Grand master Shoto Tanemura: The term Ninpo is often confused with Ninjutsu, few people see a difference and for those that do it is often only slight or insignificant. The two terms Ninpo and Ninjutsu are vastly different. The term Ninpo includes the character or ideogram Ho (read as Po in some combinations). Ho is frequently found in religions such as the name Buppo 'eternal truth'. Ninpo has deep spiritual teachings, for this reason the term Ho is used. As an analogy consider Bumon (martial arts) as the right hand and Shumon (spiritual teachings) as the left hand. Possessing both of these provides a balanced body. This is comparable to the masculine force Yo (Yang) and the feminine force In (Yin) for a balanced universe.
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| Grand Master Shoto Tanemura with |
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Grand Master Shoto Tanemura |
| Sanzen Dojo Cho Martin O' Raghailligh |
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Performing a technique on Sanzen |
| Honbu Dojo Japan. |
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Dojo Cho Martin O' Raghailligh |
Ho is made up of two components Sanzui (water) and Saru (going forward), literally water going forward. However, it's deeper significance is the water cycle; rain falls on the mountain from the cloud above it, then collects to form a stream in the valley. There it meets other streams becoming a river which eventually finds its way to the sea. There the water rises up to heaven and becomes a cloud once more, thus Ho/Po is the eternal truth or law of the water cycle and is equivalent to Daruma in Sanskrit, which means truth.
There have been many terms used to describe the physical and philosophical knowledge within different martial art schools throughout the centuries. The term Ninpo has been in use since the second world war, however, Ninpo is an ancient martial art which like the rain of the water cycle remains constantly fresh. Each student, therefore, tries to cultivate a good heart and spirit in order to learn and understand the ancient teachings. The three pillars of Ninpo are Tai-jutsu (unarmed techniques), Bo-jutsu (wooden staff techniques) and Biken-jutsu (sword techniques), although there are many other disciplines that make up the complete art. Tai-jutsu itself encompasses many different elements such as rolling, break falling, throwing, joint locking, striking, chokes and combinations of all these.
The training in the Genbukan covers all aspects of the art. The Japanese character for NIN in Ninpo means patience and perseverance, which is the essence of this martial art. As a beginner you will learn a set syllabus with 10 below black belt (kyu) levels; each level has a formal test. Once you reach 1st kyu (the highest below black belt) you start to learn more advanced techniques. There are 10 black belt levels. At Shodan (first black belt level) you will study Koppo-jutsu, Kosshi-jutsu, Jutai-jutsu and Dakentai-jutsu from various Ninpo schools, each having it's own emphasis and style. Along with this you will learn traditional patterns of Hanbo-jutsu (short staff) and Biken-jutsu (special sword techniques). The training is formal yet enjoyable.
