The Togakure Ryu (the school of the Hidden Door) is one of the oldest ninja schools still in existence. Supposedly there were more than 70 ninja schools at one time, most of which have died out, but they were all greatly influenced by the techniques and skills of the Togakure Ryu. Togakure itself was made […]

The origins and history of this school can be somewhat confusing, since it combines influences from several schools and over time has been split into different directions and renamed many different ways. In 1569, during the Yeiroku era (1568-1579), in the Funagata Yama (mountain area) of Miyagi, there was a Chinese mountain priest, from the […]

There are actually 3 different styles of Japanese martial art that use the title Shindenfudo Ryu, which means the School of the unshakeable heart (or some translate it as the school of the immoveable god). They are comprised of 3 makimono (densho). Two of these densho, Jutaijutsu and Dakentaijutsu are taught within the Bujinkan. Whereas […]

The Kukishinden Ryu originated sometime in the Kamakura period (1184-1333) and it’s name means ‘School of the Nine Divine Demons’. The first registered Soke was Yasushimaru Kurando Takazane who lived at the beginning of the 14th Century. Kurando was a samurai in service to Emperor Go-Diago who ruled 1318-1339. He supported Go-Diago in his fight […]

This school, which is one of the 3 ‘ninja’ schools (as opposed to the 6 ‘samurai’ schools of the Bujinkan), is not officially taught in the Bujinkan curriculum, and so it raises the question why is it part of the Bujinkan at all? Well there are a number of answers to that, many of which […]