( 7 reviews )
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Posted: Dec 6 2008
This book is a very interesting dive into the realm of Ninjutsu, though, if not a member of the Bujinkan yourself, although the techniques seem straight forward at first, I urge you not to try them. I practiced a martial art outside of Ninjutsu when I read this book, and although the concepts of the moves seemed easy enough, they are dangerous to practice without the control and taijutsu that you learn from the Bujinkan. That said, if you are in the Bujinkan, you must own this.
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Posted: Nov 16 2007
This is probably the first book to faithfully reveal Hatsumi-sensei's approach to writing. In some of Soke's other works, the translation and editing have in many ways dampened the total effect of Soke's words. Not so in this book. The translator has done a superb job in capturing Soke's feeling in the written form. And he has done so by simply removing himself from the equation and instead has allowed Soke's words to do all the work. Throughout this book, the reader ought to be able to sense the depth of the art that Hatsumi-sensei is master of. The richness of the traditions and the scope of the moral and ethical development possible through an honest approach to martial arts is clearly in evidence. This has nothing to do with 'Oriental mysticism' nor has it anything to do with techniques in the technical sense. Yet, if one has the eyes to see, the mystical is simply honesty and the secrets to the techniques stem from this. In this book, both are more than visible. Through stories of his own teacher (beautifully presented as fables and legends) as well his own experiences, one gets the sense that Hatsumi-sensei has just surpassed a personal barrier of sorts. There is a sense of confidence that emerges from the words and one can only feel inspired to emulate the development displayed. This book is not, as should be expected from Hatsumi-sensei, a chronologically organised tome. Stepping away from the 1-2-3 approach to learning, Soke's words are imbued with character and observation and in that sense, one ought to hesitate to use the word 'topic' when describing each chapter. Perhaps 'situations' may be a better term. From history to warnings, from martial movement to moral awareness, this book, quite literally, has it all. Hidden in plain sight as it is, the information in this book serves as an excellent screener (as well as screening device) for those wishing to understand more of the art of Hatsumi-sensei. As an honest approach to the world of ninjutsu and the martial arts, this book is an absolute must.
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( 2 of 6 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 26 2006
As someone interested in japanese history and culture, rather than in learning martial arts. From previous comments and the authors pedigree, I figured that this book provide me more illumination on the historical ninja. Unfortunately, by the end of the book I still didn't feel that I had a very good grasp of who the ninja were and where they fit into japanese society. One problem with the book is that Masaaki Hasumi's writing tends to jump around quite a bit (perhaps better translationa and editing would have helped). On the bright side, there are quite a few hidden pearls of wisdom hidden within the text, that I found interesting and useful.
