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So what is Ninjutsu?
First of all, the saying "to each his own" comes to mind, meaning that each person grasps things according to how and who he is. This goes for teachers, students and all in between and above. So for starters, allow me to write a few lines about my outlook (or inlook) on ninjutsu:
Ninjutsu according to Soke Hatsumi has always been in existence ever since mankind was around and Budo is not something which is exclusively Japanese or any other nationality for that matter. But to stay on track, in China, ninjas were called spies, secret police, and plain clothes bodyguards for the various emperors (naturally this description is a generalization). In Japan, the general name for the ninja's skills was Shinobu Ho meaning "stealth", or those who are capable of operating in stealth, and those who were, were later known as ninjas flourished in two major geographical locations Iga province and Koga province (thus another name for ninjas being "men of Iga").
As to the essence of ninjutsu as written down by Toshitsugu Takamatsu sensei : "The essence of all martial arts and military strategies is self protection and the prevention of danger. Ninjutsu epitomizes the fullest concept of self-protection of not only the physical body, but the mind and spirit as well. The way of the ninja is the way of the way of enduring, surviving, and prevailing over all that would destroy one. More than merely delivering strikes and slashes, and deeper in significance than the simple out witting of an enemy, ninjutsu is the way of attaining that which we need while making the world a better place. The skill of the ninja is the art of winning."
"...The old man, Hogenbo, possessed three most precious attributes. The first one was swordsmanship that can work with anyone in any place at any time, and
further, that works without using a sword at all. The second one was a mirror of the mind through which everything became clear. And the third treasure he had was a good, pure spirit that brightened people around him and lived long in people's hearts even after his death." Hatsumi sensei , Essence of Ninjutsu.
A Story- "A master told his good disciples to steal a large pot from a shop. however, they couldn't steal such a hugh bottle during the daytime without getting caught. then the master showed showed them how to take it in a true shinobi fashion.He went to the shop and simply purchased it. all his disciples laughed to see this.The master said the following about this lesson "That's exactly why you are not skilled. your intention was to take the bottle directly, which makes you see nothing but the object itself. I first stole ten or so small drinking cups within my reach and hid them within my sleeves , I did this earlier on in the day. I got enough money by selling them that I bought the jar with that money,thus I stole the jar. This is how you change your approach as a true shinobi." Natori Sanjuro Masatake
After a converstaion about martial arts with a fellow budoka about martial arts and lineages we both agreed without adding another word that "it is not the martial arts but the martial artist" which rings a bell with Hatsumi sensei's saying that one must wake up to the reality that one is alone in the world, a not so entertaining thought as we all love hollywood, and yet one is considered to be the aspiration in all competitions , although I suspect that in ninjutsu 0 or 8 are the better numbers!
The famous Philosopher and statesman Ghandi said "First they ignore you then they ridicule you then they fight you and then you win!" a saying truly after the heart of the ninja which is similar to the 36th startegy from ancient china "running away as the best choice" however one must keep in mind that the character of nin is composed of a heart ducking from under a blade or a blade protecting the heart from above as well as the the saying "Zen and the sword are one"!
"all that is needed is an eastern wind"
In the winter of 208 cao cao led a large army on a southern campaign. The allied armies of sun quan and liu bei were massed on the south bank of the yangtze river. They planned to attack the warships of cao cao with blazing barges. When all the preparations for the attack were completed, they called to mind that the wind in winter always blew from the northwest, and so would blow the fire barges back towards their own ships. so an east wind was needed for the attack. Zhuge Liang
the chief advisor of liu bei, said that he could summon an east wind, and he did so by trickery. The result was that cao cao's ships were burnt to ashes." Later on "Everything is ready and all that is needed is an east wind" came to be used to describe a situation in which all is ready except what is crucial for the fulfilment of and undertaking. Meteorology is part of the basic 18 skills of Ninjutsu.