When you hear the word “Ninjutsu” you may think of fighting. But Ninjutsu is not simply a fighting style. It is a collection of principles that dictate a way of life and exemplifies what the martial arts truly are. In order to master Ninjutsu you must master yourself. A ninja must be able to endure mental, emotional, and physical trials and do it with grace and fortitude. In most cases, this means to use great skill to avoid fighting, not to fight using great skill. To a ninja, peace is important and personal gain can not be placed before peace.
Before they can be called ninja, there is a great deal to learn. A ninja must be educated in many different subjects such as unarmed fighting, weapon arts, concealment, and strategy and tactics. There is one skill that ninja value possibly more than being able to throw shuriken or fighting. That skill is being able to read the signs of nature and react accordingly. This skill gives the ninja an ability that appears almost supernatural, allowing them to survive and adapt alone in the wilderness without help or abandoning their mission.
The unarmed fighting arts of the ninja are called nippon taijutsu. You should understand one very important thing about the way that ninja train for fighting or anything else: Ninjutsu training is designed to build your skill and to guide you, not restrain you. When you have gained the knowledge you need from the training, you are then free to adapt it in whatever way will benefit your skills best. For an example, when you learn oni kudaki, you are then free to add extra moves, take away moves, or simply adapt the movements in order to suit your own style best. You should ask yourself: “What if this should fail? How can I adapt if it fails and bounce back quickly?” and then work it out. A ninja is able and ready to think quickly. Learn from your training and then move beyond it.
Thanks to this concept, it is safe to say that when you study any martial art, you are working towards improving your Ninjutsu.
Extra Notes:
Ninja – both singular and plural. Nippon Taijutsu – Translates to mean Japanese unarmed fighting arts. Taijutsu includes Judo, Jiujitsu, and Aikido in Nippon. Compared to what you normally see, the way ninja fight is often more subtle and misleading. Ninja fighting is like a shadowy, meaning unreadable and deceptive, form of Judo and Aikido.
