This guy is 100% a real ninja. Only a real ninja can manifest kanji characters out of thin air by doing hand signs or announcing their secret technique.
@@Yourmomma568 they are not a myth they have existed in many different cultures...books obviously romanize them but just like today's modern special forces they also exploited the weaknesses of the heavier slower Samurai. You perform the best when your most adversely affected in combat ...some of the best weapons against a fully armored Samurai we're the odd shaped unconventional designs they used from their every day tools from farming where a traditional sword is much harder to get into the open soft crevices of their armors
It is great to see how different cultures have similar weapons and ways of doing certain things . My Cherokee ancestors used river cane and wood slivers for blow darts . When I am hunting and stalking deer , with my bow and arrows , in my woods I walk a similar way , toe down first and go under the dry leaves and debris on the forest floor to walk up silently on my prey to get a better shot at it. Great video .
Man the instruction was so clear and concise, you can tell he has taught so many people before. They way he caught really simple mistakes or warned you about them ahead of time shows he knows what he is talking about. I decided to practice throwing just based on watching this video, and using the Bo-Shuriken method I punched a hole in my target with a butter knife, fork and chopsticks with a pretty high success rate. It is just crazy how a SMALL amount of instruction an guidance can take something that looks extremely difficult and make it so even a rookie can do it.
Iga represent! :D For real though, Mie prefecture is so underrated as a tourist destination. You could easily spend multiple days here, from Iga and Akame falls, so much to do in Ise-Shima, Kumano Kodo, Nagashima Spaland, Yu no Yama, indulging in the best wagyu in Matsusaka, Suzuka circuit, one of a kind Ageuma horse racing festival, Japan's loudest festival Ishidori, nature and beaches galore...I love calling Mie my home!
Friend of mine taught English in Mie and I loved every bit of it when I visited him, I definitely would love to go around it a bit more next time I get a chance to go to Japan
Kumano Kodo, is also a stage from Samurai Spirits/Shodown I did not know that it were actually part of Mie prefecture at all. Thank you for letting me know it. P.S. apparently the greatest shinobi (as well as being a great samurai general) through the history, were actually Hattori Hanzo. As He was exactly from Iga though himself, the all shinobi/Ninjas cradle so far.
This is awesome! When I was living in the Kansai, I was training in the Bujinkan in Osaka under Ryo Onishi. My work schedule changed and I was to train with the Bujinkan group located at Ninja Dojo and Store. I attended one class. The instructor was a member of JNP (his name escapes me. I only met him twice). After that I was transferred to Aomori. So such is life........
Everything I had learnt, was just the basics! OMG, I was so humbled and my teaching had really just began! This was 20 years ago & I have never looked back! Ohh 20 years later & they still make me smile! Japonese is such a wonderful Lauguage.. It''s different but wonderful!
These walking exercises are very similar to the practice of neko ashi (cat foot) in karate. Focusing your weight on the back foot makes it easier to raise your front foot for kicking or for seeking steps as shown here. A traditional challenge for advanced students is to walk across rice paper without tearing it, which indicates how gently each step must be taken.
As a person who grew up watching (and still watches) naruto this is like a huge part of the series been brought into real life. With Naruto my interest for Japan began. Thank you so much for sharing this with us Shogo!
Play Nioh 1 and 2. Naruto barely scratched the surface. Nioh goes in depth about all aspects of Japanese history including Hattori Hanzo the legendary Ninja
Your Ninja sensei was amazing! Such a calm and patient man, and his skills are incredible! Thank you for this wonderful lesson, I couldn't take my eyes away for a moment!
I grew up in the 80s on Ninja movies & the fad presentation of it in the US. So to finally see something like this is heaven for the annoying pre-teen version of me! If I was here when I was 10, it would be the first time I ever just stfu & learn!😁
Some of those old movies, as cheesy as they were, had actual research put into their portrayal of ninja. In the American Ninja movies there’s references to Mikkyo, in the old Rambo cartoon they use actual ninja tools in one episode...there’s other examples too but I can’t really think of them at the moment.
I'm with you there, I tried to watch every ninja movie that I could find on the limited TV reception I had at the time (before cable came to my area). I have to note, that a lot of the techniques are very similar to various things that were taught to me by a friend of mine that was native american, like silent walking using the toe-to-heel method, and the use of blowguns (also a native tribal teaching, but down in central and south America). We as a species have been on this world for quite a long time; we've adapted ways of being sneaky and stealthy, attacking when it is in our advantage. The ninja are a culmination of these abilities and techniques wrapped into one art and evolved physically and spiritually.
It's interesting that he mentions karate's way of walking left/punching left, then walking right/punching right. Because once you get past these basics, you also learn gyaku zuki, which uses the opposite fist to punch.
It's strange, i was taught Judo in Denmark, and we were never expressively taught the japanese walking style, but it makes so much more sense now how it differs from western martial arts. The controlled walking and no twisting, really helps keeping your core in total balance and ready for 2 steps and a quick pull, especially since it's so much about core and balance, almost like dancing, but where both are trying to lead, whereas western style wrestling is more like a tug of war, both obviously very applicable.
It is said in the very old styles of bujutsu that you should "Give nothing, take nothing." The essence was to always remain neutral when being pushed or pulled. This not only included physical actions, but also your emotions should be neutral as well. Many fundamental things have been lost from the old ways. For example: in the very old systems, kuzushi is taught not only as a way to take physical balance, but also how to take emotional balance from enemies as well. It is said "Unbalance the mind, unbalance the body."
I am so excited, the information that you put out for us all to "nerd" out in; It is always so well put together. Arigato Gozaimasu (Edited for grammatical punctuation and an 'it'; hopefully fixed. Not my strong suit)
@@j4k3yz5 first of all, there are no living shinobi; not a single one. second of all, the notion of an art called "ninjutsu" is entirely fictional; no such "art" existed in antiquity, we didn't even hear the term ninja until the 17-18 hundreds; at all. "modern make-believe for entertainment" would be a better title.
@LION TAMER they wouldnt have done so much period manga art if cloaked special agents didnt exist. You can call them ninja, shinobi, spies, foxes, shadow warriors, farmers in disguise, liberators, intel operatives, they had to have existed. There's to much out there.
Had an opportunity to experience this when Im in Kyoto currently. Its a really amazing experience and a must try for all ninja fans. The instructor is really committed, and everything is explained clearly in English. Thank you Shogo for recommending this lovely hidden gem!
I taught myself ninja walking as a kid who loved Legos, rarely cleaned them up completely, and often snuck out of bed in the middle of the night. Apparently my training method was even authentic.
The "Ninja Walk" of toe to heel is very much like the sneaking abilities of the indigenous tribes of America/Great Turtle Island. There are so many amazing similarities between the Natives and Japanese. I would love to see you learning about Okichitaw some day on your channel. Learning from a real ninja had to be a great experience as watching the video was for me. どうもありがとうございます. Thank you very much for a great video. I would love to meet him and you guys one day.
I think almost all of popular ninja lore and culture comes from fiction. Certainly a lot of what is shown here, like the all black uniforms, etc. But even if you take it as such it can still be enjoyable, like learning about the knights of the round table or Greek mythology.
@Inspector Opus Agreed. Antony Cummins would have fits watching this vid while saying that there is no such thing as a ninja martial art and that this guy is likely just a scam artist. Shogo trusts him and that's good enough for a lot of people here.
Someone who I’ve gotten to know over the past year who lives, works, and also trains in Japan had a surprise post about attending an introductory ninja lesson. It was something I was very interested to hear about.
It is awesome! It is like I almost experienced all the fun with you guys! Thank so much for the video, Shogo and Kazu, keep up doing what you are doing!
He's so professional &friendly... Since I was young I want to learn their way... I'm a big fan of ninja in so many years... They are amazing in so many ways... respectfully...
The Japanese are the only people that make me very nervous and insecure even almost scared, they are just so perfect, nice and respectful that whenever I'm around one I start resenting what a failure and a disrespectful person I am.
This video is amazing on so many levels. Ive been planning a trip to japan for awhile but wanted to make it a trip for training and physical improvement as opposed to simple tourism. I couldn’t find anything to fit wanted I was looking for until I saw this video. Exactly what I needed in terms of information and explanation. Thanks a lot man!
That was an amazing experience. If I ever go to Kyoto, I will definitely look that place up. I been to Okinawa while in the military and I had a great time. Wish I could have done more when I was there.
Next time, a discussion on the ethics and meaning of being a ninja, historically, and in which way that kind of training can be applied to contemporary, everyday life.
Slipping undetected thru a crowded train station, lurking up behind people..... Leaving small notes of optimistic encouragement in their pockets, vanishing without a trace.
There's something about this video that makes me feel certain that all of this might not really be historically accurate, or that the entire Ninja Dojo and Store is just for selling, but at the same time, I don't know anything about the subject, so yeah...Nonetheless, definitely an interesting video.
despite the only thing we know about Ninjas are that: they were basically spy mercenaries, civilians who took up training in infiltration and dressed up as women at times. Their arsenal seems very big
Yes..same as a sniper rifle.... a sniper rifle that has a range of 10 feet instead of 1000 meters and the penetrating power of...well a dart...vs a 160gr bullet 😳 I love the whole ninja assassin thing, but there is a reason the world switched to firearms so quickly.
Spent a summer here in 2004 as an exchange student. I miss it very much. Mie is a very beautiful prefecture and Iga was an amazingly neat town to be able to live in for a short time in my life. I'm so happy to see this video. Iga is very underrated. Awesome castle, really cool old town, beautiful mountains, and near places like Akame waterfalls, which are also cool ninja lore locations.
Shogo-san: I am a curious about what there is to know about the Kiseru pipe. Yes, smoking is a bad habit, I know. But I am not addicted to cigarettes. I enjoy flavorful smoking of cigars and pipe tobacco during irregular occasons. So I got very interested when I saw the long, thing and exquisite kiseru pipes from Japan which apparently date back very far in time. Any chances you might make a video about it? :) Thank you for a very entertaining and informative channel and best regards from Sweden.
I ain’t Shogo, but I am Japanese. Kiseru pipes were essential carry items in feudal japan. It was not only used as a smoking tool, but also a self defense weapon. People would get custom pipes made to fit their preferences and aesthetics, sometimes out of heavier materials to make them hit harder (bad pun). Way back when, it was so common to run into violence that even non smokers would carry them around to bash a head in. It wasn’t just for fighting and tobacco though. Opium was growing in popularity through big parts of mainland Asia, so it just became common for people to carry a pipe to meet up with the bois. Monks, swordsman, and even peasant workers would hit up the local opium den or bar to smoke up. Hope that helps (^^)
I’ve got a bit of an off the wall question. I personally love learning about other cultures and day to day lives of people around the world, it may be because I don’t know my cultural background… I’m curious to know how you yourself as well as businesses such as this feel about people wanting to wear a certain article of clothing mixed with other stuff from different cultures? Or a person who wants to learn martial arts and certain weapon skills? Do you view it as an insult in some way, or do you think it’s flattering? Tourist trade is very much a celebration of the culture you are visiting but some people feel like after you go back home that it becomes an insult or that you are trying to steel a piece of a cultural identity that doesn’t belong to you. To the point it can take the fun out of that lifelong dream vacation and even make it feel like you have to never speak of it again once you get home… people have some of the best memories of their lives with their families and can’t even share a picture or have it hanging in your office or living room of your house. I’m not going to be able to visit the places I hoped to as a youth. After a spine injury I barely receive enough(disability reimbursement) to cover my bills, I’ll never be able to afford a vacation.. RU-vid is my tourism and channels like yours let me escape my personal anguish even if just for a few minutes. All I can offer is subscribing and giving the video a thumbs up. Best of luck to you and your loved ones during these crazy times.
We have two schools that I know of here in Ohio. I goto one of them, I love that school. I did hide an illness from them for a while which caught up with me. I am hypoglycemic… In my school u can’t hide things like that. I didn’t get kicked out. I am just trying to get things under control. I am the type that don’t like to admit when I’m sick or hurt.
Fun fact I ordered from their store and the police ended up taking them away and charging me 600 euro for criminal activity hahahah, lovely vid, really enjoy your channel and I gotta say it brings me a lot of joy ♥
This was a great video and Def on my to do list when I visit. You can see the care and love from the master in what he does. I bet people who are local enough to really get into it will focus sessions on specific techniques (like the walking since) many times. I love on the site they say the ninja aren't the warriors and want to get the info and get away. But if escape is hard or impossible, self defense comes into play and ANYTHING can be a weapon.
I mastered ninja walking as a kid at night sneaking around my house! In all seriousness though this was a very cool look into a couple ninja techniques.
I have been a HEMA practitioner for 3yrs and a swordsman since I was 12. I would love to visit and learn from Bushido and this ninja dojo. I often wonder about the differences and similarities to our sword training. Western civilization dropped the functional use of sword many many yrs before Japan so I can only imagine how much further they came with teachings.
Thank you for showing us this! It's super fun, interesting, and educational!! And that man who works at the shop is so fun and helpful haha! You all seem like great guys!
all this video screams "NARUTO" from beginning to end. Am a little disappointed there is no fire/water styles of the Hokage but we'll take what we can get. We love your videos Shogo, best of luck!
If I'm ever lucky enough to get to visit Japan, I will be sure to visit this place. This was a phenomenal video, I've been fascinated by Japanese culture and ninja for most of my life, and I was just completely enraptured by this video.
Boxing is jab, cross, same leg, sams hand - for distance the full punch is only used as a combination. Karate on the other hand is famed for the tuck and punch with rear leg side punching
Only stumbled on shogo recently, but LOVE this dudes introduction to japan and its martial arts history and explanations, you the man shogo 🙇🏾♂️🙌🏾!most DEFINITELY gotta hit this ninja training class first chance i get when travel to japan is greenlighted 🙏🏾!
I really enjoyed this video. I've been interested in Ninja techniques, tools and history since I was a child. I would love to visit this school. Thank you for sharing this with us. 😁
More scholars should study this. Ninjutsu is shrouded in so much mystery and myth. But considering how much of an impact Ninja has had in culture all over the world, I'd argue it's definitely worthy of academic attention and study, to try and separate the fact from the fiction. It's sad to think that there's only a handful of people left in the world who were taught some of the traditional techniques and skills that were passed on for hundreds of years. It shouldn't be allowed to be lost to history.
The thing is if you actually look into “ninjutsu” you’ll find it’s a rather modern invention and not linked at all to the historical shinobi. Just like some of the alleged ninja tools are modern inventions.
@@tbneogalaxy I know. And it's a result of being understudied. The history of shinobi deserves more academic attention, in my view. They played an important role in Japanese history, and the mythology surrounding them has also had a great impact on not only Japanese culture, but the culture of many countries. The merit of a field of study is usually determined through gauging how much impact it has had on history and culture. I daresay that the Shinobi qualifies.
@@sevenproxies4255 I agree, I just wish the actual historical information we already know were more widely teached. Instead even in Japan, it’s usually the Hollywood version that’s marketed both locally and to international tourists. And while shinobi did definitely play an important role in history, I’d be careful not to over-emphasize them - every culture had spies that fulfilled more or less the same functions.
@@tbneogalaxy I think that, as far as youtube goes, The Metatron channel puts out a lot of accurate information. He often stresses facts like how Samurai were also acting as Shinobi in history, which really goes against the less factual hollywood tropes. Also delving into how the idea of honour and bushido changed over the course of history. For example, there's some myth surrounding the samurai that they wouldn't use guns because they supposedly found it "dishonourable"... Even though Japan at one time had and used more matchlock guns than the entirety of Europe did. During the sengoku period, "honour" meant succeeding to carry out your daimyo's orders. The samurai at the time didn't mind using backstabbing methods or sneaking if it meant securing victory. So his videos do seem to check out as far as historical accuracy goes. And personally I always find historical accuracy more fascinating than fiction and myth.
I'd be interested to see how he handles the other weapons. I saw tonfa, sai, and nunchaku and am curious to see how similar the techniques would be to Okinawan kobudo. I've practiced with all three since I was a child (as well as bo), but we all can learn more by studying new schools. I've improved my tonfa skills immensely by studying Shaolin forms, though it's called shuāng guǎi in Chinese and we say tuifa in Matsubayashi-ryu to preserve Uchinaaguchi.
There's no tonfa, sai and nunchaku in classical Japanse martial arts. Even kama is dubious even though the tool was common in Japan. As you correctly stated, tonfa, sai and nunchaku are Okinawa kobudô weapons. Okinawa is the main island of the Ryûkyû archipelago, and a different culture. While it's been under heavy Japanese influence for centuries and even official Japanese rule since the Meiji era, it's still quite different and seen as a different entity in cultural affairs... like martial arts.
This was so awesome! Thank you guys for showing me your amazing culture and I hope I can one day visit Kyoto! It is now my number one destination in the whole world!!!
I made some bo-shuriken of my own one summer and practiced throwing them on trees. It's true, they are very hard to throw and get to stick. Can be a little easier if you make them so that the end near the tip is a little bit thicker than the end that you hold onto, making the tip heavier.
Konichiwa My original comment has disappeared. I just wanted to share that a tv series n the 1960’s called Shintaro or The Samurai featured three ninja groups Iga, Fuma and Koga. The Star Shintaro was played by Koishi Ose who was so popular in Australia that when he came to promote the show with an exhibition of sword play and traditional music he was met a Sydney Airport by more fans than had cone to see The Beatles in 1964. Were there really ninja clans by those names?
Arigato Shogo san. But what about Koichi Ose? Have you seen The Samurai? “Onmitsu Kenshi” in Japanese. I think you will like it very much. Some great actors and Koichi-san is a master Iaido practitioner. Sorry just realised it wasn’t Shogo who answered. (Funny it’s called ask Shogo 😅)Thanks guys. Hope you see this series too.
It goes to show I watched a video saying ninjas didn't really exist but never believed they wasn't the real deal you both done well ninjas in another life
Real kunai don't look anything like that. They look more like a fish with the eye in the tail. They aren't sharp but just a flat piece of steel. Tonfa and sai (and nunchaku and...) aren't ninja weapons. They are Okinawa Kobudô weapons. The link "ninja - Okinawa Kobudô" is bad fiction. Ninjatô could be straight or curved, but then again, in the 16th century there still were straight samurai swords too. Very rare, but still. They even have a specific term, but I don't know it by heart. If needed, I might look that up. Most ninjatô were just plain katana though. Because why on EARTH would a ninja run around with anything that identifies him as a spy on the spot? It makes no sense. None whatsoever. The techniques are decent. Especially the walking techniques are quite right.
This is really cool but it kind of feels like the Japanese equivalent of LARPing. A lot of this stuff I think was created for cinema and kabuki theatre I believe? With an unknown grain of truth being somewhere rooted in the history of Japanese spies.
Yeah, pretty much. After all, historical shinobi were just samurai on spy duty, not some weird, half-mystical order living in a hidden village or something.
Ninja stuff is rough, it’s so hard to find out what to believe about them. Anthony Cummings’ work would say exactly what was summed up deftly above, that ninja “were just samurai on spy duty.” But one Bujinkan I visited said that Bujinkan just studies ancient SAMURAI martial arts and ninja would have also known them because it’s part of “basic training,” so-to-speak and then you would have a specialization. Just like how a drone pilot in the army would still go to basic training, but maybe never physical fight or train again because his speciality is not fighting related. And I’ve heard these aren’t so much museums as tourist attractions. I want to believe this is “real,” but it’s hard to take anything anyone says about this as fact. Shogo seems like the nicest guy ever, and maybe even the Sensei authentically believes this, but I’ve been lead to have serious doubts.
I have been a fan and enthuisist of ninjitsu for many years, since I saw the movie " Revenge of the Ninja" with Master Sho Kosugi. I've bought many ninja weapons, just short of an actual sword, as well as many ninja publications to study, but this video is extremely well informative and I hope there are more to come.
Iga Ninjutsu is very amazing. I always wanted to learn how to become a Iga Ninja. This video is fantastic and I wish I could learn Iga Ninjutsu one day.
I catch your vids from time to time. This one is really cool. The walking in a dark room with all the stuff on the floor. The next level of training, he would have put down LEGOS instead of caltrops.
Man, I was geeking out when they demonstrated using the weapons, the walking. I don’t watch anime but this just looks so fun and so cool. I hope I can visit someday It’s also really neat how they actually use the actual weapons for training, instead of using stuff meant for beginners. Like, you’d know how heavy a shuriken right off the bat so you know how best to throw it. So cool and awesome!