NINJUTSU HISTORY
There are many Web Pages and   Books devoted to the art of Ninjutsu and I do not wish to repeat what is   written. What I will say is that not all that is written is either correct or   properly researched.    I will only briefly cover History as you will no doubt have visited other   sites already. It is up to the reader to take in all the facts and decide   what is true. The object of this site is to shed a little light on a subject   surrounded in, not mystery but, misinformation.
Ninjutsu is NOT the art of assassination. Ninja's do NOT do spinning back kicks while   somersaulting through the air despite what some so called Sensei   Master's will tell all who are stupid enough to believe.
NINJUTSU HISTORY AND TRADITION
Most of our teaching tells us that the Ninja   lineage probably comes from the Yama-Bushi.    These warrior monks originated in Kyoto region, which at the time was heavily   Shinto dominated, but also later became integrated with Buddhist beliefs.
Because one of the main practices that the   Yama-Bushi trained in was the fighting arts, their numbers were often swelled   by the influx of 'Sohei', who were often peasants, and this made the   monasteries "armies" grow to considerable size.    The priests were originally called 'Gakusho' but the name that stuck was   Yama-Bushi (mountain warriors) due to the fact that they came from Mount Hiei   (Unfortunately the term Yamabushi was/is the name of a sect of Buddhist   friars and means mountain sleepers, although written with different   Characters.    Buddhism was originally introduced in the 7th century but was not popular   until it was reintroduced by Eisai in 1192.
The Ninja came to be during the 11th Century at   about the time the Samurai came to power. The Ninja decided that they did not   wish their lives (and deaths) to be controlled by some all powerful warlord.    The Ninja relocated their families to the mountain regions in Japan and set   up a counter culture. Here, all the family members worked for the good of the   Clan.    In order to protect their families the Ninja developed many skills. Expert   fighters taught Martial Arts (Tai-jutsu), Great riders taught Horsemanship   (Ba-jutsu), and the Learned taught Academic and Science skills (Ten-mon, Chi   mon).    The Ninja also became experts in explosives (Kayku-justsu), as well as many   weapons. In fact, of all the Martial arts Ninjutsu has the most diverse array   of weapons.    The Ninja believed that learning was for everyone and not just the rich.   Children were taught the same skills as adults. The Ninja were also great   Philosophers (Kyojitsu Tenkan Ho).
Because of all these skills the Ninja became   feared warriors and tacticians. The warlords who had even one Ninja in there   employ were deemed to be powerful and dangerous.    These skills and powers became the eventual downfall of the Ninja.    By the 17th Century, the Warlords and Samurai had become so afraid of this   alternative society that they set out to destroy the Ninja completely.    The stories of these "wars" are legendary and are told elsewhere on   the web and in many books. As testament to the power of the Ninja it cost the   lives of many thousands of Soldiers and Samurai before the Ninja were beaten.    It is believed by many that the surviving Ninja simply went to ground living   their lives in secret, indeed the proof of this fact is that Ninjutsu has   once again risen to be seen now, not just by the Japanese, but by the whole   world.
NINJUTSU TODAY
When you visit a Dojo do not expect to be taught   Ninjutsu in the old ways. How many Dojo's can truthfully say that they have   Horses, Yari, Naginata, Explosives, etc. or even that the Sensei would know   how to use these themselves. The art of NINJUTSU covered all of these things   and much more. The term Ninjutsu has now been replaced by Budo-Taijutsu in   both the Bujinkan and the Genbukan due to the fact that this is perhaps more   accurate as only 3 on the 9 schools taught were Ninjutsu Ryu
What you should expect to be taught at the very   least is :-
Tai-Jutsu......................Unarmed combat,   including Daken Tai-Jutsu (Striking, Kicking, Blocking), Jutai-Jutsu (Grappling), Nage Waza (Throwing Techniques), Taihen-Jutsu (Silent Movement)    Kaiten...........................Rolls    Junan Taiso...................Body conditioning    Bo-Jutsu.......................Stick and Staff fighting    Ken-Jutsu.....................Sword techniques    Seishin Teki Kyoyo.......Spiritual refinement    These are the BASIC TECHNIQUES. If your Instructor does not teach these   things ask him/her why ?    Have you seen your Instructors certificates ? Do you know who his Teacher is   ? Have you trained with his Teacher ?    Ask questions and ask more. Have you tried other Dojo's ?    If you are going to learn NINJUTSU make sure it is NINJUTSU you are being   taught.

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