Ninjutsu: The art of Stealth
Many people perceive the Ninja to be black clad assassins that climbed castle walls in the dead of night to dispatch an enemy. Others see them as sorcerers, magicians and tricksters. However these are only half truths and come no where near the reality of what ninjutsu actually was and is today.
The truth is that originally the people we call the ninja were refugees from war torn Tang dynasty China in the 7th century. These refugees were family groups that settled in the mountains of Iga, Koga and other areas such as the Togakure Mountains. Some of these refugees were warriors, martial artists, tacticians, mystics and healers.
Forced to seek out a living within the vast mountain ranges of Japan and constantly under attack from outsiders, over a period of many hundreds of years a system of self defence developed that we today call the art of Ninjutsu, or in English the art of Enduring, Prevailing, and winning in the face of adversity.
Outside the Togakure Shrine in Nagano Japan
As the centuries passed the ninja became known for their abilities to move silently, disappear at will, command troops, siege castles, and overall complete their mission. As such these families were hired by warlords to gather intelligence for them and even commanded troops on the battlefield. In fact the Ninja (Traditionally called "Shinobi") were known as the highest quality of troops much like todays SAS.
As the ninja helped bring about peace to Japan in the 16th century the Ninja became the first police force in Japan and acted as advisors to the heads of state.
Even up to the 1800s the Ninja were still prized for their skills and were used in intelligence gathering operations. As late as the 20th Century the 33rd Grandmaster o our tradition Toshitsugu Takamatsu was in China where he took part on five wars using his ninja skills to survive in these dangerous times just prior to world war two.
Today in the Warrior Quest Dojo we teach the arts of Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu. Hailing from the Nagano mountain range, Togakure Ryu was started by Daisuke Nishina in the 1100s. A samurai wounded in battle and finding himself hungry, cold and alone in his homeland of Togakure he met Ninja master Kain Doshi who healed him and taught him the ways of Ninjutsu.
In the dojo you will learn the special ninja combat methods of unarmed combat, sword, small weapons, silent movement, invisibility, hypnotism, using the elements for escape and evasion, and the unique approach to how the ninja saw and operated within the world.
More than simply tricks for disappering Ninjutsu is the highest form of martial arts in Japan.
