We present an overall picture of this paradigm as an educational system and guiding principle for effectively utilizing traditional ninja techniques and ideas in modern times, and advocate Ninshido as part of our efforts to spread ninja culture both in Japan and abroad.
Ninshido takes an approach based on “acquisition,” “application,” and “exploration.” These three elements are also part of the new curriculum guidelines emphasized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2008, which place emphasis on cultivating “the ability to live in a relaxed environment.”
Acquisition is learning skills and knowledge, while application is thinking, judging, and using what you have learned in real life. Motivation to learn more leads to exploration.
It is important to know the principles of ninjutsu in order to master it. In Nakajima’s book “Ninja no taiho,” the principle of ninjutsu is described as “seizing the opportunity to strike an unexpected blow.” We think the same way, and in Musashi-ryu ninjutsu, the principle of ninjutsu is “to grasp the situation and manipulate it.” Also, the existence of a ninja is to support others. Shinobi can exist because there are others. As it is written in the Mansenshukai, you should not act for your own selfish desires. Therefore, you need to see things objectively, not subjectively. In order to see things objectively, your values will get in the way. You create a state where you are not influenced by your values. This is called egolessness. If you think the other way around, people are influenced by their values. In ninjutsu, you know the values of the other person, and by matching your values, you give them joy, and by removing your values, you make them angry, and so on. Learning to respond by looking at things objectively is what you do.
Utilization is using what you have learned. Utilization is about controlling the balance by manipulating the situation. Here, there is the Confucian concept of “the golden mean” as a way of thinking that does not lean to either side when judging things and can be understood with normal sense. Maintaining balance is peace and harmony, and disrupting balance is schemes and the like. Utilization is about maintaining a state of balance.
Moderation, objectivity, and not including values are difficult to master. In order to master these, exploration begins. The system of application of what is gained through exploration is improved. Furthermore, moderation gives rise to keywords such as harmony and objectivity gives rise to keywords such as egolessness, which are connected to thought and morality.
The reasons that led to the formation of this educational system are as follows:
When considering the ninja, it is necessary to compare them with the samurai. Therefore, the spirit of the samurai was “Bushido”, and we will look at materials on the establishment of Bushido.
The origins of Bushido date back to the Heian period when samurai were born, and in the Kamakura, Muromachi, and Sengoku periods, “the way of the warrior” was expressed as “the way of the soldier,” “the lessons of the warrior,” and “the way of archery and horse riding.” As sayings and family precepts, it corresponds to wisdom and ways of living, such as combat techniques and samurai survival strategies. Ancient Bushido is an ideology of turbulent times that preached that virtue in the narrow sense, which values tradition, should be upheld as a warrior.
During the Sengoku period, samurai were not only warriors, but also rulers of their territories and territories. In the Edo period, the world became peaceful and without war, and their existence as warriors came into question. As a result, a movement began to eliminate the combative nature of samurai and create a new ethics for the ruling class, led by Yamaga Soko. Yamaga idealized samurai from the perspective of Confucian morality, and developed shido as an ideology for governance.
In the Meiji era, “Meiji Bushido” was born, which sought to anchor the spiritual and cultural foundation of the Japanese people in the lifestyle and samurai beliefs of the samurai. It was Nitobe Inazo who led this movement. He disseminated to the world the high ethical standards of the Japanese people and a model of each individual taking responsibility for society as a whole in his book “Bushido: The Soul of Japan” (1900). In recent years, in line with the progress of internationalization, there has been growing interest in Japanese spiritual culture such as “Bushido” and “omotenashi.”
The above is a rough outline of the origins of bushido, but the origins of ninja also developed from the art of living and survival in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods, and in the Edo period of peace, techniques were organized and compiled, and ideas were added and systematized. The three major ninjutsu books, Bankenshukai, Shoninki, and Shinobiden, were written around the same time as bushido and shido books. In addition, the employment form of ninja changed from the mercenary-like external ordering form of the Sengoku period to internal employment in the Edo period, when intelligence agencies were established as organizations. When employed internally, they received the same education as samurai. The academic field officially recognized by the Edo Shogunate was Neo-Confucianism. Many of the government inspectors, yoriki officers, and constables who engaged in covert activities had experience in the academic examination. The academic examination was an examination system implemented by the Edo Shogunate for hatamoto and gokenin classes. It was a written examination of Chinese classics, and was held 19 times between 1792 (Kansei 4) and 1868 (Keio 4). The purpose was to encourage learning and develop human resources among the shogunate’s retainers. The content of the examination was the Four Books and Five Classics, and knowledge of Neo-Confucianism, an academic field officially recognized by the shogunate, and personality were examined. From the 8th examination in 1823 (Bunsei 6), many low-ranking samurai who had passed the examination were selected for posts related to maritime affairs and foreign affairs.
Shibata’s ancestors were pastors of the Salvation Army, and they spread the word overseas. They also received requests to explore for gold mines, and used the mountain travel and explosives techniques that had been passed down. They also studied ninjas and learned ninjutsu schools.
Added explanations for Shinobu, Shi, and Chu.
Since 2007, the Musashi Clan has been offering ninja experiences for foreigners through trial and error. We have offered everything from physical training to martial arts classes and shuriken target shooting games. Among these, the content of the experiences, which included explanations of morality and spirituality, and the reasons for certain movements, was highly evaluated. We are satisfied with the joy of learning about culture and coming into contact with ideas. We believe
this coincides with the fact that Nitobe Inazo introduced “Bushido” to the world and has earned a reputation overseas.
Bushido, martial arts, and martial arts are well known both in Japan and overseas. The names of ninja and ninjutsu are well known, but the ideas are not so well known. Therefore, we thought that if we could compare it to the ideas and techniques of the popular samurai, it would become more popular. Therefore, Ninshido is compared to Bushido. In contrast to the samurai being subjective and the ninja being objective, how does the ninja embody the harmony that is a characteristic Japanese idea? Just as martial arts, the fighting techniques of the samurai, were elevated to martial arts, we examined whether there were commonalities between ninjutsu, such as deception and stealing, and how they were elevated to nindo. Therefore, we did not create something completely new, but rather organized the ideas and techniques of the ninja in an easy-to-understand way, which became ninshido.
We hope that the advocacy of ninshido will help to popularize ninja culture and bring vitality to the ninja world.
