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Ninjutsu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ninjutsu (
) sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term ninp (
)[1] is the martial art, strategy, and
tactics of unconventional warfare and guerrilla warfare as well as the art of espionage purportedly practiced by the shinobi
[2]

Ninjutsu
(
)

[3]

(commonly known outside of Japan as ninja). Ninjutsu was more an art of tricks, than a martial art. Ninjutsu was a
separate discipline in some traditional Japanese schools, which integrated study of more conventional martial arts along
with shurikenjutsu, kenjutsu, sojutsu, bjutsu, battlefield grappling kumi-uchi (an old form of jujutsu) and others.[4]
While there are several styles of modern ninjutsu, the historical lineage of these styles is disputed. Some schools and
masters claim to be the only legitimate heir of the art, but ninjutsu is not centralized like modernized martial arts such as
judo or karate. Togakure-ry claims to be the oldest recorded form of ninjutsu, and claims to have survived past the 1500s.
[5]

Contents
1 History
2 The eighteen skills
3 Weapons and equipment
4 See also
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links

History

The kanji for "ninja".

Also known as

Ninjitsu, Ninp, Shinobi-jutsu

Hardness

Non-competitive

Country of origin
Creator

Japan
Ninja

Parenthood
Military Tactics
Spying in Japan dates as far back as Prince Shtoku (572622), although the origins of the Ninja date much earlier.[6]
According to Shninki, the first open usage of ninjutsu during a military campaign was in the Gempei War, when
Minamoto no Kuro Yoshitsune chose warriors to serve as shinobi during a battle; this manuscript goes on to say that, during the Kenmu era, Kusonoki Masashige used

ninjutsu frequently. According to footnotes in this manuscript, the Gempei war lasted from 1180 to 1185, and the Kenmu Restoration occurred between 1333 and 1336.[7]
Ninjutsu was developed by groups of people mainly from the Iga Province and Kka, Shiga of Japan. Throughout history the shinobi have been seen as assassins, scouts and
spies who were hired mostly by territorial lords known as the Daimyo. They conducted operations that the samurai were forbidden to partake in.[8] They are mainly noted for
their use of stealth and deception. Throughout history many different schools (ry) have taught their unique versions of ninjutsu. An example of these is the Togakure-ry.
This ry 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).[9]
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 free running, disguise, escape, concealment, archery, and medicine.[10]

hinin).

Skills relating to espionage and assassination were highly useful to warring factions in feudal Japan. These persons were literally called "non-humans" (
some point the skills of espionage became known collectively as ninjutsu, and the people who specialized in these tasks were called shinobi no mono.

[11]

At

The eighteen skills

According to Bujinkan members, Ninja Jhakkei ("the eighteen disciplines") were first stated in the scrolls of Togakure-ry. They became definitive for all ninjutsu schools.
Ninja jhakkei was often studied along with Bugei Jhappan (the "eighteen 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 (ninja martial arts was adaptation to surprise attacks at night, in the back or ambush and at espionage to stun the
enemy for escape in case of detection). Ninja fought in the lack of space (thicket bush in the forest, narrow corridors and low rooms locks).[12]
The 18 disciplines are:[13]
1. Seishinteki kyy spiritual refinement
2. Taijutsu unarmed combat
3. Kenjutsu sword techniques
4. Bjutsu stick and staff techniques
5. Sjutsu spear techniques
6. Naginatajutsu naginata techniques
7. Kusarigamajutsu kusarigama techniques
8. Shurikenjutsu throwing weapons techniques
9. Kayakujutsu pyrotechnics
10. Hensjutsu disguise and impersonation
11. Shinobi-iri stealth and entering methods
12. Bajutsu horsemanship

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13. Sui-ren water training

14. Bryaku tactics
15. Chh espionage
16. Intonjutsu escaping and concealment
17. Tenmon meteorology
18. Chi-mon geography

The name of the discipline of taijutsu (

), literally means "body skill" or "body art". Historically, the word taijutsu is often (in
Japan) used interchangeably with jujutsu (as well as many other terms) to refer to a range of grappling skills. The term is also used in
the martial art of aikido to distinguish the unarmed fighting techniques from other (e.g., stick fighting) techniques. In ninjutsu,
especially since the emergence of the ninja movie genre in the '80s, it is also used to avoid the undesired bravado of explicitly referring
to ninja combat techniques.

Weapons and equipment

The following tools may not be exclusive to the ninja, but they are commonly associated with the practice of ninjutsu.
Composite and articulated weapons

Ninjutsu as depicted in a 19th-century

sketch

Kusarigama - kama linked to a weight, either by a long rope or chain

Kyoketsu shoge - hooked rope-dart, featuring a metal ring on the opposite end
B - long wooden staff designed for power strikes
Kusari-fundo, also known as manriki or manriki-gusari - a chain and weight weapon.
Fistload weapons
Kakute - rings resembling modern wedding bands with concealed, often poison-tipped spines, typically worn by kunoichi and enabling ninja to quietly strangle enemies
with the pointed ends against the neck or throat
Shobo - a jabbing or piercing weapon, similar in shape to kubotan and yawara, but often featuring a center grip ring
Shuriken - various small hand held weapons including "throwing stars" that could be used to stab, slash or they could be thrown
Tekko - an earlier version of brass knuckles
Tessen - a folding fan with an iron frame. it could be used to club, or cut and slash the enemy
Jutte - A weapon similar to the Sai
Modified tool weapons
Kunai - multi-purpose tool
Shikoro - used as a tool for opening doors and stabbing or slashing
Projectile weapons
Fukiya - Japanese blowgun, typically firing poison darts
Makibishi/tetsubishi - the Japanese type of caltrop
Shuriken - various small hand held weapons including throwing stars and throwing darts that could be used to stab, slash or they could be thrown
Yumi and Ya - traditional Japanese bow and arrow
Bo-hiya (Japanese fire arrow) - fire arrow
Tekagi-shuko and Neko-te - hand "claw" weapons
Chackrams - disk like projectiles like boomerangs
Staffs and polearms
Hanbo, b, j, and tambo - various sized staff weapons
Yari - traditional Japanese spear that's similar to the naginata
Nagamaki - pole arm with roughly equal length blade and handle
Naginata - traditional Japanese pole-arm used by women and samurai (example: women might protect their home with a naginata)
Swords
Katana - a long curved and single-edged sword, more commonly used by samurai (or ninja disguised as samurai)
Wakizashi - short sword that can be hidden on the ninja's body, also a backup weapon
Ninjato - an edged weapon used by ninja as swords. Ninjato can be stolen katana from samurai or forged by ninja themselves with varying lengths
Tant - dagger
Kaiken (dagger)- Similar to the tant
Bokken - traditional wooden sword use in Japanese martial arts typically modeled off of katanas
Shinai - bamboo sword used in kendo

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Stealth tools
Kaginawa or grappling hook - climbing and Hojojutsu composite tool that also functioned as a makeshift gaff hook weapon
Shinobi shzoku - the reputed ninja clothing.
Ono (weapon) - Japanese axe and hatchet

See also
Ninja
Kunoichi
Neo-ninja
Ninja in popular culture

References
1. ^ T.A. Green, J.R. Svinth. Martial arts of the world: An Encyclopedia of History and innovation. East Asia. Japan:Ninpo (http://books.google.ru/books?
id=P-Nv_LUi6KgC&pg=PA163&dq=Martial+arts+of+the+world:+An+Encyclopedia+of+History+and+innovation.+used+name+ninjutsu&hl=ru&sa=X&ei=M8dUoiKGInZtAby4oC4CA&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Martial%20arts%20of%20the%20world%3A%20An%20Encyclopedia%20of%20History%20and%20innovation.%
20used%20name%20ninjutsu&f=false)
2. ^ Hayes, Stephen. The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art. ISBN 0-8048-1656-5, Tuttle Publishing, 1990
3. ^ BBC News, Japan. By Mariko Oi. Japan's ninjas heading for extinction. Five nearly-true ninja myths (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20135674)
4. ^ Gorbylev, Alexey (2010), Ninja:martial art. What is Ninjutsu? (http://books.google.ru/books?id=Td8EYkoeI2IC&pg=PT20&dq=%D0%93%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B1%D1%8B%
D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2+%D0%A5%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE,+%D1%87%D1%82%D0%BE+%D0%B2+%D0%91%
D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%8D%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%8E%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B9+%D0%BD%D0%B5+%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%
D1%8B&hl=ru&sa=X&ei=jj6dUseSEqqu4ATdrYCgCg&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%D0%93%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B1%D1%8B%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%20%
D0%A5%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%2C%20%D1%87%D1%82%D0%BE%20%D0%B2%20%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%
BD%D1%81%D1%8D%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%8E%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B9%20%D0%BD%D0%B5%20%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%
8B&f=false), Jauza, ISBN 978-5-457-06007-4
5. ^ Togakure-ry
6. ^ Szczepanski, Kallie. "History of the Ninja" (http://www.asianhistory.about.com/od/warsinasia/p/NinjaProfile.htm), About.com, accessed June 2, 2011.
7. ^ Masazumi, Natori, translated by Editions Albin Michel and Jon E. Graham. "Shoninki: the Secret Teachings of the Ninja; the 17th-Century Manual on the Art of Concealment", English
Translation Copyright 2010 by Inner Trditions International.
8. ^ Shinobi-Do Ninjutsu (http://michigan-ninjutsu.com)
9. ^ Hayes, Stephen. The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art. 1981: 18-21
10. ^ Hatsumi, Masaaki. Ninjutsu: History and Tradition. June 1981
11. ^ Draeger, Donn F. (1973, 2007). Classical Bujutsu: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japani. Boston, Massachusetts: Weatherhill. pp. 8485. ISBN 978-0-8348-0233-9.
12. ^ 2001, p. 33-37
13. ^ Books.google.com (http://books.google.com/books?id=1Ze0-x2ROuQC&pg=PT62&dq=Bujinkan&hl=en&ei=RIUuTb-JB4H48Abs9WtCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBTge#v=onepage&q=Bujinkan&f=true)

Further reading
Hatsumi, Masaaki. Essence of Ninjutsu, 1988. ISBN 0-8092-4724-0
Callos, Tom. "Notable American Martial Artists", Black Belt Magazine, May 2007, pp. 7273.
Hatsumi, Masaaki. Ninjutsu: History and Tradition, 1981. ISBN 0-86568-027-2
Hatsumi, Masaaki. Ninpo: Wisdom for Life, 1998. ISBN 1-58776-206-4, ISBN 0-9727738-0-0
Hayes, Stephen K. The Ninja and their Secret Fighting Art, 1990. ISBN 0-8048-1656-5
Dillon, Thomas. Wingspan: Culture-Society-People in Japan, Where Have All the Ninja Gone?, September 2007, No.459.
Hiroshi, Kuroi. Historical group image editorial staff compilation, 2007. ISBN 978-4-05-604814-8
Toshitora, Yamashiro. Secret Guide to Making Ninja Weapons, Butokukai Press, 1986. ISBN 978-99942-913-1-1
DiMarzio, Daniel. A Story of Life, Fate, and Finding the Lost Art of Koka Ninjutsu in Japan, 2008. ISBN 978-1-4357-1208-9
Bertrand, John. "Techniques that made ninjas feared in 15th-century Japan still set the standard for covert ops", Military History 23(1), March 2006, pp. 1219.
Retrieved on July 11, 2008 from Academic Search Premier database.
Hayes, Stephen K. and Masaaki Hatsumi. Secrets from the Ninja Grandmaster (Rev. Ed.), 2003. Boulder, Colorado; Paladin Press.
Zoughari, Kacem. The Ninja: Ancient Shadow Warriors of Japan, Tuttle Publishing, 2010. ISBN 0-8048-3927-1
T.A. Green, J.R. Svinth. Martial arts of the world: An Encyclopedia of History and innovation. East Asia. Japan:Ninpo (http://books.google.ru/books?

id=P-Nv_LUi6KgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Martial+arts+of+the+world:+An+Encyclopedia+of+History+and+innovation.&hl=ru&sa=X&ei=NXOdUpr7CIfi4wTxzID4CA&ved=0CCE
20arts%20of%20the%20world%3A%20An%20Encyclopedia%20of%20History%20and%20innovation.&f=false)
Gorbylev, Alexey (2010), Ninja:martial art (http://books.google.ru/books?id=Td8EYkoeI2IC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%D0%93%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B1%
D1%8B%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2&hl=ru&sa=X&ei=cHOdUrvbJafn4gSLxoDAAQ&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%D0%93%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%
B1%D1%8B%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2&f=false), Jauza, ISBN 978-5-457-06007-4
, (2001), . , , ISBN 985-13-0621-5

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External links
Ninjutsu techniques (http://www.akban.org/wiki/index.php/Portal:_Ninjutsu) Ninjutsu kata and techniques in the AKBAN wiki
Ninjutsu History (http://www.shinobiexchange.com/the-history-of-ninjutsu-and-its-evolution) History of Ninjutsu and Its Evolution

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