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The 18 skills of the Togakure Ryu Ninja
Goju Ryu KarateFounded by Master Chojun Miyagi in the 1920s, Goju ryu is popularly known as a hard/soft karate style. Goju ryu ..... The 18 skills of the Togakure Ryu Ninja (Bujinkan)
The Togakure ryu, established approximately eight hundred years ago, is
now in its thirty-fourth generation. The ryu exists today as an
organization dedicated to teaching effective methods of self-protection
and promoting the self-development and awareness of its members. Due to
the stabilized nature of contemporary Japanese government and judicial
systems, the Togakure ninja ryu no longer involves itself directly in
combat or espionage work. Pervious to the unificiation of Japan during the
16th century, however, it was necessary for the Togakure ninja to operate
out of south central . At the height of the historical ninja period, the
clan's ninja operatives were trained in eighteen fundamental areas of
expertise, beginning with this "psychic purity" and progressing through a
vast range of physical and mental skills. The eighteen levels of training
were as follows:
Seishin Teki Kyoyo (Spiritual Refinement)
The Togakure ninja worked at developing a deep and accurate knowledge of
himself, his personal power, his strengths and weaknesses, and his
influence on the playing out of life. The ninja had to be very clear about
his intentions, his commitments, and his personal motivations in life.
Personality traits could often mean the difference between life and death
in his line of work. Exercises in mental endurance, ways of looking at
things, and proper perspective when evlatuating things, were taught to the
ninja along with his physical skills. By evolving into a mystic's
understanding of the universal process, the historical Togakure ryu ninja
became a warrior philosopher. His engagements in combat were then
motivated by love or reverance, and not by the mere thrill of violent
danger or need of money.
Tai Jutsu (Unarmed Combat)
Skills of daken-taijutsu or striking, kicking, and blocking; jutai-jutsu
or grappling, choking and escaping the holds of others, and taihenjutsu or
silent movement, rolling, leaping, and tumbling asisted the Togakure ninja
in life-threatening, defensive situations.
Ninja Ken (Ninja Sword)
The ninja's sword hada short straight single edged blade, and was
considered to be his primary fighting tool. Two distinct sword skills were
Hsing Yi Chuanb>Hsing Yi Chuan, which literally means, "mind body boxing," is one of the three internal martial ..... required of the ninja. "Fast Draw" techniques centered around drawing the
sword and cutting as a simultaneous action. "Fencing" skills used the
drawn sword in technique clashes with armed attackers.
Bo-Jutsu (Stick and Staff Fighting)
The Japanese stick fighting art, practiced by samurai and peasants alike,
was also a strong skill of the ninja. Togakure ninja were taught to use
the bo long staff (six feet) and hanbo "half-staff" cane (three feet), as
well as sticks and clubs of varying lengths. Specially constructed
shinobi-zue or ninja canes were designed to look like the normal walking
sticks, but concealed blades, chains, or darts that could be used against
an enemy.
Shuriken-Jutsu (Throwing Blades)
Throwing blades were carried in concealed pockets and used as harassing
weapons. The Togakure ryu used a special four-pointed throwing star called
Chito RyuChito-ryu Karate's history starts with Tsuyoshi Chitose (1898-1984), its founder. Chitose was born on October 18, 1898 - the ..... a senban shuriken, which was constructed from a thin steel plate. The
blade was thrown with a flat spinning motion and hit its target with a
sawing effect. Bo shuriken or straight shaft darts and spikes were also
constructed for throwing.
Yari-Jutsu(Spear Fighting)
Togakure ryu ninja agents were taught to use standard Japanese spears and
lances as middle-range fighting weapons. Spears and lances were used for
stabbing and piercing attacks, and rarely ever thrown in normal combat.
The togakure ryu also used a unique spear weapon called a kami-yari, or
"sickle lance", which consisted of a spear blade with a hook at the base.
The total length of the weapon was over nine feet. The lance point could
be used to lunge and stab, and the hook point could be used to snag and
pull the opponent or his weapon.
Naginata-Jutsu (Halberd Fighting)
Virtually a short blade mounted on a long handle, the Japanese halberd was
used for cutting and slashing attacks against adversaries at medium range.
Togakure ryu ninja warriors were also proficient with the bisen-to, a huge
heavy-bladed version of the naginata halberd. Based on a chinese war tool,
the broad-bladed weapon was heavy enough to knock down attackers, smash
through armor, and ground the horses of mounted samurai.
Kusari-Gama (Chain and Sickle Weapon)
The Japanese chain and sickle weapon was adopted into the arsenal of the
Togakure ryu ninja. A chain, six to nine feet in length and weighted at
one end, was attached to the handle of the traditional grain cutting tool.
The chain could be used to block or ensnare the enemy's weapon, and the
blade then used to finish off the attacker. The kyoketsu-shoge, a weapon
similar to the chain and sickle, was favored by the togakure ryu. The
weapon consisted of a straight hand-held dagger blade with a secondary
blade hooking out from the hilt, attached to a fifteen foot resilient cord
usually made from women's or horse's hair. A large steel ring was attached
to the free end of the cord.
Kayaku-Jutsu (Fire and Explosives)
Ninja were experts in the effective placement, timing, and rigging of
explosive devices for demolition and distraction. In later years, the use
of black powders and other explosives was suplimented with knowledge of
firearms and their strategic applications.
Henso-Jutsu (Disguise and Impersonation)
Essential to the ninja's espeionage work was his ability to assume false
identites and move undetected through his area of operation. More than
merely just putting on a costume, ninjutsu's disguise system involved
thoroughly impersonating the character adopted. Personality traits, areas
of knowledge, and body dynamics of the identity assumed were ingrained
into the nijna's way of thinking and reacting. He or she literally became
the new personality, whether taking the role of a monk, craftsman, or
wandering entertainer.
Shinobi-Iri (Stealth and Entering Methods)
The ninja's techniques of silent movement, breaking and entering, and
gaining access to inaccessible areas became legends in feudal Japan .
Togakure ryu ninja learned special walking and running methods for
covering long distances, passing over floors silently, and for staying in
the shadows while moving, in order to facilitate entry and escape.
Ba-Jutsu (Horsemanship)
Togakure ryu ninja were taught to be proficient on horseback, both in
riding and mounted combat skills.
Sui-Ren (Water Training)
Stealth swimming, silent movement through water, methods of using special
boats and floats to cross over water, and underwater combat techniques
were taught to Togakure ryu ninja.
Bo-Ryaku (Strategy)
Unconventional tactics of deception and battle, political plots, and
advantageous timing for use of current events were used by Togakure ryu
ninja. By employing or influencing seemingly outside forces to bring the
enemy around to doing what the ninja wanted him to do, ninja were able to
work their will without drawing undue attention to themselves.
Cho Ho (Espionage)
Methods of successful espionage were perfected. This included ways of
locating and recruiting spies and served as a guide for using espionage
agents most effectively.
Inton-Jutsu (Escape and Concealment)
Ninja were experienced masters in the ways of using nature to cover their
exit, allowing them to "dissapear" at will. The goton-po five elements of
escape were based on a working familiarity with the creative use of earth,
water, fire, metal, and wood aspects of nature and the environment.
Ten-Mon (Meteorology)
Forecasting and taking advantage of weather and seasonal phenomena was an
important part of any battle consideration. Ninja were trained to observe
all the subtle signals from the environment in order to predict weather
conditions.
Chi-Mon (Geography)
Knowing and successfully using the features of the terrain were crucial
skills in the historical art of ninjutsu.
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