# Best Ninjutsu Book?



## RoninX

Hello!

I´d like to know your opinion on which is the best Ninjutsu book available!

Thanks


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## Bruno@MT

That needs some qualification. What are you looking for?

The only books I have are:
'Fujiate Seiko: the last koga ninja' which is a biography on Fujita Seiko 
and
'Fundamental taijutsu, vol 1', which is suitable as a guide to remember techniques, but not to learn new ones. Btw it's a Genbukan book so not much use outside of Genbukan training.

You can't learn ninjutsu from a book. At all. The only thing you can learn from books is ninja history. And for that, the book I already mentioned is good. it is a bit thin, but I liked it a lot. There are also some books by Tanemura sensei and Hatsumi sensei.

For all other authors, it would probably be wise to check out the credentials of the author first. I would rather trust a book written by a Japanese author, than one written by a foreigner. But that is just my opinion of course.


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## JadecloudAlchemist

Japanese or English?

Then depends on what you are looking for.

I really think The way of the Ninja and Advance stick fighting are very well done. Fujita Seiko by Phillip Hevener is well done too.Unarmed fighting techniques of the Samurai well done.Ninpo Secrets By Shoto Tanemura is well done. Takamatsu Toshitsugu: http://www.ninjutsustore.com/store/product.php?productid=6201&cat=86&page=1

I don't know how good the translations are but these are very good books the Japanese versions are great early writings of Hatsumi: 
http://www.ninjutsustore.com/store/home.php?cat=154

Paul Richardson's book: http://www.budoya.org/Books/Buj-history.html
This site has some good stuff.

I would love to find Takamatsu poetry book that is suppose to have been published.

Kukishinden ryu bojutsu: http://www.amazon.com/Kukishin-Ryu-...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241099363&sr=8-2

If you can find this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugei_Ryuha_Daijiten


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## RoninX

Bruno@MT said:


> That needs some qualification. What are you looking for?
> 
> The only books I have are:
> 'Fujiate Seiko: the last koga ninja' which is a biography on Fujita Seiko
> and
> 'Fundamental taijutsu, vol 1', which is suitable as a guide to remember techniques, but not to learn new ones. Btw it's a Genbukan book so not much use outside of Genbukan training.
> 
> You can't learn ninjutsu from a book. At all. The only thing you can learn from books is ninja history. And for that, the book I already mentioned is good. it is a bit thin, but I liked it a lot. There are also some books by Tanemura sensei and Hatsumi sensei.
> 
> For all other authors, it would probably be wise to check out the credentials of the author first. I would rather trust a book written by a Japanese author, than one written by a foreigner. But that is just my opinion of course.




Who said i wanted to learn Ninjutsu from books? Are you dreaming?


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## Bruno@MT

RoninX said:


> Who said i wanted to learn Ninjutsu from books? Are you dreaming?



No offense. You post a single line message, asking for the best ninjutsu book available. Noone said anything. I just asked what you were looking for. I didn't know what you meant because you didn't specify what you wanted to get out of the book: techniques, history, or fiction.

So I list the 2 books that I have, explain that you can't learn ninjutsu from a book, and then proceed to tell you that if it is history that you are after, then the book on fujita seiko is good, as well as (probably) others by Japanese authors.

As far as I can tell, there was nothing offensive in my post. I _asked _what you were looking for, and my remark that you cannot learn techniques from books did not imply that you were trying to do this. It was only meant to indicate that IF this was what you were looking for, then this is not possible.
And since there are many people who _think _you can learn from books or videos, my remark was not farfetched.

So imo there was nothing in my post that warranted this remark:



RoninX said:


> Are you dreaming?


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## WesternCiv

Surprised that "Ninja Mind Control" by Haha Lung hasn't made the list!  :uhyeah:


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## RoninX

I´m just looking for opinions. 
I´m thinking about Ninpo Secrets.


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## EWBell

RoninX said:


> I´m just looking for opinions.
> I´m thinking about Ninpo Secrets.


 
Ninpo Secrets is excellent.  You won't be disappointed!


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## Bruno@MT

I'd go for Ninpo secrets or Takamatsu Toshitsugu then.

Ninpo secrets because it's written by Tanemura sensei (I am in Genbukan), and the book on Takamatsu because he is the last ninja in my lineage who actually served as a ninja, and because he is the source of all Xkan ninpo.


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## RoninX

Isn´t Ninpo Secrets the most complete one?


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## EWBell

RoninX said:


> Isn´t Ninpo Secrets the most complete one?


 
Not having read all of the books on ninjutsu, I can't say that for 100%.  I can say that there is a boat load of great information in it.  I need to buy it as well, since my sensei allowed me to borrow his copy a couple of years ago.


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## canit

> Takamatsu Toshitsugu: http://www.ninjutsustore.com/store/product.php?productid=6201&cat=86&page=1




This book is very poorly written and self-contradicting throughout.  Save your money and do a google search on Takamatsu.

If you can find it, 'Ninja: The True Story of Japan's Secret Warrior Cult' by Stephen Turnbull (1991) is a good read.  Much more factual information in it than the title above.


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## Albertus

Bruno@MT said:


> For all other authors, it would probably be wise to check out the credentials of the author first. I would rather trust a book written by a Japanese author, than one written by a foreigner. But that is just my opinion of course.]
> 
> Just a small warning, not every Japanese name is what it looks like. Don't get fooled just by the sound of it.
> To name a few oriental like names that are (probably) not authentic: Toshitora Yamashiro ; Yukishiro Sanada ; Yoshi Yamamoto ; Katsumi Toda ; Li Hsing ; Atemo Lin ; Ashida Kim ; Lee San ; Terry Shimura...


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## kaizasosei

Probably one of the best Ninjutsu books ever is 'essence of ninjutsu' by Hatsumi Sensei.   -although it is a tad controversial, i find that 'ninjutsu, history and tradition' is a good book too, especialy for people new to the tradition- i mean the red book with the sun behind a ninjaic figuire holding a huge sickle.


j


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## Randy Strausbaugh

I'm not a ninjutsu practitioner, but I found Alex Yeo's book on the subject to be well done. Good photos, well written, covers basics well. Emphsizes physical skills, but gives a little theory, too. He's part of the Bujinkan, I believe. Can't remember the exact title right off, but if you go to Amazon.com and search his name, you should come up with the book, no problem. If not, let me know and I'll try to kickstart my old braincells into gear (of course, kicks may be the reason I'm forgetful  ).


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## ElfTengu

Randy Strausbaugh said:


> I'm not a ninjutsu practitioner, but I found Alex Yeo's book on the subject to be well done. Good photos, well written, covers basics well. Emphsizes physical skills, but gives a little theory, too. He's part of the Bujinkan, I believe. Can't remember the exact title right off, but if you go to Amazon.com and search his name, you should come up with the book, no problem. If not, let me know and I'll try to kickstart my old braincells into gear (of course, kicks may be the reason I'm forgetful  ).


 
It's Simon Yeo, and yes I agree it is an ideal choice of first book.

The basics may not be exactly as you are taught them by your own teacher, and are largely not the way I perform them myself, but are well within the confines of acceptable interpretation, and the author himself indicates that although in print, the content of the book should not be taken as the be all and end all of basic taijutsu and that he himself is still learning at 10th dan.

If you want mumbo jumbo and vague historical accounts of characters who were ninja-esque but probably not actually ninja then there is a wealth of material out there.

This book has recieved praise and criticism in equal measure but at the end of the day nobody else has been brave enough to put anything out there that is of practical use to the novice and intermediate student. 

I doubt if any black belts will learn anything from it but I am happy to own a copy.


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## seninoniwashi

kaizasosei said:


> Probably one of the best Ninjutsu books ever is 'essence of ninjutsu' by Hatsumi Sensei. -although it is a tad controversial, i find that 'ninjutsu, history and tradition' is a good book too, especialy for people new to the tradition- i mean the red book with the sun behind a ninjaic figuire holding a huge sickle.


 
What makes it controversial? You'll have to forgive me, I'm from the other side of the fence.


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## kaizasosei

Most of this political stuff i find is nonsense myself, but some people say that the book not so much by Hatsumisensei but rather by Hayessensei.  That, in my opinion, is a compliment to Hayessensei because i think the book does a good job of presenting an asortment of materials that relate to the various arts of ninjutsu.

I must admit that i don't understand the controversy myself.  Something to do with names and rights....?


j


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## EWBell

kaizasosei said:


> Most of this political stuff i find is nonsense myself, but some people say that the book not so much by Hatsumisensei but rather by Hayessensei. That, in my opinion, is a compliment to Hayessensei because i think the book does a good job of presenting an asortment of materials that relate to the various arts of ninjutsu.
> 
> I must admit that i don't understand the controversy myself. Something to do with names and rights....?
> 
> 
> j


 
Essence of Ninjutsu is not the one that was supposedly ghost written by Stephen Hayes.  It was Ninjutsu: History and Tradition.


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## Brian R. VanCise

canit said:


> This book is very poorly written and self-contradicting throughout.  Save your money and do a google search on Takamatsu.
> 
> If you can find it, 'Ninja: The True Story of Japan's Secret Warrior Cult' by Stephen Turnbull (1991) is a good read.  Much more factual information in it than the title above.



Actually the author worked pretty hard to paint an over all picture of the life of Takamatsu Sensei.  While being far from perfect and not an authorized biography from Hatsumi Sensei I still think it has value!  Most of the sources are from Hatsumi Sensei in the end and it would appear that he did not make anything up but instead showed how life was and events that happened based on the writings from other books.  An interesting read if nothing else.


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## canit

Brian R. VanCise said:


> Actually the author worked pretty hard to paint an over all picture of the life of Takamatsu Sensei. While being far from perfect and not an authorized biography from Hatsumi Sensei I still think it has value!
> 
> Most of the sources are from Hatsumi Sensei in the end and it would appear that he did not make anything up but instead showed how life was and events that happened based on the writings from other books.  An interesting read if nothing else.




The author took already existing material available on Takamatsu-sensei and played a very liberal game of connect the dots through history.  I have no doubt the he spent considerable time compiling snippets of information.  I wish he had spent even more time confirming facts and presenting them in a more professional manner.

Value is a subjective quality.  Had I known what I would be getting I would have bought the book on eBay for $5.00 instead of the authors website for considerably more.  I found the finished product very disappointing.


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## Brian R. VanCise

Oh I can understand that!  While I feel he painted an over all picture I can understand you *and I *wanting more information.  That would be my only gripe.  Still it was nice to have all that info in one book rather than a dozen or so.


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## cypher

Simon Yeo's Secret Art of the Ninja, is an excellent one for first timers (like me!) It is so good in fact I may have to buy another copy, my Sensei borrowed it....


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## Highland Ninja

On James Morganelli's blog site, he mentions a "purple book" that's considered Soke's "Bujinkan Bible". Which one is that? I can't think of the title.


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## ElfTengu

Highland Ninja said:


> On James Morganelli's blog site, he mentions a "purple book" that's considered Soke's "Bujinkan Bible". Which one is that? I can't think of the title.


 
I would consider 'Understand, Good, Play' by Ben Cole as a collection of quotes by Hatsumi Sensei, to beat any other book on the subject hands down, in fact I doubt if it will ever be bettered.

I cannot believe it is out of print although I am grateful that it is because I managed to sell my copy for a vastly inflated price during difficult personal financial circumstances.

Personally I cannot stand any of the recent glossy, blurry, vague, self-indulgent, error-riddled works on the subject because I did not sign up for obscure philosophy and believe it has no connection with martial effectiveness or the fight for survival of historical persons in ancient Japan. 

And a surprising number of very high ranked teachers agree with me, but not often publicly.

I have massive respect for the author and translator(s), but I am waiting for 'Budo Taijutsu for Dummies' to be released, thank you very much.


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## stephen

Highland Ninja said:


> On James Morganelli's blog site, he mentions a "purple book" that's considered Soke's "Bujinkan Bible". Which one is that? I can't think of the title.




Jim's talking about this book:

http://www.ninjutsustore.com/store/product.php?productid=5909&cat=154&page=1


The original was purple.


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## tenzen

yes that is the" purple book" it is old and was made to be an instructors reference guide. there is alot in this book but if you don't already know it it is almost useless to you. the pictures are in black and white as the english version is a photocopy from the original. the descriptions in english are bare minimum. at one time it was given to students who passed the godan test. it is so you remember what you have learned basically. 

imho ninpo secrets is a better book to buy. its the same price and alot better quality.
understnd good play is a good book but its is written in traditional hatsumi fashion, coded sort of. once again you will need a good understanding of the system and also hatsumi for this book. and it is rather pricey. the hiden ninja submission book from hatsumi was ok, the tenchijin refers to it alot also, but this may be because of the translator not the actual writings in the book. this is also a photocopied version of the original in japanese, but i thought it was a better book. keep in mind these are my opinions and we should all have our own, right or wrong it doesn't matter it is what you think.


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## ElfTengu

tenzen said:


> understnd good play is a good book but its is written in traditional hatsumi fashion, coded sort of.


 
But far far far less coded and obscure than the recent set of glossy hardbacks, surely you must agree?



tenzen said:


> keep in mind these are my opinions and we should all have our own, right or wrong it doesn't matter it is what you think.


 
Does anyone have an opinion they are prepared to share regarding the Sword, Staff, Ninja Secret and Unarmed blah blah? Honestly, Simon Yeo's book is far more use to most people!


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## Brian R. VanCise

ElfTengu said:


> But far far far less coded and obscure than the recent set of glossy hardbacks, surely you must agree?
> 
> 
> 
> Does anyone have an opinion they are prepared to share regarding the Sword, Staff, Ninja Secret and Unarmed blah blah? Honestly, Simon Yeo's book is far more use to most people!




I like Simon's book as well.  While it is not my favorite it *definitely* is a book worth having in your collection.


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## stephen

I think that if Soke felt that a step-by-step picture book was of benefit to people he would publish one.

Many people still use the purple book as a basis for a curiculum, but again, I'm sure Soke would reprint it if he felt that we should be doing that. It's not like he doesn't have a demonstrated ability to get books printed.


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## tenzen

yes elf i definately agree. and for the beginner simons book is your best bet, it is imo easiest to understand if you have no experience.


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## Grey Eyed Bandit

Ben Cole's UGP. Best book about the Bujinkan.


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## Albertus

Right now I am reading a book called _Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu - Ninja Tradition. Exploring the essence of the Martial Arts_ and it is very interesting. It is written by Alex Esteve in 2002 and has beautiful pictures of our Grandmaster in it, with a total of 285 pages. Also there are brief contributions from several Shihan. The original was in Spanish but the English translation is oke. For me it is the best book at this moment!


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## Brian R. VanCise

Grey Eyed Bandit said:


> Ben Cole's UGP. Best book about the Bujinkan.



Not my favorite but a pretty good book.


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