| Toshitsugu Takamatsu |
| Toshitsugu Takamatsu, the son of Takamatsu Gishin, was born Jutaro on March 10th 1889 in Hyogo and his real name was Hisatsugu, which he later changed his name to Toshitsugu. He became known as the Mouko no Tora (Mongolian Tiger) after his many adventures in China. Takamatsu used various names such as Yokuou, Chosui, Kikaku, Shojuken, Garakuta Bujn, Kozan and Kyosha. |
| Takamatsu Sensei started in martial arts at the age of 9, and his early teachers were Ishitani Matsutaro, Toda Shinryuken Masamitsu, and Mizuta Yoshitaro Tadafusa |
| Toshitsugu Takamatsu established Kashihara Shobukai in Nara prefecture in May of 1950. His students were (amongst others) Fumio Akimoto (Takamatsu's most senior student at that time, who later became Soke of Gikan Ryu), Yoshiaki Hatsumi, Kimbei Sato, Masaji Kimura, and Takashi Ueno. |
| Takamatsu Sensei died in 1972 |
| Kinbei Sato |
| Kinbei Sato was born in 1926. At the age of 11 he started martial arts training with his family in the art of Daiwa Ryu Jujutsu When Akimoto died in 1962 Takamatsu decided that Sato was to become Soke of Gikan Ryu. |
| Masaaki Hatsumi Bujinkan |
| Masaaki Hatsumi was born Yoshiaki on 2nd December 1931 in Noda (North of Tokyo), later he changed his name to Masaaki. He began training in Kendo at the age of 7 years old and then began studying Judo and Karate shortly after. |
| When he was 26 years old he was introduced to Takamatsu Toshitsugu in Kashiwabara City. He travelled across Honshu island every weekend for fifteen years to study with Takamatsu, a journey of over a half day from his home, by train in Noda to Takamatsu's home in Kashiwabara. |
| When Takamatsu Toshitsugu died aged 83 years old in his home in Nara on April 2nd in 1972 he made Hatsumi Soke of: |
 |
| Togakure-ryu Ninpo Happo Biken, 34th Soke Gyokko-ryu Kosshijutsu Happo Biken, 28th Soke Kukishin-ryu Taijutsu Happo Biken, 28th Soke Shindenfudo-ryu Dakentaijutsu Happo Biken, 26th Soke Gyokushin-ryu Ninpo Happo Biken, 21th Soke Koto-ryu Koppojutsu Happo Biken, 18th Soke Takagiyoshin-ryu Jutaijutsu Happo Biken, 17th Soke Gikan-ryu Koppojutsu Happo Biken, 15th Soke Kumogakure-ryu Ninpo Happo Biken, 14th Soke |
| In the late 1960's and early 1970's a handful of non Japanese found their way to Hatsumi's Dojo and began training in Bujinkan Ninjutsu. These included Doron Novon, Stephen Hayes, and Bo Munthe. |
| ShotoTanemura Genbukan |
 |
| Tsunehisa Tanemura was born on the 28th of August 1947, in the town of Matsubushi. He took the name Shoto, meaning the "Law of the Sword". |
| Tanemura was taught martial arts by his father, Sadatsume and father's uncle, Kakunosuke Yamazaki (8th dan in the Onoha Itto Ryu) from the age of 9. Tanemura was introduced to Kinbei Sato (a direct student of Takamatsu) while still at university. When he was 22 Tanemura joined the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. After 15 years of service, he resigned his job as a Lieutenant to concentrate on martial arts. |
| He founded the Genbukan Ninpo Bugei Dojo On November 28th, 1984, in his Matsubushi dojo. |
| Fumio Manaka Jinekan |
| Fumio Manaka was a student of Hatsumi who, in 1996 set up the Jinekan. He took the name Unsui ("independent seeker of enlightenment") as his budo name when he founded the Jineken |
| Doron Navon |
| Doron Navon went to Japan in 1969 to compete in some Judo competitions. He had no idea that he would end up studying with Hatsumi. Doron was the first of Hatsumi's non Japanese students and again the first non Japanese to be licensed to teach Ninjutsu outside of Japan. By coincidence Doron means to disappear in Japanese and was a Ninja saying. Doron Navon took Ninjutsu to his homeland of Israel and from there it spread to Europe. |
| Steven K Hayes Quest Centers |
| Steven Hayes went to Japan in 1970 seeking martial arts training and was disappointed by what he saw. It was when he met Hatsumi that he found his true way and began to study Bujinkan Ninjutsu. Hatsumi sent Steven Hayes to America with the purpose of showing the western world the art of Budo Taijutsu. Steven set up the Kasumi-An Dojo under the authority of Masaaki Hatsumi. Steven Hayes eventually opened the "Quest Centers" and now teaches 'To Shin Do' which, even though it is not Ninjutsu as such, it does use much of what Steven originally learned. |
| Bo Munthe Mu-Te-Jinen-Ryu Ninpo Goshinjitsu |
 |
| Bo Munthe first learned about Ninjutstu through a book written by Adams called , 'NINJA, THE INVISIBLE ASSASSIN'. Bo wrote a letter to Hatsumi expressing his interest in Ninjutsu and in 1977 Ishizuka Sensei visited Sweden the first time. In 1976 Bo travelled to Japan to train with Hatsumi Sensei for the first time. Bo opened the Ninja Center in Stockholm on October 11, 1982. Bo Munthe has founded Mu-Te-Jinen-Ryu Ninpo Goshinjitsu and has recently re-joined the Bujinkan. |
| THE HISTORY OF NINJUTSU SINCE 1950 |
 |
 |