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 Ninjutsu and traditional budo - a contradiction?In times past there could hardly be greater contradiction, or could there? Ninja were regarded with fear, superstition and suspision in the general public and the samurai hated and dispised them for having no respect for bushido, the warrior code which meant everything in feudal Japan. The samurai and the shinobi were opposites in their way of thinking, the samurai being stiff, locked and singleminded while the shinobi way was flexible and adaptable. The bushido code was incompatible with the free spirit of the shinobi, as it would only bring unhappiness and submission. And yet Bujinkan compromises both of these classes, both of these ways of thinking - as far as I can see, anyway. It is clear that some of the nine ryu in Bujinkan has been used by samurai, so why should these ryu not be trained in the spirit of bushido, just as we train other ryu in the spirit of ninpo? I do realize that some ninja might have used the samurai title as a mere cover, but one must remember that many ninja families were assimilated into Shogun organizations and could, more or less, change the way they lived. Maybe to some degree we are always training in the spirit of synthesis, because that is what Bujinkan really is, synthesis. I find it somewhat confusing at times, don't you? What do you think? Can Bujinkan be called Ninjustu? I find the question difficult. Everybody I know throws around with the word Ninjutsu, but I find it still harder to do so. If you have any comments, please mail me.
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