Sunday, July 27, 2008

Why Ninpo Taijutsu?


"By opening his eyes and his mind, the ninja can responsively follow the subtle seasons and reasons of heaven, changing just as change is necessary, adapting always, so that in the end there is no such thing as surprise for the ninja." Toshitsugu Takamatsu

Of all the arts of martial discipline, it is within Ninpo that the art of war finds its fulfillment.  Ninpo is the embodiment of thousands of years of unbroken tradition whose techniques find thier genesis on the field of battle.  It is a system complete and refined which makes no distinction between the "empty hand" and the use of weapons.  It encompasses the manipulation of the physical as well as mastery of the mental and the development of the spiritual.  Indeed, man fights primarily with his brain and by the strength of his heart.  Ultimately, as Ninpo teaches, the outcome of conflict is determined by the destiny prescribed by providence.  

Ninpo is not an art for every man or woman (kunoichi).  Ninpo embodies the heart of the warrior, exists for and because of the warrior.  And, in this age of the common man, warriors are in short supply.  Ninpo's techniques are not for the faint of heart, for the effete.  Specifically, Ninpo Taijutsu embodies a system, not based in technique, but on the feeling of combat and the manipulation of the combat dynamic.  This process is not easily apprehended and is beyond the capacity of most dabblers to endure.  It is as it should be.  For the very essence of Ninpo is to endure; to endure pain, fear, monotony, discouragement, or whatever challenge that may raise its serpentine head to devour the heart of the warrior.  The Ninja endures because he must; he trains simply because that's what warriors do.  The warrior is compelled by his nature to endure.

Why Ninpo Taijutsu? Though some of what exists today echoes aspects of Ninpo, none posesses the purity of its battlefield spirit as demonstrated in its theory, technique, and feeling.  Within Ninpo Taijutsu an unbroken line of tradition extends backward for millennia and embodies a treasure gained from the blood and toil of ten thousand battlefields.         

2 comments:

oso polar said...

This is one of the most beautiful scriptures of ninpo that I have ever read. In fact, i have not read many, but I can say that the feeling you intended to communicate has been understood by one member of the bujinkan.

Congratulations

John said...

oso,

Thanks so much for your comment. I'm very happy that you enjoyed the post. Keep checking back. I'll be writing more. Thanks again.