The Bujinkan (武神館, “Hall of the Divine Warrior”) was founded by Masaaki Hatsumi Sōke, who named it in honour of his teacher, Toshitsugu Takamatsu. From Takamatsu Sensei, Hatsumi Sōke inherited nine separate martial traditions, or ryūha. Rather than teaching each school in isolation, he brought them together, and today they are studied side by side as Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu.
Three of the nine are ninpō (ninja) traditions, often called ninjutsu, and six are samurai traditions of unarmed and armed combat. Each has its own character, and together they give students a broad foundation in movement, distance, timing, balance, striking, throwing, locking and the use of traditional weapons.
A note on history
Much of the history of these schools has been handed down through oral tradition and the scrolls (densho) of each ryū. The founding stories and dates recorded in those traditions are part of their heritage, but historians do not always agree on them, so we have chosen to describe each school by what it teaches rather than by legendary dates.
The nine schools
Togakure-ryū Ninpō Taijutsu (戸隠流忍法体術)
Known as the “School of the Hidden Door”, Togakure-ryū is the ninpō tradition most closely associated with the Bujinkan, and Hatsumi Sōke was its 34th grandmaster. Its teachings are traditionally said to include the ninja jūhakkei, eighteen areas of study ranging from spiritual refinement and taijutsu to strategy, stealth and knowledge of the natural world. The school is also known for tools such as the senban shuriken, and for its emphasis on awareness, evasion and survival rather than confrontation.
Gyokko-ryū Kosshijutsu (玉虎流骨指術)
The “Jewelled Tiger School” is regarded as one of the foundations of Bujinkan taijutsu. Its art, kosshijutsu, works on the muscles and weak points of the body, using precise strikes with the fingers, thumbs and fists, together with careful distance and angling. Much of the basic footwork and posture (kamae) practised by beginners in the Bujinkan comes from this school.
Kotō-ryū Koppōjutsu (虎倒流骨法術)
The “Tiger Knockdown School” is closely related to Gyokko-ryū, but where Gyokko-ryū attacks the muscles, Kotō-ryū’s koppōjutsu works on the skeletal structure, striking and breaking the opponent’s balance through the bones. It is known for its sharp sense of distance and timing, its use of deception, and its strategy of unsettling an opponent before they can act.
Shinden Fudō-ryū Dakentaijutsu (神伝不動流打拳体術)
Often called the “Immovable Heart School”, Shinden Fudō-ryū teaches that the natural posture (shizen) is the only stance one truly needs, with the guard held in the mind rather than in the body. It contains both dakentaijutsu (striking) and jūtaijutsu (grappling) sections, and its teachings value patience and an unshakeable spirit, cultivated in harmony with nature.
Kukishinden-ryū Happō Bikenjutsu (九鬼神伝流八法秘剣術)
Kukishinden-ryū is a comprehensive samurai tradition, studied in the Bujinkan above all for its weapons: the rokushakubō (six-foot staff), hanbō, sword, spear and naginata, as well as unarmed taijutsu. “Happō bikenjutsu” refers to the eight methods of combat and the secret sword. The school is linked with the Kuki family, and its low, stable postures are often said to reflect the family’s history at sea.
Takagi Yōshin-ryū Jūtaijutsu (高木揚心流柔体術)
The “High Tree, Raised Heart School” is a samurai jūtaijutsu tradition of throws, joint locks, chokes and restraints, with a strong emphasis on close-quarters work in confined spaces, such as indoors. Its spirit is captured in the image of the willow, which bends and survives the storm where a rigid tree would break. It shares close historical ties with Kukishin-ryū.
Gikan-ryū Koppōjutsu (義鑑流骨法術)
Gikan-ryū is a koppōjutsu tradition, and is one of the least publicly known of the nine schools. Many of its teachings have traditionally been passed directly from grandmaster to grandmaster rather than taught openly, so it is generally described only in broad terms, as a school of powerful, distinctive striking and movement.
Gyokushin-ryū Ninpō (玉心流忍法)
The “Jewelled Heart School” is one of the three ninpō traditions in the Bujinkan. It is described as focusing more on espionage and intelligence gathering than on direct combat, and as including sutemi (sacrifice) techniques. Its best-known tool is the throwing rope (nagenawa). It shares many similarities with Gyokko-ryū.
Kumogakure-ryū Ninpō (雲隠流忍法)
The “Hidden in the Clouds School” is the third of the ninpō traditions. It is known for the kamayari (hooked or sickle spear), which could also be used for climbing, and for forearm striking. Its taijutsu and its philosophy of escape and evasion are often said to be very close to those of Togakure-ryū.
Training in the nine schools at Bujinkan Ikiru Dojo
In the Bujinkan, students are not asked to choose one school. Beginners start with the fundamentals, such as ukemi (rolling and falling), posture and footwork, which draw on all nine traditions. Over time they come to appreciate how each school expresses the same underlying principles in its own way.
If you would like to experience Bujinkan training for yourself, you are warmly welcome to join us at Kilburn Community Hall in Adelaide. Your first two lessons are free.
You can also see our class times and location.