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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by CaspianXI@lemmy.world to c/mildlyinteresting@lemmy.world

In 2012, Jinichi Kawakami emerged as the last surviving ninja grandmaster. Kawakami believed that the art of ninjutsu has no place in the modern age, as we have better weapons, the internet, and better medicines. Masaaki Hatsumi, another surviving ninja grandmaster, has not appointed an heir. Once Kawakami and Hatsumi pass away, ninjas will forever cease to exist.

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[-] IronDonkey@lemmy.world 52 points 1 year ago

Once Kawakami and Hatsumi have passed away, ninjas will forever cease to exist.

That's what they want you to think.

[-] why_rob_y@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Can't the two of them just reproduce? Granted, I'm not a ninja scientist, but I think that's how it works.

[-] spittingimage@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

For anyone who's interested, Hatsumi-sensei's school is called Bujinkan Taijutsu and is practised in Japan, the US, New Zealand and other places. It's a serious self-defense style and students train without mats, because if you need it to defend yourself, you'll probably be on concrete. It comprises kicks, punches, throws, joint locks, weapons and poking opponents in the most painful nerves.

You'd be surprised how hard it is to hit anything with a throwing star.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

I knew a guy who trained in ninjitsu in highschool. I trained in Kung Fu for a few years before I met him. We used to spar after school and he was ridiculously hard to fight. All of his moves were deceptive. Even simple kicks and blocks were meant to decieve. As a result I was constantly trying to predict his actual motive instead of just fighting him straight-up. It's a really neat style that seems to be very effective against other trained martial artists. Idk how it would fare against an untrained street fighter, but I'd guess that it is just as effective in that situation too.

[-] livus@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[-] spittingimage@lemmy.world -3 points 1 year ago

Of course not, silly. There's no such thing.

But I did spend two years in the late 90s letting other people in black lock my joints so I could see how it was done.

[-] thanevim@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

So would you say you're a spitting image of one then?

[-] UnknownQuantity@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago
[-] mrbubblesort@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago

No no, I saw a documentary about them in the 90s, I'm pretty sure they are turtles

[-] livus@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Common misconception. Ninjas are mammals that lay eggs.

[-] EmoDuck@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Turtle eggs to be specific

[-] kfoo@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Ninjas fight ALL the time.

[-] UnknownQuantity@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people.

[-] UnknownQuantity@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago
[-] Rumbelows@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

That is….totally sweet!

Never saw that one, thank-you.

[-] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

I love that this site is still up lol

[-] Marix_3662@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

They got better at hiding, I guess...

[-] Sir_Simon_Spamalot@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

That's a possibility

[-] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 10 points 1 year ago

It wasn’t until the age of eighteen, when he was given access to the clan’s ancient scrolls, that Kawakami finally realized the purpose behind his decades of training

Hmmmmm

[-] 51@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

Training starts years before birth in the egg half of the eventual person

[-] livus@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

This is the only logical explanation.

[-] Rabbithole@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Age of 18 lifetimes?

[-] BravoVictor@programming.dev 7 points 1 year ago

Just what the ninjas want you to think…

[-] Broom2101@feddit.ch 6 points 1 year ago

And forever dashing little kids' hope and dream all over the world...

[-] moormaan@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

The article is quite incomplete when it comes to Masaaki Hatsumi - he started teaching westerners Budo Taijutsu in the seventies. Since then, it spread to all corners of the world. Also, it's fair to say that ninjas in their original form no longer exist, but the art lives on and continues to affect its practitioners' lives in many ways; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_schools_of_ninjutsu

this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
151 points (98.7% liked)

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