“Why do you wear those funny slippers / shoes?” A common question for people starting or watching ninjutsu classes. On the surface it does seem a bit odd giv...

"I'm a ninja..." "No you're not!" "Did you see that?" "What?" "Exactly...." The invisible assassin, disappearing in a cloud of smoke, shadowy doorways, behin...

This iconic piece of ‘ninja’ apparel has been done in so many ways. If we want to understand the form and function of this simple concept, then we need to do...

The kyoketsu shoge is a weapon that is said to pre-date the kusarigama and was used by ninja of the Japanese region called Iga. The weapon was a combination ...

There are many forms of stick fighting, from English quarterstaff, to Shaolin staff, to Bo staff in many Japanese styles, to Filipino and Escrima sticks to ...

At times the question of training alone and what should, or can, be done without a training partner comes up. Its difficult to know what to train in as you d...

There is a general rule that if you have an injury or sickness you stop training until you've recovered. However Soke Hatsumi has said "When weak or injured ...

If any weapon can be said to be iconic for the ninja it could be argued that the shuriken is the one. So many films, books and cartoons have their characters...

Disappearing in a puff of smoke, the legendary skills of the ninja! Fuelled by superstition and propaganda this way of dealing with multiple attackers to cre...

Sometimes we want to train in a bespoke dojo, a place that invokes a connection to the art (whatever we perceive that may be). But this isn't always possible...

In the world of martial arts, self defence, combat, fighting and survival there is always the discussion about what constitutes 'real' or effective training....

I was at a big seminar recently, and taught a session on sword work. While there, some top instructors from other martial arts were teaching and talking abou...

When looking at a ‘ninja’ sword (ninja-to) there are many misconceptions – the first being the whole straight blade issue. If you take the premise that the n...

One of the less well known but almost iconic of ninja tools are hand claws or shuko. These concealed tools were also versatile weapons and their use was only...

There is always a training theme that is set by Soke Hatsumi at the beginning of year and this year is no exception. This year the feeling for the year is Ka...

At the height of the historical ninja period, the clan's ninja operatives were trained in eighteen fundamental areas of expertise, beginning with spiritual r...

Dirty White Belt What does it mean to be shodan? That first step on the ladder to learning an unlearnable art…and if that isn’t confusing enough, there’s all...

I have always been fascinated by archery, and began practicing at the age of 14. I would cycle every Sunday about 10 miles to a field archery site atop a woo...

If there is a ‘ninja sword’ is there a ‘ninja knife’? Well the closest that comes to it is the Kunai. Although to call it a knife would be a misnomer. The ku...

So what will you find when you go to train at a typical Bujinkan class? Well one thing you won’t find is a scene from Ninja Assassin, or Batman Begins (black...