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The Bujinkan ( 武神館, Bujinkan?) is an
international Ninjutsu organization, originating in Japan, that
trains their students in the combat martial arts and unconventional
warfare tactics of the Ninja. The organization is headed by its'
Sōke (grandmaster),
Masaaki
Hatsumi. Bujinkan is a colloquially used abbreviation of the
full name of the system, which is Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu. The school
is known for practising such arts as koshijutsu, koppojutsu,
jutaijutsu, dakentaijutsu, happo bikenjutsu and ninpo taijutsu
(a.k.a. ninjutsu).
The Bujinkan organization
incorporates the teachings of nine ryūha:
* Togakure-ryū Ninpō Taijutsu (戸隠流忍法体術)
* Gyokko-ryū Kosshijutsu (玉虎流骨指術)
* Kuki Shinden Happō Bikenjutsu (九鬼神伝流八法秘剣術)
* Kotō-ryū Koppōjutsu (虎倒流骨法術)
* Shinden Fudō-ryū Dakentaijutsu (神伝不動流打拳体術)
* Takagi Yōshin-ryū Jūtaijutsu (高木揚心流柔体術)
* Gikan-ryū Koppōjutsu (義鑑流骨法術)
* Gyokushin-ryū Ninpō (玉心流忍法)
* Kumogakure-ryū Ninpō (雲隠流忍法)
According to the Bugei Ryuha Daijiten, the head of the Bujinkan
organisation, Masaaki Hatsumi is the lineage holder of several ryūha
taught in the Bujinkan transferred to him in the middle of the 20th
Century by his teacher Takamatsu Toshitsugu.
From 1968 and onwards, the Bugei Ryuha Daijiten has entries bearing
the name of Hatsumi below his teacher Takamatsu Toshitsugu for the
following school entries: Gyokko-ryū Kosshijutsu, Kuki Shinden Happō
Bikenjutsu, Kotō-ryū Koppōjutsu, Shinden Fudō-ryū Dakentaijutsu,
Takagi Yōshin-ryū Jūtaijutsu, Gikan-ryū Koppōjutsu, Gyokushin-ryū
Ninpō and Kumogakure-ryū Ninpō.
In 1843 several of the Bujinkan ryūha were mentioned in the Kakutogi
no Rekishi (�The History of Fighting Arts�), p.508-517. Although
details of the ryūha were omitted, the publication states, �even
though they are not mentioned in this particular periodical, there
are several schools that are well-known for being �effective arts� (jitsuryoku
ha).� Among the schools listed in this section are Gyokko Ryū,
Gikan-ryū Koppōjutsu, Gyokushin-ryū Ninpō, Kukishin Ryu, Takagi
Yōshin-ryū Jūtaijutsu and Asayama Ichiden Ryū (which in not part of
the Bujinkan�s nine schools but was studied by Hatsumi via Takashi
Ueno). [6] The Bujinkan as a whole has been recognised by the Zen
Nippon Todo Renmei (All Japan Sword Federation).[citation needed]
However, the recorded history and lineage several of the ryūha
especially of Togakure-ryū Ninpō Taijutsu taught in the Bujinkan, as
documented by the Bujinkan, have been called into question.
Several of the above martial arts taught in the Bujinkan can
allegedly be traced back to the Iga region of Japan and were
developed and used by the Yamabushi and the Ninja. The arts said to
be in the Iga-ryu Ninjutsu tradition include Gyokko Ryu, Koto Ryu,
Gikan-ryū and Shinden Fudo Ryu. The alleged connection to Ninjutsu
is through Hatsumi's teacher Takamatsu Toshitsugu who was, among
other things, permitted to copy the Amatsu Tatara scrolls. Takamatsu
Toshitsugu grandfather was a samurai and a direct decedent of the
founder of Gyokko Ryu (Gikan-ryū was passed to Takamatsu Toshitsugu
through another source). Other arts, such as Takagi Yoshin Ryu and
Kukishinden Ryu were developed and used by members of Japan�s
Samurai families. Today the Bujinkan incorporates techniques from
all of the above 9 Ryus and others.
The training is generally referred to as
taijutsu (body arts), and is composed of both armed and unarmed
methods of fighting. Bujinkan training incorporates bikenjutsu,
bōjutsu, sojutsu, naginatajutsu, tantojutsu, tessenjutsu, juttejutsu,
kusarigama, the use of modern firearms and more. Much of the basic
taijutsu taught to beginners comes from six primary lineages in the
Bujinkan compendium, namely Kotō-ryū, Gyokko-ryū, Shinden Fudō-ryū,
Takagi Yōshin-ryū, Kuki Shinden-ryū, and Togakure-ryū.
A large variety of weapons are taught, including swords such as
daitō, wakizashi and tantō, bamboo shinai, wooden bokken, mogito (a
flexible aluminum replica sword that holds no edge), or swords made
by soft modern materials are employed for safety such as fukuro
shinai, staves of varying lengths (bō, jō), short staves called (hanbō,
hanjō), nawa (rope), kusari-fundo (weighted chain), kusarigama
(scythe with chain), yari (spear), kamayari (spear with curved
scythe-like blades crossing the principal head), kagiyari (spear
with 2 rearward hooks), bisento (known in Mandarin as 'kwandao'),
kyoketsu shoge (similar to a kama except it has a dagger point and a
rope of several feet attached to an iron ring), jutte (sword
trapping truncheon), tessen (iron fan), naginata (Japanese glaive),
kunai (a blunt digging tool), as well various form of shuriken
including bo-shuriken and senban shuriken. In training, students are
encouraged to always use any available weapons, including the
environment. In some dojos, students will practice hiding training
weapons in their uwagi or somewhere on the mat, and surprise their
uke (training partner) during technique. While in many other
oriental martial arts this is seen as dishonorable, the emphasis
Bujinkan places on stealth and deception makes it a valuable
exercise when practicing awareness.
Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu practice does not normally include
participation in competitions or contests, however, many Bujinkan
Dojo's incorporate sparing drills, these include ground fighting as
well as slow sparing with designated attacker and defender.
Specifically however, the Bujinkan is mostly known for teaching
koshijutsu (pressure point, muscle attacks/tears and joint
dislocations), koppojutsu (bone breaking), jutaijutsu (throwing,
grappling, ground fighting), dakentaijutsu (strikes), happo
bikenjutsu (various modern and traditional weapons), and ninpo
tactics and strategies (Ninjutsu)
The Bujinkan Dōjō has a series of nine
kyū (grades) below the level of shodan, starting with mukyu
("without grade") and then from kukyu (9 kyu) to ikkyu (1 kyu), with
9 kyu being the lowest rank and 1 kyu being the highest. Just like
in other Japanese martial arts, such as karate and judo, unranked (mukyū)
practitioners wear white belts, and those with ranks of shōdan and
above wear black belts. Kyū level practitioners wear colored belts,
though the actual color of the belt varies from place to place.
Furthermore, unlike other martial arts, the color has no relation to
the actual kyu-level the practitioner holds. In Japan, it was once
customary for kyu-level men to wear green belts and women to wear
red belts; however, this practice has largely been abandoned. Now,
both male and female Bujinkan practitioners wear green belts at most
Japanese dōjō. Outside of Japan, some countries still follow the
green for men/red for women custom, while others use green for all
practitioners.
There were originally 9 dan levels, as with many other martial arts
using the kyū/dan system, but this was changed by Hatsumi to 10 and
later, 15 dan levels. The grades are divided into three groupings;
1-5 dan Ten (Heaven), 6-10 dan Chi (Earth), 11-15 dan Jin (Man, in
the sense of Humanity). The Jin levels are further divided into the
five elements of the Godai; chi (earth), sui (water), ka (fire), fū
(wind) and kū (void).
The practitioner's level is displayed by the color of the art's
emblem, called wappen (ワッペン), inscribed with the kanji "bu"(武) and "jin"
(神). There are four kinds of wappen (9 to 1 kyū, 1 to 4 dan, 5 to 9
dan, and 10 to 15 dan) sometimes augmented with up to four silver or
gold stars (called hoshi) above or around the emblem, representing
the individual ranks.
At 4 dan (yondan), practitioners submit to a test before the sōke to
establish that they are able to sense the presence of danger and
evade it, considered to be a fundamental survival skill. This is
called sakki. This is the test for 5 dan. A practitioner with the
level of godan or above is entitled to apply for a teaching license
(shidōshi menkyo). A shidōshi is entitled to open his own dōjō, and
grade students up to the level of 4 dan. A practitioner with the
level of between 1 dan to 4 dan may become a licensed "assistant
teacher" (shidōshi-ho), if backed by and acting under the
supervision of a shidōshi 5th to 9th dan or a person who holds the
level of 10 dan (jūdan). In the Bujinkan a person who holds the
level of between 10 dan and 15 dan is often referred to as a shihan.
In addition to the kyū/dan system, a few practitioners have earned
menkyo kaiden "licenses of complete transmission" in individual
schools. These menkyo kaiden essentially establish that the master
practitioner has learned all that there is to learn about the
particular lineage. Whereas the kyū/dan ranks are often made public,
those select practitioners who have earned menkyo kaiden rarely
divulge their status, sometimes even being reluctant to recognize
their actual dan ranking to outsiders.
Official Bujinkan Website:
www.bujinkan.com |
