Ninjutsu

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This article is about a Japanese martial art. For fictional depictions and use, see Ninja in popular culture.

The kanji for "ninja."
Ninjutsu
(忍術)
Also known as Ninjitsu; Ninpō
Focus Multi-discipline
Hardness Non-competitive
Country of origin Flag of Japan Japan
Creator No single creator
Parenthood Historic
Olympic Sport No

Ninjutsu (忍術?) sometimes used interchangeably with the term ninpō (忍法?) is the martial art, strategy, and tactics of unconventional warfare and guerilla warfare practiced by the shinobi (also commonly known outside of Japan as the Ninja). While there are several styles of modern ninjutsu, according to the Koryu.com, not all can be related to the historic practice of Ninjutsu in Japan so as to be considered a koryū.[1]

Contents

[edit] Etymology

The main character nin (忍?) is composed of two lesser characters. The upper character ha (刃?) means "blade", and the lower character kokoro (心?) means "heart" or "spirit". Together they mean "stealth", "secretness", "endurance", and "perseverance" [2]. Jutsu (術?) means "true", "technique".[3] Pō (法?) meaning "knowledge", "principle" when found with the prefix "nin" carries the meaning of ninja arts, higher order of ninjutsu. The popular view is that ninjutsu is only about secrecy and stealth. However practitioners of this knowledge utilize it to endure all of life's hardships. [4]

[edit] History

Ninjutsu was developed by groups of people mainly from the Iga Province and Kōka, Shiga of Japan. Throughout history the shinobi have been seen as assassins, scouts and spies. They are mainly noted for their use of stealth and deception. They have been associated in the public imagination with activities that are considered criminal by modern standards. Throughout history many different schools (ryū) have taught their unique versions of ninjutsu. An example of these is the Togakure-ryū. This ryū was developed after a defeated samurai warrior called Daisuke Togakure escaped to the region of Iga. Later he came in contact with the warrior-monk Kain Doshi who taught him a new way of viewing life and the means of survival (ninjutsu) [5].

Ninjutsu was developed as a collection of fundamental survivalist techniques in the warring state of feudal Japan. The ninja used their art to ensure their survival in a time of violent political turmoil. Ninjutsu included methods of gathering information, and techniques of non-detection, avoidance, and misdirection. Ninjutsu can also involve training in disguise, escape, concealment, archery, medicine, explosives, and poisons. [6]

Skills relating to espionage and assassination were highly useful to warring factions in feudal Japan. Because these activities were seen as dishonorable, Japanese warriors hired people who existed below Japan's social classes to perform these tasks. These persons were literally called "non-humans" (非人 hinin?).[7] At some point the skills of espionage became known collectively as ninjutsu. And the people who specialized in these tasks were called shinobi no mono. Somewhat later they were called ninja.

Eventually ninjutsu became so essential to warfare that some samurai began to practice these techniques. Finally they incorporated ninjutsu training into their formal martial arts schools (ryū).[7]

"Ninjutsu" should refer only to a specific branch of Japanese martial arts. Otherwise the word ninjutsu can be used in a historical sense.

[edit] 18 Ninjutsu Skills (Ninja Jūhakkei)

According to Bujinkan[8] members the eighteen disciplines (jūhakkei < jūhachi-kei) were first stated in the scrolls of Togakure-ryū. Subsequently they became definitive for all ninjutsu schools by providing total training of the warrior in various fighting arts and disciplines.

Ninja jūhakkei was often studied along with Bugei Jūhappan (the "18 samurai fighting art skills"). Though some are used in the same way by both samurai and ninja other techniques were used differently by the two groups.

The 18 disciplines are[9]:

  1. Seishin-teki kyōyō (spiritual refinement)
  2. Taijutsu (unarmed combat, using one's body as the only weapon)
  3. Kenjutsu (sword fighting)
  4. Bōjutsu (stick and staff fighting)
  5. Shurikenjutsu (throwing shuriken)
  6. Sōjutsu (spear fighting)
  7. Naginatajutsu (naginata fighting)
  8. Kusarigamajutsu (kusarigama fighting)
  9. Kayakujutsu (pyrotechnics and explosives)
  10. Hensōjutsu (disguise and impersonation)
  11. Shinobi-iri (stealth and entering methods)
  12. Bajutsu (horsemanship)
  13. Sui-ren (water training)
  14. Bōryaku (tactic)
  15. Chōhō (espionage)
  16. Intonjutsu (escaping and concealment)
  17. Tenmon (meteorology)
  18. Chi-mon (geography)

Today the main focus of ninjutsu deals with the techniques relevant to armed and unarmed combat. [10]

[edit] Schools of Ninjutsu

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 It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled Schools of Ninjutsu . (Discuss)


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Masaaki Hatsumi demonstrating Ninjutsu techniques on Mind, Body & Kick Moves
Masaaki Hatsumi demonstrating Ninjutsu techniques on Mind, Body & Kick Moves

While other traditional martial arts such as the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shintō-ryū contain some aspects of ninjutsu in their curriculum, are not ninjutsu schools per se. Several schools of ninjutsu purportedly exist, some of which claim to be traced back to Japanese origins though this is controversial.[1]

  • Bujinkan Organization headed by Masaaki Hatsumi is one of the many organizations claiming to teach mainstream ninjutsu.[8] However Hatsumi has stated that he has modified the art of ninjutsu manly learned from Toshitsugu Takamatsu with additions like pistol skills to better suit modern ways. Hatsumi's Bujinkan Dōjō consists of nine separate schools of allegedly traditional Japanese martial arts, only three of which are titled ninjutsu; the other 6 schools being Samurai in origin. These claims are opposed by some historians of Koryu arts.[1]
  • The AKBAN Organization[11] uses the Bujinkan curriculum the way it was used when Doron Navon, the first foreign Bujinkan shihan, studied under Hatsumi.
  • Banke Shinobinoden group;[12] Claim to teach Koka and Iga Ninjutsu in Japan. Jinichi Kawakami and his top student Yasushi Kiyomoto claim to be the last practitioners of Ninjutsu, which is contry to some external views.[1] Jinichi Kawakami claims to have been taught by Masazo Ishida, who he says was "one" of the last remaining Ninjutsu practitioners alive.[13] However, As Thomas Dillon writes, [14] "No one knows anything about Ishida. How very ninja-like." Also, Kawakami claims to teach not only Iga style ninjutsu, but Koka (Koga) ryu ninjutsu which is not linked to the Koga Ryu Wada Ha Style taught by the late Fujita Seiko. Jinichi Kawakami and Fujita Seiko are in no way connected/related. [15]
  • Genbukan World Ninpo Bugei Federation headed by Shoto Tanemura, who stopped training with Hatsumi in 1984 after achieveing Menkyo Kaiden in Bujinkan. He created the organization in order to maintain the ancient Ninja tradition that is changing rapidly to adapt to the modern world.
  • Jinenkan Organization headed by Fumio Manaka, In 1996 he achieved Menkyo kaiden in Bujinkan and founded Jinenkan. The Art focuses heavily on the basics and working to move naturally, harmonizing oneself with the natural flow of the elements.
  • Koka (Koga) ryu survived into the 20th century under the care of Fujita Seiko- the 14th headmaster of Koka- ryu Wada-ha ninjutsu. Fujita was a martial artist and instructor at the Nakano spy school during World War 2, even being sent to China on a mission. His death in 1966 ended the tradition. [16]
  • The Jizaikan organization[1] headed by Thomas "Jotoshi" Maienza who studied under the Bujinkan Ninjutsu tradition.[citation needed] He was head of the Quest Centers for a time and producer of many of Hayes works.[citation needed] He also trained in Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu amongst other disciplines, his schools study under both ninja and samurai martial arts traditions.
  • The Quest Centers headed by Stephen K. Hayes who studied under Masaaki Hatsumi and is the person who first brought ninjutsu to America, founding the first ninjutsu dojo in the Western Hemisphere in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-70s. Hayes relocated to Dayton, Ohio around 1980, where he continued to teach the art for a number of years. He now teaches a Westernized system, To-Shin Do.
  • The school of Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū claims to have been the first to incorporate ninjutsu into its curriculum.[7]
  • Koga Ryu Kurokawa Ha; School Founded by Yoshiro Kurokawa, brought to Brazil by Minoru Tanaka. Ebio Cleser Borges the headmaster of Koka-ryu Kurokawa-ha ninjutsu.[citation needed]
  • The Nindo Ryu Bujutsu Kai is a martial arts federation founded in 1979. This federation has a Gendai Ninjutsu division under the direction of Dr. Carlos R. Febres, (former student of Shoto Tanemura, T. Higushi and current student of both Ronald Duncan & Bo Munthe). Nindo Ryu Gendai Ninjutsu works around modern application of KORYU (old style) & modern interpretation of Takamatsuden , Koga (Koka)& Eclectic schools.

There are several persons and organizations that teach martial arts which they identify as ninjutsu but who lack a clear lineage to Japanese teachers. While such arts may still be effective, they lack proof of Japanese origin.

  • Ashida Kim is an American martial artist that has made unverified claims of cross training into ninjutsu, as well as unsubstantiated claims of being the last grandmaster.
  • Frank Dux is a martial artist whose claims of origins are unverified.

[edit] See also

  • Neo-ninja a term that refers to modern martial arts schools which claim to teach elements of the historic ninja of Japan, or base their school's philosophy upon traits attributed to the historic ninja of Japan.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Skoss, Diane (ed.); Beaubien, Ron; Friday, Karl (1999). Ninjutsu: is it koryu bujutsu?. Koryu.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
  2. ^ Hayes, Stephen. "The Mystic Arts of the Ninja." 1985: 2
  3. ^ Frederic, Louis. "A Dictionary of the Martial Arts." 1991: 89
  4. ^ Hayes, Stephen. "The Mystic Arts of the Ninja." 1985: 1
  5. ^ Hayes, Stephen. “The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art.” 1981: 18-21
  6. ^ Hatsumi, Masaaki. “Ninjutsu: History and Tradition.” June 1981
  7. ^ a b c Draeger, Donn F. (1973, 2007). Classical Bujutsu: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan. Boston, Massachusetts: Weatherhill, 84-85. ISBN 978-0-8348-0233-9. 
  8. ^ a b Bujinkan Dojo - Soke Masaaki Hatsumi.
  9. ^ Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  10. ^ Ninjutsu General Training Information. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  11. ^ AKBAN - Budo Ninjutsu: The Largest Martial Arts Database.
  12. ^ http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~bankeshinobi/ (Japanese)
  13. ^ A Story of Life, Fate, and Finding the Lost Art of Koka Ninjutsu in Japan by Daniel DiMarzio (ISBN 978-1-4357-1208-9)
  14. ^ The last of the ninja | The Japan Times Online
  15. ^ Fujita Seiko by Phillip Hevener ISBN-10 1436301769
  16. ^ Fujita Seiko by Phillip Hevener ISBN-10 1436301769
  • Essence of Ninjutsu by Masaaki Hatsumi (ISBN 0-8092-4724-0)
  • Notable American Martial Artists by Callos, Tom. Black Belt Magazine (May 2007) 72-73
  • Ninjutsu: History and Tradition by Masaaki Hatsumi (ISBN 0-86568-027-2)
  • Ninpo: Wisdom for Life by Masaaki Hatsumi (ISBN 1-58776-206-4 or 0972773800)
  • The Ninja and their Secret Fighting Art by Stephen K. Hayes (ISBN 0-8048-1656-5)
  • Wingspan: Culture-Society-People in Japan, Where Have All the Ninja Gone? by Thomas Dillon (September, 2007 No.459)
  • Historical group image editorial staff compilation by Kuroi Hiroshi optical work (ISBN 978-4-05-604814-8)
  • The Last of the Ninja [2] by Thomas Dillon
  • Secret Guide to Making Ninja Weapons, by Yamashiro Toshitora, Butokukai Press, 1986, ISBN 978-9994291311
  • A Story of Life, Fate, and Finding the Lost Art of Koka Ninjutsu in Japan by Daniel DiMarzio (ISBN 978-1-4357-1208-9)

[edit] External links

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