Since authentic ninjutsu training was introduced to the Western world in the late 1970s, many false notions and erroneous impressions have grown up around the legendary shadow warriors known as the ninja. Many of these misconceptions have roots in fact but have developed as falsehoods over the centuries of secrecy that have surrounded the art. Many of the incorrect ideas have grown out of a lack of discrimination between truth and falsehood on the part of moviemakers and book publishers. Also, some of the negative myths are the direct work of those outside the tradition who felt they had reason to fear the authentic ninja legacy.
To uncover the truth behind the legends, check out Ninja Volume 5: Lore of the Shinobi Warrior and our Ninja History 101 series. For now, enjoy part one of ninjutsu training myths.
Ninjutsu Training Myth No.1: Ninjutsu is the dark side of the martial arts, the clandestine of stealth, intelligence gathering and assassination.
The art of ninjutsu was born of a unique set of cultural, political, religious and economic forces that played themselves out a thousand years ago in Japanese history. History’s authentic ninja were a counterculture society forced into existence by the shifting fortunes of feudal Japanese political and military conflicts.
Contrary to common misconception, the ninja were not unsophisticated and superstitious low-class peasants. The ninja were the descendents of powerful noble warriors who, through the inevitable workings of fate, happened to be allied in support of powerful warlords who ultimately did not succeed in the collection of battles that made up the war for supremacy. With the defeat of their side’s cause, these noble warriors were forced into lives of exile, dwelling in the mountains stretched of wilderness to the south of the Heian-Kyo (new Kyoto) capital. These original ancestors of the ninja were barred forever from the professions of state administration, trade, military command and public service to which at one time they had successfully devoted their energies.
As exiles concerned with the rugged demands of survival in a harsh natural environment and a deadly political climate, the ninja families of south-central Japan were forced to alter their tactics and strategies to better suit their precarious status. In truth, no one wanted to be a ninja; such status was a burden inflicted by fate. The ninja were the “underdogs,” the oppressed hounded by a well-financed and mechanically ruthless government intent on stamping out any and all possible threats to its supremacy and control, Thus, subtle and shadowed means grew to take the place of the bold and forceful ways used by those people holding power. Because the ninja families’ numbers were so much smaller than those of the ruling powers that worked to eradicate them, intelligence gathering became a vastly more important task than troop drilling. With the very survival of the family at stake, the ninja warriors of Iga were required to devise a whole new approach to warfare, and the motivation behind that approach has been misunderstood for centuries.
(Discover the secret behind ninjutsu’s seemingly magical techniques by downloading our FREE guide—Ninja Gear: Master Modern Self-Defense Weapons With Ninjutsu Training. And for an in-depth look at everyone’s favorite assassins, check out our ninjutsu books and DVDs).
Just wanted to respond to show respect for Hayes Sensei and all his work in this field of study. In this public forum and widely read archives of the Martial Arts community it would be nice to see people who challenge such information to post on here at blackbeltmag.com rather than posturing for a “buy my book” campaign from controversy they try to create.
The entire Martial Arts community owes much to Hayes Sensei and all of his works. He continues in his seemingly tireless effort to pass on all the knowledge he has gained by mastering his art. Even though I came to Ninjutsu after studying other arts it was Hayes Sensei’s books that allowed me to initially adapt my “traditional” art for combat. His works awoke a drive in me to search for information and history of my other arts and learn the secrets of the still effective combat systems locked within them that had been watered down. Thank you Anshu.
All one has to do is train five minutes with An-Shu Hayes, Hatsumi-Soke, or any of the senior instructors, and it is painfully apparent that what they teach is the real thing.
Anyone can deliver a message. For me, the evidence is in (or is not in) the messenger himself.
Stephen Hayes brought the message of Ninjutsu back in the 1980′s, and from that time his message has never changed. It is also a message that is manifest, 100% in his personal and professional life. Read his books and look at his life, and you will learn a great deal about Ninjutsu. His very life is both the experiment and the result of an interaction between him and his teacher, Hatsumi Masaaki, founder of the Bujinkan dojo in Japan.
Without issuing challenges themselves, both Hayes and Hatsumi have been challenged many times, in ways far more harsh than a flurry of words on a message board. Can you honestly picture yourself with the courage and self-confidence needed to face the martial arts world of the 1980′s and say, “Hello. I’m Stephen Hayes and I’m here to teach you about Ninjutsu!” Not me.
The Ninjutsu these men demonstrate has been scrutinized meticulously by legions of very talented, intelligent and critical martial artists. If you go to Japan and train at the hombu dojo you will meet them and see first hand the respect these people have for what they are learning. In dojos around the world you can meet them and they will speak honestly and with great pride of what they have found and experienced.
There will always be hot-headed youngsters looking for a quick way to make a name for themselves. The young man purporting to know better than Mr. Hayes and his teacher delivers many messages, seemingly (to him at least) of great ‘game changing’ import, but what does he have to show for himself?
Very little, that I can see, that has anything to do with what I have come to know as Ninjutsu. Very little at all, to tell you the truth.
Deepest thanks to my teacher, friends, Stephen and Rumiko Hayes and Hatsumi Soke for letting me be a small part of this wonderful adventure!