Karate vs. Ninjutsu
Quick answer
Karate and Ninjutsu are Japanese arts with no documented common origin. Karate from Okinawa is competed in as kumite and kata under the WKF and was Olympic in Tokyo 2020. Ninjutsu is formed by modern organizations such as the Bujinkan, which do not compete and add locks, throws and weapons to strikes.
At a glance
| Karate | Ninjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan | Japan |
| Origin | 20th century (present form) | 20th century (present form) |
| Founder | Anko Itosu (codifier) | – |
| Contact | Semi-contact · Full contact (depending on style) | Light contact |
| Sparring | Medium contact · Full contact (depending on style) | Light contact |
| Competition format | Point fighting | No competitions |
| Olympic status | Former Olympic sport | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | Yes (belts) | Yes (kyu and dan, no belts) |
| Rank recognition | fragmented | fragmented |
| Attire | Gi required | Gi required |
| Weapons | No weapons · Weapons optional (depending on style) | Weapons at the core |
| Forms | Forms at the core | – |
| Relative cost | low | medium |
| Katas and forms in the encyclopedia | 67 | – |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 230 | – |
Scales 1–5
Rated for the typical training of an adult beginner in an ordinary club, calibrated across all arts.
What each art is built from
Editorial rating 0–3: how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
History and relationship
Karate and Ninjutsu have no documented common origin. Karate arose in the Ryukyu Kingdom on present-day Okinawa from the local te under the influence of Chinese martial arts, and Gichin Funakoshi brought it to the main Japanese islands. Present-day ninjutsu is formed by the modern organizations Bujinkan, Genbukan and Jinenkan, which claim descent from the historical shinobi of the Iga and Koga (Koka) regions.
- Around the 15th century: the beginnings of karate on Okinawa.
- 1574 and 1581: Oda Nobunaga subdued Koga and Iga.
- 1655–1681: the shinobi writings Ninpiden, Bansenshukai (1675 or 1676) and Shoninki come into being.
- 1922: Funakoshi demonstrates karate in Tokyo, and in 1924 he adopts the dan system from Kano Jigoro.
- Around 1972: Masaaki Hatsumi founds the Bujinkan, in 1984 the Genbukan comes into being and in 1996 the Jinenkan.
The documentation of the modern ninjutsu lineage is disputed. The historian Stephen Turnbull (2014) writes that Iga “created” its ninja tradition and that before 1581 there is only one reliable account of covert warfare. The dictionary Bugei Ryuha Daijiten describes the Togakure-ryu genealogy as embellished.
Hatsumi’s certificate from 1958 for the title of 34th grandmaster of Togakure-ryu is not supported by records of earlier holders. The Iga-ryu Ninja Museum names Jinichi Kawakami as the heir of ninjutsu, which contradicts Hatsumi’s position.
Technique
- Teaching in three components: kihon, kata and kumite.
- Hand strikes, kicks and blocks, and in Wado-ryu also locks and throws.
- WKF kumite: 1 point for a strike to the body, 2 for a kick to the body, 3 for a kick to the head.
- The Bujinkan brings together nine ryuha, three founded on the tactics of the ninja and six on the tactics of the samurai.
- In randori the defender intervenes, locks, chokes and throws.
- Weapons in regular training: swords, staffs, spears, naginata, each year with a different theme.
Karate builds mainly on strikes and kicks, and WKF competition forbids contact to the neck as well as attacks on the joints. The Bujinkan combines strikes with locks, chokes, throws and weapons in one programme. The shinobi manuals also describe work with gunpowder (kayakujutsu), and in 2019 NHK reconstructed some of it.
Training
| Karate | Ninjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Course of teaching | kihon, kata and kumite | kata with fixed roles of tori and uke, henka variations, controlled randori |
| Sparring | from the agreed yakusoku kumite through jiyu kumite to competitive shiai kumite | randori, no official set of rules |
| Partner’s resistance | from light contact in the WKF to full contact in Kyokushin | the level of resistance is set by the instructor |
We did not document the typical training frequency or lesson structure for either karate or ninjutsu. For free sparring karate has the competitive rules of the WKF, while in the Bujinkan no rules for randori are set and how hard people train depends on the dojo.
Progression and ranks
| Karate | Ninjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Ranks | kyu and dan, the JKA has 10 kyu and 10 dan | Bujinkan: 10 kyu, 1st–10th dan, menkyo kaiden 11th–15th dan |
| Belt colors | there is no standard assignment, Funakoshi’s system from 1924 had white, brown and black | white belt (mukyu), then green for men and red for women |
| Examinations | JKA: kihon, kata and kumite, minimum times between dans | fixed criteria only at the sakki test before 5th dan, otherwise the dojo decides |
| Authorization to teach | Wado-ryu usually from 3rd dan | shidoshi from 5th dan, may open a dojo and examine up to 4th dan |
In karate the first five to six dans are awarded by examination and the higher ones are honorary. At the sakki test in the Bujinkan, the practitioner has to prove before the soke that he senses danger and avoids it. Outside of it, individual dojo determine progress.
Physical load and risks
- Meta-analysis of 28 studies (Lystad et al., Br J Sports Med 2020): 88.3 injuries per 1,000 exposures in competitive kumite.
- Most often the head and neck (median 57.9%), predominantly contusions of the lowest severity.
- WKF World Championships 2008–2014: 4 concussions in 4,625 bouts.
- We did not find a study of injury incidence for ninjutsu, the Bujinkan or budo taijutsu.
- Teaching without competitions, with controlled randori and without protective gear.
- A description of Bujinkan teaching states a small risk of permanent injury, without figures.
Who it suits
| Karate | Ninjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Competition categories | WKF from Under 14 (ages 12–13) to seniors over age 18, para-karate | there are no competitions |
| Women | at the World Championships since 1980 | in the Bujinkan kyu ranks a red belt for women, we did not find further data |
| Entry conditions | we did not find a minimum age in clubs | we did not find any for the Bujinkan, Genbukan or Jinenkan |
Children
| Karate | Ninjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s categories | WKF from age 12 (Under 14), Shotokan SKDUN from age 10–11 | we did not find children’s programs or age categories |
| Protection in competition | under age 14 a helmet and external body protector are mandatory | there are no competitions |
| Studies in children | Slovak children’s tournaments 2015–2016: 45.3 injuries per 1,000 exposures, participants aged 12–17 had almost double the risk compared with those aged 6–12 | we did not find any |
Self-defence
- Kumite from agreed attacks to free and competitive sparring.
- Resistance in the WKF is limited by rules: points, a ban on strikes to the neck and joints, light touch to the head.
- Kyokushin fights with full contact, typically without protective gear.
- Kata with fixed roles, then henka variations and randori.
- Testing against a fully resisting opponent depends on the instructor.
- Strikes, locks, chokes, throws and weapons in one program.
We did not find an independent source on the effectiveness of ninjutsu in self-defence. A review from 2009 (Angleman et al., Aggress Violent Behav) states that no study has compared traditional martial arts with modern self-defence for women.
Practical use
| Karate | Ninjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Balance | 16 people aged 59–90 (Mustafa et al. 2022): after 5 weeks dynamic balance was 13.6% faster | we did not find any |
| Attention | 89 people around age 70 (Witte et al. 2016): improved motor reactivity and divided attention | we did not find any |
The karate studies concern small groups and short programs. We did not find a study with figures on ninjutsu or the Bujinkan, and nothing about ninjutsu can be inferred from karate studies.
Competition
| Karate | Ninjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Competitions | WKF kumite and kata, World Championships since 1970 every two years | the Bujinkan has no competitions or bouts, and for the Genbukan and Jinenkan we did not find the information |
| Olympic status | Tokyo 2020, not at the 2024 or 2028 Games | none |
| Kumite | 3 minutes or until a lead of 8 points, weight categories | not competed in |
| Kata | a choice from 100 to 102 forms recognized by the WKF, from 2026 the judges’ votes decide | not competed in |
Gear and costs
| Karate | Ninjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | white karategi with a belt, adopted from judo | Bujinkan: black ninjutsugi with a green or red belt, tabi in the dojo, jika-tabi outdoors |
| Protective gear | in WKF competition gloves, mouthguard, body, shin and foot protectors | not used in training |
| Weapons | not used in WKF competition | swords, staffs, spears and naginata as part of regular teaching |
| Relative cost | low | medium |
Availability and organisations
| Karate | Ninjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Organizations | WKF, in Japan the JKF and JKA, a number of styles and their branches | Bujinkan, Genbukan and Jinenkan as separate organizations |
| Recognition of ranks | we did not document mutual recognition between federations | Bujinkan ranks are valid within the organization |
Switching and combining
A documented path between the two arts is shown by Masaaki Hatsumi. Before training with Toshitsugu Takamatsu, and alongside it, he studied judo, Shito-ryu karate, aikido and Okinawan kobudo. We did not find any other documented connection between karate and ninjutsu.
Forms and terminology
In karate, kata are a separate competitive discipline. Across styles there are roughly 100 of them, and the analysis of their meaning is called bunkai. The Bujinkan also builds its teaching on kata, but as a two-person exercise with the roles of tori and uke, without competitive judging. We did not find a list of named forms of the Bujinkan.
Training culture
- 25 October: Karate Day, declared by the Okinawa prefectural assembly in 2005.
- 1933–1936: the spelling of the name changes from “Chinese hand” to “empty hand”.
- The word ninja spread only in the mid-20th century, earlier shinobi, rappa or kusa were used.
- Mie University has had a master’s program since 2018 that, according to Professor Yuji Yamada, teaches about ninja but does not train ninja.
Common misconceptions
- There is no hard evidence for the black clothing of historical ninja, it may have been an artistic convention, possibly borrowed from bunraku puppeteers.
- The human glider on a kite is, according to the historian Turnbull, a fantasy.
- According to the MythBusters test, the water shoes mizugumo are not suited to walking on water.
- The image of the silent killer dressed in black is mythologized. Professor Yuji Yamada (Mie University) judges that the fighters from Iga may have been rather ideological fighters for self-determination than mercenaries.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Is ninjutsu related to karate?
We did not find a documented common origin. However, the founder of the Bujinkan, Masaaki Hatsumi, studied Shito-ryu karate among other things.
Is there competition in ninjutsu?
The Bujinkan has no competitions or bouts. Instructors assess progress, and the sakki test is taken before 5th dan. Karate is competed in as kumite and kata under the WKF.
Is the ninjutsu lineage documented?
Sources differ. The historian Stephen Turnbull describes the ninja tradition of Iga as created, and the dictionary Bugei Ryuha Daijiten describes the Togakure-ryu genealogy as embellished. Togakure-ryu is one of the nine ryuha that the Bujinkan brings together.
Do both arts have belts?
Yes, both use kyu and dan. In the Bujinkan the ranks continue above 10th dan up to 15th dan, in karate the higher dans are honorary.