Shoto Tanemura Discusses the roots of modern Ninpo

by Ronald L. Holt, Ph.D

Introduction

Shoto Tanemura, the Grandmaster of Genbukan Ninpo, has trained in the martial arts with traditional masters since he as nine years old.. He was born in 1947, majored in law, and worked fourteen years as a Tokyo policeman and instructor at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Academy. he received his first menkyo kaiden ( teaching license ) by the age of twenty. 

In 1984, faced with grave philosophical incompatibilities, he broke away from Masaaki Hatsumi’s Bujinkan organization and created the Genbukan system. In addition to his background in Ninpo and jujutsu, Tanemura is a a master of Chinese baqua and qigong. 

Mr. Tanemura is a compact man with penetrating eyes and a charismatic presence. His movements area relaxed, yet powerful. In the dojo he can be strict and authoritative on minute, smiling and humorous the next. His students constantly remark on the incredible power and precision of his techniques. He has repeatedly demonstrated his skills against martial artists, Japanese gangsters, the Red Army, and would-be assassins and by escaping unharmed from sword attacks from behind. 

The training at the Hombu Dojo is hard, painful and traditional. Rank advancement tests are public and comprehensive. The classes are mixed slightly more than fifty percent being non-Japanese. Sensei Tanemura teaches in both Japanese and English and is careful to translate for both sets of students. This interview took place in Japan during July, 1994, in the Grandmaster’s home. 

Interview 

Why did you decide to study martial arts? What was your early training like?

I began studying Onoha Itto-ryu kendo and Shiden-ryu jujutsu at nine years old. I was small and the neighborhood kids were big guys. My fighting ability was weak, so I started training. my father was a professional in kendo and jujutsu. He hit me repeatedly full force with a wooden sword. I saw lot of stars. At fifteen, I started training in traditional martial arts rather than kendo because kendo is a sport martial art. And how do you defend yourself if you don’t have a weapon? Also. my father was very strong and rough and sometimes punched and kicked my mother. At sixteen, I was able to stop my father from hitting my mother. My father could not believe what happened. “My kid stopped my!” He never abused my mother again. As I grew up, my father became more understanding and before he died we were very good friends.

Tell me about Toshitsugu Takamatsu.

Takamatsu Sensei was the last Ninpo practitioner; he was the grandmaster of several ryu. All other ninja lines were finished. Everything was in the museums. Takamatsu Sensei preserved Ninpo and passed it to his students. At the age of thirteen, already holding a menkyo grade, he fought a mob of adults and threw between five and eight of them before the others ran away.

What was the training like under Takamatsu?

He taught how to win in true cases: how to protect your body and spirit. He taught how to build a martial spirit and how to become a true human being. True budo takes you to the border between life and death. Pain and minor injuries are customary. The training was real. Nowadays, we are more kind in our methods and teach students to avoid injury. With correct training in true patterns and good teaching, there are no major injuries. Often, injuries result from people creating strange styles.

Tell me about Takamatsu’s senior students.

Takamatsu Sensei’s number one student instructors were Fumio Akimoto and Masaji Kimura. Akimoto was born in 1894 and died in 1962. His son is still alive and he received his father’s scrolls and his kuden [oral teachings]. I received it all from him along with a special Amatsu Tatara scroll. Masaji Kimura was born in 1901 and is still alive. He is ninety-three years old. He is a true expert martial artist, especially in bojutsu and jujutsu. he is very strong yet and can spoil [throw] me with two fingers. his rokushakubo is exactly like Takamatsu’s bojutsu. he taught it all to me and passed his masterships and the kuden he received from Takamatsu Sensei on to me, so I am very happy. The third generation instructors were Kinbei Sato and Takashi Ueno. I received knowledge from Sato directly and from Ueno’s line, so I can teach Takamatsu’s whole system. Sato Kimbei was the senior and he introduced Ueno to Takamatsu. In the beginning, Sato taught Ueno Kukishin-ryu and Takagi Yoshin-ryu. Ueno taught Sato Tenshin-ryu Kenpo and Asayama Ichiden-ryu Taijutsu. In the next generation was Mr. Masaaki Hatsumi – his true name is Yoshiaki Hatsumi – who was originally a student of Ueno.

What was your rank when you left Mr. Hatsumi’s Bujinkan organization?

I was the Vice President of Bujinkan and had received menkyo kaiden diplomas, scrolls, and densho from Mr. Hatsumi. 

It has been ten years since you formed the Genbukan organization. What has happened during those years and what are your future plans?

Ten years ago I opened the door and I am teaching openly anyone who wants to learn true martial arts. The Genbukan began like a mosquito, but it was a dangerous mosquito for certain people in the ninja business. We grew into a fly, then a bee. Five years ago Genbukan became a tiger and now we are a dragon. We have 120 dojos worldwide. Now I can open the door more. But after several more years, I will focus my efforts on the spiritual world for ten years. I will only teach martial arts to my personal students and they will teach the public. 

In the United States the image of the Ninja in films and books is still that of the black-clad assassin. How do you feel about this?

It is the same in Japan. Ninpo has been a secret martial art. Even today few outsiders have actually seen true Ninpo martial arts. Movies, novels, and fake instructors have contributed to the bad image. In 1976, I went to Atlanta to teach at a dojo opening and a few years later came the ninja boom. Not Ninpo martial arts, but ninja. Then the sale of weapons began: ninja suits, ninja swords, ninja shuriken, shudo, etc. This made for greater misunderstanding of the art and people have been injured by these weapons. Easy rank licenses were issued and other martial artists began to say that ninjutsu was a fake, that it was a joke. I was very sad and upset. I decided to teach Ninpo martial arts even if only one person came to learn. I am thinking of the next one hundred years and will show everything I can to the next generation. Only twenty percent of Ninpo has been shown to the public. 

Please describe your system of Ninpo and it’s origins?

Amatsu Tatara Shinto is the core of Ninpo, including the highest points of religion and the martial arts. True Ninpo is an art of nobles and priests from many countries. They took refuge in the Koga and Iga areas of Japan. They brought improvements and combined them with Japanese arts to create Ninpo. Special martial arts and special religious elements were mixed.
Togakure-ryu is very famous. Most people think Ninpo is just Togakure-ryu, but it is much more. Togakure-ryu is just one part of Takamatsu’s Ninpo. Some of the important ryu-ha in the Genbukan system include Gikan-ryu koppojutsu, Gyokko-ryu kosshijutsu, Koto-ryu koppojutsu, Tenshin Hyoho Kukishin-ryu and others. I teach my personal students specific ryu after a student has reached third or fourth dan. For instance, if you compare Togakure-ryu with Kukishin-ryu, the kujikiri in Togakure-ryu is limited. But you cannot count the kuji in Tenshin Hyoho Kukishin-ryu.

There is a lot of confusion concerning kujikiri. Can you explain it in simple terms?

There are three types of power: physical, ki-power and heaven’s power. Kujikiri is using Heaven’s power. It is like a laser and can cause great damage or it can solve important problems. I have used kuji to defend myself many times. In Mikkyosim[Shingon and Tendai Buddhism], there is a lot of kuji. But Ninpo is not limited to Mikkyo kuji; it also includes Amatsu Tatara kujikiri. It is very powerful. You can cut the clouds and stop the rain with kujikiri (komokiri no jutsu). If you use this spirit power to do bad things, there will be a big, dark response. It is more than just finger training (ketsuin) or chanting (jumon). You must train in the true patterns and not just play ninjas. Spiritual training, learning to overcome pain, ki training, meditation, patience, and a kind heart are all necessary for kujikiri. When I teach my students directly, I use this power as I touch them. Slowly, those who come to the Hombu Dojo build a strong spirit. You cannot explain this. After you experience it, you will learn it. Experience is step one.

How do all the approaches and ryu-ha that you teach fit together?

Ninpo taijutsu is the backbone. The right hand is bikenjutsu (secret sword). The left hand is bojutsu. The right leg is jujutsu. The left leg is Chinese martial arts (qigong and baqua). The head and heart is Amatsu Tatara Shintoism (kujikiri, mind control and strategies). So, it is a complete system.

In your book, Ninpo Secrets, you said that Ninpo students need a more refined spirit and purer heart than other martial artists. Could you explain this?

Ninpo is an important and beautiful art, but it includes deadly techniques, kujikiri, bone-breaking and poisons. If you are learning the secret parts and your mind changes, you can become like a poisoned river. It is very dangerous. So I have to be careful and choose good persons for advanced training. For the Ninpo martial artist, the most important things are mind and spirit. 

I see in the Hombu Dojo that you have a lot of non-Japanese students and that all students seem to be treated with equal care.

Each person has a different personality. Some students can understand one hundred percent of what a teacher says others only fifty percent. The teacher’s role is developing judgment and taking care of all these different students. Culture, language and skin color may be different, but we are all humans and share the same human heart. We are all the same family on the earth; we should never fight each other. We can understand and respect each other. Everyone can shake hands, share this martial art and grow up as true human beings. we can train together as brother and sisters. Ninpo is an art of harmony and peace and how to know what is the truth. 

How can I tell if a teacher of the martial arts is an authentic grandmaster?

It is very important to find the best teacher. If you find a good teacher, that is happiness. how can you tell a true master? Does he have scrolls and certificates? Can he or she show them or not? That is an important point. Without the scrolls, that is an imitation master. He should have received scrolls and densho from the previous master. One certificate is not enough. After you see the scrolls, ask around about his ryu-ha. Is this a true traditional ryu? Unfortunately, many imitation grandmasters make their own scrolls or buy old scrolls and add their names. Ask questions. Ask him where he got his grandmastership. A true grandmaster can reply to any question. An imitation may not want to reply. Next, you should observe his personality and technique. Will his patterns work in a true case of self-defense? Also, true Japanese budo includes spiritual training.

Click here to view a hanbojutsu technique that Sensei demonstrated for this article