Bujinkan Malta

Soke Masaaki Hatsumi and the Bujinkan

Born on December 2nd 1931, Masaaki Hatsumi became the founder and grandmaster of the Bujinkan Dojo, which was started in honor of his teacher, Toshitsugu Takamatsu. Dr. Hatsumi holds college degrees in Drama and Osteopathic Medicine and is best known for “opening the doors” of Ninjutsu to non-Japanese. He also holds black belts in several arts, including judo, karate, kendo, aikido and jojutsu, and has studied such western arts as boxing. He was introduced to Kendo by his father when he was seven years old. He also studied Judo and Karate. In Junior High School he was a gymnast, boxer and the captain in the Junior High School soccer team. He also studied social dancing which he believes helped him with the footwork in his Budo training. In his College years he continued to practice Boxing and Judo, he belonged to the Judo and Drama clubs and studied Theatre Arts. During his studies in Medical School, he received 4th Dan in Judo.

Soke Masaaki Hatsumi (34rd Grand Master of Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu)

In his early twenties he was asked to teach Judo to the American soldiers at the Yokota Army Base, which he accepted. He found that the big Americans seemed to have the size and natural ability for Judo, and Hatsumi found that they were learning in months what took the typical Japanese years to study. At this point he began to question his training and began searching for a true warrior tradition. When he was 26 years old, in 1957, he met Takamatsu Toshitsugu in Kashiwabara City west of the Iga region in Japan. He traveled across Honshu islands every weekend for fifteen years to study with his teacher.

The train ride took him over a half day from his home in Noda to Takamatsu’s home in Kashiwabara. After 15 years of studying, Takamatsu Toshitsugu died 83 years old in his home in Nara (just East of Osaka) April 2nd in 1972. A few years earlier Takamatsu had already decided that Hatsumi would be the next sole inheritor and “Soke” of the nine schools. These historical roots, brought from the ancient battlefields of Japan, provide a mine of rich teachings that are equally applicable to modern situations.

Since becoming the Soke of nine ko ryu in 1972 after the passing of Takamatsu Sensei, Masaaki Hatsumi has become an international figure thanks to the exposure brought to him by his first western students: Doron Navon and Stephen Hayes. To reflect the emergence of Ninjutsu into modern society, Hatsumi Sensei formed the Bujinkan in the late 70s to teach a more eclectic curriculum of martial arts training to the world. Following in this principle, the 90s has seen him change the name of this martial art to Budo Taijutsu. Hatsumi Sensei wanted to shift away from the cartoonish image of Ninjutsu and more toward the essence of true Bujutsu.

As a source of remarkable knowledge on the subject of Budo Taijutsu (formally known as Ninjutsu), Hatsumi Sensei has provided the most enlightening insights into this ancient martial art. In fact he is regarded as “The Source” of all true Ninpo training. Dr. Hatsumi preaches the importance of understanding the principles underlying techniques, not just the mechanics – things that will serve the greatest benefit in the flurry of a real fight:

“By experiencing the confrontation of danger, the transcendence of fear of injury or death, and a working knowledge of individual personal powers and limitations, the practitioner of Ninjutsu can gain the strength and invincibility that permit enjoyment of the flowers moving in the wind, appreciation of the love of others, and contentment with the presence of peace in society.”

“Personal enlightenment can only come about through total immersion in the martial tradition as a way of living.”

As grandmaster of the Bujinkan dojo, Dr. Hatsumi actively travels the world to share the teachings of Budo Taijutsu as passed to him by his teacher, Toshitsugu Takamatsu. Each year, Dr. Hatsumi holds two international Taikai (gatherings) for training, usually alternating between Europe and the United States. Additionally, hundreds of eager students from scores of countries also converge to Japan for training with Dr. Hatsumi each year. He can be both poetic and unyielding in speech and tone. Its a well regarded belief among all members of the Bujinkan that a person can not truly advance to the higher levels of Budo Taijutsu without having trained personally with Hatsumi Sensei.

Dr. Hatsumi has been awarded the International Culture Award by the Japanese government. He was also nominated for his cross-cultural leadership in martial arts instruction. Among Dr. Hatsumi’s other many honors are the title of Knighthood from Germany, Honorary Doctorate degrees in both Human Sciences and Philosophy, Honorary Texas Ranger and numerous Honorable Citizenship awards from locales such as Los Angeles, California and Dublin, Ireland.

Hatsumi Sensei is an actor of several Japanese Television productions, as well as a Ninjutsu consultant for TV and film. Among his many interests are art, music, acting, and writing. Being a former bonesetter, has penned over a dozen books, and is the former chairman of the Writers Guild of Japan. Dr. Hatsumi’s work has also been recognized by numerous government and law enforcement officials, such as the FBI and the NSA.