The 18 disciplines were first stated in the scrolls of Togakure Ryu, describing a complete training of the warrior in various fighting arts and complementary disciplines. Ninja Juhakkei (18 Ninjutsu skills) was often compared with Bugei Juhappan (the 18 samurai fighting art skills). Though some of them are the same, the techniques of each discipline were used with different approaches by both samurai and ninja.

• Seishin teki kyoyo (spiritual refinement)
• Taijutsu (unarmed combat)
• Ninja ken (ninja sword)
• Bojutsu (stick and staff fighting)
• Shurikenjutsu (throwing blades)
• Yarijutsu (spear fighting)
• Naginatajutsu (halberd fighting)
• Kusarigama (chain and sickle weapon)
• Kayakujutsu (fire and explosives)
• Hensojutsu (disguise and impersonation)
• Shinobi iri (stealth and entering methods)
• Bajutsu (horsemanship)
• Sui ren (water training)
• Bo-ryaku (strategy)
• Cho ho (espionage)
• Intonjutsu (escape and concealment)
• Ten-mon (meteorology)
• Chi-mon (geography)

 

Seishin teki kyoyo
(spiritual refinement)

The first and the most necessary of the skills, presumes a self-knowledge level of the warrior that will be able to control the senses, motivations, and intentions, both his and opponent ones. From this point, the Ninja warriors developed a mystical discipline, with its own philosophy and mental doctrine, known as Mikkyo Ninpo.

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Taijutsu
(unarmed combat)

The taijutsu comprehends all the techniques executed with the body, and includes procedures of rolling, leaping, walking, kicking, punching, grabbing, throwing, strangulations, joint locks, etc. Taijutsu includes Taihen Jutsu (rolling, leaping and evasion movements), Daken Taijutsu (punching, kicking, blocking) and Jutaijutsu (joint locks, throwing, quite similar to the samurai's ju-jutsu). Such techniques can be found today in various refined ways in the modern martial arts tech curriculum, but Ninpo includes them as they were created in the old times.

One of the main aspects of the taijutsu techniques resized in the way of using body's natural weapons such as weight, balance, and moving with a natural attitude, rather than force and toughness, one being able to defeat in this way stronger or bigger adversaries. It is a system adapted to ninja's fight conditions, where the main goal was to distract and defeat any kind of adversary, no matter how trained they were, by using natural (often deceiving) moves, techniques, or weapons.

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Ninja ken
(ninja sword)

Actually, ninjas were using the same swords as the samurai did, even if they occasionally have adjusted their swords to accomplish several other tasks, making them smaller, hiding in the saya (scabbard) different powders, using them as digging, climbing or breaking tools. For a ninja, the sword was nothing else but a tool, it didn't had that mystical respectful meaning that the bushi warriors were considering for their swords. There is a wide range of swords that ninjas were using, from straight to curved, different shapes and sizes, less ornamentation and more practical and functional considered.

The sword techniques were actually nothing else but "taijutsu plus a sword", the same body weight, balance and movement principles being applied on the weapon use. Also called ninja-to or shinobi-ken, the sword could be used in iai moves (cutting with the very first move of drawing it from the saya) or direct sword-to-sword techniques, often with unconventional and changing handle grips combined with body movements.

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Bojutsu
(stick and staff fighting)

The sticks and staffs were some of the most usual"tools" in the ancient Japan, thus one could easily substitute its warrior deadly weapon into a humble walking supporting tool. Of course, in their inventiveness, ninjas improved these weapons transforming them from simple wood staffs into iron-forged ones, with hidden spears, blades or attached chains.

The techniques were different than those developed on Okinawa bu the peasants, and more close to the chinese forms, with wide and circular moves, sliding and very mobile grips. Combined with taijutsu, with body movements and evasion techniques, the Roku-Shaku-Bo (6 feet staff) or the Han-bo (Half of a Bo) became very efficient weapons against any other weapon, including the famous samurai katana.

Most of the techniques studied in Bujinkan came from Kukishinden ryu, with various kamae (stances) and movement strikes against sword or other staff.

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Shurikenjutsu
(throwing blades)

Probably the most known ability of the ninja warriors, the art of throwing weapons included various forms of hira shuriken (the "stars", throwing blades with multiple points), bo shuriken (more like nails or chips) and blades/knives. Such techniques are common in the old schools, and, thought they weren't too popular, they were equally thought by ninjas and by samurais. Beside the Ninjutsu schools, today such fighting methods are still teach in other traditional schools such as Negishi ryu and Meifu Shinkage ryu.

Shurikens weren't used as primary weapons, but rather as distracting, escaping, or simply tactical weapon. Ninjas were using them either to stop someone, to precede and prepare a sword or spear attack, or simply to produce confusion and create a diversion.

One of the secret weapons from Togakure ryu was the senban shuriken (the 4 points blade), which could be also used as a carving, digging or good-to-everythign tool.

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Yarijutsu
(spear fighting)

Also read as Sojutsu, it is the art of handling the spear, not for throwing it, but rather for direct fight with the opponents. The spear has the advantage of being very long, yet flexible, and allows both lateral strikes and thrusts with the point.

Ninjas used a special form of Yari called kamayari (a hooked spear, a weapon probably used by pirates), which also allowed catching and hitching an opponent, especially if it was on horse.

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Naginatajutsu
(halberd fighting)

It is the art of fighting with the Naginata, a weapon formed by a bo (staff) with a sword blade attached, resulting a very effective weapon used with its both parts, either for blocks and strikes with the bo, or for cutting and stabbing with the blade. The weapon was used especially in the battles against more opponents, or against horsemen.

A specific weapon of ninjas was bisen-to, a very heavy and massive naginata, able to cut and break a samurai's armour.

Today, naginata jutsu is still practiced in several other old japanese schools, such as Katori Shinto-ryu, and its modern forms includes also competition forms.

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Kusarigama
(chain and sickle weapon)

Ninjas inventiveness was showed in creating both new weapons, and also new and unconventional methods of fight. Kusarigama is a traditional Japanese weapon, derived from a farmer's tool, that consists of sickle on a metal chain with a heavy iron weight at the end.

Using this weapon was usually done by swinging the weighted chain in large circles over one's head, then throwing it forward to hit or immobilize the opponent's weapon, arms or legs, moment when the ninja's easily rush forward and strike with the sickle.

Many historical records show that the kusarigama was extremely popular in feudal Japan, with many schools teaching it, from about the 12th to 17th Century. Togakure Ryu was using a version of it with another one straight and sharpened point, with a 2 meters rope finished by a metal ring.

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Kayakujutsu
(fire and explosives)

Kayakujutsu was the art of using fire and explosives, a discipline very useful for someone that sneaks into enemy territory to blow away a specific objective, either a wall, an entrance, a food reserve, etc.

Of course, when the fire arms were exported in Japan, ninjas adjusted their methods and became experts in using and accurately firing with the guns. They were also using different sizes canons or launchers with gun powder, and they had very accurate knowledge of how to prepare and properly use such materials.

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Hensojutsu
(disguise and impersonation)

A true art of shinobi warriors, hensojutsu was developing special abilities that allowed to imitate, simulate or transpose into someone else position. Know also as the "five ways of going", hensojutsu allowed ninja to appear either as a priest, samurai, merchant, craftsman or farmer. Used either to facilitate the access in various areas, to hide themselves or even to replace someone's person in order to get access to specific protected zones, such art was completing a ninja's training transforming him into a "transforming" warrior.

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Shinobi iri
(stealth and entering methods)

Obviously, a discipline of vital importance in any espionage mission, shinobi iri was training the warriors in various walking, observing, sneaking or infiltrating in opponent's area. Ninja warriors were experts in using the land natural resources or the landscape's elements to dissimulate their presence, to enter or evade from a guarded place without being felt. However, it is known that some of the most redoubtable enemies of ninjas were the watching dogs, whose senses were far beyond the guardian's ones.

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Bajutsu
(horsemanship)

A "mandatory" discipline for the bushi warriors especially starting from the Edo period, bajutsu is the art of fighting while riding, being able to both lead the horse and make a proper use of the kyu (archery), naginata, yari or sword.

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Sui ren
(water training)

Sui-ren was the training that ninja underwent for techniques involving water, and the techniques were organized into 5 major categories, such as boats, water as a weapon, tools, stealth, and survival.

Ninja used portable collapsing boats (Shinobi Bune, Tsugi Bune or Ukidaru) to follow convoys in the water or to cross rivers. While they were not designed to last long in the water, these boats kept the ninja afloat for long periods of time. Another kind of water vehicle is Ryu O Sen, a true small size submarine made by wood and leather with a sand ballast.

The Togakure Ryu ninjas used various tools for interacting with water, like Mizu Zutsu, a breathing tube reed-like to stay underwater for a long period of time, often used to blow darts into opponent from the water (sometime they used even the saya of the "multi-functional" ninja-to). Ninjas also developed some special boots called Mizu Gumo, tabi surrounded by wood pieces or balloons that allowed them to walk on water, and to create in this way a powerful and fearing impression over the enemies.

Often, ninja used water as a weapon, destroying bridges, dikes, or otherwise contaminating water sources, or withholding water from captives. In old Japan, it was a common practice for ninja to use water urns, wells, and rivers to hide and watch people, as part of the stealth techniques that any warrior needed to use. Also, ninja had to know how to find, purify, and transport water over distances. As a survival skill, some ninja could find water in unlikely places.

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Bo-ryaku
(strategy)

The ninja strategy was very simple and flexible, unconventional and continuously changeable, both as direct fighting abilities and as manipulating people for a specific goal.

Though ninja's training included the study of the military strategic techniques, they were able to combine this ability with psychological methods such as spreading rumors, infiltrating hidden teams, politically hindering enemies' plans, everything that lead in the end to the accomplishment of their goals.

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Cho ho
(espionage)

The art of spying the enemy, infiltrating agents to any decision level, collect vital information or provide wrong one, or simply to watch over the other's actions. This discipline was connected most of the times with escape and concealment (Intonjutsu) and strategy (Bo-ryaku).

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Intonjutsu
(escape and concealment)

Intonjutsu is the Ninja art of "disappearing" and comprises various walking and stealth techniques such as Gotonpo (hiding knowing, using the five elements concepts), and Shinobi-Aruki (silent movement steps and leaps). Ninjas were experts in adapting and improvising in any situation the natural environment advantages, such as water flows, trees branches, or any natural obstacle. Combined with the attention-distracting techniques, with disguise or even taijutsu, and based on a deep understanding of all the 5 nature basic elements, such techniques assured Ninjas all the "ingredients" to conceal or escape from difficult situations.

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Ten-mon
(meteorology)

A very useful knowledge for a ninja that allowed him to prevent and to foresee weather changes, and to use them in his advantage. By knowing the nature's changes, animals behaviors, or atmosphere signs, one could use a rainy weather or a hot sunny time as strategic elements to weaken and defeat the enemy.

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Chi-mon
(geography)

Chi-mon wasn't actually the ability to encyclopedically knew geographical places, but rather to know, inspect, and use the land's characteristics on strategic considerations. Knowing where the sun goes out, winds movement, find the best places for ambushes and use of natural resources such as relief, plants or animals, provided ninja warriors with the right attributes to defeat and win any battle, no matter of land type, territory surface, weather or human forces involved.

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