Ninjutsu

Ninjutsu
(忍術)
The kanji for "ninja"
Also known asNinpō, Shinobi-jutsu
Country of originJapan
ParenthoodMilitary tactics

Ninjutsu (忍術), sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term ninpō (忍法),[1] is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare, insurgency tactics and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja.[2][page needed] Ninjutsu was a separate discipline in some traditional Japanese schools, which integrated study of more conventional martial arts (taijutsu) along with shurikenjutsu, kenjutsu, sōjutsu, bōjutsu and others.

While there is an international martial arts organization representing several modern styles of ninjutsu, the historical lineage of these styles is disputed. Some schools claim to be the only legitimate heir of the art, but ninjutsu is not centralized like modernized martial arts such as judo or karate. Togakure-ryū claims to be the oldest recorded form of ninjutsu and to have survived past the 16th century.

  1. ^ Green, Thomas A.; Svinth, Joseph R. (2011). Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 163. ISBN 9781598842449. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  2. ^ Hayes, Stephen K. (1990). The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art (17th ed.). Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle. ISBN 0804816565.