9781422286739

N I N J U T S U

borrowed from China, each of which stands for a whole word; and two syllabic alphabets, or kana , which are used to write word endings and foreign words. The choice of how a word is written in Japanese reveals much more than it would when written in our own simple, Roman alphabet. The kanji “nin” means hidden, stealth, or secret; and the kanji “jutsu” means technique, or art. Thus, the literal translation of ninjutsu is “the technique (or art) of stealth.” Most of Japan's martial arts now describe themselves as do, or “ways”; for example, aikido (the way of harmony) and kendo (the way of the sword). This description indicates that practitioners have chosen not just the study of a fighting technique, but also to follow a path that will guide their entire lives. The choice of the kanji “jutsu” indicates a much more practical approach, suggesting that ninjutsu is just a set of techniques to be learned and not a philosophy by which to live. Similarly, whereas Japanese martial artists describe themselves as ka (as in judo-ka or karatedo-ka), which indicates a vocation (as in gak-ka, which means “fine-arts painter”), the practitioners of ninjutsu are called “ninja,” which incorporates the kanji “ja”, meaning merely “person.” While today, some ninjutsu schools prefer to call their art ninpo, meaning “the way of secrecy,” this is a recent development that merely mimics the naming of the other well- established Japanese martial arts. THE HOLLYWOOD NINJA In the past three decades, the West has discovered a passion for the Asian martial arts, including ninjutsu and its mysterious practitioners, the ninja. The fruits of this interest have sometimes been bizarre, such

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