Ninjutsu

Ninja and Ninjutsu have a very long history indeed, with their origins to be found in Ancient China, an inheritance that was well-recognised in Medieval Japan. The first ever written recognition of the existence and importance of undercover warfare is contained in The Art of War by the Chinese Sun Tzu, who lived sometime between the sixth and fourth century BC. The Art of War is the first great military classic, and has exerted an influence on martial thinking ever since. Fundamentally, an army should attack when the enemy has become vulnerable from within. This process involves intrigue, rumour and intelligence-gathering. This process involves intelligence information gathering. Sun Tzu's account of the use of spies, in which he sketches out much of what was to become recognised as ninja-lore, forms the thirteenth chapter of his work. The character Sun Tzu uses for a spy in the title of the chapter is kan, which has the meaning of 'the space between two objects', or 'discord', an obvious reference to the ability of secret agents to cause division between allies. The same character is the first in the compound mentioned on page 11: kancho, for spy (and the less familiar kanja, with the same ending as nin-ja).

One of the best known characteristics of the superman ninja is his remarkable ability at the martial arts, a belief that was fostered from early in the Edo Period by the formation of several ryu, or schools of ninjutsu, which had their own rules, their own traditions and their own specialities. The former mercenaries of lga and Koga, for example, formalised the Iga and Koga ryu, and Nakagawa Shoshunjin had his own Nakagawa-ryu. Like all schools of martial arts during the Edo Period they were dedicated to maintaining the traditions and qualities of their craft, and also had their own means of ensuring that the secrets of the art were passed on only from master to pupil or from father to son.

The style offered by BKNF originates from the Nishida family of Koga and its art and techniques that have never been offered to westerners before. The style combines exceptional physical and mental attributes that are conducive towards a balanced every-day life.

The style has no connection what-so-ever with other ninjutsu styles and it does not maintain a violent attitude. On the contrary, it enhances self-discipline and encourages the practitioner to lead an exemplary moral life.