People's misconceptions about Ninjutsu

[Scott194]

A lot of people talk about how other people think of ninjutsu as being a ninja creeping around, throwing stars, being the ultimate stealth fighter, and yea you get where I'm going. I got into ninjutsu becuase I wanted to be a Navy SEAL, but I hurt my knee among all the training(not ninjutsu training) and reconsidered what I wanted to do with my life. I've tried Karate and TKD, and here I'm at Taijutsu and love it. I don't plan on quitting this art any time soon but reading some posts, people really don't understand Ninjutsu. "A ninja can see through walls" WHAT THE HELL, how can you ask something sooooooooo rediculous unless you're trying to be funny/retarded. There's others and I'm sure many of you have heard more but you understand what I'm getting at.

I come to this part of the forum to read up stuff that would be beneficial and further the interest of ninjutsu, and when I come and see these retarded posts of people who think of ninjutsu as being of a steriotypical "Ninja" when it's just ANOTHER FREAKIN MARTIAL ART!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry, I'm done.

[Andrew Green]

It's really simply

Ninja - lots of myths - silly hollywood movies - more myths, even sillier - Turtles - other cartoons - Myths become sillier - Penguin (?) - idea that ninja's are silly people in black Jammies sneaking around the forest at night...

The ninja craze was started by the silly hollywood ninja movies. Thats why there is so much ninjitsu around, a lot of it not really being ninjiitsu but whatever the guy had done + black jammies + new marketing in order to attract more members after the ninja craze.

Same thing has happened in other systems.

Just train, have fun and be prepared to get chuckled at when you say your a ninja :D

and it is silly, it always is.

Lets just say a new wave of Robin Hood movies came up, and archery got associated with being one of the "Merry men" and there "art". Now a bunch of schools open up teaching "The way of the Merry men".

It gets to the point that Archery = Merry men in the publics opinion.

I would imagine that some archers would get a little fed up with people bothering them about green tights and feathered hats :D

and it would also be silly, as is ninja misconceptions.

Don't take it seriously, laugh with them, don't get pissy with them ok ninja boy? :D

(Sorry, couldn't resist ;) )

[YODA]

10/10 Andrew :D

[Scott194]

yea yea, I know. I joke about it but the post that read "Can't ninjas see through walls" went too far.

[Saz]

That was blatant trolling, and I doubt the member who posted that actually believed it.

[47Ronin]

I was getting PO'd too man. All the posts of "hey I'm a ninja and I like to talk to other ninjas" and other dumb crap like that ( I don't even study Ninjitsu!!). People even go and call me "ninja boy" because I study Martial Arts. Makes me want to smack the crap out of them.

[ns_oni]

i think the see through walls bit was probably taken from real ultimate power


hmm (http://www.genbukan.org/Amatsu_Tatara_Martial_Art_and_/Letter/letter.html)

[Bouk Teef]

I can see through windows! God bless those ninja powers;) !

[Saz]

wow!

*Kgirl bows down to Bouk Teef's ninja greatness

:D

[Cougar_v203]

lmao! I WANT THOSE POWERS!!
*Bouk Teef gives cougar his powers and he looks into girls locker room not knowing his g/f is right there and gets hit in the head* ;)

[Bouk Teef]

You took my window power!! Give it back!!:mad:

[Freeform]

Bloody Ninja's, always looking in my windows, don't get a moments peace! :(

[pimphand]

My instructor, Frank Dux, was putting me through my paces last nite and I must say after only two months of training I can now defeat up to 7 knife weilding opponents whilst blindfolded.

Ninjitsu is the law - except no imitations!!

pimphand - dwelling under bridges since 2003...

[Saz]

Only 7? You need to train more Grasshopper...

I met a ninja last week who can defeat 15 knife weilding opponents with one hand, while chowing down on a NinjaBurger in the other!

:D

[Freeform]

Last night I had to fight an army of knife weilding Ninjas, whilst they rode upon a herd of T-Rex's because they were trying to walk through my living room undetected!

:D

Col

[Cougar_v203]

Freeform you killed it with the t-rex and no i will not give your powers back i want to see...more :D

[KungFuGrrrl]

LMFAO!

[natxanadu]

Ninjutsu ? just a camp version of jujutsu as far as i can see

[Bouk Teef]

Originally posted by natxanadu
Ninjutsu ? just a camp version of jujutsu as far as i can see

Let the trolling begin.:(

OK, natxanadu, on what basis have you constructed your arguement? eg, historical, spiritual, personal experience of both MA's.

[natxanadu]

Just messing really, however i do think people are drawn to the camp side of ninjutsu, ie dressing up in those silly uniforms.

http://users.zoominternet.net/~rskipp1/ninja.gif

[ns_oni]

1) i dont think that top picture was necessary and its offensive to the art

2) ninjutsu and jujitsu are different in ALOT of ways..

[natxanadu]

Ok i have removed it, however

In the bujinkan, there are 9 schools 6 of which are schools of jujutsu not ninjutsu

[ns_oni]

refer to point number 2 :)

[natxanadu]

sorry which was point number 2

[Saz]

If you want to know point number 2 natxanadu, scroll up and read it. And please don't troll. I'm getting fairly sick of people deliberately trying to provoke the Ninjutsu practitioners here.

[ns_oni]

read a few ninjutsu books, im sure you'll find at least 100:1 things that are different :)

and thankyou kgirl:Angel:

[Kagebushi]

Have any of you who train in ninjutsu with a group (not solo) read hayes' book"the ninja and their secret fighting art"? if so is that what training today is usually like, and if not, whats different?

[ns_oni]

yes, i have read it. If you're talking about the parts where he trains outside, that does happen occasionally. if you liked that book i suggest you look for his Ninja Warrior series, he talks alot more about such experiences. I do train at a dojo, but solo training is also impornt.

[natxanadu]

i offered my opinion, if you dont like it pay no attention

[Saz]

Originally posted by natxanadu
Ninjutsu ? just a camp version of jujutsu as far as i can see

That was your opinion on ninjitsu? If that really is your "opinion", better keep it to yourself in future.

And in case you haven't noticed, its a mod's job to pay attention, so unfortunately for me, I can't ignore troll-ish posts.

[natxanadu]

i wont be censored by a child

[ns_oni]

if all you have is negative posts dont bother coming to this section :)

[LilBunnyRabbit]

Actually Natxanadu, I think you'll find that you will be censored by a child, particularly one who's shown more intelligence in single posts than you total so far has revealed. More importantly, one who's a moderator.

[Freeform]

Who's a child, so a Mod is 10 yrs younger than you, so what.

I think you owe K-girl an apology.

Colin

[natxanadu]

i tired of all this inane bickering, cant quite believe all the fuss that i have caused

[heretic888]

This is my first post here, guys, so be nice... :D

I really only have one issue to address on this thread:

In the bujinkan, there are 9 schools 6 of which are schools of jujutsu not ninjutsu

Although this claim has been bandied about the internet in recent years, it is somewhat inaccurate. Namely, the claim that Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu is "three ninjutsu ryuha and six samurai jujutsu ryuha". Why??

1) Only three ryuha within the Bujinkan purport to teach jujutsu, or jutaijutsu as it is more commonly called in these particular schools. These ryuha are Kukishin ryu Happo Hikenjutsu, Shinden Fudo ryu Dakentaijutsu, and Takagi Yoshin ryu Jutaijutsu.

2) It is true that there are only three ryuha (Togakure ryu, Kumogakure ryu, and Gyokushin ryu) within the Bujinkan that are "ninjutsu ryuha" per se, but Kukishin ryu Happo Hikenjutsu, while not a ninjutsu ryu, does contain shinobijutsu in its teachings (as do many old koryu).

3) Outside of ninjutsu, there is Ninpo. While only three of the ryuha can be called ninjutsu ryuha by name, MANY of the ryuha within the Bujinkan contain the teachings of Ninpo in varying degrees: Togakure ryu Ninjutsu, Gyokushin ryu Ninjutsu, Kumogakure ryu Ninjutsu, Gyokko ryu Kosshijutsu, Koto ryu Koppojutsu and even Kukishin ryu Happo Hikenjutsu. In fact, within the Bugei Daijiten Ryuha, the Gyokko ryu is even directly referred to as a school of Ninpo.

I have been told that the techniques and methods of Shinden Fudo ryu Dakentaijutsu are also very "Ninpo-like" or "Ninpo-esque" in nature (while not straight Ninpo per se). Gikan ryu Koppojutsu has its origins in Ninpo ryuha (such as Gyokko ryu), but that part of its teachings seems to have been lost during its conception.

4) The "ninja" issue?? Well, set aside the fact that there isn't a hardline dichotomy between "ninja" and "samurai" (particularly within the regions of Iga and Koga) as many mistakenly assume, pretty much all of the ryuha of the Bujinkan were historically "ninja schools" at one time or another.

Togakure ryu, Gyokko ryu, Koto ryu, Shinden Fudo ryu, and Kukishin ryu all have their origins (in varying degrees) in Hakuun ryu Ninjutsu. The pruported "founder" of Gyokko ryu, Tozawa Hakuunsai, was an Iga ryu ninja leader. The family names associated with these various schools (Izumo, Togakure, Toda, Sakagami, Tozawa, etc.) are listed among the so-called "45 families of Iga ryu". In Mr. Mats Hjelm's article on the history of Iga-gumi, he lists every Bujinkan ryuha with the exception of Shinden Fudo ryu and Takagi Yoshin ryu as part of the collective of traditions that history later called "Iga ryu Ninjutsu".

As far as I can tell, Takagi Yoshin ryu is the *only* Bujinkan ryuha that is completely free of what you might call "ninja connections".

This, of course, is all just my opinion. Laterz. ;)

[YODA]

Originally posted by natxanadu
i tired of all this inane bickering, cant quite believe all the fuss that i have caused

I can't either - I'd have thought someone using age as an indicator of worth would be old enough to know better.


Originally posted by natxanadu
i wont be censored by a child

How about an Admin 9 years your elder?

As Freeform rightly suggests - you owe Kgirl an appology.

[natxanadu]

the point is that this is a discussion forum, where people discuss things, its all a matter of opinion, therefore unless someone is being offensive there is no need for censorship

[ns_oni]

you were being offensive before with that "an*l ninjas" picture.

[butterfly_knf]

Well, I don't really care about other people misconceptions (if there's any). I myself respect the essence of Ninjutsu, whether it is truth or not (but to me it really exist, and I admit its greatnesses).

I know what a Martial Art is,

If it's a way of attacking, then it is an art of attack
If it's a way of defensing, then it is an art of defense
If it's a way of reaching the truth, then you must first know what you needed for...
Because there is nothing else that a man can teach that you can learn except what your mind will agreed to understand... and if you can accept that, then live and abide by it!

It is enough for me. besides... Ninjutsu shares similarities to what I learn. It's not just a fancy legend. It's a living legend lies secretly.

And we blame the media for making such effects (?):rolleyes:
Many things aren't that good enough to explain within a rational mind. But, please think of it as a respectable form of MA.

[Saz]

unless someone is being offensive there is no need for censorship

And you don't think this might be construed as offensive?

i wont be censored by a child

You still haven't apologised by the way...

[natxanadu]

Kgirl, i am sorry, age is no measure of maturity, i just dont like being told to keep my opinions to myself

[natxanadu]

also i have some issues with the local bujinkan school, so i am a bit negative regards to ninjutsu at the moment, sorry

[Saz]

Apology accepted. Lets wipe the slate clean and leave this where it is.

[Sonshu]

Where are you located as I might know the Taijitsu school you have issues with?

[natxanadu]

gloucestershire

[Sonshu]

dont know any Taijitsu boys from there. It is a good style and pretty similar in many aspects to Jujitsu - there is a lot of cross overs that you might was to explore.

[natxanadu]

yeah i quite liked it, but i want to do a harder style, i'm going to stick with jujutsu and maybe take up a striking art aswell.

[Sonshu]

MT or Kick Boxing should see you right as the striking is not the best I have ever seen in an art but its ok for most people - just was not solid enough for me.

[natxanadu]

i might try kenpo, classes have just started up round here and i could still train in jujutsu

[AAAhmed46]

Ive looked around in my area(im from edmonton alberta canada) and i cant find any ninjutsu schools. Some are 'fake' as in they say NINJA NINJA but the teacher will say ' im teaching you karate'. So.....so find a good school, should i ask around for taijutsu?

Come on though, some of those myths are pretty cool sounding. I mean, come on! It adds to the 'awe' of ninjutsu.

Has anyone actually asked if you could see through walls?

[Brad Ellin]

Go to http://www.winjutsu.com and look in the yellow pages section. If there isn't one near you, look for the closest one, write or call and ask if there are any training groups in your area.

[Peaceful Tiger]

also i have some issues with the local bujinkan school, so i am a bit negative regards to ninjutsu at the moment, sorry
I train at the Honbu Dojo in Gloucester which is part of the Budo Warrior Schools. Is it us that you have issues with and if so, what are they exactly?
I will gladly try my best to answer any of your questions.

[Peaceful Tiger]

Ive looked around in my area(im from edmonton alberta canada) and i cant find any ninjutsu schools. Some are 'fake' as in they say NINJA NINJA but the teacher will say ' im teaching you karate'. So.....so find a good school, should i ask around for taijutsu?

Come on though, some of those myths are pretty cool sounding. I mean, come on! It adds to the 'awe' of ninjutsu.

Has anyone actually asked if you could see through walls?
There seems to be a very good Bujinkan training group in Edmonton. Although I haven't as yet been able to go train with them, my work takes me to Edmonton quite regularly so I hope to train there in the very near future.
You should find their website and any other relevant information on www.bujinkanada.com/hokkou/hokkou.html.
Best Wishes.

[Peaceful Tiger]

Ha-ha, as a ninja, I can walk silently across concrete, catch a bus and travel to another city!

[Poop-Loops]

Beware t3h ninja!

PL

[K_Coffin]

Very true, peaceful tiger. That's my sister dojo, run by my sensei's brother. Very well respected, and an excellent dojo. Check it out at the website he provided. My dojo's website is in my sig.

[Peaceful Tiger]

Has anyone actually asked if you could see through walls?

Ninjas can really see through walls...FACT. The best way to do this is to go to Home Depot (or in the UK, B&Q or Focus DIY) and purchase a hand drill and various attachments. Then all you need to do is drill through a wall till you reach the other side, (plasterboard is better than concrete for this as concrete heats the drill bit up too much and it may snap). Then, put your eye to the newly formed hole, look through, and....hey presto!!!

[Kalifallen]

*gasp* Peaceful Tiger, you just gave away the secret! Now everyone will know....

I don't totally understand the picture from post 20 was SO offensive. I mean, the actually ninja outfit wasn't too much different. Besides, I just hope no one gets offended when someone puts up a picture of a merchent since ninja's also disguised themselves up as that.
Sorry, if I offend anyone but I think a LOT of people are getting offended too easily.

Remember, in your ninja training you are also suppose to train your patience and your attitude. Resulting in an easier time in ingore annoying things. Practice well and pratically nothing will bug you.

Has anyone asked you if you can.....?
Hm, no. But they have said, "What is it," and, "I didn't think they taught that?" But I do wish someone would ask me, "Can ninja's disappear?" Cause I'd say, "Yes, and that's why I won't be here to help you *poof*."

[Peaceful Tiger]

Has anyone asked you if you can.....?
Hm, no. But they have said, "What is it," and, "I didn't think they taught that?" But I do wish someone would ask me, "Can ninja's disappear?" Cause I'd say, "Yes, and that's why I won't be here to help you *poof*."

And of course if anyone asked me that question, I'd say, "Sure, now you see me, close your eyes....now you don't!"

Isn't ninja magic simple!

[Peaceful Tiger]

Has anyone asked you if you can.....?
Hm, no. But they have said, "What is it," and, "I didn't think they taught that?" But I do wish someone would ask me, "Can ninja's disappear?" Cause I'd say, "Yes, and that's why I won't be here to help you *poof*."

And of course if anyone asked me that question, I'd say, "Sure, now you see me, close your eyes....now you don't!"

Isn't ninja magic simple?

[kickass]

speaking of which, one of my friends is studying ninjitsu and hes mastered "invisibility" it is soo cool, i've been trying to find ninjitsu dojos around my area ever since he showed me. :D

[Keikai]

speaking of which, one of my friends is studying ninjitsu and hes mastered "invisibility" it is soo cool, . :D


BWWWAAAHHHHH Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!


Oh my sides!!!!

[hatsie]

seriously with the dissapearing thing, i think that comes down to really good timing, they think they have you and then wham... the tables are turned.

'use the air as your shield'

hatsumi sensei.

[Brad Ellin]

Proper timing and use of misdirection. Striking from blind spots. Using the weather to your advantage. There was quite a lot to the Ninja's skills of invisibility. But not what Hollywood or Ashida Kim would have you believe. Wearing the proper clothing would help one disappear in a crowd. Wouldn't that be a form of invisibility? Hiding that punch that smacks them in the back of the head, while you're standing in front, wouldn't that be a form of invisibility? What about the little things we can't see when Hatsumi is demsonstrating a technique? All we see is his uke jumping a foot off the ground, face in a grimace of pain. We can't see the finger twist or pinch or the toes grabbing the "naughty bits", but isn't that a form of invisibility? What about the concept of metsubishi? I could go on and on. If anybody wants to discuss these aspects, we'll start a new thread. And any, I mean any, off topic or non-contributory posts will get the boot. (or the jika tabi as the case may be)

[kickass]

personally, i would love to discuss that (ninjitsu invisibility) on another thread i'm really interested in it :D

[sshh]

Could add to this thread:

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20037

It hasn't been getting much action.

[Keikai]

personally, i would love to discuss that (ninjitsu invisibility) on another thread i'm really interested in it :D


I think you are going to have to do a fair amount of training first and you will find its a bit more involved than the puff of smoke, the invisible thing does not have to mean dissappearing entirely, it could mean moving to positions where the uke can not see whats coming, it has a wide range of meanings but its not the same sort of stuff as in Sakura Killers!!!!

[kouryuu]

I think you are going to have to do a fair amount of training first and you will find its a bit more involved than the puff of smoke, the invisible thing does not have to mean dissappearing entirely, it could mean moving to positions where the uke can not see whats coming, it has a wide range of meanings but its not the same sort of stuff as in Sakura Killers!!!!

So that`s who killed my Cherry Blossom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :woo:

[Keikai]

Good film when i was 12!!! :D :bang:

[JTB]

on invisibility ninjas would usually carry a blinding substances in the bottom of their sword case or palm it and whenver they wanted to retreat they would use this and throw it into the oppenents eyes. once it wore off they were gone thus making the oppent think that they either disapeared or became invisible

[Keikai]

on invisibility ninjas would usually carry a blinding substances in the bottom of their sword case or palm it and whenver they wanted to retreat they would use this and throw it into the oppenents eyes. once it wore off they were gone thus making the oppent think that they either disapeared or became invisible


I think the title of the thread says it all about this post!!!

This point on the ninja would only be a tiny portion of their skills, not a usual thing they would do, remember these were still normal people, they didnt come out to kill in the night, if they did this in a public place they would only bring attention to themselves, the invisibility thing would have been using crowds to disappear.

[Shawn Lindsay]

Sooooooooooooo, reading through that was fun...but less than rewarding.

What Are the most common misconceptions about Ninja?

This is a quote taken out of one of Antony's free book downloads.....How much of it is accurate?

Ninjutsu Misnomers
The following points are viewed incorrectly by the ninjutsu community. All
instructors should ensure that these misnomers are eradicated from the ninjutsu
community.
• Ninjutsu is not a martial art.
• Ninjas were not assassins but were called upon to assassinate.
• Ninja weapons, such as shuriken, kama, hidden canes etc., are not ninja weapons
they were used by all warriors in Japan.
• The ninja suit is not a suit per say. It is traditional Japanese street wear with the
addition of a face covering and would not lookout of place on the roads of
medieval Japan.
• Kunoichi were not female warriors. They were trained spies who often were
planted within castles to glean information through any means, including
debasing themselves sexually.

What are the most common misconceptions about Ninja??

[Hayseed]

Sooooooooooooo, reading through that was fun...but less than rewarding.

What Are the most common misconceptions about Ninja?

This is a quote taken out of one of Antony's free book downloads.....How much of it is accurate?



Pretty much all of it...it's also not anywhere near new information.

Ninjutsu is mainly spying/gathering information yes, however taking these strategies and applying them to martial arts is referred to as Ninpo Taijutsu. In this way Ninjutsu very much is a martial art.

Most Common Misconceptions About Ninjutsu:

1. Night assassins.

2. Straight Sword Ninja-to.

3. Super high spin kicking.

4. Supernatural Powers.

5. Poor villagers fighting oppressive Samurai.(Many Ninja were also Samurai)

6. Sneaking around all the time. (Disguise/Infiltrating enemy ranks is a lot more effective)

Hope it helps....nice thread resurrect BTW. :cool:

[Chris Parker]

I'd argue his limited definition of martial art, from a couple of fronts, his take on the "ninja suit", as he seems to imply there actually was one, and probably take some issue with his repressed concepts of sexuality as shown in his description of Kunoichi ("debase themselves"?).

In terms of other mis-conceptions, to add to Carl's list, I'd add some of the favourite movie cliche's, such as:

- leaping up backwards into trees

- pyrotechnic explosive smoke bombs

- use of karate kobudo weaponry, such as kama (not kusarigama, and not the kama as found in some Japanese systems, such as Asayama Ichiden Ryu), tonfa, and nunchaku

- only a ninja can kill a ninja... although, I like the idea of that one. Now I just need to avoid getting other ninja angry!

[Kogusoku]

Thread necromancy should be a bannable offence...

[Gigeran]

Lol, old style ninja depiction in hollywood : color coded suits (bright yellow, bright red, etc) with the broad shoulders thingie applied (don't remember the name of it) to indicate power with flashy headbands (add shuriken to it to make it extra special) and lots of eyeliner to look more badass ;)

Not seen that in the dojo ;)

[Fu_Bag]

What are the most common misconceptions about Ninja??

That they actually AREN'T too deadly to spar! I mean really, hate to havakillafool!!!

:bang::evil:

[EWBell]

Sooooooooooooo, reading through that was fun...but less than rewarding.

What Are the most common misconceptions about Ninja?

This is a quote taken out of one of Antony's free book downloads.....How much of it is accurate?



What are the most common misconceptions about Ninja??


Shawn, I'm going to give you a link to a website from Dr. Roy Ron, who is a shihan in the Genbukan. He has a PH.D in Medieval Japanese History, and works at the University of Tokyo. This info was out long before Antony popped his head up.

http://www.ninpo.org

[Drewcifer]

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z144/Rustangelpix/thread-necromancy-thread-necromancy-demotivational-poster-1271554886.jpg

[Gun De Niro]

Shawn, I'm going to give you a link to a website from Dr. Roy Ron, who is a shihan in the Genbukan. He has a PH.D in Medieval Japanese History, and works at the University of Tokyo. This info was out long before Antony popped his head up.


and his work is free for all to look at and benefits all those interested in 'Ninja' history.

[Shawn Lindsay]

Thank You!!!
This link is excellent!
Thank you all, you're all very helpful!