Who we know today as the Ninja come from the Iga and Koga regions (today's central Kii Peninsula). They were concealed in the Suzuka mountain range. Today, you can visit Iga- Ueno, located between Osaka and Kyoto. Iga and Koga were located near the port of Sakai. In Sakai, many cultures meet, and maybe this influence also helped the development of Ninjutsu.

According to the records of Togakure ryuu, 73 ninja ryuu have existed throughout its history. Some main schools were: Negishi ryuu, Shirai ryuu. Shinto ryuu and Hakuun ryuu. From which schools like Togakure ryuu, Koushu ryuu, Kisho ryuu, Minamoto ryuu, Genjitu ryuu, Ryumon ryuu, Tenton happou ryuu and Goton juppo ryuu are said to be derived. Iga and Koga ryuu survived, gained a reputation, and were welcomed by the Tokugawa govt.

When Ninja were not active (at war), they worked as regular merchants, farmers, fishermen, doctors, and pharmacists (medicine sellers). It was very important for Ninja to keep their identity secret, or they would put their lives at risk, so their identity was secret.

Ninja's primary role was to gather information. During peacetime, this information was used/gathered to maintain peace. Back then, there were no radios, TV, or Internet, so it took many days for someone in Tokyo to know what was happening in Osaka. During the Warring States Period, Ninja gathered information for Daimyo, so before going to battle, they could use this information to assess the enemy's capacity, weakness, etc.

WHAT IS NINPŌ KOBUJUTSU

Ninpō Kobujutsu is the name I use to refer to my knowledge and experience of Ninpō and Ninjutsu. When I started learning Ninjutsu back in 1985, people just referred to the martial art as Ninjutsu. I was fortunate enough to get close to Masaaki Hatsumi, said to be the last living ninja and a Cultural Living Treasure of Japan (awarded by Japan's Ministry of Culture). I was Hatsumi Sensei's translator (English to Spanish and vice versa) for 12 years. Not only that, but I traveled to Japan some 22 times, on trips that went from 10 days to 6 weeks. Later, I asked Sensei permission to spend some time in Japan and applied for a cultural visa with the Japanese Government. I spent around 4 years studying this wonderful martial art, sometimes returning home for a few weeks.

There are many types of martial arts, Kobujutsu is probably the most antique and traditional of all, in the West, and even many Japanese people consider sportive martial arts (competition) as forms of Budo. Budo, Kobudō (old Budo), and Kobujutsu (original form, used when people had to fight to survive) are cultural developments, not sports. In Japan, Hatsumi Sensei retired in December 2019 and passed on his titles to top Japanese students. In 2020 and 2021, the CCP Virus (COVID 19) and the PSYOP that led to what we now know as the Post-Truth Era affected the whole world. Until then, I was a member of the International (and Honbu Dojo) Instructor's Association. Due to my views and activism in countering the official globalist nonsense (the New World Order), I left my Sensei's world organization because I do not want my postures, opinions, or actions to negatively impact Hatsumi Sensei's world organization.

The name some Japanese top instructors use for our martial art is Kobudō Ninpō Taijutsu. I used this name until 2021, when I named my interpretation of the martial art: Ninpō Kobujutsu. The difference between Kobudō and Kobujutsu is that 道 dō means a spiritual path, and jutsu is technique. I have developed my own interpretation (not a system), counting that people who learn it will maybe have to use the knowledge and experience to survive in real life. Dō, is a path to enlightenment or to obtain high-level knowledge of oneself and the Universe. Aikido, Kyudo ... Ninja Kids Dojo is any kids' lesson in any valid Ninpō or Ninjutsu dojo (wherever in the world), therefore I use rick Sensei's Ninja Kids Dojo. I am not the best, the most knowledgeable, or the main guy. rick Sensei's Ninja Kids today is mainly aimed at homeschooling families. I keep a low profile because I aim to offer my martial art mainly to Christian, God-loving families and any other family that values life and follows the path of Good and Justice.

ORIGINS OF NINPŌ AND BUDŌ

古武術 Kobujutsu: ancient ryuu whose techniques are those of life-and death combat and usually end with the opponent neutralized.
古武道 Kobudō: Ancient jutsu 流 ‘technique’ that was coded into schools and became an art.
武道 Budo: The Way of the Warrior.

The development of what we know today as Budō can be traced through Japanese history. A simple way to describe Kobujutsu is that the fight ends with one of the opponents dead (symbolic in training). Kobudō refers to the ancient forms of martial arts that have been preserved and still retain the essence of real combat. Budō is a dou (path or way) with spiritual, ethical, and moral values as a contrast to modern martial arts, which have become a sport type with rules and more rigid forms.

The first forms of Kobudō can be traced to before the Heian Period. Ryuu, like Togakure Ryuu or Gyokko Ryuu, are almost 1,000 years old. Old samurai schools like the Takeda Ryuu and many others have also survived; having been handed from sōke to sōke, Togakure Ryuu is now in its 35th generation.

When Bujutsu was no longer used to fight wars, it became somewhat fashionable for samurai to live exemplary lives based on justice, ethical values, and a rich spiritual life. A very strict observation of manners and hygiene, as well as a dedication to the arts and poetry.

There was a time when Budō was not well known, and very few people practiced it. In the Japanese-Russo war (1904–1905), many of the Japanese soldiers recruited were ill-prepared for combat. Only officers who had practiced Budō and/or were from samurai lineage were able to perform well, so authorities decided to reinstate the practice of Budo.

Today, starting with primary education, in many Japanese public schools, you will find Judo, Kendo, Kyudo and sometimes Karate as part of their education.

Budō usually refers to samurai arts, while Ninjutsu and Ninpō refer to ninja arts. Both, samurai and ninja were warriors who lived and fought for several centuries in Japan until 3 warlords finally united the country. One man who finally unified Japan and ended internal warfare between samurai lords and clans was, Tokugawa Ieasu. His descendants ruled Japan for almost 300 years as a shogunate.

Ninpō Kobujutsu

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