Fight with the Spirit… and the sword will follow!

Who are we? 

We are a small private school located in the city of Mission Viejo in sunny Southern California.

What do we offer?

We offer training in the nine historical schools of the Bujinkan Dojo. The nine historical schools are studied as a foundation to develop skills and understandings for self-defense.

What sets us apart?

What sets us apart is not “what” we teach, but “how” we teach it. We develop complete scenarios in which we use a strategy that allows us to use techniques learned through the historical teachings. Our goal is not to memorize a lot of techniques. Our goal is to study the techniques within a context. The understanding then allows us to more freely adapt what we know in more contemporary situations for today. We learn what we need today through the study of yesteryear.

The areas of study includes but is not limited to:

• Taiso (Stretching & Conditioning)
• Taijutsu (Unarmed Combat Arts)
• Bojutsu (Stick Fighting Arts)
• Tantojutsu (Knife Fighting Arts)
• Shurikenjutsu (Blade Throwing Arts)
• Kenjutsu (Sword Fighting Arts)
• Hojutsu (Basic Firearms)
• Yarijutsu (Spear Fighting Arts)
• Hojojutsu (Rope Tying Arts)
• Meiso (Meditation Techniques)
• Ninki (Specialized Ninja Tools)
• Naginatajutsu (Halberd Fighting Arts)
• Juttejutsu (Iron Truncheon Fighting Arts)
• Bisento (Battlefield Halberd Fighting Arts)
• Gotonpo (Use of Natural Elements for Escape & Evasion)
• Kusarifundojutsu (Weighted Chain Fighting Arts)
• Kyoketsu Shoge (Dagger, Rope, & Iron Ring Fighting Arts)
• Heiho (Combat Strategy)

The Nine Schools

The 18 areas are derived from nine historical Japanese Martial traditions. The nine schools or lineages, as they are sometimes known as, are:

• Togakure Ryu Ninpo
• Gyokushin Ryu Ninpo
• Kumogakure Ryu Ninpo
• Gikan Ryu Koppojutsu
• Koto Ryu Koppo Taijutsu
• Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu
• Gyokko Ryu Koshijutsu
• Shinden Fudo Ryu Dakentaijutsu
• Kuki Shinden Ryu Happo Hikenjutsu

Bujinkan Dojo (“Divine Warrior Training Hall”)

The Nine Schools are taught under the organization of the Bujinkan Dojo headed by Masaaki Hatsumi out of Noda City, Japan.

Our Class

A typical class has two components to it; Practice and Training.

Practice (Basic Skills)

Practice covers the continued refinement of the basic skills. Practice is meant to strengthen and condition while building good habits that are instinctual. Every class starts with a warm-up of rolling, leaping, and break falls while utilizing basic movement skills. We then go on to work on striking skills of punching and kicking. We utilize various drills to allow the practitioner to learn how to properly deliver a strike and develop power over time.

Training (Understanding Today Through Yesteryear)

The second half of class is considered training. This time is spent on the study of complete scenarios that utilize the historical katas or techniques. The basics are continually pointed out through these scenarios reinforcing the importance of their practice. These complete scenarios allow us a way to continually build and develop strategies with the proper application of tactics. This allows us to use the techniques in all situations.