The Grandmaster's Book of Ninja Training

The Grandmaster's Book of Ninja Training is a translated dialogue between Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi and some of his senior non-Japanese students. Ninjutsu was for a majority of its history taught in secret. This resulted in many misunderstandings of the essence of the art as it came into the light of modern times. The purpose of the Grandmaster's Book of Ninja Training is to dispel some of the misconceptions and misunderstandings that have attached themselves to the ancient art of Ninpo / Ninjutsu. We read of Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi's ideas on grading and rank within ninjutsu, and his thoughts on the idea of learning from books and videos. Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi recommends watching his videos and reading his books, but also explains the importance of finding an instructor capable of transmitting the feeling and spirit of the art of ninjutsu. The dialogue between Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi and his students covers many topics. For example Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi speaks to the relationship and role of religions such as Zen, Shugendo, and Mikkyo as they relate to Ninpo / Ninjutsu. We also read secrets revealed in epigrams, such as Hell gapes beneath the upraised sword... Step In! Heaven is your reward. We are presented with ideas on the conduct of the practitioner of the art. The true ninja remains ordinary at all times. His skills are not for show or for talk, but for use only at moments when there is a need for defense. He works from balance and therefore strength. The Grandmaster's Book of Ninja Training is quite short in its number of pages - only about 100, but contains a great deal of insight from the Master of Ninjutsu. This book does not teach the reader physical techniques, rather it gives the reader a glimpse of the essence of Ninpo / Ninjutsu as practiced by the leading practitioner of the art today.

This is a great book. It is a series of interviews of students asking Soke questions and getting very direct answers. I always imagine this happening around a campfire at night in the woods with Jack Haban playing the guitar while everyone asks their questions as I read this book, lol.

Anyone who is in the Bujinkan should read this. Wonderfully written, we should reference all his books and gleam the knowledge between the lines, Thank you Soke.

Any person that likes Ninja Training needs to read this book it is great

The book is awesome, but the seller sent me a copy a bit damaged...

Informative. Shipped quickly, was as described.

This book spends much of the time with an interview of the Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi. There are a few snap shots of some ninjustu training, but nothing worth talking about. I would only recommend this book to add to your already existing collection of ninja books and not be the only one. If you are into obtaining knowledge of ninjustu I would buy Stephen Hayes books on the subject over Hatsumis'. With Hatsumis books you will get history and tradition of the art, but with Hayes books you will get that plus much of the actual applications of the training and techniques.

Great Book! Lot's of helpful information for the Martial Arts practioner. Not for beginners though. This book will benefit those who have trained the Arts for more than a few years. A true Master stands behind these pages.

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This book is a read for people who are advanced in ninjutsu-ninpo, as one must understand what the questions by (shidoshi dan holders) the interviewers and the answer by soke Masaaki Hatsumi are all about. This important book even allows the reader a glimpse in the higher spiritual world of the ninja (shinobi).

This book arrived on time and in very good condition. Published in 1988, a lot has changed in the Ninjutsu world since then. However, The Grandmaster’s Book of Ninja Training (GBNT) stands the test of time for the beginner and experienced practitioner alike. This was one of the first books that I read on Ninjutsu, many years ago and one of the first that I purchased for myself. Later, I reread the book and still think about some of its ideas during my practice today. GBNT consists of Soke Hatsumi’s answers to some of the questions given to him by his advanced, non-Japanese students and thereby acts as a great start to any Bujinkan FAQ guide. Key take aways for me included the difference between Budo and Martial Arts ‘Sports’ and the emphasis on ‘flow’ or ‘fluidity’ in taijutsu. Recently, when I was asked to teach a lesson on ground fighting, I was reminded of GBNT and Soke’s advice to “keep going”, “to persevere”. There are plenty of photos to examine, which in the days before YouTube, were heavily scrutinised for any hint of the techniques, postures and weapons used in training. Many topics are discussed, from philosophy to taijutsu, gradings to the ‘Ninja diet’, Budo to ‘esoteric techniques’. The net of knowledge is cast wide but we are also reminded that “even a shopkeeper has taijutsu”. This book was written in the ‘Ninja Boom’ days, when information was scarce and Soke does a great job of laying down the fundamentals while giving a taste of more advanced work to come. Advice for life-long change is given, attitude, self-control, community, weapons training and a range of useful Japanese terminology. More importantly, the ‘feeling’ of Ninjutsu is communicated, something that is hard to pick up in a modern lives living in Western countries; cultural knowledge that cannot be picked up just by eating sushi ever Friday night (not that there is anything wrong with Friday night sushi). GBNT is a great introduction into the world of the Ninja and Samurai, and a must have for any Bujinkan collector.

C'est un livre généraliste sur les ninja qui retrace la biographie de maîtres ou experts. Aucune technique à proprement parlé.

All I can say is don't mess with me after reading this book. I could kill you just by looking at you. Only kidding. It was purchased for my son. But he is not a ninja either. The kit costs to much.