Ninjutsu is a highly honourable tradition dating back over
a thousand years. Preceding James Bond, ninja were the original masters
of infiltration, disguise, invisibility and deception who flourished as highly
trained espionage agents in feudal Japan. Their training was harsh and
rigorous and remains so to this day. They started out with very
honourable intentions - but before long a renegade, underground group formed of
mercenaries prepared to fight and kill for money. Stealthy movements are only a part of a ninja's skills. They are
also highly trained fighters - both with weapons and in unarmed combat.  But what sets ninja aside from many of the other Martial Arts is our
ability to think on our feet. We study puzzles and riddles - or Japanese
'koans' - to keep our minds sharp and to see the world from a different
perspective. We know what to eat, how to breathe, how to prepare our eyes
and ears for maximum effect at night and underwater. We train in many
levels, each requiring different skills, so that once we come to the end of our
training, we can fight effortless and instinctively. To become a real ninja warrior, I had to work through five levels - or Dans. ‘Knowing when to leave requires training . . .’  The First Dan is about stability, strength and stamina and involves disguise and invisibility. It’s the state of “Preparation” – the “Earth” level, or “Chi” and it’s about knowing when to run rather than fight. It encompasses Taijutsu - the art of hand-to-hand combat, which literally means “body art”, “way of moving” or “coordination”. Only a person with great Taijutsu skills will be able to make a weapon come alive in their hands... ‘Anything can be a weapon in imaginative hands...’  'The heart confuses the mind...'  ‘Gentleness shall defeat harshness . . .’  The Fourth Dan is the “Mind” state – the “Wind” level or “Fu”. It involves using feelings of wisdom and love to help those who need it. Once a ninja has trained to fight, we learn more about disguise, deception and how to use our skills for the good of others. This is stage where I had to dig pits and cover them in woven branches, so people could still walk over them while I was hiding in the ground. Then there was training in ropes and traps, springboards, climbing claws for walking across the ceiling or disappearing up a tree. I practiced hiding underwater – submerged in the pond and breathing only through a straw. And in case of a real emergency, I had to master the technique of giving the underwater kiss of life... (not quite what I'd had in mind for my first serious mouth to mouth activity!) ‘A ninja’s ultimate tool is the mind . . .’  The Fifth Dan is the “Nothing” state, or “Ku”, from which all things take their form. It’s about the great emptiness of potential. If you show nothing, pretend nothing, think nothing, there is no way for you to be caught by the opponent’s attack. In the Fifth Dan you must master “Emptiness” - the most important thing for staying alive. When you can be “Empty”, you can move without letting the opponent know what you're going to do. You can escape blows from behind – as animals do – by becoming sensitive to what’s happening before you even see or hear someone move. This was my favourite Dan of all - being at one with the universe and literally mind-merging with the enemy, so I could defend myself before I was even attacked! In the highest form of battle, the word “I” does not exist... |
|
|
|
About ninjutsu >
Skills |