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The
Grandmaster's
Book of
Ninja Training
Dr Masaaki Hatsumi
Translated by Chris, W. P. Reynolds
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hatsumi, Masaaki, 1931-
The grandmaster's book of ninja training / Masaaki Hatsumi.
p. cm. Includes index.
ISBN 0-8092-4629-5 (paper)
1. Hand-to-hand fighting, Oriental. 2. Ninjutsu. 3. Hatsumi,
Masaaki, 1931- I. Title.
U167.5.H3H358 1987
613.7'1—dc19
87-35221
CIP
TRANSLATION
NOTE
Published by Contemporary Books
A division of NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc.
4255 West Touhy Avenue, Lincolnwood (Chicago), Illinois 60712-1975 U.S.A.
Copyright © 1988 by Masaaki Hatsumi
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
International Standard Book Number:
0-8092-4629-5
02 03 04 05 BH 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7
Although some of the Japanese of these interviews
was capably translated at the time it was given by
Doron Navon, the entire text has been retranslated
from the original.
Unnecessary repetitions, inaudible phrases, etc.,
have been edited out. Dr. Hatsumi's manner of speak-
ing is by no means always straightforward, and little
attempt has been made to reproduce it, since it was
felt that this would be too confusing and barely read-
able. However, efforts have been made (including
consultation with Hatsumi Sensei himself) to clarify
the many points that required it. Only a few of his
very frequently used interjected phrases (expressions
like "you see," "right?," etc.) have been retained, just
for the sake of naturalness; and for the same reason,
some of the broken sentences and changes of direc-
tion characteristic of informal speech have been re-
tained, as long as the meaning is clear. This is not to
say that Dr. Hatsumi speaks in simple, informal
language. fo r his sentences are peppered from time
to
Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi
with sophisticated diction, abstruse technical
and even words that are not to be found in any
ary!
or deficiencies of expression and language dif-
s of non-native speakers of English who were
ng in English have been altered where possible
ore natural sentences.
asional footnotes have been added by the trans-
where they might be helpful.
nese words (except "sensei," "ninjutsu,"
," names, and words like "judo" and "kimono"
ave become part of English) have been itali-
as have Sanskrit words
("mudra"),
Chinese
("yin," "yang"),
stressed words, book titles, etc.
ural of the word
"dan,"
used to refer to people
grade, was a problem, since Japanese does not
s the plural. Accordingly, being an English
"dans" was used unitalicized. The Japanese
have been retained for
shodan
and
nidan,
and
fter, expressions such as "third
dan"
have been
FOREWORD
This volume is the second in a series of can
glimpses of the art and thought of my martial
teacher, ninjutsu grandmaster Masaaki Hatsu
The material was translated from a series of sp
taneous question-and-answer sessions taped in
Hatsumi's home during a succession of visits w
non-Japanese friends and students. As is charact
tic of Dr. Hatsumi, he often replied to the quest
and comments of his visitors in this book with co
ful and sometimes humorous answers that refle
his state of mind and point of view at the very
ment the conversation was being taped. As is
characteristic of Masaaki Hatsumi, his point of v
altered substantially with his recognition of the v
ing needs of the individual with whom he was
versing at any given moment.
Dr. Hatsumi remains a totally unparalleled
often enigmatic figure in the contemporary mar
arts scene, a unique character composed of a wide
range of sometimes seemingly contradictory com
Chris W. P. Reynolds
Tokyo, Japan
VI
Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi
The Grandmaster's Book of Ninja Training
VII
nents. He is the unquestioned head of nine historical
martial traditions, and moves across the tatami mats
of his students' training halls with all the power,
authority, and centered effortlessness of one worthy
of the assigned title Grandmaster. He is also an ac-
complished artist with brush and ink, and comments
humbly that his style is unique for the simple reason
that he only studied with painting teachers long
enough to grasp the rudiments of mechanical tech-
nique, quitting their influence long before he uncon-
sciously became an imitator of someone else's expres-
sion. Dr. Hatsumi is a socially oriented entertainer as
well, an artist at making people feel good when in his
presence, whether on stage at a large assembly or
merely sharing a private conversation at his home in
the darkness of the early hours before dawn. He is
respected as an accomplished practitioner of the Jap-
anese medical technique of
seikotsu,
and his expertise
has always been sought out to handle emergency
treatments day and night. He is also a prolific writer,
combing the depths of his own experience in light of
insights garnered through his exhaustive studies of
the records of Japanese and world history, politics,
art, and culture, to produce with amazing discipline
and speed a series of technical and philosophical
works that are only now beginning to emerge in the
Western world through translations such as this
volume.
Masaaki Hatsumi himself claims that he is an un-
complicated character, a direct and personally moti-
vated individual merely going about the details of
enjoying his life in a simple fashion as an artist. He
casually attributes any of the complications that
arise in his speech or writings to the influence of the
spiritual ancestors who have gone before him in the
martial lineages he heads. The
bujin
("divine warrior
spirit") often works its way in his life in manners that
surprise even him, he admits. Therefore, he does not
in the least feel responsible for clarifying any of those
personal actions and statements that confuse and
confound the thought patterns of those who would
force Dr. Hatsumi's martial legacy into the narrow
confines of conventionality. Insist on taking his
words, actions, and writings at surface level value,
and you are bound to find yourself caught up in a web
of conflicting mirror reflections of your own doubts
and fears. Spend enough time with the man, and the
contradictions melt into one another to form a
clearer, deeper statement of consistent reality.
If the man himself poses a challenge for those who
think they know him well, even more mystery and
confusion surround his martial art. Having been
awarded the title of
soke
(lineage head) for nine dis-
tinct martial
ryu
(schools or traditions) by his own
teacher, the late Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Masaaki
Hatsumi lives the very essence of the ninja's true
philosophy in his own daily dealings with the world,
his students, and his own role in life. But just what is
the
true essence
of the ninja arts? Is it the wild sensa-
tionalism and eerie mystery that the novelists and
movie makers would sell to audiences bored with the
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