The art of the Ninja
Studying the fascinating discipline for a few years has been an experience that is difficult to explain with words alone. Other disciplines studied prior to partaking on the ninja journey deifinitely adds to the mix. The volume of rant in order to explain certain elements may be difficult to cover in a single post, more so to one that has had no martial experience, for example; how does one verbalise the ability to sense a threat unseen along with the myriad of attached intricasies?… Why file this entry under health poses an interesting question. It may lead to the preservation of your own health should some prehistoric creature wish to threaten your well being. Still wonder at times whether the father forcing the Korean martial art of Taekwondo upon self for over a decade had anything to do with the recurring interest for the martial forms (certain it did and am rather thankful for such as the acuity techniques taught within martial arts most definitely transcend anything that may be learned from a course spanning a few weeks).
Per my favourite wiki; Ninjutsu is a collection of techniques originally practiced for espionage purposes. It includes methods of gathering information, non-detection, avoidance, and misdirection techniques. Ninjutsu can also involve training in disguise, escape, concealment, archery, medicine, and explosives.
Practitioners of ninjutsu have been seen as assassins for hire, and have been associated in the public imagination with other activities which are considered criminal by modern standards. Even though it was influenced by Chinese spying techniques and the strategic principles of Sun Tzu, ninjutsu is believed by its adherents to be of Japanese origin. One version is that the basis of ninjutsu was taught to a Japanese household who fled to the mountains after losing a battle. There they mixed with a varied lot of people including the descendants of refugees who had fled China. Later, the skills were developed over 300 years to create ninjutsu.
Although the popular view is that ninjutsu is the art of secrecy or stealth, actual practitioners consider it to mean the art of enduring – enduring all of life’s hardships. The character nin carries both these meanings, and others.
In the modern world the word ninjutsu usually refers to a certain system (Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu) of self defense, and its offshoots. It is true that ninjutsu has a long and myth-filled history, but today almost anyone is allowed to practice modern ninjutsu. As one makes progress in ninjutsu the system gets more sophisticated, and one might realize that the system contains more than fighting skills. To avoid misunderstandings, "ninjutsu" should just refer to a specific branch of Japanese martial arts, unless it is being used in a historical sense.
18 Ninjutsu Skills (Ninja Juhakkei)
The eighteen disciplines were first stated in the scrolls of Togakure-ryū, and they became definitive for all Ninjutsu schools, providing a complete training of the warrior in various fighting arts and complementary disciplines.
However, Ninja Juhakkei was often studied along with Bugei Juhappan (the 18 Samurai fighting art skills). Though some of them are the same, the techniques of each discipline were used with different approaches by both Samurai and Ninja.
The 18 disciplines are:
1.        Seishin-teki kyÅ?yÅ? (spiritual refinement)
2.        Taijutsu (unarmed combat)
3.        Kyudo (archery)
4.        Ninja ken (sword fighting)
5.        BÅ?jutsu (stick and staff fighting)
6.        Shurikenjutsu (throwing blades)
7.        SÅ?jutsu (spear fighting)
8.        Naginatajutsu (naginata fighting)
9.        Kusarigamajutsu (chain weapons)
10.      Kayakujutsu (fire and explosives)
11.      HensÅ?jutsu (disguise and impersonation)
12.      Shinobi-iri (Stealth and Infiltration methods)
13.      Bajutsu (Horsemanship)
14.      Sui-ren (Training in Water)
15.      BÅ?ryaku (Military Strategy)
16.      ChÅ?hÅ? (Espionage)
17.      Intonjutsu (Escaping and Concealment)
18.      Tenmon (Meteorology)
19.      Chi-mon (Geography)
Schools of ninjutsu
The Bujinkan DÅ?jÅ? headed by Masaaki Hatsumi is one of three organizations generally accepted as teaching ninjutsu by the Bujinkan’s members (under the name Budo Taijutsu). Hatsumi’s Bujinkan DÅ?jÅ? consists of nine separate schools of allegedly traditional Japanese martial arts, only three of which contain ninjutsu teachings. Hatsumi learned a variety of martial arts, including ninjutsu, from Toshitsugu Takamatsu.
There are two other organizations teaching ninjutsu. These are the Genbukan headed by Shoto Tanemura, who left the Bujinkan in 1984, and the Jinenkan headed by Fumio Manaka, who left later. Both had achieved Menkyo Kaiden before leaving due to differences of opinion with regards to the teaching style. (Excerpted from wikepedia)
