Customer Reviews

Secrets Of The Ninja

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Author Radford Davis (who prefers the multicultural nom-de-plume Ashida Kim for PC reasons), is one of the fewer than 600 American men who, as teens, managed to find authentic secret ninja teachers here in the United States. Apparently during the late 1970's and '80's hundreds of Ninja from the Koga district of Japan flooded the United States to try out for parts in various ninja films and television programs. Hollywood being as cutthroat as it is (and was then, let me tell you!), most of these Ninja had to go out and take non-ninja jobs while waiting for calls from their agents which, sadly, never came. Imagine if you will the ninja fast-food worker, the ninja landscaper, the ninja janitor, the ninja waiter. It couldn't have been easy! Many of them had to overcome discrimination because of their preferred cultural mode of dress (ninja costume). A rather sad testiment to our modern so-called "inclusive" society, indeed!

Thankfully, a good number of these undocumented Ninja immigrants were able to find work as Secret Teachers to teenage boys in the United States, who they carefully groomed as their protegees. As with Radford Davis's Secret Teacher, they eventually disapeared when their youthful charge has mastered the elements of ninja-craft. In true ninja fashion, to date none of these Secret Teachers have left a trace, not a photograph, document or family member...no change of address on file with the post office. It's secret stuff this ninja business, I tell you! Many of the authentic Koga Ninja techniques in this book are artfully disguised as modern neo-kenpo, and much of the theory presented here is surprisingly in line with that presented in respected documentaries such as the "American Ninja" series. This in and of itself screams, "AUTHENTICITY!".

The author mixes in some kung fu mythology and modern kenpo techniques, along with some materials plageri--...er, borrowed from Stephen K Hayes ninja books (see Hayes 6 volume series). Davis/Kim doesn't seem to know much about the ~ACTUAL~ history of either Japan or Ninja, but if you enjoy seeing grown men dressed up as ninjas and striking stealthy poses in wide open spaces behind oblivious guard-sentry-dudes, this is the book for you!

It is not known what became of Radford Davis's teacher. ONLY 2 STARS because he's EXPOSED the ~SECRETS~ of the *NINJA*, which will undoubtedly impact the market (AGAIN) and put a whole lot of Koga Ninja out of work (*AGAIN*) and back behind the counter of venues as vaunted as Taco Bell and The Krusty Krab (move over Spongebob!). Who needs a secret teacher after all, when you can learn to be a ninja from a book?

Happy Stealthing! ;)

While I am not informed enough to comment on Kim's chapter on Shingon Tantric Buddhism, I can comment on the rest of this gong-show of a book. Throughout the book we see pictures of Kim hopping around, skulking about in the most unnatural positions possible, and crossing his feet (something that ANY martial arts instructor, anywhere, will tell you NEVER to do). A few other ill-concieved items; landing evenly on one's feet after dropping from atop a fence (pg. 53 - FIG. 50) instead of rolling to absorb the force and muffle the sound of impact, climbing a rope while facing the wall (pg. 67 - FIG. 73) instead of facing away from the wall, which would allow a would-be infiltrator to observe his surroundings and have a smaller profile, not to mention Kim's almost comical chapter "Positions of Concealment" and his chapters on sentry removal and attacking from ambush with 2 of the 5 illustrated techniques allowing the target ample time to scream or call out. My conclusion: follwing the examples in this book would get someone hurt or possibly killed (the gun-disarmament techniques in "The Art of Escaping" spring to mind). Ashida Kim must have a fine imagination, I'm sure, but he seems to be lacking in the common-sense department as well as, arguably, in the morality department as well. Publishing a book full of half baked methods and then teaching the to others as if they were practical is, in my opinion, ethically suspect. DO NOT BOTHER BUYING THIS BOOK.

First, let me say that Ashida Kim is a real nut. If you don't believe me go to his site www.dojopress.com . He not only sells ninja books, but mail order black belt programs, books on Klingon Kung Fu and the Jedi religion. I wish I was joking.

I got this book when I was a kid. Even way back then I laughed at how stupid this book was. I learned better skills from climbing trees and playing hide-n-go-seek. A good amount of this book is about sneaking, climbing, and hiding. Most of the pictures are ridiculous. Things like Ashida hiding behind plants and hiding under a table because a cowboy with a gun is looking for him.

There is another part about sentry removal. He shows things like sneaking behind a gunman and killing him with a knife, pulling out a sword and killing a unarmed man. There is even a part that shows how to fight 4 guys at once using nunchaku. Like from a bad Kung Fu movie each of the guys take turns trying to attack Ashida and he knocks them out.

If you want to be a fantasy warrior, go on missions and kill your opponents get this book. If you want to be a REAL MARTIAL ARTIST then DON'T get this book, instead go to your local Boxing gym and learn how to fight honorably like a real man.

Now, I must admit that I was sucked into Ashida Kim's fantasy world where anyone who wants to be a ninja can. I purchased a number of his books before I knew better. I later burned them to be certain no on would be drawn in by those copies. I am now studying ninjutsu near my home. I first learned of his deception when my father, an ex-Army Ranger, picked up this book and commented "This looks like what they taught us in Ranger school." Turns out that all the moves in his books were either from published books on a variety of Special Forces techniques or from books on true ninjutsu published earlier. Also, Ashida Kim looks white. What does that mean? Japanese first name(Ashida), Korean last name(Kim) and an obviously white face. Hmmm, can you say imposter? I knew you could. Also, in the short time I have studied this art, I have learned some Japanese. Shouldn't a master be proficient in his art's native language? Duh! Ninjutsu is Japanese and there is a japanese name for every concept. Therefore, there is no need to use Chinese or Korean words; unless of course he didn't recieve training in something that you are required to know for advancement: basic martial philosophy and some Japanese so a technique can be express the way it was meant to. He tells nothing believable about himself, his background, or the lineage he professes to represent. I mean, are we this gullible, that we'll believe something because someone said they were telling the truth? If you want to learn about ninjutsu, get any books by Jack Hoban, Charles Daniels, Masaaki Hatsumi, Glenn J. Morris, or Stephen K. Hayes. Seek your truth through research, not someone else's through belief. May you find your objective and become better for it.

The author of this book wants you to believe that he is a ninja. There is no way that he is a ninja nor has he studied the art of ninjutsu. This book is very poorly written and I advice anyone who is looking to buy this book to not do it. This is one of the books that were written when the "ninja craze" was in full bloom and he wanted to capitalize on the success of the mysterious art. I hope he did not. Please do not buy this book. If you want a good book on the ninja and their art look up Stephen K. Hayes or Stephen Turnbull has 2 excellent books on the ninja. Mr. Hayes has many books on the subject and has actually studied with Dr. Maasaki Hatsumi who can trace his lineage back to the ninja. These books are worth the investment and reading.

Anyone interested in ninjutsu, either for training or scholarly studies, should not read this or any of Ashida Kim's books on ninjutsu. I have studied ninjutsu for about six years now, and having read one of his books and spoken to other students on the subject, his books are not based on actual experience with the art, but rather rely heavily on his imagination. If you're interested in the truth about ninjutsu and want to read up on it, spend your money on another author. Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi, the Grandmaster of all nine ninjutsu schools, has written several wonderful and insightful books about it.

1. The book shows no real ninjutsu. Review any of the books related to the Bujinkan if you want to see the real stuff. 2. Worst martial arts I've seen depicted in any book. 3. Ashida Kim won't even put a biography of his experiences with the martial arts in his book. 4. Let's see, Korean and Chinese names for a Japanese art. What's wrong with this picture?

"So here you are, a cogless, meshless, automaton; a body upon whom officials had performed clinical autopsy, and left all of you that mattered back upon empty seas, and strewn over darkened hills. Here you are, bone dry, bottle empty, fireless. Chill, with only your hands to give death to men. A pair of hands is all you are now..."

This is an example of the nonsense in this book. Radford Davis, or as he is known on his books, Ashida Kim, originally came to the martial arts scene in the 1980s during the "ninja boom" era. "Masters" of the art of ninjutsu popped up everywhere at once trying to make a few bucks. Ashida Kim was one of the most successful, and he is still around today. He even posts videos on his Youtube account every now and then, mostly whining about how his publishers cheat him. He wrote tons of books back then and continued for awhile, including my personal favorite: "How to become a ninja: secrets from Ashida Kim's training camp". The author was "Anonymous", which basically means it was Ashida Kim. The book told of a secret ninja camp that the author attended in which Ashida Kim was the teacher. It was an intense camp, full of obstacle courses, vanishing ninjas, M16 firearms, tree climbing, bullet-evading techniques, the whole kaboodle. By the end of the book it became so obvious that Ashida had simply written the book and made up the entire content, that it was priceless.

I have spoken with Radford through his forum and through his Youtube account. On his forum, I simply made an attempt to humiliate him and expose him. I did so in an intelligent manner without resorting to personal attacks, whilest he came back and told me how I was insulting his honor and he didn't feel like swatting my "mosquito ass". I was blocked from his forums, so I tried another way. I went on Youtube and left him the most respectful, polite message I could get out of myself. I told him that I forgave him for all of his lying acts and offered him to come train with me in the Bujinkan. I told him that we all make mistakes, and that he could gain the most respect he could ever want if he simply came out, admitted he was a fraud and apologized, and went to train real ninjutsu. He did thank me in a nice way for the offer, but he said he declined it. His reason was "for it is greater to serve in Heaven, than rule in Hell". Whatever that means.

I have noticed that the very few people who leave positive reviews about this book try to "debunk" the reasons he is a fraud to prove he is real. I will now debunk their debunking. The debunkings done by these Ashida-worhippers will be shown in quotes, and my debunkings will be shown below them.

"Only those who have trained themselves to a high enough level will be able to see past their own emotions and mental states to see these (Ashida Kim) techniques for what they are."
The techniques are not advanced at all. You can go to a child's Karate class and see the same techniques. They will get you killed. I've tried them.

"Even if he isn't Japanese by blood, who cares? Neither is Stephen K. Hayes, but no one seems to worry about that."
Stephen Hayes was a student of Soke Hatsumi, the last true ninjutsu grandmaster. At least Stephen Hayes uses his REAL name. It would be more honorable for Radford Davis to put his REAL name on the books instead of making up a fake Japanese/Korean name. Its not that he isn't Japanese, its that he wants people to THINK that having a Japanese-sounding name makes him more legitimate.

"Not ONE person has ever said, "I've tried Ashida Kim's techniques, and they didn't work." People who say this haven't actually tried anything. If you don't want to read his books- don't! No one's forcing you. You'll just be an easier target when the sh*t hits the fan."
Not true! I've tried them. A few work okay, such as the stealth stuff. But the stealth is still vastly inferior to true ninjutsu stealth that Hatsumi teaches. As for the combat techniques, I've tried them various times and they DO NOT WORK. You'll be a much easier target if you learn Ashida Kim's techniques.

"...There are variations of the spellings in books about Ninjitsu : some say NinjUtsu, some say (and I prefer) NinjItsu. In any case what does it matter?"
It matters because it is a completely incorrect way of translating the word. It would be like me saying "I'm a master of Kung Foo... or whatever you call it!" If the "master" of an art cannot pronounce or translate his own art's name correctly, it should arouse suspician.

"Ninjutsu was strictly for destroying your enemy by use of guerilla warfare tactics. Nothing else. And for all you Bujinkan idiots who read this remember Ninjutsu was never a martial art."
This statement contradicts itself. It says ninjutsu was for destroying the enemy, but it was not a martial art. Define martial art. "War art". Usually a good time to destroy the enemy was during wartime. Ninjutsu isn't a martial SPORT like MMA, but it is a martial art. An art for war. As for destroying the enemy, if you are speaking of assassination, keep in mind that there is no historical evidence of a single assassination ever performed by a ninja. Read the Shoninki. Not Ashida Kim books. And one more thing. Do NOT insult the Bujinkan. It is beyond anything you'll ever learn if you still think Ashida Kim is legitimate.

"Did he have a teacher? He's often mentioned "Shendai the Silent" from Hawaii."
He's mentioned Shendai, as well as Kojin Sha. He had no teacher. He admitted that to me in a private message.

"Regarding authenticity, let's keep in mind that the majority of the "real" ninja were killed off by Oda Nobunaga's forces in the 1500s. Thus, any latter-day ninja is bound to be more of a historian than a lineaged practitioner."
Not true. Some were, but many arts survived. Togakure-ryu, Gyokushin-ryu, and Kumogakure-ryu, among others survived. Koga-ryu, which Kim claims to teach, died with Seiko. He said it was an insult to his family for anyone to claim to teach Koga-ryu after his death. He announced, "The art dies with me."

"And while Hatsumi is a respectable and accomplished martial artist, how much actual ninjutsu did he study with Takamatsu? Case in point, his "Stick Fighting" book is clearly Aikido."
He trained with Takamatsu for decades. Much longer than anyone else who ever trained with Takamatsu. His Stick Fighting book is not Aikido. It may resemble it, but Aikido was founded by Ueshiba not too long ago and Hatsumi doesn't teach it. Many of the Japanese arts resemble one another. That is, the authentic ones (unlike Ashida Kim's).

" If ninjutsu were truly the "ultimate fighting art", then the ninja would have been the ones that ruled Japan after the Sengoku jidai (warring states period), not the successive regimes of Oda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa. Certainly, if ninja were truly "all that", then they would have started their own country, as opposed to whoring themselves out as mercenaries. And wouldn't they be the ones winning UFC tournaments today?"
Who has claimed, besides Ashida Kim, mind you, that ninjutsu is the "ultimate fighting art"? Ninjutsu was nothing more than an espionage art for guerilla warfare practiced in Japan at one point in history. It was never intended to give ninja ruling of Japan. And no, ninjutsu is not a martial sport so it is not designed for UFC. People in UFC get killed on the streets by knives and multiple attackers every now and then, because they are so used to fighting only one opponent who is about the same size as them and who possesses no weapons, in a controlled environment with too many rules to list. As the military says, "train like you fight, because you will fight like you train." UFC is a full-contact combat sport, not a martial art.


This concludes my debunking of debunkings for now.

To conclude my review, I'll simply say that some techniques in this book are applicable. But you can get even MORE applicable techinques from a much more trusted source without getting ripped off by this book, so why purchase it? Try the Bujinkan, Genbukan, or Jinenkan if you want real ninjutsu.

Regarding authenticity, this book gets 1 star.

For laughs though, this book gets 5 stars!!!

So it gets 3 stars to compromise.

Just downloaded this book for free on Mr. Kims homepage and I just finished reading it...It's hilarious on so many levels and I firmly believe that all the reviewers giving it a thumps up are pulling our legs -you CANNOT be serious and I CANNOT stress that enough.
Now, I'm no authority on ninjas or oriental mysticism but some of Ashida's claims are just over the top, f.eks. "But a life span of more than 250 years is not unknown among those who practice the
very exercises given in the previous section." From page 32.

And:

"-Ancient texts tell of a method using the elbows and heels to climb with the back to the wall, as illustrated. This technique requires three years' practice crawling on the floor, three years climbing on a wall with bricks jutting out, and three years' climbing on a smooth wall." Page 48.
...
I can't 'prove' Ashida (japansese name) Kim (curiously, a korean name)is NOT a ninja, but the book doesnt prove he IS.

At the very best "Secrets..." lists a few useful tidbits about stealth and concealment, but these can be found in any book about special forces tactics.

Ohh -and the pictures in the book are SO funny, especially the skimasked ninja wearing black sandals with a bright white sole!

Ashida Kim (Christopher Davis) is a fraud not that he makes up silly nicknames which is suspicious in itself. This man sells black belt certifications to anyone who's willing to pay for it without even checking out the applicants credentials. In other words, anyone can write to Ashida Kim, fake his martial arts records and get certified as a black belt master. These fake black belts can use their bought black belts and con people into joining their dojos, posing as grandmasters and experts in martial arts. I have no problem with self-taught martial artists like Ashida Kim but he is a downright joke and a fraud who has been exposed but continues to practice his dishonesty and has no remorse for doing so.