Ninjutsu

This article is about the Japanese espionage martial arts and techniques known as ninjutsu. Ninjutsu is frequently depicted fancifully in fiction; for these depictions, see the article on ninja.

Ninjutsu (忍術), also called shinobi-jutsu (忍び術), is a collection of techniques originally practiced for espionage purposes. It includes methods of gathering information, nondetection, avoidance, and misdirection techniques. Ninjutsu can also involve training in disguise, escape, concealment, archery, medicine, and explosives.

Practitioners of ninjutsu have been seen as assassins for hire, and have been associated in the public imagination with other activities which are considered criminal by modern standards. Even though it was influenced by Chinese spying techniques, ninjutsu is believed by its adherents to be of Japanese origin.

Although the popular view is that ninjutsu is the art of secrecy or stealth, actual practitioners consider it to mean the art of enduring - enduring all of life's hardships. The character nin carries both these meanings.

In the modern world the word ninjutsu usually referres to a certain system (Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu) of self defense. It is true that ninjutsu has a long and mythfull history, but today almost anyone is allowed to practise ninjutsu. As one makes progress in ninjutsu the system gets more sophisticated, and one might realise that the system contains more than fighting skills. To avoid misunderstandings, "ninjutsu" should just refer to japanese self defense.

Contents

1 A sample curriculum of a ninjutsu school 2 Schools of ninjutsu 3 Other schools 4 External links

A sample curriculum of a ninjutsu school

This lists the 18 fundamental skills of the Togakure-ryû school of ninjutsu. (忍び術)

1. Seishin-teki kyōyō (spiritual refinement)
2. Taijutsu (unarmed combat)
3. Ninja ken (sword fighting)
4. Bōjutsu (stick and staff fighting)
5. Shurikenjutsu (throwing blades)
6. Sōjutsu (spear fighting)
7. Naginatajutsu (halberd fighting)
8. Kusarigama (chain and sickle weapon)
9. Kayakujutsu (fire and explosives)
10. Hensūjutsu (disguise and impersonation)
11. Shinobi-iri (stealth and infiltration methods)
12. Bajutsu (horsemanship)
13. Sui-ren (training in water)
14. Bōryaku (military strategy)
15. Chōhō (espionage)
16. Intonjutsu (escaping and concealment)
17. Tenmon (meteorology)
18. Chi-mon (geography)

Schools of ninjutsu

The Bujinkan Dōjō headed by Masaaki Hatsumi is one of three organisations generally accepted as teaching ninjutsu. Hatsumi's Bujinkan Dōjō consists of nine separate schools of allegedly traditional Japanese martial arts, several of which contain ninjutsu teachings.

There are two other organisations teaching similar martial arts. These are the Genbukan headed by Shoto Tanemura, ex-student of Hatsumi, and the Jinenkan headed by Fumio Manaka, also ex-student of Hatsumi.

Other extant traditional martial arts such as the Katori Shintō-ryū contain some aspects of ninjutsu in their curriculum, but are not ninjutsu schools per se.

The espionage techniques and the like of ninjutsu are rarely focused on these days, since they are strongly bound with the circumstances and culture of feudal Japan.

Koga ryu ninjutsu is believed to have survived into the 20th century. The Last practitioner known was named Fujita Seiko. Aside from his claims of ninjutsu, he was also a respected practitioner of several martial arts and had a role in perserving some arts in danger of dying out. His death by liver damage meant an end to his art. He left no students of his ninjutsu style. After his death many people overseas have tried to claim him as a teacher, or part of their lineage.

Other schools

Several other schools of Ninjutsu exist, some of which can be traced back to legitimate Japanese origins. Stephen K. Hayes studied under Masaaki Hatsumi but teaches an americanized system, To-Shin Do, in his Quest Centers.

In Israel, one of the first places where Bujinkan ninjutsu was practiced outside Japan, the AKBAN organization uses the Bujinkan curriculum the way it was used when Doron Navon, the first foreign Bujinkan shihan, practiced under Hatsumi sensei.

Based in Ireland, the Bujinkan Brian Dōjō is an organization formed and directed by Brian McCarthy.

There are several persons and organizations that claim to teach "ninjutsu" whose validity and/or lineage have come under question. While such arts may still be "effective," the lack of Japanese lineage authenticity make these arts not ninjutsu.

Some questioned martial artists such as Ashida Kim, an American martial artist that cross trained into Ninjutsu. Ashida Kim's linage is brought into question due to a lack of documentation. Another self-proclaimed grandmaster whose authenticity is questioned is Frank Dux, since Dux's master cannot be found and interviewed.

There have been many cases of people of questionable stories suddenly announcing that they are teachers of ninjutsu and then being unable to show any sort of proof for their claims. For example, the Temple of the Full Autumn Moon, which teaches Saito Ninjitsu (and defines ninjitsu as something very similar but different from ninjutsu), follows the Wu Shan Fa or "Five Mountain Principle" (a Chinese name). However, there is no independently verifiable proof to back up the claims of the man who suddenly announced he was a master of this system in America. As with many of these schools, there is no documentation in Japan to back up their claims, and no proof of the existence of their instructors has been provided. As with the Temple of the Full Autumn Moon, many of their claims cause people knowledgeable in matters Japanese to raise their eyebrows.

The fact remains that of all the schools available overseas or mentioned on the internet, the only styles (Bujinkan, Jinenkan, and Genbukan) to be known and practiced or able to show a link to Japan are the systems tracing back to Takamatsu Toshitsugu.

American Ninjutsu's roots go back to Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu. Mr. Robert Bussey pioneered Togakure Ryu in 1979, being one of the first two men to bring the art to the United States from Japan. Under the tutelage of Shihan Toshiro Nagato, Mr. Bussey received his instructor license from Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, 34th successor to the Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu tradition. Robert Bussey disassociated himself from traditional Ninjutsu in 1988 and started Robert Bussey's Warrior International (RBWI). In June of 1997, Robert Bussey retired and disbanded his organization.

External links

• Essence of Ninjutsu by Masaaki Hatsumi (ISBN 0809247240)
• Ninjutsu: History and Tradition by Masaaki Hatsumi (ISBN 0865680272)
• Ninpo: Wisdom for Life by Masaaki Hatsumi (http://www.kihon.com/ninpo/)
• Article on Koga ryu ninjutsu [1] (http://www.bujinkanwakodojo.com/bwd_kogaryu_history.html)
• Article on the nine schools of Bujinkan [2] (http://www.greenman.dk/content/simple/bujinkan/ryu.html)
• Dispelling the Myth of the Ninja (http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?issue=5&article=149) Straight Talk on Finger Entwiningda:Ninjutsu

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