What are Ninja?

Essentially for a long time in medieval Japan there were all sorts of semi-organized groups, some temporary and some more long term, who specialized in covert operations before, during and after war time. They had hugely differing degrees of skill but some groups became more organized than others due to things like sponsorship from a powerful warlord or religious sect and survival in isolation.

A couple of particular regions, Iga and Koga, amongst others, became hotspots for these groups who were made up from farmers and samurai (medieval noblemen). Banditry was common at this time too and so nefarious elements would have mingled with them as well. This is the nature of long term civil war and strife both in times gone past and now.

Over the course of generations the skills acquired in the different groups became enhanced and out of this crucible of physical knowledge emerged distinct schools of martial arts. In the Bujinkan which embodies 9 separate schools, there are 3 schools associated with the ninja - these specialists in espionage, infiltration and covert operations. While the members of these schools would be very familiar with general warfare, their particular martial study focused on the things needed for special operations. This is the same way a navy seal today would have been a regular soldier at some point before branching into behind-the-scenes tactics.

So the ninja did have physical martial arts but contrary to how films and comic portray them, they would really a have acted more like information gatherers whose main purpose excluded hand-to-hand combat. The 3 Bujinkan "ninja" schools have therefore very little combat techniques compared to the others and when they do they often involve escaping using particular efficient strikes,locks and throws. In a sense this makes "ninjutsu" or more correctly "ninpo taijutsu" a perfect modern-day practices for ordinary people who actually do not desire a protracted fight but would rather survive and not get caught up in assault.

The Bujinkan carries the lessons of the ninja through all of its training - to avoid fighting, to be efficient, to persevere and to survive. We study martial arts of both ninja and samurai but its ninjutsu that contains the advanced concepts that work for todays world.

Alex Martinez 17-June-2011

Kerry Eye Newspaper (August 2010)

Written for Dinglenews.com (Apr 22nd 2010) 

The Japanese Art of the Stick - Hanbojutsu

At the Bujinkan Jiyu Dojo in April, we’ll be studying one of the oldest weapons known to man – the humble stick. Ever since humans realised that they could use tools to their advantage, the stick – possibly in the shape of a branch or even a piece of bone – has played a role not only as a weapon used to ward off other people and to control animals but as a walking aid, a splint, a carrying device etc.

In Japanese culture the use of the stick as a weapon was never replaced by the more sophisticated sword even on battlefield. They actually complemented each other.  After all, the battlefield weapon of choice for centuries was the spear – a stick with a blade mounted at one end. These often broke and so the remaining shaft could still be wielded against the enemy. The warrior class, the Samurai, therefore maintained the training of sticks of various sizes in  order to keep themselves adaptive on a chaotic battlefield. The Bujinkan martial arts contains the teachings of many types of sticks, from short truncheons and walking sticks to larger staffs. To this day, Tokyo airport police carry 4ft staffs with them – useful for non-lethal control of disruptive and aggressive persons.

The training at the dojo involves paired practice against armed and unarmed adversaries. This training complements the unarmed punching and kicking side of the art and isn’t seen as a separate discipline but more of a natural extension. At the Jiyu Dojo in Dingle and Tralee throughout April and May we will be studying our usual unarmed techniques for half the class followed by the study of  stick techniques. For now, this will involve the 3ft and 4ft walking-stick sizes. As well as striking, sticks can be used to lock and throw aggressors, disarm them and even tie them up. The study involves whole-body movement, dexterity and the ability to judge distance, timing and angles in unison with precise control and adaptability. The art of the stick is a long and challenging practice that allows for physical and mental enjoyment.

Written for the West Kerry Live newsletter, Issue 14 (Jan 14th-27th 2010) 

Bujinkan: Japanese Swordsmanship in Dingle

In the Bujinkan we study many medieval Japanese weapons – from spears to swords, flexible weapons to projectiles, small hand-held blades to large battlefield weapons and armour. We study unarmed techniques too and the ultimate goal of training is to be free to use any object as a weapon in any circumstance, including the weapons of the body itself. This is where the “art” of the martial arts comes in – that freedom of expression, to be at a calm zero point where anything is possible. It just so happens that the expression may be to thwart aggression, but really it’s the training to reach that point that is interesting, the journey rather than the destination, the martial path.

The Japanese sword takes a central role in this journey as it evolved over centuries to become the ultimate expression of martial prowess. Medieval Japan was a culture dominated by warriors who carried swords on their person at all times, often in pairs. When at war, after the arrows were spent and the spears were broken, the sword became the last and more personal of weapons. The warriors – the Samurai – had to engage with each other with what amounted to 3 foot razor blades in extreme conditions of fatigue, injury, and incredible mental trauma. Off the battlefield, in those times, swords found use in duels between warriors defending their own honour or that of their sword school or of their lord. What grew out of centuries of evolving war and civil strife were the martial arts schools and traditions, where one could hone the skills needed to survive conflict.

The few schools that exist today are the ones that survived, in a Darwinian sense, due to having superior techniques. The Bujinkan contains 9 of these schools and each one has its own way of walking the martial path, with its own weapons and philosophy that resulted from the particular circumstances the school developed in. They all contain the Japanese sword.

When we study the sword we look firstly at the basic things that are shared amongst all sword traditions, like ways of holding it, the different cuts one can make, the targets these cuts apply to etc. Then we study different blocks and other ways of receiving an attacker’s cut so as to protect not only ourselves but the defending sword too. All this is controlled by footwork and angling and the way the human skeleton efficiently powers locomotion.

At a higher level of study we look at the interaction between attacker and defender. This involves feinting, timing, distance, positioning and drawing the attacker into a strategically bad move. All of these ideas change when different attacking weapons are involved, when swordsmen wear armour or indeed when the defender has no weapons at all against a swordsman. Each of the 9 traditions within the Bujinkan have their own nuances as well. Some specialize in battlefield conditions, others were used by castle bodyguards who were not allowed to kill, who had to preserve life.

Studying all of these things, the handling of the sword in movement and the physical interplay, between practicioners allows the martial artist to become in tune with their body and their surroundings, gain insight their behaviour under pressure and ultimately learn to become free in mind, body and spirit.

Bujinkan training takes place in Dingle at the Play at Height Adventure Centre, Baile na Buaile on Mondays and Tuesdays and is also available in Tralee on Wednesdays.

Please ring Alex at 086-0831853 for details.
For more information the website is www.bujinkankerry.com

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