What do you call your training and why?

Discussion in 'Ninjutsu' started by Fudo-shin, Sep 26, 2013.

  1. Fudo-shin

    Fudo-shin Valued Member

    What do you call your training and why?

    There are so many names that can apply and so many that can not just based on your definition of things and who you are talking to and in what context.

    Obviously when you say the word, "karate" most everyone knows what you are talking about. (Not all mind you but most)

    Ninjutsu obviously is the collective name we are all known by but carries so many preconceived ideas by people that most hesitate to use it as well as the hard documented historical proof that so many seem to need sometimes. And you either get two types, the ones who love cosplay and want to learn how to be invisible or the anthony cummings type who says its not historical ninjutsu.

    Ninpo is used by us in the Genbukan but collectively for example we use Kobudo sometimes (and I believe the Jinenkan does to) as their are a variety of arts and is Bagua even Kobudo or Ninpo?

    With Ninpo, you get the occasional chuckle and "Nympho" comment sometimes.

    With Kobudo, I had a girl tell me that yes she loved karate and kobudo was karate.

    I really like Taijutsu, I had a guy in my gym that was a trainer tell me, wow Taijutsu? WoW Thai boxing :) And then yet another one pointed out when I was wanting to refer to everything as Taijutsu, we were doing bojutsu and not taijutsu!! WOW

    If you go with just the organizatonal name, ie Genbukan, Bujinkan or Jinenkan to refer to your art, thats a pretty safe bet, that will just be met by blank stares generally or a follow up, whats that?

    Some school owners who run a dojo for a living may promote the name of their school more than the art itself, such as "so and so training center"



    Last some just say, japanese jujutsu, which is fine but I just feel incomplete of the description of our collective budo, also everyone knows mma and bjj and the average kid coming to your class to train when you advertise jujutsu is looking to see bjj.

    Oh btw the term "Takamatsu-den", noone really knows what it is and Takamatsu Sensei was never my teacher so, I feel its a bit disrespectul to name your art just that as its like skipping over a generation.

    Maybe I am being over critical but I want feedback on what name you use that encapulates the essence of these arts in a dignified manner.

    LOL, thanks guys!!
     
  2. Count Duckula

    Count Duckula Valued Member

    jujutsu.

    Most people know more or less what 'jujitsu' entails, and are familiar enough with the concept that they accept it without me needing to add more explanations. Only if I know people well enough will I mention ninjutsu. But only if I know the well enough to trust them to not think I am a loon. I don't use the term ninpo because again, it raises more questions than it answers. Most of the time however, I just say jujutsu.

    I know this is incomplete and fairly incorrect, but given that most people don't know much about Japanese arts and given that I don't feel the slightest need to educate them or make them interested, I just pick the answer that is more or less guaranteed to be understood and to end the line of questions. Only if they are really interested and want to know details will I divulge more.

    I am not much of a people person and generally just want people to not bother me.
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2013
  3. Infesticon #1

    Infesticon #1 Majesticon

    Jujutsu is the term my instructor uses. I think he said he dislikes a lot of the negative perception of ninpo so he just wishes to avoid it entirely. Also I think we mainly just learn Jujutsu and Aiki techniques.
     
  4. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    is jujutsu the right term? would something like taijutsu be more accurate for empty-hand? or kenjutsu for weapons? i don't know, just wondering.
     
  5. Count Duckula

    Count Duckula Valued Member

    Technically, jujutsu and taijutsu would both be appropriate, since both are just a flowery way to describe an unarmed system.
     
  6. hatsie

    hatsie Active Member Supporter

    Why do you need to tell anyone anything? Isn't part of martial arts about keeping it to yourself? A little surprise for an attacker one day!
     
  7. kevin g

    kevin g Valued Member

    Japanese Jujutsu and Kenjutsu, if they don't know what that is I just say it's like Judo and Kendo, or Japanese wrestling and swordsmanship. If they're "in the know", I'll say something like Genbukan style martial arts, or classical bujutsu.

    I won't throw out "the N word" unless they bring it up, like say "Oh it's kind of like Bujinkan?". I'll say some of the schools have elements of ninjutsu. After all, only about 1 percent of what we do is ninjer stuff. Most of the time it's just Jujutsu, Taijutsu, Sword and Bo.
     
  8. Fudo-shin

    Fudo-shin Valued Member

    Refresh my memory, did not Takamatsu Sensei's card say, "Jujutsu and Bojutsu"?

    I knew there were many cases where Takamatsu Sensei spoke about Ninpo/Ninjutsu, but anyone remember him ever referring to him saying he was representing or teaching 'Ninjutsu/Ninpo"?
     
  9. philosoraptor

    philosoraptor carnivore in a top hat Supporter

    Aggressive cuddling. :3
     
  10. Count Duckula

    Count Duckula Valued Member

    Don't know. Last time I spoke with him the conversation went a little like this:

    We can't bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell 'em stories that don't go anywhere - like the time I caught the ferry over to China. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to chuugoku, which is what they called China in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. “Give me five bees for a quarter,” you'd say.

    Now where were we? Oh yeah: the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...
     
  11. hatsie

    hatsie Active Member Supporter

    Yup I know, last time I spoke to him he was banging on about 'flavourstone' cookware for his restaurant and something about led lights?.....
     
  12. Big Will

    Big Will Ninpô Ikkan

    Because that's what he was teaching publicly, if I understand things correctly.

    When asked what I do, I usually say "classical japanese martial arts". When pushed for an explanation, I say that we practice armed and unarmed techniques that stem from the japanese medieval battlefield. When pressed for a name, I say ninjutsu - because jūjutsu for example is just a very small part, and of course a big part is armed anyway.
     

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