FIVE RINGS CENTERS INTERNATIONAL

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IT IS OF MOST IMPORTANT THAT AS YOU EMBARK ONTO THIS JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY WHILE ON THE PATH OF THE NINJA, TO CORRECT POPULAR HISTORY AND FRAGMENTED TRUTH ON HOW WE VIEW THIS PHENOMENA SO THAT WE MAY DICIFEN ITS ORIGIN, PURPOSE AND PHILOSOPHY OF EXISTANCE.

THE NINJA’S FALL FROM GRACE

About 400 B.C. a boy named "Takei" became an orphan and was adopted and raised by a small group of these healer/priests. They taught him some simple anatomy, what they knew of spirituality (not much then), and what they knew of herbs & antidotes, astrology and elements of the Earth, as well as a few simple exercises and breathing methods. Takei became their leader and had an unquenchable thirst for more knowledge and more precise methods of doing things, he was a near perfectionist. He was the one who used the word "Nin" to mean quest for or to strive for excellence or perfection (definitions have been altered over the centuries).

Throughout the centuries, the given name to this illustrious warrior has been changed many times over; and although, the current name is only a few hundred years old, the style itself goes way back about three thousand years to a time when there was not even a systemized less organized fighting style; just a few helpful medicinal herbs, knowledge of a few poisons and their antidotes, knowledge of the stars and few unorthodox strategies. At a time when early Japanese Shinto religion was still being formed, the founders of the Tanaka-Ryu style were Japan's earliest healers and priests.


Over the centuries, the style went through many changes as several masters would travel around Asia trading lessons with masters from all over. They gradually developed stealth and combat skills to protect their very valuable medicinal herbs they carried and to help them as they taught peace and their type of morality to villages.

When the unification period came to medieval Japan, there were 36 city states that had brutal, greedy, warmongering leaders who all wanted be in charge of a united Japan, and they all wanted their soldiers to fight to the death, beat all the other cities, and become the leader of the nation. But only the 36 city leaders wanted the civil war.

The smart tacticians realized that if the Japanese were to slaughter themselves in a civil war, then all of Japan would be exposed and be conquered by China or Korea (again) and this was undesirable. The people and the roughly 400,000 soldiers did not want to kill each other. A large of organized individuals were well trusted and looked upon as the “keepers of knowledge,” so many of the low ranking individuals as well as commoners begged them (today called Ninja) for help in an effort to end the violence and save the lives of the many. To do this, Tanaka conspired with Tokugawa and they sent a few Ninja and trained Samurai warriors to assassinate the few leaders, thereby saving the soldiers and allowing the new leaders to unite under the new Shogun and the Emperor.

After thousands of years of being trusted, the Ninja face was no longer honored as healers/priests, for the Japanese people witness, first hand, the slaughter of their leaders. Over time, the people shunned the Ninja because they had broken one of their most sacred vows ... until then, no Ninja within that style had ever killed another human; life was sacred and they had vowed to protect and help, not kill.

When the Emperor realized that the Ninja healers and priests now had soldiers that could sneak in and assassinate even the best defended leader, he feared being assassinated, so he banned the Ninja, ordered them to disband, and outlawed their training.

This is where the Ninja were splintered, scattered, and changed yet again. They refused to abandon their ways and lessons; so many retreated to obscure mountainous places yet others went "underground" and joined secret criminal gangs for protection and help to hide. Of course the gangs wanted something in return, so they were taught some of the Ninja skills. The gangs were given training for body guards, spies, smugglers, enforcers, and even assassins. These partially trained criminals are what Hollywood and most of the popular culture now know as Ninja, but the "real" Ninja are still healers, priests, protectors of truth and knowledge, not killers. There are still few living masters of the true Ninja way who take pride in upholding the ways of the benovolent warrior – the Ninja.

The current reigning Grand Master of the Tanaka-Ryu family style of Ninjutsu is a 50 year old tiny Japanese woman named Emiko Tanaka. She still runs their very old family school in what is now Nag-Omuru, Japan, on the coast, just outside of Nagasaki.

WHAT IS THE NINJA?

A person who uses Ninjutsu is a Ninja. Ninjutsu is not a martial art. Ninjutsu is an independent art of warfare that developed mainly in the regions of Iga in Mie Prefecture, and Koka in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

Do you know what kind of job Ninja was involved?

Most people imagine that Ninja flew through the sky and disappeared, like supermen, waving Ninja swords around, sneaking into the enemy ranks and assassinating generals. This is a mistaken and fragmented image of the Ninja introduced by movies and comic books and other parts of the popular culture.

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The jobs of a Ninja are divided into the two main categories of performing espionage and strategy. The methodology for performing espionage and strategy is Ninjutsu. Espionage is similar to the job of modern spies, wherein one carefully gathers intelligence about the enemy and analyzes its military strength. Strategic activities are skills that reduce the enemy’s military power and effectiveness. Ninja did not fight strong enemies by themselves. Ninja fought enemies after they had weakened the enemies’ military power.

In times of peace, Ninjutsu was called an art of “entering from afar”, while in times of war, Ninjutsu was called an art of “entering from “nearby”, wherein Ninja would constantly gather intelligence concerning the enemy, thinking of ways to overcome the enemy, but not fighting the enemy directly. Ninja, who thought rationally, thought of war by intellect as great, and war by military strength (weapons) as foolish. Therefore, Ninja who swing their ninja swords about can be called the lowest of the Ninja. The Ninjutsu of Iga-Ryu and Koka-Ryu stem from the same source, and are said to be the highest of the Ninjutsu traditions.

HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

When from, did Ninja, who worked in the world of shadows, exist?

Those roots are found in the “art of warfare” that began around 4000 B.C. in Indian culture (India), was passed to the Chinese mainland, and around the 6th century, passed through the Korean peninsula and crossed over to Japan.

In that period, a man name Otomono Sahito, who was used by ruler Shotoku Taishi, is said to be the root of the Ninja.

It is said that Shotoku Taishi could hear the words of ten people at once. Actually, there is also a theory that he used ninja to obtain intelligence beforehand.

However, it was view as magical and amazing that Shotoku Taishi could remember all that intelligence.

The continental military strategy that was brought from China was developed in conjunction with Shugendo, a practice involving mountain training, and adapted to Japan’s extremely hilly, narrow geography, becoming a unique Japanese strategy. Ninjutsu emerged from this body of strategy. There were Shugen practice halls in the Iga and Koka regions.

Also, the houses of Todaiji and Kofukuji in the Iga region had most of the country’s warriors, and the lords of these houses adopted guerilla-like tactics, and kept the peace by containing one another. From this, Ninjutsu was further adopted into daily life and developed.

The most famous group of Iga Ninja were Hattori, Momochi, and Fujibayashi. Hattori Hanzo, Momochi Tambanokami, and Fujibayashi Nagatonokami are the three Iga Ninja Grandmasters of most prominent names.

Hattori controlled western Iga. There was a famous person who supported Tokugawa Ieyasu, named Hattori Hanzo Masanari. The Hanzo name was inherited.

Momochi controlled southern Iga. The Oe party had originally prospered in the south, and Momochi was one of the supporting families to it, but joining forces with Hattori and riding its wave of strength, Momochi was able to keep its position until the Edo period.

Fujibayashi controlled northeastern Iga. Fujibayashi Yasutake, the author of traditional Ninjutsu text “Mansen Shukai” was a member of this group.

Amongst the existing traditional Ninjutsu books, “Mansen Shukai”, “Shoninki”, and “Shinobi Hiden” are called the Three Great Books of Ninjutsu.

Many traditional books were written in the Edo Period, and before that traditions were passed on orally. It is assumed that they were written to pass on traditions and commit them to record as has always been an important Japanese custom. There are traditional texts in which the words “there is an oral tradition” stand out, and this may indicate that oral tradition was of greater importance.

Mansen Shukai, by Fujibayashi Yasutake, integrated Iga and Koka Ninjutsu, and a few types of copies were passed down in both Iga and Koka.

Shoninki, by Fujibayashi Masatake, is a traditional text of the Kishu-ryu.

Shinobi Hiden, by Hattori Hanzo is a traditional text of Iga and Koka.

Nowadays we use the unified term “Ninja”; however the Ninja were also called Kusa (grass), Shinobi and an array of other names depending on the era and region.

THE ERA AND REGION

• Asuka Era　－　志能便（Shinobi)
• Nara Era　 －　伺見（Ukami）
• Sengoku Era　－　間者（Kanja）・乱破（Rappa）
• Edo Era　 －　隠密（Onmitsu）
• Taisho Era　 －　忍術者（Ninjyutsusha）・忍者（Ninsya）

THE REGION

• Kyoto ・Nara　－　水破（Suppa）・伺見（Ukami）・奪口（Dakkou）
• Yamanashi　－　透破（Suppa）・透波（Suppa）

・三ツの者（Mitsu-no-mono）・出抜（Suppa）

• Niigata・Toyama 　－ 猿（Nokizaru）・間士（Kanshi）・聞者役（Kikimonoyaku）
• Miyagi　 －　黒はばき（Kurohabaki）
• Aomori　 －　早道の者（Hayamichi-no-mono）・陰術（Shinobi）
• Kanagawa　－　草（Kusa）・物見（Monomi）・乱破（Rappa）
• Fukui　 －　隠忍術（Shinobi）

There were many other names utilized in the different regions, but the aforementioned are the most representative and widely used. There are various ways to call a Ninja, depending on their relation to being secretive, the jobs they performed, and the reading of the Chinese characters with which their names are written.

Are there heirs to the art of Ninjutsu today?

There are several researchers of Ninjutsu history, but as for a Ninjutsu heir, Kawakami Jinichi (honorary director of the Iga Ninja Museum) claims to be the 21st Soke of the Koka-Ryu Hanto, and is considered the last Ninja.