Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu
武神館武道体術A school led since the 1970s by Masaaki Hatsumi, uniting nine traditional lineages. The documentary basis of their ninja part is disputed among historians.
Quick Facts
JapanCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu
About Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu
Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu has been led since the 1970s by Masaaki Hatsumi, who inherited the transmission of his teacher Toshitsugu Takamatsu. The school's name — hall of the divine warrior — honours him. The school unites nine traditional lineages. Three of them claim ninjutsu descent (Togakure-ryu, Gyokushin-ryu, Kumogakure-ryu); the remaining six are samurai schools of unarmed combat and weapons: Gyokko-ryu, Koto-ryu, Shinden Fudo-ryu, Takagi Yoshin-ryu, Gikan-ryu and Kuki Shinden-ryu. It is only fair to add that **the documentary basis of those lineages is disputed among historians**. Pedigrees reaching back to the 12th century rest on scrolls that have not been independently verified, and part of the scholarly community regards them as a later construction. That says nothing about the quality of what is practised — but an unbroken ninja lineage cannot be stated as fact. Technically the foundation is taijutsu, body work: evasion instead of blocking, breaking the opponent's structure, and moving from a strike into a lock or throw without interruption. There is no competition and no rule-bound sparring; instead, situations are repeated in pairs, one attacking realistically while the other looks for a solution. There are fifteen grades, and from fifth dan the examination is traditionally not technical.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.