Ninjutsu (忍術)

This martial art is also known as Ninpō, “the Method of Ninja“, and Shinobi-jutsu, “the Art of spying“.

The discipline includes body conditioning, armed and unarmed combat techniques, survival techniques, as well as military strategy.

The separated elements of the discipline, not linked to “Ninjutsu“ by name, can be found in the earliest Japanese historical texts, however, the solidification of the system took place rather around the 16th century, during the Sengoku-Jidai period (“Warring States Period“, 1467 to 1615).

It is during that period that mutiple lineages of Ninjutsu become known, for example, the Togakure-Ryū (“School of a Hidden Door“) linked to Iga region in the present Mie province.

In the West, Ninjutsu quickly gains popularity from 1960s onwards thanks to various movies, manga and anime.