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Bujinkan ("The Organization of the Divine Warrior") is nowadays the largest organization that preserves and develops the knowledge from 9 ancient Japanese schools, grouped together by Soke Masaaki Hatsumi under a single system (Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu) after his teacher, Takamatsu Toshitsugu, passed away in 1972.
Bujinkan evolution is directly related with Sensei Hatsumi's prestige and martial arts concepts understanding, while is generously sharing whole-life knowledge as the Soke of Bujinkan in his Honbu Dojo in Noda-shi, Japan. Sensei Hatsumi stands as a world renown martial artist whose legitimate authority in preserving and teaching Ninjutsu is also acknowledged by mentioning the Bujinkan in Zen Nippon Todo Renmei (The Japan Swords Federation), also the inclusion in the Bugei Ryuha Daijiten (武芸流派大事典), Japan's official "Martial Arts Directory." Also, the Japanese government has publicly acknowledged Hatsumi Sensei as a "National Treasure" for preserving and teaching the "Ninja arts" as part of the Japanese spirituality and traditions*.
Grades and rankings
In Bujinkan there is a grading system based on 10 Kyu grades for beginners (white and green belts), and 15 Dan grades for advanced (black belt and different badge according to the level), as follows: 1-5 Dan Ten (Heaven), 6-10 Dan Chi (Earth), and 11-15 Dan Jin (Man).
In the ussual dojo's practice, the title for the Dan graded practitioners is Sensei, over 10 Dan they are currenlty named as Shihan, and the grand master of the school or organization is named Soke.
Those graded over 5 Dan cand become Shidoshi (certified instructors), and those graded between 1 and 4 Dan can be certifyed as Shidoshi-Ho (assistant instructor), under the supervizion of a Shidoshi.
The study curriculum
Initially tought as Ninpo Taijutsu (and from 1996, as Budo Taijutsu), the martials arts system of the Bujinkan organization unites, under common basics, the principles of 3 authentical schools of ninjutsu and another 6 bujutsu schools, kept and transmited throught generations within the warriors families.
The actual study curricilum is based on a synthesis of the techniques of the 9 schools or Ryu-ha, named Ten Chi Jin Ryaku No Maki ("The book of Heaven, Earth and Man"), synthesis sinteza which covers the study materials for the kyu grades. Once the Dan grades achieved, the approfondation of this synthesis is made along with the differentiatd study of the techniques from the gradual levels of Shoden, Chuden and Okuden from each school, in an effort of keeping the unicity and to preserve the speficial features of these Ryu-ha.
Since 1988, the study of the Bujinkan martial arts is focuses on a yearly theme based on specific techniques from the component schools of the organization, such as taijutsu, hanbo, bo, jo, boken, naginata or jutte, and since 1998 there have been studied the Shoden or Chuden levels from the Shinden Fudo Ryu (1998 and 2006), Kukishinden Ryu (1999 and 2007), Gyokko Ryu (2001 and 2005), Koto Ryu (2000), or Togakure Ryu (2008) schools.
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1) vezi http://hatsumi.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=28