The history of the Bujinkan starts with a renowned Japanese martial artist named Toshitsugu Takamatsu, who was born in the 23rd year of Meiji (10th March 1887), in Akashi, Hyogo province, Japan.

After one year of continuous beatings he was taught his first techniques. Above the door of the Dojo was a plaque that read Shindenfudo Ryu Jutaijutsu, but Toda Sensei also taught Shinden Koto Ryu Karate (the name of which was later changed to Koto Ryu Koppojutsu), Gyokko Ryu Kosshijutsu, Kumogakure Ryu Ninjutsu, Gyokushin Ryu Ninjutsu, and the Togakure Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu. When Takamatsu was 13 years old, he had mastered the techniques of the school and was granted Menkyo Kaiden (full mastership certificate). Although he was still very young, it was common practice in the past to give this title to gifted students so that that they would study harder to attain the skills expected of them.

Takamatsu Sensei spent 10 years in China and Korea, where he acquired the nickname Mongolian Tiger, or Moko no Tora.He returned to Japan and opened an Inn in Nara, and in the 1950's, he took a new student, called Hatsumi Yoshiaki, a young man in his 20's. Hatsumi had been studying Kobudo (old martial ways) with another teacher, but Hatsumi already held dan grades in the more common martial arts of Japan such as Shito Ryu Karate, Aikido, and a 4th Dan in Kodokan Judo. He had been teaching Judo at a US army base in Zama, but found that despite his superior technique and skill, he lost sparring matches with US soldiers that were bigger and stronger than him. He started to doubt the martial arts he had studied and realised that they did not have much in common with real fighting.

In Takamatsu Sensei, Hatsumi Yoshiaki found the real thing, an elderly man who could throw him around like a rag doll with almost no effort. He asked to become Takamatsu Sensei's student and was accepted. On Takamatsu Sensei's advice he changed his name from Yoshiaki to Massaki (a different pronunciation of the same kanji) as the name Yoshiaki had brought bad luck to Hatsumi Sensei's ancestors.

Hatsumi Masaaki Soke

It took Hatsumi Sensei 15 hours to travel from Noda-shi, were he lived, to the home of Takamatsu in Nara. He did this almost every weekend for 15 years. Hatsumi said when he first met Takamatsu he was frightened of him, and that he was a powerful, and frightening teacher. The first few words that Takamatsu said to Hatsumi was "Welcome" and "Relax". Takamatsu frequently called Hatsumi "Mushikera" (Insect) but it is clear from the way that Hatsumi Sensei talks of his old teacher that he treated him like a father, and Takamatsu treated Hatsumi as a son. When training with Takamatsu, there was never a warm up. Even when they would use real swords, the same attitude was taken. In a real fight you may never have time to warm up, it will be sudden, and the body may be cold.  Takamatsu said to his students "I decided to leave everything in the hands of Hatsumi. I think he is the most suitable person in martial arts. I am now able to repay Toda, Sensei, Ishitani Sensei, and Mizuta Sensei for their kindness. I intend to continue my studies into the secrets of nature". Takamatsu Sensei died on 2nd April 1972, aged 85, he had stopped training at 80, but still continued to oversee Hatsumi Sensei's personal training up until his death.

Hatsumi Sensei was now Soke and Takamatsu Sensei's designated heir. Slowly, Hatsumi Sensei started to develop and spread the arts he had inherited, culminating in the mid 1970's with the foundation of the Bujinkan Dojo. The school's name translates as 'Hall of the warrior spirit', and is a tribute to the late Takamatsu Sensei.

Initially, Hatsumi Sensei grouped his arts together and taught them collectively under the name Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu, as this was the oldest and most unique of his nine schools. However, over time he fine tuned his teaching philosophy and subtly altered the name of the art to relect this. Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu changed to Togakure Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu, reflecting the fact that his art wasn't merely systemised violence but also contained life enhancing philosophies and higher teahings. As an entity, the Bujinkan Dojo started in ernest in the mid to late 1970's, with the first westerners seeking out Hatsumi and his unique martial art. The westerners trained in Japan and returned to the West with authentic Ninjutsu teachings, and the martial arts world was eager to learn them.

However, in the mid to late 1980's the world experienced a 'ninja-boom' largely fueled by Hollywood hype and the stereotype of ninjutsu as a dark assasin's art. Martial arts magazines were filled with sensationalist articles expounding ill informed and poorly researched 'facts'. Because teaching ninjutsu was commerically 'hot' at this time, a large number of fraudulant ninjutsu teachers appeared, most of whom dressed up in black dogi uniforms and taught karate claiming it was ninjutsu.  Despite the fact that this clashes directly with the true ninja ideology and has nothing to do with the modern aims and goals of this martial art, Togakure Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu began to be associated in the public mind with the violence of countless Hollywood 'ninja movies'.  In 1996, Hatsumi Sensei decided to further distance the Bujinkan and its teachings from this inaccurate public image, and changed the name and teaching emphasis of his art from Togakure Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu to Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. This served a duel purpose of informing the world that there is actually far more to the Bujinkan and its teachings than ninjutsu. In particular, three of its arts are of direct Samurai descent and are valuable martial arts in their own right, yet have nothing to do with Ninjutsu.

The Bujinden Headquarters of the Bujinkan Dojo in Japan

Today, the Bujinkan Dojo has flourished and current estimates put the global membership at over 150,000. Hatsumi Sensei has received many honours over the years, literally too many to list, and is one of this century's foremost martial innovators. His current teaching method sees him nominating a training theme each year, which is studied by students in Japan and elsewhere around the world at three-day Tai Kai training courses and seminars. Themes in recent years have been:

• 2002 - Hontai Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu, together with Daisho Sabaki
• 2001 - Gyokko Ryu Koshijutsu, 
• 2000 - Koto Ryu Koppojutsu, Gikan Ryu Koppojutsu &Gyokushin Ryu Koppojutsu
• 1999 - Kukishinden Ryu Happobikenjutsu
• 1998 - Shinden Fudo Ryu Dakentaijutsu
• 1997 - Jojutsu

Source materials: The Biography of Toshitugu Takamatsu Sensei, author unknown, Essence of Ninjutsu, Hatsumi Masaaki. Pics courtesy Hiden Magazine, Japan, and the author's collection.