About Soke Hatsumi Sensei

Soke Masaaki Hatsumi : ~

Soke Masaaki Hatsumi was born in 1931. After training in various martial arts he found Takamatsu Toshitsugu who became his mentor and studied under him for the next fifteen years, becoming the 34th Grand Master of Togakureryu Ninjutsu and eight other Japanese martial arts. 

Dr. Hatsumi unified the nine martial arts systems under one banner, the Bujinkan. Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi has tought thousands of individual students through out the years from all over the world, in addition to instructing hunderds law enforcement agencies. He has been honored and praised from politicians and spiritual leaders of many nationalities. He is a professional osteopath by trade, acted in popular Japanese television series, produced many book and DVDs on Ninjustu and Budo, and has for many years been vice chairman of the Japan Literary Artists´ Club.

Masaaki Hatsumi, founder and grandmaster of the Bujinkan martial arts system, was awarded by the Japanese government the International Culture Award. This the highest honor given for cultural exchange, was bestowed on Dr. Hatsumi by a member of the Imperial Household on November 22, 1999.

"The International Culture Award is a great honor for the Bujinkan," stated Dr. Hatsumi at the award ceremony. To date he is the 92nd recipient of this prestigious honor. Dr. Hatsumi was nominated for his cross-cultural leadership in international martial arts instruction.

Instructor of the Year by Blackbelt magazine, Dr. Hatsumi is best known for "opening the doors" to Ninjutsu to non-Japanese. As grandmaster of the Bujinkan dojo, Dr. Hatsumi actively traveled the world for over 20 years sharing the teachings of Budo Ninpo Taijutsu as passed to him by his teacher, Toshitsugu Takamatsu. Each year, Dr. Hatsumi holds an international Daikomyosai (gathering) for training in Japan. Additionally, thousands of eager students from scores of countries also travel to Japan throughout the year for training with Dr. Hatsumi.

Dr. Hatsumi founded the Bujinkan, which means "The Hall/System of Divinely Inspired Warriors," in honor of his teacher, Toshitugu Takamatsu. The nine warrior schools of the Bujinkan comprise of six are old samurai schools, the remaining three are schools with ninja lineage. All systems were born from the ancient battlefields of Japan. These historical roots taught by Dr. Hatsumi provide a rich fountain of martial arts teachings that are equally relevant in todays world. Dr. Hatsumi promotes the importance of understanding the principles underlying ninja techniques, not just forms and drills by real fighting applications. This practicality is the Bujinkan´s foundation drawing thousands of practitioners from around the world, many of whom provide law enforcement or personal security services.Dr. Hatsumi holds black belts in several martial arts, including aikido, karate, jojutsu, kendo, judo, and western style boxing. He is grandmaster of the following nine schools of the Bujinkan:

The Nine Sytems of the Bujinkan : ~

a)Ryû-ha School Lineage
b)Togakure Ryû Concealing Door School 34th Grandmaster
c)Gyokko Ryû Jewel Tiger School 28th Grandmaster
d)Kukishinden Ryû 9 Demons Divine Transmission School 28th Grandmaster
e)Shinden Fudô Ryû Divine Transmission Immovable School 26th Grandmaster
f)Gyokushin Ryû Jewel Heart School 21st Grandmaster
g)Kotô Ryû Tiger Knock-down School 18th Grandmaster
h)Takagi Yôshin Ryû High-Tree Raise-Heart School 17th Grandmaster
i)Gikan Ryû Regard for Justice School 15th Grandmaster
j)Kumogakure Ryû Concealing Clouds School 14th Grandmaster

*Official Bujinkan Website: http://www.bujinkan.com/

Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu

Hatsumi Sensei _Bujinkan_Takamatsu Sensei

The Bujinkan Organization, founded by Masaaki Hatsumi in 1978, is one of the many organizations claiming to teach ninjutsu as three of the nine martial art schools of Bujinkan are said to be ninjutsu schools. These claims are opposed by some historians of koryu arts.

 In Rekishi dokuhon Masaaki Hatsumi said he was Takashi Ueno's student at age 24, and until age 29 only sometimes wrote letters to Toshitsugu Takamatsu who was then Ueno Takashi's teacher; though the certificate Takamatsu gave Hatsumi naming him 34th head of Togakure ryu is dated March 1958. There are films of them training together over a long period of several years and in interviews with Ryutaro Koyama, Takamatsu confirmed that Hatsumi had been training with him since 1958. Following this, in the Bugeicho (11/1963) Hatsumi states he only trains with Takamatsu once every three months on weekends.

The Bugeicho (11/1963) editor Kiyoshi Watatani states that Hatsumi's ideas and lineage are only his ideas and have no proof to support them, but later in the year independent history scholar and author Ryutaro Koyama published his first book on the Togakure ryu entitledKore wa ninjutsu da! Koyama followed up the following year with an expanded book called Shinsetsu Nihon ninja retsuden,The Kakutogi No Rekishi also lists several of the Bujinkan Ryuha and martial arts authority Yumio Nawa also examined and confirmed the Togakure ryu's historical status in his 1972 book Ninjutsu no kenkyu (Ninchibo Shuppansha). Watatani, editor of the Bugeicho who had said that there was no proof to Hatsumi's claims in 1963 then reverses himself and in his work the Bugei Ryuha Daijiten 1978 from then on treats the Togakure ryu as a historical art.

In the more recent Shinobi no sengokushi (08/2004) Hatsumi states he trained with Toshitsugu Takamatsu for 15 years and became master of 9 systems at age 27. Toshitsugu Takamatsu died in 1972, so this would make the year Hatsumi started training with Takamatsu 1957 or 1958. This statement claims the training with Takamatsu having been two or three years longer than can be concluded from Hatsumi's statements from the Rekishi dokuhon 08/1960" and the Bugeicho 11/1963. However, the statement in Shinobi no sengokushi (08/2004) is consistent with Takamatsu's statements to Koyama and the certificate he wrote. In 1983 Shinji Souya wrote that the historical bookGenpeisuiseki supported the Togakure ryu history.

In the 3rd edition of the Bugei ryuha daijiten, Watatani (who was a friend of Takamatsu) states that Takamatsu's ninjutsu was made up from childhood ninja games. This was retracted in the 4th edition.

Grand Master Masaaki Hatsumi

Guidelines For Participation In The Bujinkan : 

1. The Bujinkan shall be open to only those who agree with and uphold the guidelines of the Bujinkan Dojo. Those not doing so shall not be allowed to join. Specifically: Only those who have read and agreed with these guidelines shall be allowed to participate.

2. Only those able to exercise true patience, self-control, and dedication shall be allowed to participate. A physician's examination report shall be required. Specifically, individuals with mental illness, drug addiction, or mental instability shall be barred from joining. The necessity of such a report concerns individuals who may present a danger to others, for example, those with infectious diseases or illnesses, individuals with clinically abnormal personalities or physiology, and individuals lacking self-control.

3. Individuals with criminal records shall be turned away. Trouble makers, those who commit crimes, and those living in Japan who break domestic laws shall be turned away.

4. Those not upholding the guidelines of the Bujinkan, either as practitioners or as members of society, by committing disgraceful or reproachable acts shall be expelled. Until now, the Bujinkan was open to large numbers of people who came to Japan. Among them, unfortunately, were those committing violent drunken acts, the mentally ill, and trouble makers who thought only of themselves and failed to see how their actions might adversely affect others. Through their actions, such people were discarding the traditional righteous heart of the Bujinkan. From this day forward, all such people shall be expelled.

5. Regarding accidents occurring during training (both inside and outside the dojo), one should not cause trouble to the Bujinkan. This is an extremely important point. Those unwilling to take personal responsibility for accidents occurring during Bujinkan training shall not be admitted. Reiterating for clarity, the Bujinkan shall not take responsibility for any accidents happening in the course of training, regardless of the location.

6. All those joining the Bujinkan must get an annual membership card. This card not only preserves the honor of the Bujinkan members, it indicates you are part of a larger whole--one whose members come together with warrior hearts to better themselves through training and friendship. It evinces the glory of warrior virtue, and embodies both loyalty and brotherly love.

7. The tradition of the Bujinkan recognizes nature and the universality of all human life, and is aware of that which flows naturally between the two parts:


•"The secret principle of Taijutsu is to know the foundations of peace.


•To study is the path to the immovable heart (fudoshin)."

Recently, the Bujinkan has become truly international. Just as there are various time zones, so exist various taboos among the world's peoples and nations. We must respect each other, striving to avoid such taboos. We must put the heart of the warrior first, working together for self-improvement and for the betterment of the Bujinkan.

Those not upholding the above-mentioned guidelines shall be forced out of the Bujinkan.

         IF ONE DOES NOT HAVE A HONEST HEART HEAVEN WILL NOT PERMIT A PLEASURABLE TIME

Masaaki Hatsumi - Soke