Notes on the Historical Ninja

It is easy to forget that the people we call ninja today were families of individuals who had as their overriding goals the same goals that we teach as ultimate in my dojo today. "We train in the martial arts for the purpose of making more likely the possibility of ending this day at Home, Healthy and Happy." This little "3-H" formula really does not take into account wanting to fight and beat others in a pit-ring contest, or practicing "taijutsu as enjoyable body movement," or wanting to "be a ninja." I believe that the roots of our martial art are much thicker and blunter and closer to the surface than that. We want, and most likely they wanted, to live a life rich in growth and peace and fulfillment, and avoid destruction, violence, and suppression of spirit. Period. ...and that which we later termed "ninjutsu" was their expedient device for moving from danger and chaos to security and peace.

It is fun to study ancient lore for producing the expedients needed to overcome adversities - things like portable wooden box boats from before there was rubber, bamboo and coal pocket lighters from before there was plastic and refined flammable fluid, and hand-ground medicines from before there were chemical processes for extracting or duplicating the essential medicinal properties needed. And in the fun, we can come to believe that such ancient lore is somehow more vital or reliable or even "spiritual" than the modern developments, or that there is some "SF movie-inspired" need to preserve the lore for future days when there might be some collapse of civilization.

The sobering truth that seems to be calling out to us once we get over the allure of believing that there is a "special secret ninja way" to do everything, is that those we now call "ninja" were in truth "people with a challenge" in an age when might always made right. They used their ingenuity to embrace and even push forward the technological breakthroughs of their times.

My (admittedly) extreme opinion is that if the ghost of Hattori could visit us today, he would be appalled to find any 2001 students practicing spear technique in hakama, and fascinated by military fatigue pants ("All those - what do you call them? - pockets!") and electronic taser stun weapons.

My (admittedly) extreme opinion is that if the ghost of Daisuke could visit us today, he would be far more concerned with learning what 2001 street vermin and airplane terrorist bad-guys do to start and win fights, than with showing us (supposedly) "ninja style" kamae arm positions from feudal Japanese scroll illustrations drawn by warriors who were not particularly expert illustration artists.

- Stephen K. Hayes