Mystical Shadow Warrior Art
Even the words to describe the mystical shadow warrior art cannot be translated directly into languages foreign to Japan. Nin of ninjutsu and ninja, a single simple sound in Japanese, requires extensive English words to be explained. At its most elementary level, nin (also pronounced shinobi) can mean endurance, perserverance, and forbearance in both the physical and mental realms. Nin has a second dictionary definition of stealth, secretness, or concealment. The Japanese ideogram for nin…is composed of the lesser ideograms…for “blade” and…”heart.” The construction of the written character implies that the heart, or will, is channeled and directed in ways that give it the effectiveness of the blade as a tool for accomplishment. In this broader sense of the concept, nin really means to be in control of one’s body, mind, and perception of right and wrong.
It is easy to at least discuss being in control of one’s body, and it has become quite fashionable in the West to discuss personal responsibility in the control of one’s mind and emotions, but being in control of one’s perception of right and wrong, or what is appropriate, is a more difficult matter. To be in control of one’s perception of appropriateness is to be able to rely on one’s “sixth sense” and to have a working knowledge of one’s subconscious level of thinking. This broader perception of reality being based on one’s own unique viewpoint is what set the ninja apart from the conventional military tacticians during the warring states and feudal eras of Japan.
The eighteen levels of training were as follows:
- seinshin teki kyoyo (spiritual refinement)…
- tai-jutsu (unarmed combat)…
- ninja ken (ninja sword)…
- bo-jutsu (stick and staff fighting)…
- shuriken-jutsu (throwing blades)…
- yari-jutsu (spear fighting)…
- naginata-jutsu (halberd fighting)…
- kusari-jutsu (chain and sickle weapon)…
- kayaku-jutsu (fire and explosives)…
- henso-jutsu (disguise and impersonation)…
- shinobi-iri (stealth and entering methods)…
- ba-jutsu (horsemanship)…
- sui-ren (water training)…
- bo-ryaku (strategy)…
- cho ho (espionage)…
- inton-jutsu (escape and concealment)…
- ten-mon (meteorology)…
- chi-mon (geography)…
Though not listed as a separate item in the eighteen qualities above, a crucial part of the Togakure ryu ninja’s training was the application of the kyojitsu tenkan ho philosophy. In the world of combat survival, the superior fighter makes use of all advantages at hand, including the influences of the mind. As a means of increasing the difficulty for an enemy, ninja of old developed the strategy of kyojitsu tenkan ho, or the interchange of the concepts of falsehood and actuality. A strategy for winning that relies on the presentation of truth and falsehood in ways that permit the antagonist to be deceived, kyojitsu tenkan forms the basic approach for all ninjutsu activities and thinking.
Because the ninja is dealing freely with the concepts of truth and falsehood, fluidly bending one into the other, he must be well grounded in his own concept of reality. To prevent becoming lost, misguided, or swallowed up by his own deception or awareness altering, the ninja must maintain seishin, or purity of heart. In this sense, the word pure means “complete” or “total.” The ninja carries the truth in his heart, though he may appear in many psychological guises to others. His intentions remain resolute, though others may have no idea what those commitments entail. Because he is totally honest with himself at all levels of introspection, he can venture into the realm of falsehood and untruth without defiling himself or his spirit. He can willingly plunge into the cold darkness, knowing full well that he has the power to create his own light from the brightness he carries in his heart.
— Ninjitsu, pp. 10-18
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