Ninjutsu,
in the form we
recognize today, was developed in the Iga and Koga regions of Japan by
mountain warrior ascetics. However, it is widely believed
that
the true origins of the art stretch back over 2,000 years and stem as
far as China, India and Tibet. Looking closely, one can see the
influence of East Indian spiritual doctrine, and Chinese military
strategy and combat principles within modern day teachings.
The
majority of the Ninjutsu clans were possibly founded by samurai who had
the misfortune of being on the losing side of a major war or battle.
Rather than face ritualistic suicide, as the code of the Samurai
demanded, they instead chose to live by taking their families into the
mountains. This is the case with Nishina Daisuke, a samurai who, in the
1100's, fled to Togakure mountain in Iga after one such
battle.
There, he took the name of the mountain as his own and is credited with
laying the foundations of our modern system of self-preservation.
Other
ryu, or styles,
were founded by simple peasants and farmers whose only chance of
survival against an oppressive military government was to ally
themselves with nature and develop skills to help them prosper under
the most dire conditions. The ancient Ninja soon developed a
reputation as formidable guerrilla warfare specialists with expertise
in all aspects of combat, strategy, and intelligence gathering. These
attributes did not sit well with the military establishment of those
times. Many fierce battles were initiated by the Shogunate
and
lesser daimyo to eradicate the existence of these warrior families
because their beliefs were not in line with the prescribed doctrine of
the government.
Although
other schools of
Budo do still exist and a few do include some elements of Ninjutsu as
part of their curriculum (the most widely known is the Shinden Katori
Ryu school of Samurai arts), only the Bujinkan system of Ninpo/Budo
Taijutsu is known to have survived as a complete system of Ninjutsu
tradition, history and techniques.
Myth and legend have always
surrounded the existence of Ninjutsu
traditions. They were either
feared or dismissed as fantasy by the elite as well as the commoner.
Even as late as the 1980's, exploitation films did nothing to further
the truth of Ninjutsu. During this time, true practitioners
discarded
the use of the word "Ninja" to avoid the negative connotations brought
on by the dollar-driven, Hollywood inspired "Ninja craze."
Although
well known for
Togakure Ryu Ninpo, our system consists of nine different ryu of which
only three are Ninjutsu tradtions. The majority of the
techniques
offered for study are from the other schools of bujutsu.
Today,
the collective system of nine martial traditions that we study is known
as Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu or Ninpo Taijutsu. The term "Ninpo"
being
translated as "the way of enduring" or "the higher order of Ninjutsu"
as opposed to "Ninja," or "one who endures." The term
Bujinkan was
coined by our current Grandmaster, Masaaki Hatsumi, as a way to honor
his teacher, Toshitsugu Takamatsu. It is commonly translated
as
"Divine Warrior."
Unlike many martial
arts, Budo Taijutsu has continued to evolve and adapt to each passing
generation. Through Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu we teach all of
our
clients how to deal with the dangers of an ever-changing modern society.
Today,
we enforce strict guidelines to ensure that only those truly worthy
individuals receive the rare gift of the history and traditions of the
nine family traditions of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu.
About
the Author
Kurt Tasche is a long time practitioner of Ninjutsu and currently
runs a Bujinkan training group in the Phoenix area. For more
information on Ninjutsu and for class
information, please visit: http://www.ninjuts.ws
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