Clay Grayless
| Ninjutsu: Past and Present |
In Japan, the popularity of ninjutsu has developed over the last few decades in movies, television, and books. The popularity of the ninja has carried over to the western world as well. Unfortunately, the portrayal of the ninja in the media is inaccurate. They are characterized as warriors, that in many cases practice occult magic and throw out the moral ideals of right and wrong in order to serve whoever offers the most wealth and power. The true ninja trained his or her mind and body in order to prevail over situations that would otherwise be harmful.
Ninjutsu developed around one thousand years as a military specialization by mystics and farmers in the mountain areas of Iga and Koga in order to protect their families and lands. The history of ninjutsu closely follows the history of Japan. There has been no specific time, place, or person associated with the establishment of ninjutsu as an art. One legend states that two ninja-like characters, Shinetsuhiko and Otokashi, aided their lord Jimmu, the future first emperor of Japan, during his battle with the forces of Iso Castle. Jimmu had a dream which instructed him to mold clay from Mt. Amakaga, in Iso territory, into a sacred vessel. Shinetsuhiko and Otokashi disguised themselves as an old peasant couple and infiltrated Iso territory to collect the clay. They delivered the clay to Jimmu who then fired it into a serving platter and bowl, and then offered them to the gods of fortune. Ninjutsu is said to have been passed on from Shinetsuhiko and Otokashi to others who further developed the art.
Ancient ninjutsu scrolls document the occurrence of Chinese ex-patriots that fled from the T'ang Dynasty to Japan. The ex-patriots were made up of monks, scholars, and warriors. They brought centuries of accumulated knowledge that consisted of religious philosophies, military strategies, medical practices, cultural concepts, and many other aspects of wisdom from China, Tibet, India, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. This knowledge was passed to their Japanese followers. At the same time as the ancestors of the ninja were developing mainstream society was becoming stratified and strongly controlled by the emperor's court.
As time progressed, the ninja were constantly working behind the scenes in order to protect their families and land. In Iga and Koga alone there were over seventy ninja families each with their own set of styles, ideals, and motivations. Very little is written about the ninja in Japanese history books. In fact, Hattori Hanzo, head of the Iga ninja and Tokugawa Ieyasu's ninja director, is referred to as a bushi in many history books.
For the reason that total enlightenment reveals the imbalances that exist in the common outlook of the world, those who are not enlightened tend to misunderstand and fear those who are enlightened. It is because of this fear and misunderstanding that ninja families had to implement martial emphasis in ninjutsu to protect themselves. Also, priests of the ruler's religion did not approve of people less than themselves being able to manipulate the forces of nature. For centuries, due to these factors, troops were ordered to eliminate the ninja.
Over time the ninja families became less associated with their original ideals of mystical understanding and more concerned with their reputations as military specialists. There was a great demand for ninja due to the increased activity of warlords. Heiho(combat strategy) and bujutsu(warrior arts) were the main areas of knowledge drawn upon for ninjutsu as a profession.
Many ninja families operated from the 1200s to the 1600s. In order to have the status of ninja each clan had certain requirements that varied from clan to clan. Some clans stressed mental alertness, others stressed physical skills, and still others stressed political contacts. Yet, there were eight areas in which all true ninja were proficient: kiai(personal harmony with the total scheme of things), taijutsu(body skills), kenpo(sword method), yarijutsu(spear fighting), Shurikenjutsu(throwing blades), kajutsu(use of fire and explosives), yu gei(traditional cultural arts), and kyo mon(practical education).
Each clan was headed by a jonin(director) who made the choices of who would receive the support of the clan. Only a few high ranking officers knew the identity of the jonin. The chunin were a group of executive officers who carried out the orders of the jonin and acted as a go-between for the field agents and the jonin. The genin were the operatives who carried out the field work.
The many ninja clans carried on almost freely until the seventeenth century when the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Kogi Onmitsu. The Onmitsu was Ieyasu's personal ninja police. It was illegal for ninja to operate outside the Onmitsu, however, it was a common occurrence.
Starting at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the government no longer required the services of the ninja. It was at this time that ninjutsu regained its original idea of enlightenment. The nin( ) of ninjutsu and ninja is a single kanji that requires extensive explanation in English. Most simply, it means endurance, perseverance, and forbearance of both the mental and physical realms. Another definition is stealth, secretness, or concealment. The kanji for nin is a combination of the kanji for "blade"( ) and the kanji for "heart"( ). The kanji implies that, if focused correctly, the heart(will) is channeled in ways that give it the effectiveness of blade as a tool for accomplishment. In a much grander sense it means to be in control of one's mind, body, and interpretation of right and wrong.
Today, ninjutsu is no longer closed off to all but ninja family members. Anyone around the world can join the ranks of the ninja. The largest ninjutsu organization in existence is Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu headed by Grandmaster Dr. Hatsumi Masaaki. Originally named Bujinkan Ninjutsu, Hatsumi Sensei changed the name in May of 1995 in order to emphasis that the current training is based more on the combative techniques and mind and body harmony instead of the aspects of espionage and other military tactics. Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu is actually the combination of nine different ryu(traditions). Three of the ryu are ninjutsu ryu and the other six ryu involve more specialized combative techniques. The nine ryu are Togakure ryu ninjutsu, Gyokkyo ryu koshijutsu, Kukishin ryu happo hikenjutsu, Shinden fudo ryu dakentaijutsu, Koto ryu koppojutsu, Gikan ryu koppojutsu, Takagi yoshin ryu jutaijutsu, Gyokushin ryu ninpo, and Kumogakure ryu ninpo. Togakure ryu(The Hidden Door School) was founded in the late twelfth century by Togakure Daisuke. Noted in Bujinkan for ninjutsu weapons such as the shinodake, shuko, and shuriken. It is one of the three ninjutsu ryu. Established in the mid 1100s by Tozawa Hakuunsai, Gyokko ryu(Jewel Tiger School) is most famous for Kihon Happo, Muto Taihenjutsu, and Sanshin no kata which are the basics in Bujinkan. Kukishin ryu(The Nine Demon Gods School), founded by Yoshiteru Izumo Kanja in the mid 1300s is noted for its many different weapon techniques. A different Yoshiteru Izumo Kanja created Shinden fudo ryu(The Immovable Heart school) in the early 1100s. It was noted for its rough jutaijutsu techniques. Founded in the mid 1500s by Momochi Sandayu, Koto ryu(Knocking Down Tiger School) is characterized by its koppojutsu and odd biken style of fighting. Gikan ryu, founded in mid 1500s by Gikanbo Sonyu Hangan features koppojutsu and difficult kamae. Takagi yoshin ryu, established in the beginning of the 1600s by Takagi Oriuemon Shingenobu, features fast, effective jujutsu techniques and daishosabaki, and is known as a "bodyguard school". Teruyoshi Sasaki Goemon setup Gyokushin ryu in the mid 1500s. It is one of the ninjutsu ryu, however, only a small part of this ryu has been taught to the Western World. Kumogakure ryu, the last of the three ninjutsu ryu, was founded in the mid 1500s by Iga Heinaizaemon Ienaga and is known for the kamayari and jumping techniques.
Ninjutsu exists today as Japan's oldest surviving martial art. Many of the legends involving the supernatural abilities of the ninja are based on fact. Danzo Kato's ability to swallow a bull was not a result of occult magic, but rather the ability to cause a crowd experience mass hypnosis. It is legends such as this that has caused the ninja to become a popular character in both the Japanese and western cultures.