Customer Reviews

The Mystic Arts of the Ninja

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have read this book and it is quite good and very informative. I usually don't write reviews on books but I read the review below mine (David B. from Chiba, Japan , July 25, 1999) and I felt the need to say that this book is real. I have read a few of Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi's books and he mentions that Hayes was his first foreign student, which means David B. doesn't know what he's talking about. I'd recommend any of Hayes's books and also Masaaki Hatsumi.

As a practicioner of Ninjutsu, or as its now called ninpo taijutsu this is a good book if your a beginner to learn some of the basics and see some advanced stuff an ok book at best for a better buy get Hayes ninjutsu books 1-5 more info. As for the reviewer who's indorsing Ashida Kim dont waste your time or money. Kim is doing some Karate/military techniques dressed up in a black suit he is a fake i have personally seen him perform nothin remotely identifiable as Ninjutsu hes just flash and glitze. Also no Ninjutsu did not originate in China it has SOME chinese influence but it did not originate in china. Also Ninjutsu does not have a "dim mak".The striking portion of our art (dakentaijutsu) is made up of koshijutsu(nerve strikes) and koppojutsu(bone breaking attacks) no dim mak as kim would have you believe kim is a fake stay with Hayes Hatsumi or Jacki Hoba who have personally gone to Japan to train with a ninja grandmaster.period.

This book had a little of everything. How to walk quietly, how to properly hold a sword, or a rope. It demonstrates the basics of the "Hanbo" (half-staff) and the ninja-to (ninja sword). It also delves a little into the meditations, and the arts of the mind.

It's a kind of salad bar... it has a little bit of everything for everyone.

The Mystic Arts of the Ninja begins with a discussion of the history of ninjutsu and some of its historical figures such as: Hattori Hanzo, Fujibayashi Nagato, and Kato Danjo. This historical view of ninjutsu is then compared with the limited conventional view of the day revolving around moonlit nights with black masked assassins murdering their enemies.

Following this discussion of history, Stephen Hayes then explains the Fu No Kata, and how fighting skills for self-protection are much different than the martial arts often taught in sport focused schools. Japanese ninjutsu evolved from the need for pragmatic self-protection under difficult odds in a time of continuous civil warfare.

The Mystic Arts of the Ninja then continues with a discussion of ninja aruhi ~ stealth and ningu ~ ninja tools to include the han-bo and ninja sword. Both of these sections contain several photos (as does the whole book) helping the reader learn the techniques described.

In-ton the art of concealment and camouflage is discussed next. This chapter includes a discussion on gontonpo ~ the five element concealing and escaping methods. Gontonpo looks at general combat and escape strategies as represented by the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.

Stephen Hayes continues with a discussion of the shuriken. Although often thought of as a "ninja weapon" many other Ryu included shurikenjutsu as part of their training. Here however we see the way the shuriken is employed within the art of ninjutsu.

The book concludes with a brief discussion of saiminjutsu ~ the ninja's power of directing the mind.

I enjoyed reading The Mystic Arts of the Ninja, and found it to be well written and illustrated with numerous photographs. This book should be in the collection of any student of ninjutsu.

In my opinion this is one of the best books on ninjutsu out there, a must for any AUTHENTIC ninjutsu student. Still I have yet to find a book out there covers every subject in depth. I would like to see something pretty thick that would take me more than two days to read. All that aside this is one of the many great books by Stephen K. Hayes.

I've been always a follower of the ninja tradition, but I never could attend to classes in my country because it appears that there are no ninjutsu dojos or literature about the art here.

When I bought this book I was surprised of how easy was to follow the directions that Sensei Hayes explains. There are plenty of illustrations that help you to understand how the techniques are performed and some considerations you should take in mind when practicing them. Also, the book is divided in 6 chapters, each one covers a different aspect of the ninjutsu training and how can we implement that knowledge in our daily lives.

I also practice Taekwondo and a little bit of Judo and this book helped me to develop better abilities and techniques. Definitely is a must have for any martial arts practicioner.

The book was awesome, but didnt have everything I was looking for. It had hanbo and sword techniques and a few hand to hand techniques. It tells you all climbing techniques and stealth walking, history of ninjutsu, Get this book if you would like to train in Ninutsu.

now, i was one who sought a book that would teach me as much as possible about how to become a ninja, and im aware that it is a skill that cannot be learned from a book alone, but, this book contained SO much information, i owe it to the author to praise this book. not only did this book contain pages and pages of moves using bare hands, sticks, and swords, it also covered all other aspects of ninjutsu, such as stealth walking, throwing shurikens, climbing ropes, walls, under stairs, walkways, etc.. it also had info on the culture itself, how to break a fall, tumbling, ... i just cant tell you how pleased i am with this book. it had much more than i was looking for. go out and buy it now!! its the BIBLE of ninjutsu, and believe me, you won't regret it.

Any ninjutsu book written by Stephen K. Hayes is worth purchasing, whether you are a student of ninjutsu or just interested. He does a lot to dispel the ridiculous myths and misconceptions about this art and the background, history and insight he provides is always interesting. I originally purchased this book when it was first released, and it was stolen (shows you how popular it is). I just had to read it again so I bought a replacement copy. It still holds my interest and I'm sure any martial artists with an interest in this art will also enjoy it.

Hayes knows what he is talking about. Though you need a teacher to fully develope your skills, this is a book to lay down the very basics.