History of Ninjutsu
We all have heard of ninjas, the stealthy assassins of the samurai era. Ninjutsu is the art of the ninja or the art of stealth. Ninjutsu was born during the feudal period of Japan and has been in existence for more than 1000 years. The style is created as a collaboration of various Japanese arts, taking the best from each and forming them into an ideal fighting style. Ninjutsu is sometimes considered the first mixed martial art. There were various versions of ninjutsu practiced throughout the warring nation of Japan, as rival lords would hire ninja clans to assassinate competitors. Ninjas became masters of stealth and deception. They were trained from birth to move without being seen or heard, scale walls, walk on water, fight with a sword, be resourceful, throw shurikens, and become shadows in any setting. Ninjas were often thought to be magical or supernatural, but their secret tactics camouflaged their human nature.The actual style of Ninjutsu is very fluent and adaptable to the times, but there are 18 elementary concepts that Ninjas have always employed. These 18 different branches within the style helped to refine a ninja physically, mentally and spiritually. Ninjas sought to be masters of everything they did. Like the samurai their honor was unquestionable, but they were looked down upon for their ways of espionage.
In modern times the art of the ninja is practiced in a very different style. Although conscious of its notorious beginnings, Ninjutsu is now modified to respect more of the art and defensive aspects. The head of the system Soke Hatsumi, decendant of a noble Ninja lineage runs the Bujinkan dojo in Tokyo where students are trained in the lethal art of Ninjutsu. The legacy of Ninjutsu has been passed and refined through the generations creating one of the most elusive and impressive martial arts.