 t1_iu2r3rc wrote
Kind of like Honda’s musical highway in Nevada
metalmine t1_iu3gq77 wrote
This is discworld. Probably have septaves instead.
M0rqu1ng4 t1_iu3d6lg wrote
Maybe I'm missing something, buy isn't an octave only eight notes..?
GingerlyRough t1_iu3dbw8 wrote
Plus sharps/flats.
C, #, D, #, E, F, #, G, #, A, #, B
M0rqu1ng4 t1_iu3diy8 wrote
Yup, forgot the sharps/flats... Ignore me, carry on... ;)
_twintasking_ t1_iu4jfls wrote
Saw your other post and was like "yeah! What's up with that?!" Then saw the response and thought "I'm an idiot, duh....." (I've been involved with music since I was old enough to sing, so like 23 years, and somehow that escaped me, but I also just woke up and haven't had coffee yet)
KingJoffer t1_iu5iebd wrote
'Perfect pitch' muscicians call it. It's something that need to be trained, but most people have to be born with the ability to get even modest gains.
I met a guy in high school band that has synesthesia and would 'see' a different color for every note. So he memorized the colors and that's how he knew the note. I fart at a light green f#.
omguserius t1_iu663fo wrote
I have no idea what to do with that last piece of information, but i don't think i'm going to be able to forget it.
Tonegle t1_iu2zz99 wrote
When Giant Steps really be giant steps
[deleted] t1_iu3ubgq wrote
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Malvania t1_iu45uvf wrote
Didn't the head of the assassin's guild also have tuned floorboards? I remember there being something about the Auditors not setting them off
_twintasking_ t1_iu4ji16 wrote
Yes!
8cuban t1_iu6n1fv wrote
That’s it! I was certain I’d read somewhere that someone besides Ridcully had done it but couldn’t remember who/where.
fourleafclover13 t1_iu3cmmc wrote
That is how these floors work. They know where someone is by the sound.
ziggycoco385 t1_iu2acw0 wrote
Read "Across the Nightingale Floor"
JonPacNW t1_iu2ghb5 wrote
Literally the first thing I thought about in this post. Read them as a young adult and loved them. Not sure they would be as good in adulthood but curious.
Shitbag76 t1_iu31uri wrote
I only read them as an adult and I loved them
caronare t1_iu4pmq1 wrote
They translate well into adulthood reading material
wallabee_kingpin_ t1_iu2vi8w wrote
I read two of them as an adult and can confirm that they aren't good. They're surprisingly boring. The characters are forgettable, the plot is predictable, and there isn't enough fantasy/magic to make the world interesting.
Squiizzy t1_iu3i52r wrote
You're not wrong about predictble plot, but i quite liked the world bulding, and the grounded quality of the asian fantasy thats pretty much a staple of that ilk.
Forgettable... also yes.
DKoala t1_iu2c4v1 wrote
They were such good books, I wonder if they hold up at all.
PegaLaMega t1_iu2jvd5 wrote
Crocodile Dundee 3 totally holds up.
kinopiokun t1_iu2ftdr wrote
Loved!
itchy_008 t1_iu29u9t wrote
...better known as nightingale flooring... there's one at Nijyo Castle ruins in Kyoto.
guywithganja t1_iu2ennx wrote
The famous sound effect from Law & Order, "The Clang" is supposedly made up of the sound of (among other things) 500+ Japanese monks walking across such a Nightingale floor.
DonutCola t1_iu4rqc5 wrote
Do you not realize how stupid that theory is?
MyNameIsRay t1_iu4u0qy wrote
It's not a theory, it's what the composer (Mike Post) says he did to create it when interviewed about it.
”Post synthesized his chung CHUNG electronically, combining six or seven different sounds to get the right dead-bolt effect. One of the eeriest adds: the sound of 500 Japanese men stamping their feet on a wooden floor. ”It was a sort of monstrous Kabuki event,” he says. ”Probably one of those large dance classes they hold. They did this whole big stamp. Somebody went out and sampled that.”
DonutCola t1_iu4y300 wrote
Yeah bro there were “6 or 7 different sounds synthesized together” and ONE of the 7 sounds was 500 dudes stomping. That’s like 15% of the sound lmao. You’re 15% right and I’m 85% right. Rip.
Penquinn14 t1_iu55j53 wrote
You corrected them when they already said that there were other sounds used as well as the 500 men
MustacheEmperor t1_iu6p9af wrote
> is supposedly made up of the sound of (among other things)
100% a dunce. Go get your pointy hat.
emperorsparkplug t1_iu5kqpl wrote
And the most insufferable human award goes to…
Jeramus t1_iu2i2zy wrote
I remember walking on one somewhere in Japan, not sure if it was there. They do sound like birds chirping.
YuntHunter t1_iu3j02l wrote
From Nijo Castle, these weren't intentional.
"The singing sound is not actually intentional, stemming rather from the movement of nails against clumps in the floor caused by wear and tear over the years"
I was there a few years ago and remember reading this.
parad0xchild t1_iu43tjv wrote
As with every wooden floor / floor boards
SusheeMonster t1_iu2jmdz wrote
The article mentions that same exact castle & city in a photo caption just past the title...
jdorion t1_iu2pxh1 wrote
I was going through the castle listening to music and almost missed it!! I luckily spotted an English sign and took out the buds.
itchy_008 t1_iu2secq wrote
good thing u were in sign-reading mode
peoplearecool t1_iu300od wrote
Sounds so god awful. What if you had to get up to use the loo in the night. Now your whole house is white knuckling it
fourleafclover13 t1_iu3cri0 wrote
The people who live or worked here knew where to step to stay silent they were trained to know.
Syrion_Wraith t1_iu3jly6 wrote
They used chamberpots I assume, like everyone else.
TalosBeWithYou t1_iu2fofz wrote
Japanese carpenters are so competent they have to design flaws. Love it. On brand.
RichardJohnson38 t1_iu2hn92 wrote
Their (old) structures stand up to earth quakes as well or better than modern structures too.
ddejong42 t1_iu39l95 wrote
The ones that survived.
RichardJohnson38 t1_iu6l0iz wrote
Do you mean Tsunamis, Nuclear Explosions or the fact that Japanese rebuild houses that people died in?
yParticle t1_iu2alxg wrote
Favorites of upstairs neighbors everywhere!
vitonga t1_iu2bmn4 wrote
BlazingKops t1_iu2g2z4 wrote
"Woah.... getting killed by a real ninja! Cool."
thprk t1_iu32pt5 wrote
Love you, bro
Eradicate1984 t1_iu3fm4x wrote
I expected more than 1 splinter cell chaos theory reference in this post.
Sigh, guess it’s getting old then.
scapholunate t1_iu3tym3 wrote
Same, bro. Back to the oil rig…
I_Mix_Stuff t1_iu2c0aj wrote
won't work, should had installed anti ninja walls and ceiling
FattyCorpuscle t1_iu2bbfx wrote
TIL I have an anti-ninja house.
Corv-au t1_iu3aaqy wrote
Nightingale floors are one of my favourite things.
Diamondsfullofclubs t1_iu3i8lo wrote
"Across the nightingale floor"
-one of my favorite books.
Xenkyro t1_iu3ihi6 wrote
Came here to say this. I loved that whole series.
sandtymanty t1_iu2c4yt wrote
Anti ninja beds are squeakier.
MMachine17 t1_iu2xjbz wrote
They are the easiest method to detect human mating.
blu-gold t1_iu2ebys wrote
Gonna need more than a squeaky floorboard to wake my as up.
Bongo1020 t1_iu3lzam wrote
I think this is false, an urban legend and is maybe a simply a consequence of the aging construction. From what I recall when I visited Nijo in Kyoto they outright state that it may simply be caused by how the floors are secured with nail over decades/centuries naills would gouge out the wood slightly. The result was that when you walk on the floorboards the plank shifts, scraping the nail and causing the characteristic screech.
KeegoTheWise t1_iu4n2wy wrote
Yup, IIRC it was a mix of that and the type of nails used. The anti-ninja thing was a nice bonus but it’s not like they built the floors specifically for that
bobdole3-2 t1_iu7h506 wrote
Even if the floors were built that way on purpose, I sort of doubt that it was to stop ninja. The modern idea of a guy dressed in black sneaking into a castle in the dead of night to assassinate someone is a comparatively new idea. It's basically the Japanese version of James Bond, it's not what ninja actually did.
coyote-1 t1_iu2bxf3 wrote
As has been the case across the globe for centuries. It sucks to have squeaky floors; it sucks more to have no warning of the intruder coming to commit mayhem.
sanwfa t1_iu3ir14 wrote
LOL carpenters and other construction workers build anti ninja stuff in our country even without asking 😂😂
AnotherSimpleWriter t1_iu4huy4 wrote
Safety first!
TusShona t1_iu468q1 wrote
Cartoons have taught me that Ninjas can run on walls, so this strategy is invalid.
bratislava t1_iu2er5m wrote
Yes, Kyoto has ton of buildings like that. It was weird, didn't sound squeaky, more like crickets
Passionate_Wobat t1_iu2exyl wrote
It's a little known fact that wd40 was invented because of this.
jennc1979 t1_iu2j5e9 wrote
I knew there was a name for the staircase leading down from my bed room!!!
Duderpher t1_iu2lgm2 wrote
Nightingale Floor was my nickname in high school.
_twintasking_ t1_iu4jxzn wrote
??
greenmariocake t1_iu2q0lb wrote
Nice. I can add this to the listing: New roof, stainless steel appliances, recently installed anti-ninja floors…
CavediverNY t1_iu2v16y wrote
Very random, but did anyone else first learn about this by reading the Ian Fleming James Bond novels?
MI6Section13 t1_iu3y4ca wrote
You can learn a lot more from The Burlington Files than Bond! Ever heard of the Bona-fides Bond? He was a real spy called Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington and while there aren't any films made about him to date there is one hell of an espionage thriller released so far about his real life exploits.
Beyond Enkription (intentionally misspelt) is a must read for espionage cognoscenti and the first stand-alone spy thriller in The Burlington Files autobiographical series by Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ, aka Edward Burlington). It’s a raw and noir matter of fact pacy novel. Len Deighton and Mick Herron could be forgiven for thinking they co-wrote it. Coincidentally, a few critics have nicknamed its protagonist “a posh Harry Palmer.”
This elusive and enigmatic novel is a true story about a maverick accountant (Edward Burlington in Porter Williams International aka Bill Fairclough in Coopers & Lybrand now PwC in real life). In 1974 in London he began infiltrating organised crime gangs, unwittingly working for MI6. After some frenetic attempts on his life he was relocated to the Caribbean where, “eyes wide open” he was recruited by the CIA and headed for shark infested waters off Haiti.
If you’re an espionage cognoscente you’ll love this monumental book. In real life Bill was recruited by MI6's unorthodox Colonel Alan Brooke Pemberton CVO MBE and thereafter they worked together on and off into the 1990s. Pemberton’s People included Roy Astley Richards (Winston Churchill’s bodyguard), one eccentric British Brigadier (Peter 'Scrubber' Stewart-Richardson) who tried to join the Afghan Mujahideen, Peter Goss an SAS Colonel and JIC member involved in the Clockwork Orange Plot concerning Prime Minister Harold Wilson and even the infamous rogue Major Freddy Mace, who even highlighted his cat burgling and silent killing skills in his CV.
This epic is so real it made us wonder why bother reading espionage fiction when facts are so much more exhilarating. Atmospherically it's reminiscent of Ted Lewis' Get Carter of Michael Caine fame. If anyone ever makes a film based on Beyond Enkription they'll only have themselves to blame if it doesn't go down in history as a classic thriller … it’s the stuff memorable films are made of.
Whether you’re a le Carré connoisseur, a Deighton disciple, a Fleming fanatic, a Herron hireling or a Macintyre marauder, odds on once you are immersed in it you’ll read this titanic production twice. For more detailed reviews visit the Reviews page on TheBurlingtonFiles website or see other independent reviews on your local Amazon website and check out Bill Fairclough's background on the web.
aminervia t1_iu39k0j wrote
"across the Nightingale floor" is an amazing book, kind of ninja/fantasy-esque with these sorts of floors as part of the plot
OhBeardedOne42 t1_iu3g3dr wrote
There's a guy going around just installing bad squeaky floors and calling them "anti-ninja" 🤣
Defragged t1_iu3ljjs wrote
Here’s a great segment from a show in Japan where a mime tries to silently walk across one of these: https://reddit.com/r/JapaneseGameShows/comments/8yp7gj/mime_vs_floor_can_a_mime_walk_quietly_across_a/
SharpieBass t1_iu2jxud wrote
Either my house has these floors or my wife is a ninja.
phangrrl t1_iu2qaak wrote
When I saw the Emperor's palace in Japan they let me crawl under and look at the floor joists.
_twintasking_ t1_iu4k3xc wrote
That's awesome dude
[deleted] t1_iu3m3ov wrote
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keelbreaker t1_iu3skx4 wrote
And here I am making sure no one murders a corporate executive just thinking. I'm the anti ninja floor. Which lead to the mental image of a guy just laying on the floor and when the ninja steps on him he just says, "Squeak." ninja looks down, cut to guy with foot on chest and gun BANG!
Throughtheindigo t1_iu549wp wrote
More annoying than a dripping faucet?
CarlJustCarl t1_iu5mmqr wrote
Apparently my home builder had the same thing in mind
mr_sharkus t1_iu5p380 wrote
ANTI NINJA FLOORS. New band name, called it!
lsthmus t1_iu5qtpd wrote
Across the Nightingale Floor!
sftobin t1_iu5r4ff wrote
TIL? You've never played Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and it shows.
Remote_Bumblebee2240 t1_iu5tx7f wrote
Early example of spinning a flaw as a "feature".
[deleted] t1_iu2985u wrote
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Animal2 t1_iu2rsbh wrote
TIL the people that built my apartment put in ninja flooring.
opney t1_iu2thgy wrote
God I was blaming the PM for the not properly installed floor, it make sense now!
GodOfChickens t1_iu2thpu wrote
This must be why my toilet squeaks, I just figured it was crying.
Unfortunately all it does is alert the cat to come and remind me to get off the toilet and floof her.
blackfyre709394 t1_iu326dq wrote
It's not a bug it's a feature https://youtu.be/whnms4CLJys
Faultywhale t1_iu33ea3 wrote
Purposefully squeaky floors were also a plot point in Syfy's hit movie: Never Cry Werewolf
goteamnick t1_iu33p7d wrote
Sounds like something a clever real estate agent or a bad landlord made up.
aworldwithinitself t1_iu36mrw wrote
Honey we’ve got ninjas
Hilbrohampton t1_iu373zh wrote
Thankfully I have anti ninja ankles, they click so much i could never be a ninja
dogwoodcat t1_iu3nnin wrote
Sometimes my knee cracks so hard I'm sure it's going to start glowing.
AbbertDabbert t1_iu3k0jp wrote
Doesn't mean shit with Bently's grapple hook
gumbo100 t1_iu3k1dt wrote
Which is why ninjas have learned to run on walls. When will the ninja/anti-ninja arms race end!!
Monochrome_Fox_ t1_iu3lx91 wrote
I knew it! I knew there were ninjas here!
sythingtackle t1_iu3pi3q wrote
Must be a lot of Ninjas over in the UK cos most new build upper floors and stairs squeak
[deleted] t1_iu3qfhv wrote
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maverick7918 t1_iu611gj wrote
Came here looking for this reference. I immediately thought of Splintercell then wondered if I mis-remembered it being in the game until I found this comment!
keelbreaker t1_iu3sbmb wrote
Imagine living in a society that had to invent anti ninja floors
Nixplosion t1_iu3wgbz wrote
As a descendant of ninjas let me tell you, we started wearing big wooly socks to counter this problem.
Throws smoke bomb and disappears
aFoxNamedMorris t1_iu3yo55 wrote
Sounds like a security nightmare... Imagine hiding outside and quietly listening for the squeaky-ass floors. Any intruder would know immediately where people frequent, patterns, where people are.
Herne8 t1_iu3yxri wrote
I'm remembering a scene from Kung Fu where Caine has to walk across a stretch of rice paper on gravel without tearing it.
winegum343 t1_iu3zqub wrote
How fucking bad is the Ninja problem in Japan.
[deleted] t1_iu41psn wrote
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Plagueofzombies t1_iu4f17x wrote
I think they were called "Nightingale floors"
Fisserablemucker t1_iu4gowz wrote
Starling boards. I was lucky enough to tread them in Japan. Amazing stuff
BubberRung t1_iu4h6oh wrote
Hopefully the house also comes with an anti-tiger rock.
silentspyder t1_iu4pxg3 wrote
After I heard ninjas were fake I’m skeptical of everything ninja. Is there another reason? Or is it more that the look of ninjas was fake but there were still “assassins?”
eidetic t1_iu5klu2 wrote
Ninjas were real. But they weren't like their pop culture depictions.
So in Japanese stage plays, it was common for stage hands and prop handlers to wear black clothing. This was kind of their costume, and a sign to the audience that they weren't part of the play itself. Basically, if an object or puppet or something was being moved by someone in black, you'd interpet it as the object moving on its own instead of being moved by someone. This idea was borrowed for art, where ninjas would be "hidden" by being dressed in black. Some stage plays would even make use of this where one of those stage hands would turn out to be a ninja hidden in plain sight.
But in a way, that did sort of reflect reality. Just as the "ninjas" in a play were hidden by being dressed up as part of the crew, real ninjas - who should be more thought of as kind of special forces, not just conducting assassinations, but also reconnaissance/spying, etc - would often dress as common every day workers. So they might hang out at a castle disguised and behaving as a gardener, or mason, or what have you. Blending in with the people, they could collect information about the comings and goings of people, the routines of a castle, or maybe help move precious cargo by being security without drawing attention, or perhaps pretending to be pilgrims on the road in order to set up an ambush, things of that nature.
Pure black itself isn't that useful even as camouflage, since rarely are things a straight black color. Even against the night sky, a black clad person will be silhouetted against sky because even the night sky isn't perfectly black. Night time operations probably saw the use of darkened clothing, perhaps using coal to blacken shiny tools, etc, but by no means is there any evidence for any kind of black ninja uniform, or for any kind of standard uniform for that matter. More than anything, they'd lean towards practicality, and black is rarely that practical outside of maybe a cocktail party.
silentspyder t1_iu5ntz0 wrote
Okay, that what I heard. Maybe a better question would be were they that common to even bother with these floors. Maybe it’s just rich and powerful being paranoid. I know there was a ninja clan, started with an I, so maybe there was enough demand for them.
National_Rutabaga_67 t1_iu4rxve wrote
Also called nightingale floors. Pretty cool concept tbh.
NightimeNinja t1_iu4uj9e wrote
I hate these things.
Both_Internet3529 t1_iu4wtb1 wrote
Young Samurai books mention them, good old vibes
WordTheMyth808 t1_iu4xpk4 wrote
I visited one of the castles that was in Kyoto that had these nightingale floors. I don't remember the name of the guy, or castle (maybe it was Nijojo Castle? ), but he was immensely paranoid and meticulously planned out this castle out where there'd be no way for someone to sneak up on him, be hiding in a room waiting for him, and no one knew the entirety of the plans of the castle except him. Regarding the floors - there was no way you could tip-toe to soften your footsteps. It is a really strange feeling where no matter how much weight you walk on you're loud as fuck, kind of like walking on dry leaves (not the sound but how you'll basically always make some sort of crunch when they are underfoot.) There was a ton of hidden doors, rooms that had hidden doors that lead to no where and you'd get stuck, false fake doors that he would know if someone was trying to find secret doors, etc. etc etc. Plus the artwork and grounds were immensely beautiful, I don't recall any sneaky shenanigans being outside, only inside the castle.
TheJoshGriffith t1_iu501kc wrote
When I was a kid my dad installed a gate on our garden and intentionally left it too long so it'd scrape on the floor whenever opened - it made a noise like scratching a chalkboard but still opened with relative ease. I asked why, he said if anyone tries to break into the garden they are gonna make a lot of noise opening it. About a month later someone tried to get into the garden in the middle of the night, woke us all up, and we saw a would-be thief running off into some bushes out back.
To this day, every house I live in, I do exactly the same thing. No idea about ninja floors, but the idea of intentionally building things badly for personal safety doesn't seem farfetched, given we actually did it, and it actually worked...
Nippahh t1_iu54lms wrote
Do you think ninjas would charge more?
"Yeah this fella has anti ninja floors, extra hard to sneak up on his ass. It'll be 1000 ninja crystals extra bro"
SuperSimpleSam t1_iu56fis wrote
This must be why in anime you see ninjas running across roofs.
TheHatedMilkMachine t1_iu5chj3 wrote
My parents had these outside their bedroom
colbyxclusive t1_iu5cpyj wrote
I mean if you let a ninja get that close isn’t it too late already?
EliseGraspMid t1_iu5diat wrote
Not if you can quickdraw as a samurai
colbyxclusive t1_iu5djqw wrote
Fair
frezik t1_iu5g366 wrote
That takes care of the ninjas, but what about raptors? Didn't think of that, did you, Japan?
ForeignReviews t1_iu5gtow wrote
It’s a feature
crusoe t1_iu5kkgn wrote
No they weren't in most cases. It was an accidental side effect of how they were built and subsequent wear. The floors used a metal clip to hold down the boards and these were nailed into the runners. Over time the nails would loosen slightly allowing the metal clip to squeak.
Later on people liked the sound and found out how to reproduce the effect. The whole anti-assasin reasoning was added later.
am_trying_to_be_nice t1_iu5xh6b wrote
TIL MY APARTMENT HAS ANTI-NINJA FLOORS
TIME TO PUT THIS INTO THE SALES BROCHURE
ANTI-NINJA INSURANCE INCLUDED!!!
WOW!
tan101 t1_iu5xrhq wrote
Across the nightingale floor.... Read the book ! Later on I travelled to kyoto and got to visit one of the temples with this flooring. It honestly sounded like noisy rats running across the floorboards.
ninjas_in_my_pants t1_iu621iz wrote
Do they have a version for alerting you of intruders in your pants? Asking for a friend.
DiogenesOfDope t1_iu63hrz wrote
I can't believe my contractor didn't offer me anti ninja floors wtf. Jk I'm too poor to afford floors
KarlWhale t1_iu659a0 wrote
This feels like something a japanese grandpa would say to his grandson
iamansonmage t1_iu69zfy wrote
I also have “anti ninja” floors.
Katana_sized_banana t1_iu6omg1 wrote
There is even a game show where someone has to sneak on it without making any sound. It's really hard.
medi3val11111 t1_iu6wa6e wrote
There's book on this concept called "The Nightingale Floor."
dar512 t1_iu7ona6 wrote
Has no one read “Across the Nightingale Floor”?
Thousendmiles t1_iuet93n wrote
So, the squeaks of my back and knees are alerting me about intruders...aging can be surprising!
hvgotcodes t1_iu5u8gp wrote
Yeah you saw that in a certain video game.
Ashley_Madal t1_iu2ifgb wrote
Cap
wolf_boi_ t1_iu29gsg wrote
My whole house has anti ninja floors.