Ninjutsu was developed by groups of people mainly from the Iga Province of Japan. Throughout history the shinobi 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.
Although thought to have come from Chinese expatriates ninjutsu is believed by its adherents to be of Japanese origin. It is believed to be strongly influenced by the strategic principles of Sun Tzu.
Throughout history many different schools (or ryū) were developed which taught their unique version 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).
Ninjutsu was developed as a collection of fundamental survivalist techniques in the warring state of feudal Japan. The ninja clans used their art to ensure their survival in a time of violent political turmoil. It also included methods of gathering information, non-detection, avoidance, and misdirection techniques. Ninjutsu can also involve training in disguise, escape, concealment, archery, medicine, explosives, and poisons.
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 word nin carries both these meanings. To avoid misunderstandings, "ninjutsu" should just refer to a specific branch of Japanese martial arts, unless it is being used in a historical sense.
18 Ninjutsu Skills (Ninja Juhakkei): According
to Bujinkan members, the eighteen
disciplines (juhakkei < juhachi-kei) were
first stated in the scrolls of Togakure-ryu
and they became definitive for all ninjutsu
schools, providing a complete training of
the warrior in various fighting arts and
complementary disciplines.Ninja juhakkei was
often studied along with Bugei Jūhappan
(the "18 samurai fighting art
skills"). Though some of them are the
same, the techniques of each discipline were
used with different approaches by both
samurai and ninja.
In recent times the espionage techniques
of ninjutsu are rarely focused on, since
they serve little purpose to the bulk of
modern populations, and tend to attract
negative publicity and students with
unrealistic expectations.
Schools of Ninjutsu:
Bujinkan Organization headed by Sōke
Masaaki Hatsumi is one organizations
frequently accepted as teaching
mainstream ninjutsu. However Hatsumi has
stated that he has modified the art of
traditional ninjutsu to better suit
modern ways. Hatsumi's Bujinkan Dōjō
consists of nine separate schools of
allegedly traditional Japanese martial
arts, only three of which contain
ninjutsu teachings. According to the
Bujinkan, Hatsumi is the inheritor of
nine ryu (schools) some of which are
Ninjutsu. He is considered by many to be
the foremost authority on Ninjutsu,
Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, and
Shinkentaijutsu. He also claims to hold
the Densho (scrolls) of the ancient
schools and can trace his lineage 34
generations however the authenticity of
his claims have often been called into
question. Hatsumi learned a variety of
martial arts skills from Toshitsugu
Takamatsu.
Genbukan World Ninpo Bugei Federation
headed by Sōke Shoto Tanemura, who
stopped training with Hatsumi in 1984
after achieveing Menkyo Kaidenin
Bujinkan. He created the organization
inorder to maintain the ancient Ninja
tradition that is changing rapidly to
adapt to the modern world.
Jinenkan Organization headed by Sōke
Fumio Manaka, In 1996 he achieved Menkyo
kaiden in Bujinkan and founded Jinenkan.
The Art focuses in harmonizing oneself
with the natural flow of the elements.
The AKBAN Organization uses the
Bujinkan curriculum the way it was used
when Doron Navon, the first foreign
Bujinkan shihan, studied under Hatsumi.
Israel was one of the first places where
Bujinkan ninjutsu was practiced outside
Japan, with Doron Navon pioneering it
there in 1974. Doron Navon no longer
practices Bujinkan ninjutsu.
The Quest Centers headed by Sōke
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. Mr. Hayes relocated to
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 Jizaikan organization headed by
Thomas "Jotoshi" Maienza who
studied under the Bujinkan Ninjutsu
tradition with many influencual
practitioners of the art and was also
head of the Quest Centers for a time and
producer of many of Mr. Hayes works. He
also trained in Daitō-ryū
Aiki-jūjutsu amongst other
disciplines. His schools study under
both ninja and samurai martial arts
traditions creating a unique martial art
branch of ninjutsu called Jizaikan Aiki
Ninjutsu.
Some smaller schools claim to have
survived as well. One example, The Fuma
Ryu, claims to date back from as far as
the Sengoku period and that it is much
more traditional in its teachings. These
claims are highly skeptical and doubted
by many. This school is headed by
Harunaka Hoshino.
Koka Ninjutsu is carried on by the
head of the Koka Ban family Kawakami,
Jinichi Sensei and his student Kiyomoto,
Yasushi Sensei in Fukui and
Sagamihara-shi, Japan.
Other extant traditional martial arts
such as the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shintō-ryū
contain some aspects of ninjutsu in their
curriculum, but are not ninjutsu schools per
se. Also several other schools of ninjutsu
purportedly exist, some of which claim to be
traced back to Japanese origins.
Other Important People: The following is a list of key figures that have contributed to the development of the art of ninjutsu.
Carey "Bud" Malmstrom holds
a Shidoshi rank and is currently a
student under Soke Hatsumi, as well as a
prominent instructor of Ninjutsu world
wide. He was the headmaster of the
Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo in Georgia for
many years, taking over after Stephen
Hayes moved to Ohio. Mr. Malmstrom has
retired from active teaching, and has
passed on the responsibility for the
first ninjutsu dojo in the west to Roy
Wilkinson, Judan Kugyo, who is one of
the senior-most, non-Japanese
practitioners of the art.
Jack Hoban is a prominent instructor
of Shihan rank, and a current student of
Hatsumi. He is also the founder of the
Warrior Information Network (WIN).
Phil Legare-Shihan (15th Dan), Founder
of Bujinkan Taka-Seigi Dojo, is one of
the senior-most, non-Japanese students
of Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi-Soke. Through the
Shinkentaijutsu website, up-to-date
training is offered from Hatsumi-Soke
(Grandmaster).
Unverified Origins: 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 who 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.
Dr. Haha Lung is a writer of over a
dozen books about mind control and
ninjutsu but his authority on the
subject is unverified.
Robert Law is a Canadian martial
artist who claims to be the 119th
grandmaster of the Geijin Ryu and 29th
grandmaster of the Yoshin Miji Ryu, as
well as being head of over 20 sub-group
clans.
Ronald Duncan is an American martial
artist who runs the Way of the Winds
Martial Arts System and claims to be the
Father of American Ninjutsu.
Harunaka Hoshino is an American
martial artist who runs the San
Francisco Ninja Society.
Neo-ninja is 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.
Some people believe Kōga-ryū
Ninjutsu to have survived into the mid-20th
century, purportedly having been passed to
Fujita Seiko by his own grandfather. Seiko
had students, but did not pass on this
legacy. Any actual direct lineage of the Kōga-ryū
that might have existed, ended with the
death of Fujita Seiko on January 14, 1966.
Koga-ryu arts are generally considered to
have been similar to the Iga-ryu arts.
