Bujinkan Kitaura Training Group Philosophy (Tetsugaku)

We at the Bujinkan Kitaura Training Group train in Hatsumi-soke's Bujinkan arts in order to learn how to survive in the real world. On the surface, it may seem that we are engaged in those aspects of life that deal with physical dangers, whether they come from a physical assault or other parts of life that may cause physical harm. While this is very true, we also wish for our members to take home something more. Life is not simply about staying alive it is about living. We learn to overcome our fears, doubts, and inhibitions and enjoy life without having the constant nagging fears that keep us from reaching our potential. Many would say that learning to disarm a sword-wielding attacker has little to do with life in modern America. We feel that the confidence and skills needed to face an almost certain painful death are useful in our day-to day dealings with the world. Overcoming our fears is necessary for growth and well being. It has been said, is it not a happy (person) that does not fear death? Our personal experiences in pursuing the warrior arts, tempered with our own moral and ethical guidelines, as well as intellectual and cultural pursuits help us to become (people) that can live and enjoy life, rather than seeing our existence as one obstacle after another. We learn to avoid obstacles, recover easily from falls, and overcome insurmountable odds in order to continue to live as we wish: happily and without fear.

What is the "Bujinkan"?

Masaaki Hatsumi of Noda City, Japan is the Soke (Grandmaster) of at least nine separate Japanese martial traditions (ryu-ha) passed to him by his personal teachers including the late Toshitsugu Takamatsu. The Bujinkan is the organization created by Hatsumi-Soke to disseminate the teachings of Ninjutsu throughout the world.
The traceable development of these arts spans the last 1,000 years. The preservation of these traditions is a critical difference between Bujinkan arts and recently developed Japanese disciplines taught in the United States, such as Karate-do, Aikido, and Judo. The do arts were created largely after World War One and are derived from battlefield traditions. The meanings of do techniques are still rarely taught outside of Japan, and only then to those of high rank as recognized in Japan. However, our Bujinkan education takes into explicit account battlefield and combat scenarios that are considered bunkai at best in most modern disciplines.
While recognizing change and modernization, Bujinkan training remains firmly rooted in the past. Rather than attempt to make old techniques into new, we learn from the old and seek the universal and lasting truths, which have stood the test of time within the traditions, which have been passed down. It doesn't make Bujinkan better, only closer to the original warrior traditions.

Those nine traditions are:

1. Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu
2. Gyokko Ryu Koshijutsu
3. Kukishin Ryu Happo Hikenjutsu
4. Shinden Fudo Ryu Dakentaijutsu
5. Gyokushin Ryu Ninjutsu
6. Koto Ryu Koppojutsu
7. Tagaki Yoshin Ryuu Jutaijutsu
8. Gikan Ryu Koppo Ninjutsu
9. Kumogakure Ryu Ninjutsu

The above systems each specialize in a specific set of combat skills. When combined, as they are in the Bujinkan, they provide a comprehensive set of martial skills that enable the practitioner to adapt to any situation and give the practitioner a large body of principles and techniques that, when properly applied, enable the practitioner to survive and succeed where others fail.

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