Ninjitsu/ Ninjas

greydann · April 15th, 2008, 10:30 AM

Ok I have a question. When I was in high school (circa 1980's). THere was a small dojo in my hometown. The sensei there taught Aikido and Ninjitsu. he professed that there were five styles of the art based on the elements: Fire-almost all offense; Water- more like a grappling style; Wind- almost all defense; and Earth- not moving out of the way, taking any attack and thinking that you can survive it, returning the attack just as hard if not harder. The fiftht style was some combination of all of these called "Wood" style. He told us that only 3 or 4 people in the world knew "Wood". Now, after all of this time, I have tried to find any evidence of this information and I can find nothing, ironically. (Ironically because I cannot find info on Ninjas).

Can someone help me confirm any of this?

**raijin1** · April 15th, 2008, 02:00 PM

Can't speak on any history of ninjitsu per se, but the whole elemental breakdown of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, etc was a school of swordsmanship explained by Miyamoto Musashi. The fifth 'ring' as he called it was not wood but 'nothingness', which was mastery of the combination of all of the elements through having an 'empty' mind. Sounds like this dojo simply translated the principles over to their school... I imagine its pretty popular in the martial arts world...

iancobb00 · May 1st, 2008, 05:53 PM

Sounds like garbage... Most of this traditional stuff went the way of samurai--quite literally. Keep in mind that there was a huge Ninjutsu boom during the 70's and 80's--until the Karate Kid came out--which means that this is probably isn't clan tradition being passed down, but rather, McBlackbelt salesmanship.

**bhen13** · May 1st, 2008, 07:18 PM

18 Ninjutsu Skills (Ninja Jūhakkei)

According to Bujinkan members the eighteen disciplines (jūhakkei < jūhachi-kei) were first stated in the scrolls of Togakure-ryū. Subsequently they became definitive for all ninjutsu schools by providing total training of the warrior in various fighting arts and disciplines.

Ninja jūhakkei was often studied along with Bugei Jūhappan (the "18 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.

The 18 disciplines are:

1. Seishin-teki kyōyō (spiritual refinement)
2. Taijutsu (unarmed combat, using one's body as the only weapon)
3. Kenjutsu (sword fighting)
4. Bōjutsu (stick and staff fighting)
5. Shurikenjutsu (throwing shuriken)
6. Sōjutsu (spear fighting)
7. Naginatajutsu (naginata fighting)
8. Kusarigamajutsu (kusarigama fighting)
9. Kayakujutsu (pyrotechnics and explosives)
10. Hensōjutsu (disguise and impersonation)
11. Shinobi-iri (stealth and entering methods)
12. Bajutsu (horsemanship)
13. Sui-ren (water training)
14. Bōryaku (military strategy)
15. Chōhō (espionage)
16. Intonjutsu (escaping and concealment)
17. Tenmon (meteorology)
18. Chi-mon (geography)

Today the main focus of ninjutsu deals with the techniques relevant to armed and unarmed combat.

Embrance · May 2nd, 2008, 12:18 AM

Nonjustu and ninjas suck.I sugest you check out Bullshido site for more info.

greydann · May 2nd, 2008, 10:50 AM

Embrace, Why do you need the 'tude. I was just curious if their were people with better, and more precise, info than I had. You don't have to be an ass.

**raijin1** · May 2nd, 2008, 12:09 PM

Best Ninja Site Evar!!!

Embrance · May 3rd, 2008, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greydann

Embrace, Why do you need the 'tude. I was just curious if their were people with better, and more precise, info than I had. You don't have to be an ass.

Sorry If you missunderstand me.What I mean is that this is my personal opinion based hat I was amlost ready at a ime to leave mycountry to learn foreign martial arts like Kung Fu.ninjutsu and all that crap.After long research I understood that all hat are just a marketing trick.sorry again for the missundersanding.

**tidalwave** · May 4th, 2008, 12:16 AM

I'm sure that Ninjutsu/Bujinkan instruction has martial value and a traceable lineage, but I can't say that I've heard of this elemental style that the OP refers to. I think I recall one of Stephen K. Hayes' books talking about the basic elements, so that may have been what the teacher was talking about. Anyhow, I'd be cautious about anyone who claims to be an instructor of anything ninja related. Check the references and find out the school's connections, accreditations, and lineage. A good place to start is to look for the school on the Bujinkan directory: Bujinkan Martial Arts, Ninjutsu, Ninja, Ninjitsu, Ninpo, GrandMaster Masaaki Hatsumi - Warrior Information Network (WIN)

On a side note, I knew someone who went to Japan and trained at the Bujinkan HQ. He said that most of the students caucasians/foreigners. Take that for what it's worth.

waterdragon · July 16th, 2008, 06:52 AM

well as far as ninjas go who knows, i have heard about pople going over to japan and asking around about ninjas and getting laughed back to their home country.

how ever the elemental styles are certainly real. but from what i have seen mainly concerned with the chinese art whoseelemants are slighty different, fire, water, metal, earth, and wood.

however, as with the animal styles the translation is not meant to be as direct as the meaing . i would have serious doubts about any teacher who practiced a stlye that involved you taking hits, even thoguh they were body conditoning practices "iron body' and so on these were to suplement training not to be a stand alone system.