Ninpo Taijutsu

From the beginning of training, Ninjutsu practitioners are taught to approach every fight as if he/she were facing multiple opponents, and to vary techniques to fit them to different situations and directions of attack. Weapons techniques normally taught in Ninjutsu include Kenjutsu (sword techniques), Bo Jutsu (long staff techniques) and Hanbo Jutsu, (short staff techniques).

It is a generally soft Art, incorporating armed and unarmed combat, although there are a number of "hard" techniques. Philosophical aspects as well as general exercise are both important. Both linear and circular techniques are used, and there are both internal and external aspects to the art.

Very eclectic, very general, very broad. Seems to emphasize having an answer for every situation and flexibility of response. There are no tournaments or competitions in Ninjutsu.

Each school had its own specialities and variations of Kamae and handed them down through the members of a family that guarded its secrets with their life.

For example, the Kota Ryu specialized in techniques of bone breaking, known as Koppo jutsu, which later evolved into Jujutsu and Karate.  The Fuda Ryu relied heavily on Shirikan (steel blades) to hinder adversaries.  The Kukishin Ryu developed many unorthodox methods of utilizing standard weapons. The speciality of Gyokko Ryu was Koshijutsu, attacking the nerve centres with punching or striking finger drives.   The Togukure Ryu secret was the Shuko, spiked iron band worn on the hands enabling the Ninja to stop sword blades or climb trees and walls catlike.  They also made great use of the Tetsubushi, a small spiked weapon dropped on the floor to slow down adversaries.

Historically, Ninjutsu also attempted to incorporate aspects of every possible situation and needed knowledge of fighting, by means of different arts inside the Art. For example, there are subdivisions for spying, infiltration, poisoning, and cryptography. However, these are not typically incorporated in modern training. Training:

This style involves a broad base of training designed to prepare the stylist for all possible situations.