Ninjutsu
Officially Ninjutsu (忍術, 'Art of Stealth')
TRADITIONAL JAPANESE MARTIAL ART + ESPIONAGE SYSTEM of the historical NINJA (SHINOBI) of medieval Japan (13th-17th c). Comprehensive art: unarmed combat (taijutsu), 18 traditional weapon skills (bo, sword, shuriken, kusarigama), stealth (in-shitsu ninpo), disguise, survival, meteorology, escape. Modernized + preserved by GRANDMASTER MASAAKI HATSUMI'S BUJINKAN organization (1972+). Ninjutsu masters continue 9 ancient ryuha (school lineages). ~200,000 practitioners worldwide.
Quick facts
Category
Combat Sports
Type
Individual
Players
1–2
Duration
~90 min
Where played
both
Country of origin
🇯🇵 Japan
Estimated origin
12-17th c medieval Japan; Bujinkan formal organization 1972 (Hatsumi Masaaki)
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Comprehensive combat: unarmed + weapons + stealth + survival + espionage.
Rules
Basic rules
Taijutsu: unarmed combat with strikes, throws, joint locks
Foundation.
18 traditional weapon skills (Ninja Juhakkei)
Weapons breadth.
9 traditional ryuha (school lineages) preserved by Hatsumi in Bujinkan
Historical continuity.
Ranking: dan grades (black belt) + higher godan/hachidan/kyudan
Modern structure.
Stealth, disguise, escape (in-shitsu ninpo) — original ninja arts
Signature discipline.
Scoring
Not competitive; ranking (dan grades) awarded via testing.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Godan test (5th dan) | Signature Bujinkan test — student must sense sword strike from behind + evade |
| Higher dan promotions | Awarded by Bujinkan Soke (grandmaster) |
Win condition · Personal mastery is primary; no competitive tournaments.
Equipment
Traditional ninja weapons: shuriken, kusarigama, bo (staff), ninjato (sword)
18 traditional skills
Shinobi shozoku (traditional ninja garb)
For ceremony/demonstration
Standard training gi (modern)
For sparring
Modern training weapons (wood, foam, blunted)
For safe practice
Terminology
- Ninjutsu / Ninpo
- 'Art / Higher art of stealth' — technical vs philosophical framing.
- Shinobi
- 'One who endures' — original Japanese term for ninja.
- Ryuha
- 'School lineage' — tradition passed teacher-to-student.
- Soke
- Head grandmaster of a ryuha.
- Godan
- 5th dan black belt — signature Bujinkan sword-evasion test.
- Kihon Happo
- '8 fundamental methods' — foundational Bujinkan techniques.
Where it is played
Governing bodies
Bujinkan Dojo (Hatsumi Masaaki)
Founded 1972 · Noda, Chiba, Japan
Genbukan (Shoto Tanemura)
Founded 1984 · Japan
Jinenkan (Manaka Fumio)
Founded 1996 · Japan
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Masaaki Hatsumi (Bujinkan Soke, 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-Ryu ninjutsu)
- Toshitsugu Takamatsu (Hatsumi's teacher, 33rd Grandmaster)
- Stephen K. Hayes (introduced ninjutsu to America, 1970s)
Frequently asked
Do real ninjas still exist?+
The HISTORICAL PROFESSION of shinobi (feudal-Japan spies/assassins) died with the Meiji Restoration (1868). MODERN NINJUTSU is a martial art preserved through the 9 traditional RYUHA passed teacher-to-student. Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi's BUJINKAN organization (1972+) is the largest keeper of Togakure-ryu + related ninjutsu lineages; ~200k practitioners globally. So — no active ninjas, but living transmission of the arts.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Ninjutsu— Wikipedia