Ninjutsu: History and Tradition [Paperback]

Masaaki Hatsumi (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Unique Publications; First Edition, First Printing edition (June 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865680272
• ISBN-13: 978-0865680272
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential for the beginning student., October 17, 2001

By 

Jeffrey R. Tilley Jr. "goatman_1" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninjutsu: History and Tradition (Paperback)

I had the rare priviledge (for westerners anyway) of training with Haatsumi senei about a year ago, and had a great time, but my distance from his dojo and the class schedule have made regular trips to his dojo more than a little difficult. I do plan on training with him again when possible and appreciate the opportunity to do so. An opportunity some westerners would give anything to have considering the man's reputation as a living legend.

Regardless, this book was one of the first exposures I had to this particular fighting style, one I considered more mythical than practical until I joined a dojo and began training. It isn't as comprehensive as I would have liked on the historical elements, but considering the secrecy surrounding the art (one that many of the more "hokey" instructors like to capitalize on) it's easy to see why. What the book does offer is very useful for the beginning student, and is a great companion when working with an instructor. Without and instructor this book is little more than a novelty.

The book catalogues the many weapons of the ninja and gives many facts on the tactics used to imploy and construct such weapons. It also outlines the basic stances and some of the basic moves, but in that regard it is very light, rightfully so. Listing the names of the techniques is one thing, but you just can't learn from a book so there's no use trying. Of course, I never got the impression the book was attempting to teach the moves so I wasn't disappointed in that regard.

It's important to note that Haatsumi-sensei refers to his art as Taijutsu these days and has strayed from calling his art ninjutsu or ninpo. I've heard a variety of reasons for this, but the one I'm most apt to believe revolves around the negative stereotypes of the ninja, often thought of as an assassin or terrorist. Haatsumi sensei's open relationship with the west, and this book which was one of his earliest attempts, has attempted to dispel many of these incorrect assumptions and stereotypes (although ninja did perform assassinations on occasion, it was far from their primary function) but many of them linger. Taijutsu is a simpler term that simply means martial body skills. It incorporates and includes the ninpo arts, but it also envelopes them into a much larger group.

So, if you've just begun studying the art (and I should point out that I'm still a beginnner myself) I think you'll find this book very informative. It's not going to teach you everything you ever wanted to know about the art, but it will give you a good foundation to build on. To really become a student, you're going to need a teacher.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as valuable as it once was., May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ninjutsu: History and Tradition (Paperback)

This book was written in 1980 and, at the time, it was one of the only sources of reliable information about Ninjutsu. It was written mainly to combat the myths surrounding Ninjas (caused by their portrayal in popular media), but also to stem the claims made by several 'movie Ninjas' that they were actually masters of the art. The book is a declaration, and illustration of proof, that Masaaki Hatsumi is the ONLY surviving Grandmaster of Ninjutsu. At the time of writing Dr Hatsumi's organisation was known as 'Togakure ryu Ninpo Taijutsu'. This book reflects this by focusing upon only one ryu (school) of Ninjutsu- Togakure ryu (whereas there are actually 9 ryu in Dr Hatsumi's current organization- Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu). This doesn't detract from the value or relevancy of this book when studying Ninjutsu's history ... but does make it a simplified and incomplete story. You will need to look elsewhere for a history of the other ryu. This book is NOT a how-to manual for a Ninjutsu student. Although it does contain some invaluable insights about the essence of Ninjutsu, the book has no techniques and little advice on how to improve your form. As suggested by the book's title, it is a reference source about Ninjutsu's history (and over half the book is dedicated to the weapons used by the Ninja). If you want to learn the martial art of Ninjutsu this book will not, nor does it claim to, substitute for tuition by a Bujinkan dojo's instructor (just as you can't learn to drive by reading a history of the automobile, you can't learn the art of Ninjutsu by reading this book). A lot has changed in the world of Ninjutsu since 1980 and other good, reliable sources of information about Ninjutsu (much of it also written by Dr Hatsumi) now exist. This book is accordingly not as valuable as it once was. However, if you know little about Ninjas (other than their incredible mythology) and would like to know the truth, or are looking for an encyclopedia of Ninjutsu weaponry then this is the book for you.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ninjutsu (Ninpo) Bible - Very Informative, April 11, 2000

By 

Erric Budiono - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ninjutsu: History and Tradition (Paperback)

Considered as the Ninpo Bible, this book gives a complete general information about Ninpo by the Grandmaster. It covers almost all of the things you need to know anout Ninpo in brief explanation such as the brief history, stances (kamae), striking (dakentaijutsu), body conditioning (junan taiso), Ninja weapons (ningu), female ninja (kunoichi), special training, etc. I'd say it is a must for Ninpo students and is excellent as an introduction for beginners, I really recommend it. (It is the first Ninpo book I bought)

Actually I'd also say that all of Hatsumi Sensei's books are worth buying, they will give you the real and true understanding about "What actually Ninpo is" through many different perspectives. My recommendation, try Stephen Hayes's books (esp. 5 series Ninja) for another awesome Ninpo author after Hatsumi Sensei. Other book/authors you might want to try are Andrew Adams's "Ninja: The Invisible Assasins" or Stephen Turnbull's "Ninja : The True Story of Japan's Secret Warrior Cult" (out of print) for the history of the old time Ninja. If you got a chance, get Robert Bussey's book Ninjutsu: Basic Skill and Techniques" which is out of print, you'll see some awesome techniques of Mr Bussey back while he was still in Ninpo.