Learning Ninjutsu

Hi people, welcome again to the blog. I read the last comments and let me tell you that “yes”, ninjas were a little bit unethical and that is why samurais hate them. Despite this, their techniques (and maybe their culture) were passed through generations and that is why we know some of their practices. On the other hand, today I will talk about how Ninjutsu is taught.

Nowadays, Ninjutsu is taught with Bujinkan, another martial art which includes 3 schools of Ninjutsu and 6 schools of weapons. Bujinkan that involves the use of the body is called Ninjutsu and this is also called Budo Taijutsu. Basically, Budo Taijutsu involves using the fists, fingers, elbows, nails, legs, chokes, evasions, vital points and projections to attack the enemy. (Budo Taijutsu) The main idea here is that the ninja must use the body as a whole in order to injure his opponent.

Furthermore, Ninjutsu is taught among 10 Kyus (which are the basic levels) and 10 Dans (only achieved when a student has completed the previous 10 Kyus). The first 10 Kyus function as the basis for knowing this art. Actually, in every Kyu, the students acquire the knowledge and the skills characteristics of it. The movements that you learn are related with the four elements and try to imitate their characteristics. At the end of the Kyu, the students are evaluated in order to determine if they can continue with the next Kyu or not. Also, some people say that Ninjutsu takes the entire student’s life because a lot of time is needed in order to be considered a Shihan (chief instructor that achieved the 10th Dan).

The only thing that I can say is that this martial art is not so common and maybe is worthwhile to learn it because you can use it as personal defense.

I hope that you liked the post, see you next week!

Reference:

Budo Taijutsu. 27 October 2011 http://www.bujinkancordobadojo.es/budotaij.html.

Rivalry between ninjas and samurais

Hi people, welcome again and let me tell you that I’m glad that you like the posts that I’m uploading. Today, I will talk about the main differences between ninjas and samurais. These differences provoked conflicts within these two cultures and ended in a constant rivalry between ninjas and samurais.

First, samurais are the oldest warriors in Japan. This provoked that samurais gained more military power and therefore, they ended being an elite. On the other hand, ninjas were mercenaries or middle class people who did not have the status of a samurai but were capable enough of learning war strategies or techniques that samurais did not know. Second, samurais’ code of honor stated that they should serve only to one family while ninjas’ code stated that they should serve to every person that pays them. Finally, another important difference is the fighting style of both groups. Ninjas tend to attack from behind, at night and with different tactics to kill their enemies, for example, poison. On the other hand, samurais used to present themselves and then they attacked their enemies with their katana. (Utilidad.com)

Probably, the rivalry between these two groups began because samurais were afraid of being replaced by ninjas because they knew that ninjas had more abilities than them. In addition to this, samurais had conflicts with ninjas because they did not want to lose their military power gained previously in Japan. Also, the code of honor from both groups is very different and this created a variety of opinions among them, making that the conflicts arise. Well that is all for today people, have a nice week, comment and see you soon.

Reference:

Utilidad.com. Principales diferencias entre samurais y ninjas. 2010. 12 October 2011 .