Shinobi-monomi (忍び物見)
Shinobi-monomi is a way of patrolling during the Sengoku period where a person hides in fields and mountains and searches for the enemy's situation in the battle field.
It was also called as shibami or kamari.
Outline
In Shinobi-monomi, a person conceals himself unnoticed in the mountains and fields, hides behind a bush and searches the state of the territory and the movement of the enemy. Shinobi-monomi was classified lower than the usual monomi (which is equal to the later shoko-sekko (officer patrol)) and tosotsu (foot soldier) and ashigaru (common foot soldier) were assigned to perform this task.
There is a description in 'Kenbunzatsuroku' on Nobunaga ODA making a monomi search for the enemy's state. In 'Ouu Eikei Gunki' (a war chronicle), Masamune DATE used a shibami to guard against a night attack by the enemy.
A description can be seen in the article of July 26, 1582 of the 'Matsudaira Ietada Nikki' (a diary of Ietada MATSUDAIRA), about Ieyasu TOKUGAWA using a kamari when he was fighting Yoritada SUWA of Shinano Province. An article dated September 23, 1582 in 'Osukaki,' describes Ieyasu TOKUGAWA commanding a group of vassals in Yokosuka to perform kamari when he was fighting Ujinao HOJO at the Shinpu-jo Castle in the Kai Province.