Ninjitsu?? really?

[imawimp]

OK, Im not trying to start any thing but Ive been wondering for awhile and now I have to ask. Is ninjitsu for real? I know that there were ninjas at one time, Im just not so sure about the guys who are running ninjitsu schools in the strip malls.

The way I understand it there were these guys who killed people, and they used a variety of martial arts to accomplish that task. You could call them ninjas, the description could also fit samauri or ronin or whatever. But you cant go to samauri-jitsu classses in Indiana.

So this may sound harsh but I really want an honest discussion here, is ninjitsu a real martial art? Or is it merely a marketing technique?

My kevlar is on, Ive got my fire extinguisher handy, what do you think?

[totality]

hmm...no
samurai, ninja, and ronin were completely different. i hope you weren't serious about this, but if you were that's ok. you apparently just don't understand anything of ancient japanese culture. and yes, ninjutsu is a martial art, but it encompasses far more than unarmed combat. the actual unarmed combat part is called taijutsu. and about the samurai-jutsu, that would be kenjutsu :D

[imawimp]

I guess the point that I am trying to make is that the ninja has been romanticised more then a little bit. perhaps if the samauri had a better publicist ther would be "samauri-jitsu" schools in the yellow pages instead of ninjitsu.

If its apparant that I dont know anything about ancient japanese culture thats OK with me. I freely admit that I know nothing about japanese culture ancient or otherwise. My question however, was is ninjitsu a martial art or a marketing trechnique? I dont think that ancient japan had to deal with that issue.

[JediMasterChris]

Thank you totality!

And about Ronin and Ninja and Samurai being the same...

Samurai and ninja are total opposites..... and a ronin is a Samurai that is masterless or a Samurai that was unemployed after the class was disbanded.

And about Kenjutsu being a Samurai art...not necessarily.

Female Samurai used a Naginata..... so would Naginatajutsu be the samurai art???

Kenjutsu's translates to Art of the Sword. Keep in mind Samurai were trained in the use of not only the Katana, but also other weapons.

[imawimp]

Hmmm Ive obviously made a bad comparison. I was hoping to make a point there but I guess I presented it poorly.

Now that that is cleared up, is ninjitsu a real martial art or a marketing technique?

[JediMasterChris]

It varies between schools...
I consider Budo Taijutsu a real art, and an effective art, BASED on the art practiced by the Ninja.

[Zamfoo]

i wish kurohana were here to say something maybe silentnightfall could clear things up. but yes Ninjutsu is a martial art just like karate or anything else. You may find some mcdojos where it is just a marketing ploy but probably not all of them are.

[FrankCefalu]

Okay... Samurai and Ninjas are tottally different. Thus the name Ninja and thus the name Samurai. Samurai were usually very honorable men behind a sword most of the time.

Ninjas had honor in their own course. Ninjas are prolly the toughest ppl in the world as far as character goes. They have to be able to go out on a missions months at a time sumtimes in total secrecy and solitude. Sum ppl would crack from that type of lifestyle.

I honor the ninja. Their tactics are captivating, and I see them as the most effective art against modern day street fighting compared to others. Cuz your objective is to kill through ninjitsu. Other styles seemd to sway from their main objectives to disabling their victim. But there were no other objectives in ninjitsu besides killing the target and do it in a quick and quiet fashion.

Please do not think of Ninjas as in Mortal Kombat, even though that movie did help the spread of martial arts in America. Please think of a samurai than think of a ninja. Plain comman sense can tell the difference.

[Zamfoo]

i believe we have a bit of a misconception, sure "ninjas" or whoever did kill people and ninjutsu is based on what they did but the most important thing atleast in my training is not to kill but escape. Thats the biggest thing about ninjutsu is that the easiest way to win a fight is not get into one (possibly the reason for all the stealth stuff) if my objective was to kill my opponent do you think i'd sneak around and get passed him? no i'd just walk up and smack him down.

[xplasma]

Ninpo/ Ninjustu is a real art, as long as it is in

Genbukan (www.genbukan.org)
Bujinkan (www.winjutsu.com)
Jinenkan (www.jinenkan.com)

Anything else is just a marketing ploy.

As for the samurai/ninja question:

Samurai:
Upper class, Warrior Class of ancient Japan. Lord's army. Fought honorably becuase at the end of the day if the samurai died with honor the lord would take care of his family. There fighting technqiues center around that.

Ninja(Shinobi):
Usually in the lower class. Had much cheaper weapons. If the ninja died on a mission their family would starve, so their fighting arts gears around going home (survival).

[SilentNightfall]

Wow... Been away for so long. How are you all doing on the forum without me? LoL. Saw my name in one of the posts here and figured I could take some time out and answer the question. YES...ninjutsu is a legitimate art. Unfortunately, imawimp, you have the romanticized idea about the ninja. They weren't killing machines/assassins. They were a counter-culture to what was the norm in Japan in those times. Thus, ninjutsu was created as a means of survival against the forces that wished to eliminate the vastly different culture of the mountain dwelling folk, particularly those from the Koga and Iga regions. Today, ninjutsu still is meant to be an art that teaches people how to survive. We don't start fights, we finish them. We survive, and this goes far beyond simple combat applications. Ninjutsu/ninpo is also about philosophy. Is ninjutsu a real martial art? It's actual one of the most effective combat arts known to man. It's also one of the few that adapts to the user instead of making the user/practioner adapt to it. I hope this answers your question. Feel free to inquire further if not. Jaa mata!

[Zamfoo]

thanks for answering and welcome back silent. Can i quote you on the "We don't start fights, we finish them."? that's the best way anyone has put it.

[imawimp]

Thanks for the replt Silentnightfall.

Actually, I dontthink I have a romanticized view of the ninja, its my opinion that the romanticized view of the ninja
is being used as a marketing technique to seperate people from their money.

Is ninjutsu real? Probably

Is it being taught at the strip mall next to the 7-11? probably not.

[SilentNightfall]

Alright. Fair enough. You're right that the romanticized view of the ninja is definitely something utilized to make money. You're also right about the whole Ninjutsu being taught at the local strip mall. There are, however, commercial dojos within the Bujinkan, Genbukan, and Jinenkan and so to find one in a shopping center somewhere like some dojos is not impossible. Just be a bit leary of anything not affiliated with the X-kans that promotes throwing "ninja" stars and wearing masks...

[YODA]

I find this article on the history of the Ninja very err..... interesting.

http://www.illuminatedlantern.com/cinema/features/ninja.html

[SilentNightfall]

Actually, the article does have many good sections to it. The reference to Ninja assassination being rare is simply wonderful, not to mention the portion discussing the ludicrous idea of Ninja wearing black and such. And gee, they even have the reference to why so many people for whatever reason think Ninjutsu originated in China. I'd say the article is actually one of the better ones that I've seen out there. Two thumbs up from me. If, in my brief skimming of the article, I seemed to have missed a wild or crazy statement that makes the article bad, please inform me of such. Jaa mata!

[YODA]

It's all good to me mate :D

[SilentNightfall]

For a second I thought that it was a spoof article due to my skimming when I saw the supposed four requirements to be a Ninja. Then I saw that they were what the less knowledgeable people perceived the requirements to be. So glad the article wasn't another "Ninjer freak" writing about his obsession.

[godwine]

Interesting... interesting.. does anyone know if there are any Taijutsu or Ninjitsu school in Toronto/Markham (Canada)?

[Zamfoo]

i'm going to guess they are check www.winjutsu.com in the yellow pages for some bujikan dojos.

[SilentNightfall]

Yes, definitely try the schools listed in the Winjutsu yellow pages. They have dojos from countries all over the world listed there. Good luck!

[cloudgodd]

First of all the Martial art that samuri used is called Aikido, but if you mean the honor tardition they followed that is called bushido or "Way of the Warrior"

the second thing is yes ninjitsu was used as a killing art in fudel japan, but this is not fudel japan it is modern america ( not much different) but different in the fact the first of all, all weapons were outlawed so a lot of the NINJA weapon were actually tools used for farming like sai were used for planting rice, Kama cuting crops and so forth,

a lot of the techniques used by the by the ninja were for one very long reason, sword reach, Samuri Katana would and could be as long as 7 feet were a ninja Gatana max leghth would be three feet.

now if you have ever taken Kenjitsu then you would know that most fighting starts with the crossing of your swords, I think that if the ninja played by the rules.... without deception, cunning, and trickery, we would not be haveing this dicussion right now.....

But I hope this helps if any of you have any question please feel free to ask I can be contacted at cloudgodd@stis.net and if you are wondering were I get my info I trained under Mark Grove Jonin and creator of Kori Kotori uji ryu, and also with Lyle Benson who is Sensei of the Ten Chi Jin Genbukan Ninpo Dojo opened under Grandmaster Shoto Tanemura:D

[Melanie]

Welcome cloudgodd,

Nice to have you on board the forum. Excellent first post btw :)

[cloudgodd]

thank you have been doing this ninjitsu stuff since I was 16 I am now 31, but one thing I do not get, all the belt ranking thrashing that goes on here, when we receive I guess you could say would be considered a Black belt level the only thing we recevied was a right to call ourselves KYO-SEI (student-Teacher) and a training name, mine happens to be TORASAME or TIGERSHARK the way style and elements I use most often to fight, and I could where a hakuma to class? to show what you know was one the knowledge you posses, and the teacher who taught it to you, not you belt rank, cant really prove how much you know about fighting with a test?!?!

[SilentNightfall]

Okay... First of all we need to once again clear up some misconceptions, even though it's been done numerous times in other threads. The main misconception we need to deal with is this "Ninjutsu is a killing/assassination art" opinion, but we'll do the others first.

Starting off, the samurai art was not, in fact, known as Aikido. Aikido was created in the late 1800's by Morihei Ueshiba. Therefore it cannot be what the samurai were practitioners of. We know the samurai did study several forms of Japanese jujutsu for hand-to-hand techniques.

Secondly, from what it sounds like, it was stated that the Ninja used the Ninja-to/Shinobi-gatana as a weapon. Recall that this was used as a tool, not a weapon. It was cheaply forged and could not really be used well as a weapon. It was used to pry open doors, provide a step in a castle wall, etc. The Ninja used katana just like the samurai. Where did they get them? They searched battlefield for discarded katana among other things. This is what they used for a weapon sword-wise.

Alright, so now down to the assassination thing. Even Soke Masaaki Hatsumi has stated that due to Hollywood and literature written with Ninja as a main focus, the public has gotten the wrong idea as to what these people were. Very rarely were Ninja required to assassinate. It wasn't what the art was based on and it wasn't in harmony with the philosophy of the Ninja. Only rogues looking to make money hired themselves out for such missions. Clans and families as a whole operated mostly for reconnaissance and as military advisors. If you want to see a full rant on this topic, check my post under the thread "ninpo and ninjitsu." Hope that helps. Jaa, mata.

[Cougar_v203]

imawimp go here
http://www.realultimatepower.com err net one of the thingies. :D

[xplasma]

Originally posted by cloudgodd
First of all the Martial art that samuri used is called Aikido, but if you mean the honor tardition they followed that is called bushido or "Way of the Warrior"

the second thing is yes ninjitsu was used as a killing art in fudel japan, but this is not fudel japan it is modern america ( not much different) but different in the fact the first of all, all weapons were outlawed so a lot of the NINJA weapon were actually tools used for farming like sai were used for planting rice, Kama cuting crops and so forth,

a lot of the techniques used by the by the ninja were for one very long reason, sword reach, Samuri Katana would and could be as long as 7 feet were a ninja Gatana max leghth would be three feet.

now if you have ever taken Kenjitsu then you would know that most fighting starts with the crossing of your swords, I think that if the ninja played by the rules.... without deception, cunning, and trickery, we would not be haveing this dicussion right now.....

But I hope this helps if any of you have any question please feel free to ask I can be contacted at cloudgodd@stis.net and if you are wondering were I get my info I trained under Mark Grove Jonin and creator of Kori Kotori uji ryu, and also with Lyle Benson who is Sensei of the Ten Chi Jin Genbukan Ninpo Dojo opened under Grandmaster Shoto Tanemura:D

Please don't insult Genbukan by claiming any loyality to it. You are obviously misinformed and if actaully trained in anything related to Genbukan you would know that you haven't said a true statement since entering this forum.

[xplasma]

Originally posted by Cougar_v203
imawimp go here
http://www.realultimatepower.com err net one of the thingies. :D


Please stop posting this link in a serious ninjutsu forum. Its not funny and it was never funny. Everytime you post it you offend every ninjutsu practioner world round.

[SilentNightfall]

Plasma... You mean when someone drops a spoon we aren't supposed to flip out and kill everyone in town? But that's what real "ninjas" do, right? :rolleyes: Heh. I know what you mean about seeing this link posted everywhere. It's definitely getting old.

[totality]

i'd kind of like to flip out and kill whoever created that site...although it is somewhat amusing.

[SilentNightfall]

Only for the first time around. When I see it posted all over forums it begins to annoy me just a tad. I'm not annoyed at who posted the link mind you. Just the fact that it keeps coming up all the time for no reason in topics. That probably makes no sense, but...oh well. Minasan, oyasuminasai. I'm beat from training today.

[cloudgodd]

Please don't insult Genbukan by claiming any loyality to it. You are obviously misinformed and if actaully trained in anything related to Genbukan you would know that you haven't said a true statement since entering this forum.


__________________
-plasma

www.core.binghamton.edu/~xplasma
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

first of all I never stated that I trained under Ten Chi Jin Genbukan Ninpo Dojo opened under Grandmaster Shoto Tanemura, I only stated that I trained with Lyle Benson who is sensei of that dojo, Second you are still wrong about the Samurai they trained in an unarmed form called Kumiuchi, along with kenjutsu, bajutsu, kyujutsu, and sojutsu dateing back to the 4th century....The Kumiuchi is the first known art of Aikido which took place between the 4th and 12th century A.D., please stop read Steven K Hayes, and looking up everything on the internet, and go to class.....

[SilentNightfall]

Actually, I doubt anyone would go to Stephen K. Hayes as their main source of information since there are so many Japanese sources from which to take things directly. Secondly, the main point about Aikido is that it refers to a fairly modern martial art. It made have descended samurai arts, but you cannot say that the samurai practiced aikido. The two are not reversible. That was really the point we were trying to express. Aikido did not exist in feudal Japan. The arts that influenced Aikido, however, did.

[cloudgodd]

Fair enough, I appoligize for the miss use of words....

[cloudgodd]

I have seen your post around the board, you have insulted me, you have insulted my Jonin, you have insulted my art, tell you what the next time you and your little computer geek friends decide to take a vacation to south Folrida you let me know, and I will be more that happy to school you in traditional Ninjitsu....:yeleyes:

[SilentNightfall]

::Sigh:: Gentlemen, for the sake of not having to bother the moderators with posting on this thread about the rules of conversation here at MAP, I'm personally going to ask that the above post not be replied to, at least not with any hostility. This forum is not a place to make threats or challenges. Personally, and I know others would agree, I feel that such things go completely against the philosophy of Ninjutsu/Ninpo as we are supposed to avoid confrontation as best we can and are to ignore any slander that may be thrown our way, whether it holds merit or not. So once again, stop the pettiness. It does no one any good to go back and forth making blind assumptions about the abilities and/or physical attributes of anyone else. It's really just immature. So for the sake of everyone who is here to learn and have enlightening conversation, stop this argument before it starts.

[cloudgodd]

just a quick question regarding your above post, are you saying that the philosophy of Ninjutsu/Ninpo is to act and be like the hippies of the 60's and 70's, I dont know any martial artist that would stand there and listen to someone dishonnor not only them, but there Jonin, and dojo the way that xplasm did to me, I just felt that....If he wanted to xpress the challenge that I do not know what I am talking about, maybe it is he who needs a little schooling "for it is the application of our knowledge, that makes us Shinobi"

[SilentNightfall]

Hmm... The hippies of the 60's and 70's? You mean the same ones that participated in the dojo wars? Not exactly what I'd call hippies. In relation to Ninjutsu, the 60's and 70's were when Americans actually started to train in the art. The philosophy, however, has been the same for centuries. We are to avoid conflicts at all cost. Insults are not to bother us because we are supposed to be in harmony with everything around us. To become angered over such things is to be unable to control one's emotions, which is a dangerous thing. If someone wants to insult my instructor, my art, or myself, that's their priority. Not everyone is going to like you, not everyone is going to agree with you all the time. It's a fact of life.

[Zamfoo]

Umm a little help cloud i'm not sure i understand what a jonin is and whoa whoa whoa xplasma i'm a student under Sensei Benson and strongly believe that i am receiving Genbukan teaching. Please don't drag the names of others into the dirt while you and someone else sling mud.

[cloudgodd]

I never except anyone to agree with everyone opinion, but to jump around the board, and out right insult me is uncalled for, I would expect that anyone to make a challenge like that to be able to live up to there word....and not just run....but I guess "make peace not war" statement was never in my nature.....Thank you for your explanation....Zamfoo: Jonin direct translation would mean "Ninja Leader", by the way how is Lyle I really do know him, I was wondering why he hasn't answered me e-mail, probably saw me Defending Mark Grove on this site, Mark and Lyle dont get along very well....But I think the art the Lyle is teaching is very good, I went to the seminar with Lyle before he started that dojo......But Lyle also trained under Mark Before he was part of Genbukan, and he may not like him, but he has to admit that Kori Kotori is a plausible art....any Way tell Sensei Benson Bill say hi.....

[xplasma]

Originally posted by Zamfoo
Umm a little help cloud i'm not sure i understand what a jonin is and whoa whoa whoa xplasma i'm a student under Sensei Benson and strongly believe that i am receiving Genbukan teaching. Please don't drag the names of others into the dirt while you and someone else sling mud.


I didn't sling mud at Sensei Benson I was questioning whether clougodd actually trained under him.

[cloudgodd]

I Trained with Sensei Benson for five years I havn't talked or spoken to him in a great while, When I trained with him he was the "CHUNIN" ( Ninja sub-leader) of Kori Kortori the second in command, we all left Kori Kortori, for various personal reasons, Sensei Benson then went on to train under Genbukan and then on to open the dojo that he curently runs I know lyle very well, having been hit by him many, many, many times.....

Zamfoo, is Randy still at the dojo or did he move on?

[xplasma]

Cloudgodd,

I am going to extend an olive branch, I reread my posts I made and I did sound more presonally attacking you then what you said. I didn't mean it that way. I am sorry. This got more out of hand then I wanted.

[cloudgodd]

Apology excepted, however I apologize for not useing the proper terminology for the thoughts, and idea's I was trying to xpress, I guess different arts see it different ways, Kinda like religon....

[SPAWNPAIN]

:confused: I heard in vietnam there were ninjas who knows something about this? :confused:

[cloudgodd]

something about what please be more specific?

[SPAWNPAIN]

:p OK OK OK I mean that there were ninjas on the vietnam side fitghting against the united states soldiers, i don;t if they were from Japon, China or Vietnam, i know ninjutsu is from Japan but.... you know what i'm tring to tell? :)

What do you know?

[cloudgodd]

I heard that as well but I am not for sure....

[SPAWNPAIN]

:yeleyes: mmmmmmmmmmmmmm :(

[SilentNightfall]

It's highly unlikely that there were "Ninja" operating on the side of Vietnam during the war. In those days, training in the art was exclusive to Japan and so the only way for actual Ninjutsu to be used on the battlefield would be for someone from Japan who trained in Ninjutsu to fight in Vietnam. This, of course, is completely ludicrous. Ninjutsu doesn't promote lending your skills out for the sake of wars that wouldn't involve you otherwise. The only thing "Ninja-like" about Vietnam would be the use of guerilla warfare tactics, nothing more.

[ninja pimp]

well Im currently taking ninjutsu and enjoy it very much. But i am of a red ninja sect where as we dont assassinate but shurly are trained to do so we were mostly hired as body guards.

[SilentNightfall]

You realize, of course, that true Ninjutsu does not train people to assassinate, right?

[Melanie]

Originally posted by ninja pimp
well Im currently taking ninjutsu and enjoy it very much. But i am of a red ninja sect where as we dont assassinate but shurly are trained to do so we were mostly hired as body guards.

Welcome to the forum Ninja

I have just been reading your profile and you make high claims for a 13 year old.

I am happy for you to take part in our conversations, but as a matter of etiqquette I would appreciate it if you stopped going on about your "deadly arts" or "assasinations". It neither adds to the conversation or impresses anyone.

If you feel you cannot contribute and improve your dialogue any further than you have so far displayed, I would appreciate it if your parent or guardian would get in touch with us. We have your IP address and can log all further interaction you have with us on the forum.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter. :)

[Kanja]

^ hahahahahaha oh god i never laughed so hard in a long time..hahaha Melanie wrote some funny **** up there heh..thanks 4 the laugh girl :D

[Tsing Tao]

I have been reading all of the stuff above about ninjitsu. how it started with a simple question about the authenticity of ninjitsu as a real martial art. to where you guys discussed the issue of philosophy and reasoning behind ninjitsu. i admire the true pezaz and spirit of every body who is serious in this art. i have only one question for you guys. Where and how did ninjitsu originate?

[Tsing Tao]

i dont want to sound rude but it seems to me that many postings argue about the true meaning of the ninja and martial arts itself. ninjitsu is not about assasinating, killing, or even evading your opponent. its about knowing yourself and your surrounding well enuff to overcome many objects that are opposing you. the more you know yourself the more you can accomplish in ninjitsu and any other martial arts for that matter.

my self given and obtained credentials mean nothing to me in any style of martial arts. This discussion shouldn't be what ninjas are or are not, but rather what can i learn from others to be able to know my own abilities in ninjitsu and to raise it that one level that allows me to over come my next obstical. wether it be a life or death situation or just getting through the next training session.

[SilentNightfall]

Beautifully put, Tao. That's what the true focus should be on, but every once in a while it is necessary to remind people what is true and what is Hollywood fiction. It helps to keep people from showing up at our dojos wanting to become killing machines. Heh heh.

[Tsing Tao]

its sad but you are true hollywood has made martial arts a sport rather than a way to help one another become better at what we are good at

[Tsing Tao]

it seems that hollywood only focuses on the part of ninjitsu that will make the most money and not the true art form. Ive been studying many types of martial arts. although ninjitsu is not one of my favorite it is one that i respect greatly. it has helped me overcome many opponents.

[heretic888]

Gawd, this thread is a mess..... :rolleyes:

And, for Buddha's sake, everyone!! Its "ninjutsu" not "ninjitsu"! :D

And yes, there is a difference.

[Zamfoo]

actually i don't think the spelling really matters ninjutsu to me looks better but i don't the japanese translates with exact spelling

[heretic888]

actually i don't think the spelling really matters ninjutsu to me looks better but i don't the japanese translates with exact spelling

*ahem* Not quite.

There are two distinct kanji in Japanese, with two distinct meanings.

The first kanji is pronounced "jeet's" and commonly mispronounced "jeetsoo". It means "fruit" and sometimes "truth", as in the ninja concept "kyojitsu tenkan ho" (interchanging truth and falsehood). This is the kanji often spelled "jitsu".

The second kanji is pronounced "j'ts'" and commonly mispronounced "jootsoo". It means "art" or "skill", as found in many words for martial arts (kenjutsu, jujutsu, bojutsu, etc.). This is the kanji often spelled "jutsu".

These are two very distinct kanji, people. Let's try and get it right from now on, neh? :rolleyes:

[Sonshu]

An English teacher!

Let it go lad! - Just let it go!

[heretic888]

What are you Hectic888

Informed. :rolleyes:

[Sonshu]

Dull then.

You must be studying English for someone born as your profile says in 1982 you have a good grasp of English so well done!

I was not much good at it but hey got a good job so its cool with me!


:)

[sakura]

Samurai:
Upper class, Warrior Class of ancient Japan. Lord's army. Fought honorably becuase at the end of the day if the samurai died with honor the lord would take care of his family. There fighting technqiues center around that.

Ninja(Shinobi):
Usually in the lower class. Had much cheaper weapons. If the ninja died on a mission their family would starve, so their fighting arts gears around going home (survival).

Check your history! Many Samurai are attributed to being Ninja. Probably the most famous example being Hattori Hanzo...

Modern day equivalent could be SAS or Navy SEALS. They are known to be military but no one REALLY knows what they do unless they are directly involved with them...

[SilentNightfall]

Sakura-san is right. In fact, many ninja were land owners and thus not included within the lower class. This is the reason that many ninja had swords that were exactly like those of the samurai. Land owners could afford such items and it wasn't until carrying such swords was banned by all people with the exception of samurai that it became difficult to obtain such a weapon. The stories of ninja having to scour battlefields for swords left behind were most likely very rare occassions, if not completely ficticious.

[nickh]

*ahem* Not quite.

There are two distinct kanji in Japanese, with two distinct meanings.



Wayne Muromoto, the publisher of Furyu, seems to agree with this: http://www.furyu.com/wayne/Seifukan/budonotes/notes001.html

(Slightly off topic here, but I would really recommend Furyu to anyone with an interest in Japanese martial arts. It's by far the best magazine I've come across. They have some great articles online in their archive.)