The organization Bujinkan Dojo is founded by the great master Masaaki Hatsumi in honor of his teacher Toshitsugu Takamatsu. This is international organization with its seat in the city of Noda shi, in the province of Ciba ken in Japan. Bujinkan Dojo means „Warrior Spirit Training Hall’’ i.e. „House of the Divine Warrior’’
Today in Bujinkan are taught nine traditional warrior schools. Six of them come from the samurai warrior arts, which the legendary ninja warriors has used them and brought to perfection and the other three are pure ninjutsu warrior schools. All the nine styles have been improved over the centuries by number of warrior generations while protecting the lives of their closest family members. Carried from generations to generations, from father to sun, from master to student, all the nine schools are being succeeded by Masaaki Hatsumi sensei, from his great master Takamatsu.
By founding the organization Bujinkan Dojo, soke (head) Hatsumi has united all the nine schools in one art, naming it Bujinkan Ryu (school, tradition) i.e. Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu.
Sensei Hatsumi has succeeded the nine schools:
– Togakure ryu Ninjutsu-34 Soke
– Gyoko ryu koshijutsu-28 Soke
– Koto ryu koppojutsu-18 Soke
– Kukishinden ryu happo Bikenjutsu-28 Soke
– Shindenfudo ryu dakentaijutsu-26 Soke
– Takagiyoshin ryu jutaijutsu-17 Soke
– Gikan ryu koppojutsu-15 Soke
– Gyokushin ryu Ninjutsu-21 Soke
– Kumogakure ryu Ninjutsu-14 Soke
Even though all of the nine schools have been practiced as one unified art, each of them has its own history and tradition, its characteristics, its techniques and strategy, its secret weapons. By this the schools i.e. the arts can be studied and practiced separately.