Ninjutsu in a Nutshell
So what is it?
It’s a Japanese martial art made up of a collection of ninja and samurai military/ fighting tactics (budo)). Many of the old scrolls provide tuition in hand-to-hand unarmed taijutsu as well as defence and counterattacks against knife, sword, staff etc.
But it’s the 21st century!
Ninjutsu taught nowadays could be described as a mix of karate, jujutsu, judo, kendo, kenjutsu, iaijutsu and lots more. It predates all of the Japanese sports martial arts (by centuries) and has clearly influenced their various forms.
As a classical martial art (i.e. not a sports martial art) there are no competitions. It is taught as a self defence based martial art and each individual participant progresses at their own level.
So what would I learn?
- Punching
- Kicking
- Throws
- Ukemi (breakfall/injury prevention)
- Sweeps
- Arm/wrist locks
- Pressure points
- Balance breaking (manipulating your opponent’s skeletal structure to knock them off balance with minimal strength)
- Scenario based fights (armed and unarmed)
- Disarming armed attacker
- Knife attacks/defence
- Traditional Japanese Weapons
- Katana
- Kodachi
- Bo-staff
- Hanbo/ Jo-staff
- Tanto
- Jutte
- Metsubushi
- Kusari Fundo
- Naganata
- Yari
- The Togakure and Gyokushin Ryu ryuha provides tuition on what would be regarded as ninja tactics (ninpo), infiltration, disappearing, and other sneaky sh!t.
& lots more
Where does Ninjutsu come from?
1980’s Hollywood, taking its cue from Japanese theatre staff, distorted the image of the real “ninja” by inventing the all-black, Zorro meets Batman type – a hooded, katana wielding assassin.
Ninja (or more correctly labelled “shinobi”) were highly trained spies. Think medieval James Bond. Expert in clandestine infiltration they were equally renowned for their guerilla style attacks. However, they usually wore regular clothes to blend in with the locals. A travelling-cleric’s attire was a popular choice as it allowed them to move freely between towns without raising suspicion.
Carrying weapons, in particular swords, was forbidden and reserved only for samurai. Necessity gave way to ingenious ways to conceal blades, darts and other small weapons in clothing and within accessories.
Night-time attire was predominantly dark grey, purple or dark red – black clothing was too severe and was visible even on a cloudy, dark night.
But, Bujinkan Ninjutsu isn’t just ‘ninja’ stuff?
No, its a mix of ninja and samurai budo. Ninja clans were not confined to the poor farming communities. Famous samurai such as Hattori Hanzo have, in more recent decades, been revealed as being from a ninja dynasty. The old concept of ninja versus samurai whilst at times a reality was not exclusive. Over the years Samurai classes were from famous ninja clans and Japanese lords also employed ninja from other territories (such as Iga and Koga) to infiltrate enemy camps and castles – with deadly effect.
That little snapshot of history gave rise to the development, recording and transmission of several schools (ryuha) of ninja and samurai martial arts (warfare tactics and knowledge) down through the ages. These ryuha passed from generation to generation with nine schools resting with Takamatsu Toshitsugu. These nine schools comprise of six samurai ryuha and three ninja ryuha.
Takamatsu had only one student Masaaki Hatsumi. Following Takamatsu’s death in 1972 Hatsumi decided to open Takamatsu’s teachings and knowledge to the public. Starting out with a handful of students Hatsumi established the Bujinkan Dojo.
Fast forward 50+ years and there are several hundred thousand Bujinkan practitioners across the globe.
Shortly after founding the Bujinkan and gaining popularity through various media outlets including martial arts advisor for the James Bond movie “You Only Live Twice” Hatsumi attracted attention in Europe and the USA.
By the late 1970’s/ early 1980’s the Bujinkan had reached Ireland.
Governed by the Bujinkan Hombu Dojo in Noda, Japan, Bujinkan Ninjutsu is recognised by Sport Ireland (IMAC).