​Here is another interesting article on Ninja from researcher Sean Askew. Anyone participating in martial arts should take interest in their health and keeping their body healthy. Please enjoy this essay on Iga and Koga medicinal arts:

It is said that the Shinobi of Iga and Koga were very knowledgeable about medicinal herbs and toxic grasses. They are even supposed to have been specialized in the detection and research of toxic ingredients for judicial inquiries and autopsies!

When dealing with modern western medicines we can know the ingredients at once, but with herbal medicines it is truly difficult to understand what the active ingredient is and at times can be very mysterious. The active ingredient of the plant or herb in “Kampo” or Chinese medicine recipes is often unknown.
Historical documents tell us that many ninja became merchants of medicines, travelling the country selling their goods. It is without a doubt that they were well versed in the knowledge of medicinal herbs and poisonous plants.

In the Koga (Koka) area there have been many pharmaceutical companies since the beginning of the Edo Period in 1603 so researchers at the local Iga Ueno University are now paying quite a bit of attention to the relationship between Iga/Koga ninja and Japanese medicine.

However, just because the ninja was very familiar with the knowledge of herbal medicine, does not mean that pharmacology was more developed in Iga and Koga because of them. Medicine became popular there because a wide variety very strong medicinal herbs were naturally found there. The herbal tradition of the Iga and Koga area is said to long predate the history of ninjutsu.

While historically ninjutsu was a totally comprehensive martial art for survival including skills such as swordsmanship, magic, fire arts, astronomy and so on. Pharmacology would definitely have been one of the standard arts. In the martial arts it is necessary to maintain a healthy body, so medicine was critical to correct injuries and diseases.

Obviously, poisons can be used on missions for assassinations or even used to manipulate people.

The regions of Iga and Koga which produced a lot of the historical ninja were also close to the old capital. So, information was easy to obtain, yet they were surrounded by mountains and difficult to attack. Medicinal herbs and poisonous plants still grow in great abundance to this day in these areas. The very famous Mochizuki family of ninja descent still runs their own pharmacy today in Koga.

In the field of pharmacology, the Chinese have a long history of research and experimentation. It is said that the Chinese sage Shennong ate every kind of flower to verify its efficacy, and compiled one of the world 's oldest books, "Shennong’s Classic on Herbal Medicine" (神農本草経).

In it he divided herbs and plants into 3 categories:
Non-toxic long-term ingestion medicine
Poison-resistant curing medicine
Diarrheal drugs that are strongly poisonous and impossible to take long term

He classified all the plants and herbs which were later to become the drugs and poisons of future generations. At this time, Japan was still in its “Kofun” period (250 ~ 538 AD), and does not have the pharmacology history that China can boast.
But when looking at the connection between the ninja and the Shugenja, it is easy to understand that Chinese arts, sciences and culture were usually brought to Japan from the continent by Buddhist monks and then spread among the lay people of the areas they preached in.

In the Koga area, ninja used to say “Doku ni mo nari eru yojo-yaku” (毒にもなり得る養生薬). This means that poisons can at times also be medicine.

The origins of the classification of poisons and medicines began with the rule that a grass can work advantageously for a person and cause positive health effects while another grass can cause negative health effects or even death.

I hope this may have peaked your interest in the relationship between the ninja and herbal medicines.

Sean Askew
Bujinkan Kokusai Renkoumyo
8/16/2018

I am going to use our blog space to start sharing some research done by Sean Askew. His research has been fascinating, and has been dug up as part of a book he is writing called: The Hidden Lineage. Look for it coming out in the next few months. The book is on the history of Toshitsugu Takamatsu's grandpa, Shinryuken Toda and the Togakure Ryu Ninja, our primary school of ninjutsu in the Bujinkan. I'll post a link once it is available for those who want to own a copy. Please enjoy this essay by Sean Askew, posted with his permission.

Fujibayashi Nagato no Kami & Momochi Tanba no Kami

Along with the infamous Hattori Hanzo, Fujibayashi Nagato and Momochi Tanba are the three most well-known shinobi commanders or “Jonin” (上忍) of the mountainous land of Iga.

Today I would like to discuss why I believe there is a strong connection between the Bansenshukai manuscript and the Togakure Ryu. The trail of evidence is stronger than most would like to believe, and many will just say it is fantasy.

But… here we go!!! I am going to take you on a ride into the history of some of the most secretive Japanese families that ever lived.

As many already know, Hatsumi Soke and his Master, Takamatsu O-Sensei were called upon in the early 1960’s to help with historical consultation and choreography for the cinema movie “Shinobi no Mono”.

This fictional novel by Murayama Tomoyoshi that was later turned into a movie by the renowned Director, Yamamoto Setsuo, was so well done it caught the attention of many Japanese ninjutsu historians.

In this story, it ends up that all the “shinobi” or ninja that were being used and or manipulated in the plot were all being controlled by one person. That person was no other than Fujibayashi Nagato AND Momochi Tanba. The two were one person.

Now you may question, what does this have to do with factual history???

Well, Murayama San did his research before writing his novel and learned that Okuse Heishichiro, the founding Director of the Iga Ueno Ninja Museum in Mie, had discovered some incriminating clues that these two commanders may actually be one and the same person, and if not... the connection is definitely extremely close.

One of the clues lies in the historical posthumous Buddhist death names at the graves of these two identities. Fujibayashi’s grave at Shokaku Temple (正覚寺) in Ayama district is inscribed with the name 【本覚深誓】 and at Shoun Temple (青雲寺) in Houjiro the temple’s death records show Momochi Tanba’s Buddhist death name as being 【本覚了誓】.

Now notice the two characters (深) and (了) are different in the two names, both holding the third character position in the name. This may not seem like much to the layperson but in the culture of Iga, where these ninjas were born, raised, fought and died there is a special custom for adopted family members. The adoptive family would build a grave and then the real family of that person would have what they called a shadow grave or “Kagehaka” (影墓) with only one of the characters in the name being different from the other grave.

Furthermore, there is other circumstantial evidence backing this idea of them being the same person.

First is that the families of Hattori, Fujibayashi and Momochi had many deep connections with each other.

Second is that ninja families had a custom of often separating the family and keeping multiple households under various names.

And finally, there is also the mysterious reason why we see no mention of Fujibayashi’s activities during the battle of Tensho Iga no Ran. Momochi Tanba fought valiantly until the end (although a body was never found). strangely we also see no action taken on Fujibayashi’s part, he simply disappeared during the whole invasion of his homeland.

Now, this is not 100% confirmation that Fujibayashi and Tanba were one and the same but it sure is starting to look that way.

Later I will present another piece of evidence that may tip the scales even further…

But before that, I would like to mention that after the battle of Tensho Iga no Ran, Momochi Tanba is thought of as being killed in action but no dead body was ever recovered. He was supposed to have been engulfed in fire with castle walls crumbling down on him. But... Fujibayashi went on to become credited with founding the Kishu Negoro Ryu of ninjutsu, also known as the Natori Ryu and the Kusonoki Ryu.

It is interesting to note that in the Nobunaga Chronicles (信長公記) written after the battle of Tensho Iga no Ran that Oda Nobunaga was aware that some ninja had escaped to the areas then known as Yamato and Kishu. At that time the Negoro Temple in Kishu was opposed to Oda Nobunaga and his invasion of Iga. So, it was a place that welcomed many of the ninja families that had escaped Nobunaga’s treacherous invasion.

As Hanzo, Fujibayashi and Momochi were all commanders of many ninja in the Iga area and it was tradition for ninja to act in groups as one individual it is likely that we know nearly nothing of what really happened. As Hanzo himself later in life wrote, anything you know about these men is after the fact and most likely fabrications.

But when a ninja historian such as Okuse Heishichiro states that they are the same individual it makes you want to listen up.

Now for the other evidence that will sum up this essay and leave it to you to decide what you think is or is not real regarding the history of the Togakure Ryu.

Fujibayashi Nagato no Kami himself, as stated in the Fujibayashi Yuishogaki, acknowledged that he taught Togakure Ryu Ninpo and Ninjutsu to Yamamoto Kansuke.

If that is the case, and if Fujibayashi and Momochi are indeed the same person, it all makes perfect sense.

Five generations of the Momochi family are recorded by Takamatsu O-Sensei as being the headmasters of our Togakure Ryu, Gyokko Ryu and Koto Ryu.
Momochi Kobei – 22nd generation Soke of the Togakure Ryu

Momochi Sandayu – 15th generation Soke of the Gyokko Ryu, 5th Generation Soke of Koto Ryu

Momochi Sandayu II – 16th generation Soke of the Gyokko Ryu, 6th Generation Soke of Koto Ryu

Momochi Tanba Yasumitsu – 17th generation Soke of the Gyokko Ryu, 7th Generation Soke of Koto Ryu

Momochi Taro Saemon – 18th generation Soke of the Gyokko Ryu, 8th Generation Soke of Koto Ryu

Therefore, it makes a lot of sense that Momochi was Fujibayashi and after escaping the invasion left his identity of Momochi as being dead. He moved on and continued to live as Fujibayashi until old age.

But who is to say what happened to the other Momochi family members who later passed their arts on to the Toda family and later to the whole world through the Bujinkan.

Later the descendants of the Fujibayashi family compiled all of the ninjutsu knowledge they had into the famous book “The Bansenshukai”. It is stated by the Fujibayashi family that the portion on explosives and gunpowder is mainly based on the teachings of the Togakure Ryu.

I hope this inspires you all to reconsider what it is we are looking for as evidence of the Togakure Ryu and our claimed lineage.

I think it is very fair to say beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Togakure Ryu was a historical entity. We have a document from the 1600’s in the Fujibayashi family’s own hand stating that they learned Togakure Ryu.

Now the investigation continues into the Toda family and the location of Shinryuken’s grave…

Sean Askew
Bujinkan Kokusai Renkoumyo
9/8/2017

This scroll was painted for me by our Grandmaster, Masaaki Hatsumi Soke this year during my trip to Japan (the center one, I'll talk about the others another time). It says Bufu Ikkan, which roughly translated means "The Martial Winds Blow Every Day." It can also mean, "The Way of War is Survival," as translated in Unarmed Righting Techniques of the Samurai by Masaaki Hatsumi.

This is the "yo secret" of In and Yo (Japanese forms of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang is Chinese). When an opponent attacks with a lot of force, a lot of In, or Yin, you use Yo, or Yang, to defeat them. Defeat his hardness by using softness. In this way, he will not be defeated by your power, rather he is defeated by his own power. We have been training with this concept in mind a lot in the dojo lately. It is one of the vital concepts of the Gyokko Ryu, and is found in all Ryu-ha of the Bujinkan.

Also bear in mind that this martial wind can also be the divine wind of heaven that is constantly blowing, and one must be receptive to that wind to receive enlightenment from it.

Look for other posts in the future about some of the other scrolls and artwork Soke has painted for me.

I often get potential new students who ask about Kendo. I explain that we do Kenjutsu, not Kendo, but that often is very confusing to people who are not familiar with the differences in various martial arts. I will attempt to explain some simple differences between the two. Kendo mean "path of the sword" but today it typically refers to Japanese fencing. Originally Kendo was used to describe any sword style, and Gekiken "hitting sword" was used to describe the sport of fencing. Nowadays, Kendo refers primarily to fencing. Kenjutsu means "art of the sword" and refers to a martial art that predates the 1800s and teaches how to use the Japanese Samurai sword, either Tachi or Katana or both (our dojo learns both). 

Fencing is not actual sword fighting. There are many things that morph from the original styles when they are adapted to sport fighting. One is the striking of the Shinai (bamboo stick sword) against the opponent. The method of swinging is different from how a katana or tachi is actually swung, and the striking targets certain parts of the armor worn. In Kenjutsu the goal is to defeat the armor by cutting where the joints are, not hitting the armor itself as is done in Kendo. Also, a Kendo practitioner may never pick up an actual sword, whereas in Kenjutsu the shape, weight, and balance of the sword are very important so metal or solid hardwood swords are primarily used. 

So, depending on your interest, you would search out the style that matches your interest. If you want to do the sport of Japanese fencing, then Kendo is the style you are looking for and we do have Kendo clubs in the Treasure Valley area. If you are looking for training with an actual sword and to learn how to properly handle and use a Japanese sword and how it is used to get around armor (the curved shape of the Japanese sword is very important for this, a straight stick can't replicate it), then you are searching for Kenjutsu. In the Treasure Valley, our dojo is the only one teaching Kenjutsu in the old style as part of an actual Samurai heritage passed on to today through direct transmission for 1,000 years. 

Kendo

Kenjutsu

There is a concept in Japanese that is essential for someone to begin a martial arts journey, or starting a new martial art. This is Shoshin: The Beginners Mind. The reason this concept is so important is it requires a person to approach training as a beginner, so they can learn.

As a sensei, it is very hard to teach someone who doesn't want to be taught. They may want to learn, but don't want to be taught. The unteachable person thinks they can learn on their own, or that what they have already learned is the ultimate thing there is and thus no one can teach them differently. 

I'm not sure why they even go to a new dojo with this mindset. Even though I have over two decades of martial arts training, 20 of those years in the Bujinkan, when I visit someone else's dojo, I take the attitude of a beginner. If for no other reason than because it is polite.  It's like the proverbial question: What is the best kind of cup? An empty one. One must empty their cup in order to fill it with something new.

If you are fortunate enough to visit Japan sometime, you will notice a general attitude of hospitality towards visitors, especially if you are polite in their country. The reason for this is a philosophy in Japan called Omotenashi. Often this is translated as "everyone is my guest," but it goes deeper than this. Omote means "outward," or it can mean "public face." Nashi means "nothing." Combining them in a philosphy about hospitality gives the minds eye the illustration of "providing service from the bottom of the hear, honest with no hiding or pretending." So, don't be surprised if Japanese people randomly offer you directions just in case you are lost, or offer to take your picture for you so you can be in the shot. The Japanese are a very kind people towards visitors, particularly if you are polite. Politeness is extremely important, so much so they have a separate aspect of their language for polite speak. So, spend a few minutes learning public etiquette in Japan so you will not inadvertently act rudely and then you will find Japan to be even more fun to visit.

For those interested in learning more about the culture of Japan and what it is like to visit Japan, these are two great Youtube channels. The Only in Japan ​channel has edited videos on specific themes and are very high quality. The Only in Japan Go channel is by the same Youtuber, but all of the videos are live streams from his life in Japan. I highly recommend both channels and enjoy watching the videos myself. The focus is more on Japanese culture, unique things about Japan, and things to do while visiting Japan, rather than martial arts like Karate or Aikido (although, there is a video on a naginata school).