Bujinkan Golden Lion Dojo

Forty Years of Omote and Ura.

Few people today truly understand what ninjutsu really is. Even in Japan, the birthplace of art, few individuals have an accurate conception of ninjutsu. This is somewhat understandable, as the art was kept secret by a few families in central Japan for many generations. For reasons of personal survival during a few hundred years of social and religious persecution, the art was kept hidden from everyone except the inner circles of the ninja clans. When the true facts cannot be known, people often construct their own versions of the unknown stories. From there come all the tales that slander the ninja as someone of the lower class, as immoral and dishonorable murderers for hire. Fortunately, all your years of training with me in my dojo have given you an insight into the true ways of the ninja. I trust that you will do a good job bringing the art of ninjutsu out of the shadows of misunderstandings, and into the light of truth for all of your followers in the Western world. Teaching others you learn a lot. Fully maturing as a warrior in all aspects of life requires forty years of study.

The first twenty years are spent in the study of the omote of life (the surface, the obvious or "frontal" aspects). These are years to train in the concepts of honor, respect for superiors and parents, the direction and guidance of your minors, diligence and discipline in training, and the forces of justice, honesty and sincerity. The vast majority of martial arts systems stop at this level. The ninja, however, must progress forward through the total experience of life.
The second twenty years are for the exploration of the ura kingdom (the inner, the hidden, the non-obvious or rarely seen aspects), better known as the shadows of human nature. These are years to train in the ways in which honor, respect and love can be twisted and used against you, and to look at the reality in which true justice and benevolence have appearances that confuse the lacking masses of perspective understanding.
The weaker souls are ready to label such wisdom as "evil" or "something pessimistic."
Do not be afraid of the strength you gain.

Forty years brings you full circle, having transported you through the entire realm of human growth and consciousness. You start with the freshness of innocence, collect the stains of the mundane, and return with the wisdom of innocence. You start out empty, fill up along the way, and come back empty. Forty years of training is no guarantee that you will ever become a master of the art. That simply gives you the potential for full development. From there it is a matter of your own character, your personal nature, and the destiny of life, about how far you will advance. You will become a ninja with all the power that the word implies if you propose to be one.
I encourage you to stand firm in the direction of your challenge to unveil all the secrets and mysteries of the ninja art and its way of life.

Written by Masaaki Hatsumi, Sôke

“If all you are is uke ( receiver ) for your training life and survive, you have succeeded as a martial artist”
Nagato Sensei

People believe that the only way to prove yourself as a martial artist is to be strong,fast,have fantastic skills and win fights. However, the martial artist is not someone that seeks out violence. If you are able to understand the depth of ukemi and the meaning of ninniku yoroi ( to bear no grudges or desire for revenge ) one can control the space to avoid unnecessary conflict as much as possible.
The ultimate goal of studying Budô is to survive and to live ones life in a way that peace is attained without the need for fighting.
南虎

“Violence is to be avoided, and Ninpo is Bujutsu”. Use the sword to be peaceful, and protect country, family, and nature”.
-Togakure Ryu