How did Ninpo Taijutsu (Ninjutsu) evolve (1)
In order to understand how Ninjutsu
evolved, you have to understand the Iga region of Japan. Iga as a region belonged to the Ise province. Ise being one of the
central focuses in
Around the year 680 Iga was separated from Ise, and became a relatively
isolated region. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, except on the north side
close to the Koga region in the south Omi province. In this remote and
unvisited area is where the Ninpo culture was developed. Both the Iga and Koga
regions were located in a relatively safe place just southeast of
From there a general named Ikai, a refugee from China with a wide knowledge of
military strategy and martial arts, brought to what is know today as the
foundation of Ninpo Bugei. His knowledge gave all the opportunity for
developing an independent Ryu Ha (martial arts systems). As a parenthesis it
can be mentioned that in Sada (in Iga) there are places called Tojin Iwa (The
Chinese rock) and Karadobuchi (The door to china's deep water) still reminding
of the connection to
Close, just southeast of Iga at the Yoshino mountain is where one of the head
leaders of the Shugendo sect was located. And in south of Iga where the
Within Iga there was a lot of other different Ryu's (traditions) with their own
specialties and traditions, but the origin to all Iga Ryu are supposed to have
come from Ikai who had fled to a cave at
What he brought from
To continue, Garyu initiated Hakun Ryu, a school that was further developed and
named by Hakun Doshi. Hachi Ryu Nyudo is another name that ought to be
mentioned, because it was probably he who brought GARYU's knowledge further on
to Tozawa Hakunsai, the first official grandmaster of Gyokko Ryu. Gyokko Ryu is
in most cases recognized as a Kosshijutsu school, but it's also officially
known as a
Hakun Ryu was transferred to Kagakure Doshi and it was Kagakure who taught the
system to Nishina Daisuke. Daisuke founded Togakure Ryu, and Togakure Ryu
together with Gyokko Ryu two of the oldest Ninjutsu traditions in Iga, and they
have both been a great influence to most of the other schools in IGA.