General Ninjutsu Myths

This section deals with some of the common myths and misunderstandings that we have encountered throughout our years of teaching Konigun Ninjutsu. We hope that the following explanations will shed some more insight into the actual workings of martial arts. If you know of any myths that are not listed below please feel free to email us the myth at and if we can help shed some light into the matter then we will do our best to give you a just, truthful, and honest answer.

We will be adding more to this section as time allows. If you don't see your myth here, just give us some more time to investigate it.

1. Ninjutsu originally comes from China.

   Not true. Ninjutsu is a Japanese martial art. However, there are certain aspects of Ninjutsu that were adapted from China or other areas outside of Japan through travels and war. Similarly, certain aspects of Japanese arts also migrated to China. The origins of Ninjutsu, placed approximately between 500 and 300 B.C., however, are commonly linked to Chinese sources. The fall of the T'sang dynasty in China brought many refugees to Japan. The already established Yamabushi welcomed these refugees. With them came the knowledge of gunpowder, which was later used to make ninja smoke bombs. Other weapons such as the san-setsu-kan (three sectional staff), bladed shuriken as well as hand and foot techniques, were adopted from these Chinese refugees. History shows that these refugees from China had some influence in developing the Yamabushi priests' techniques into Ninjutsu and may have been part of its founding fathers, but the art itself began in Japan.

2. There is kung-fu influence in Ninjutsu.

   Yes, there is. For example, the san-setsu-kan (three sectional staff) is traditionally a Kung Fu weapon, but was adopted during Konigun's 21st generation of existence Konigun Ninjutsu, like most other successful martial arts, has evolved over the years, picking up strategies, techniques, and philosophies along the way. Sun Tzu said "Know your enemy," and therefore, when a warrior sees his enemy use a technique that is unknown to him, he should seek to adapt it into his own fighting system (or at least understand how it is used) in an attempt to defeat his opponent. Any style that claims NOT to have evolved is either too new of a style (anything under 100 years old is a fairly new style) or the style has been taught to humans by aliens and is far superior to anything we've ever seen on this planet. ;)

3. There were no ninja in Kyushu.

   There are/were ninja in Kyushu. Konigun Ninjutsu has its origins in Kagoshima (originally called Satsuma), which is the southernmost prefecture of Kyushu Island. To see historical records of the existence of ninja in Kyushu, all a person needs to do is look up the Shimabara rebellion and/or Satsuma rebellion. Furthermore, the Saigo Museum, located in Sendai, a northwestern Kagoshima prefecture, contains a larger amount of local ninja artifacts than either the Iga Ueno Ninja Museum or the Koka Ninja Museum. Konigun, Kobo, Sasanuma, Takeda, and Kankai were ryu(s) on Kyushu.

4. Ninja and Samurai were two separate groups.

   Yes and No. Some Samurai were Samurai by day and Ninja by night. This is one way they received information about their enemies. Ninja were not considered to be honorable, and to keep from losing face, a Samurai would sometimes disguise himself in this way.

5. Ninja can fly.

   Ninja's could fly, but only for short distances. The ninja would use their capes and cloaks as hang gliders. The ninja would fix the cloth between two sticks so that the cloth would bag and catch air allowing the ninja to leap from distances up to 25 feet in height and land safely. This technique was another method that the ninja used along with the hand claws to give them the appearance of supernatural beings.

6. Ninja can become invisible.

   This is not completely accurate. Ninja, through the use of stealth and concealment techniques could blend into the environment very well; however, ninja cannot become transparent or translucent.

7. Ninja can turn into animals.

   No, ninja used different weapons such as hand claws and foot spikes to emulate animal attacks giving the illusion that the ninja could shape shift at will.

8. Ninja can jump over buildings.

   No, ninja used methods of scaling buildings such as grappling hooks, or using others as human ladders. To get off of a building, ninja did often train for long distance free falls (i.e. 12 - 16 feet). For longer drops, they would use their capes/cloaks as make-shift hang gliders.

9. Ninja can foresee the future.

   No, but part of the philosophical teachings of Ninjutsu deals with perceiving and perception. When studying the reactions of others, one can anticipate how people will react to their actions and by doing so one can closely predict what their friend or enemy will do based on the action taken according to the friend's or enemy's past. For example, Military Generals will study past battles of their enemies to get an understanding of their actions and reactions on the battlefield.

10. Ninja can levitate and do other mystical feats.

    The ninja were known for their sleight of hand techniques that would lead the Samurai to believe that the ninja were tengu or demons. By keeping up this stereotype, the ninja were able to make the Samurai fearful of them and more reluctant to chase the ninja into the night.

11. The hand weaves of Ninjutsu give the ninja mystical powers.

    No, the hand weaves have two purposes.

    1. The hand weaves and the patterns they make during the ceremonial salutes are striking patterns and delivery methods for the different master hand strikes and counter techniques.
    2. Symbolism. When a student begins in Konigun the first hand weave that they learn is the cho (butterfly) hand. It is weaved the same as the power hand. The cho hand is used as the ultimate sign of respect and beauty. This is because the butterfly lives its life without destroying anything within its environment. It lives in total peace and harmony. Each hand weave has a meaning akin to this one.

12. Ninjas can walk on water.

    Yes, they can, actually. By taking two empty cylinders (such as two buckets or two LARGE bamboo cylinders), and placing a foot in each while using a long stick to balance oneself and for propulsion (holding one end of the stick and using the other end on the bottom of the body of water), a person can "walk on water." One can also take the buckets and tether them upside down to their feet, thereby trapping air inside the bucket and using the same method prescribed above. A third way uses elongated hollowed out bamboo tubes (like a water ski) and again use prescribed methods above. All three methods require some leg control, balance, and practice to master. A fourth way, but only used for swampy or marshy areas utilizes something similar to an oversized snow shoe (as shown below in a picture taken at Iga-Ueno Ninja Museum). The shoe can also be made using sticks, vines, and grass.

    
    The pictures are from Iga-Ueno Ninja Museum.

13. Ninjas 'kia' or perform the karate yell.

    No. Many martial arts groups use their kia in teaching breath control. Ninja don't kia. However, we do teach/use proper breath control. Since ninjas are supposed to be somewhat stealthy, and since kia would potentially give away our position, we tend not to use vocal methods of breath control.

14. All ninjutsu techniques work unmodified for all people regardless of shape or size or in all situations.

    Certainly not true. That's one reason we have so many techniques to teach. Students can choose which technique will work better for them based upon both their size and their opponent's body build and speed. Another reason to teach so many techniques is to give a foundation so that the student will eventually be able to adapt or instantaneously create their own technique in any given situation.

15. Ninjas commit Seppuku.

    We cannot speak for the other Ninjutsu sects but Konigun does not believe in suicide nor condone it. Seppuku was a form of self punishment. If a warrior failed in his/her mission, or if captured, the honorable thing to do would be to commit suicide by stabbing oneself in the gut and cutting in a Z pattern (but they seldom could get more than one cut from the pain, and were often assisted by someone who would behead them). However, ninja didn't always do the "honorable" thing. In fact, practitioners of Konigun Ninjutsu consider Seppuku to be a dishonorable act of cowardice.

16. The medallions that Konigun Black Sashes (Belts) wear have mystical powers.

    The medallions serve two purposes.

    1. The medallions simply serve as a means of recognition from one Konigun Black Sash to another.
    2. The insignia carved on each medallion is a constant reminder of the philosophical teaching of Konigun Ninjutsu to remind every black sash to temper their actions with wisdom, be true to themselves, and always achieve an honorable justice.

17. There are no Christian ninja sects.

    Wrong. Francis Xavier (a Jesuit priest) and Anger (a Japanese man who had been baptized while in India and had adopted the Christian name of Pablo de Santa Fe) arrived in Japan on August 15th 1549 at the city of Kagoshima with hopes of Christianizing the nation. The first year he was there, he learned Japanese and translated some texts into Japanese with the help of Pablo de Santa Fe. He then began preaching and found some converts around Kagoshima until August of 1550 when he was banished. However, he left a couple of successors before he left (Father Cosme de Torres, a Spanish priest, and Brother Juan Fernandez) to further the work. The efforts of these three men are what led to the conversion of Konigun and the Saija family (along with many other ryu and Japanese people) from the traditional Shinto religion to the Christian religion. Today, Konigun will accept any religious practitioner, so long as his/her intentions are good. Konigun still claims Christianity as its religion, but doesn't try to convert anyone, keeping religion and training in separate areas. Konigun, Kobo, Sasanuma, Takeda, and Kankai were ryu(s) on Kyushu that were converted to Christianity. It is believed Kyushin, Fudo, Gyokku, and Koto were, in part or completely, converted.