Masaaki Hatsumi facts for kids

Masaaki Hatsumi (初見 良昭, Hatsumi Masaaki, born December 2, 1931) is a famous Japanese martial artist. He founded the Bujinkan Organization. He was also the former Togakure-ryū soke, which means grandmaster. He lives in Noda, Chiba, Japan. He no longer teaches martial arts.

Masaaki Hatsumi's Early Life

Masaaki Hatsumi was born in Noda, Chiba, Japan. This was on December 2, 1931. When he was in school, he loved sports. He also studied martial arts and theater. He was even the captain of his school's football team.

While at Meiji University, he kept learning judo. He earned a black belt in judo. He also taught judo to American soldiers. They were at the nearby Yokota Air Base.

After university, Hatsumi wanted to learn more. He looked for a new martial arts teacher. He started training in kobudo with Chosui Ueno. When he was 26, he met Ueno's teacher. This teacher was Toshitsugu Takamatsu. People called Takamatsu "the Tiger of Mongolia."

Hatsumi became Takamatsu's student. For fifteen years, he learned many ninjutsu styles. He also continued to study judo, Shito Ryu karate, aikido, and kobudo.

Takamatsu passed away in Nara in 1972. Before he died, he made Hatsumi a grandmaster. He gave Hatsumi "all the art of the nine schools." These included ancient ninja schools and samurai jujutsu schools. Hatsumi then started the Bujinkan Dojo in Noda. Here, he taught these nine schools to new students.

Hatsumi first visited the United States in 1982. Since then, he has attended yearly ninjutsu taikai. These are big gatherings held around the world.

The Nine Schools of Martial Arts

Masaaki Hatsumi became the sōke (grandmaster) of nine different ryū. A ryū is a school or style of martial arts. These schools teach different ways of fighting and moving.

Here are the nine schools he leads:

• Togakure-ryū (戸隠流)
• Gyokko-ryū (玉虎流)
• Kuki Shinden Happō Biken Jutsu (九鬼神伝流八法秘剣術)
• Kotō-ryū (虎倒流)
• Shinden Fudō-ryū Dakentai Jutsu (神伝不動流打拳体術)
• Takagi Yōshin-ryū Jūtai Jutsu (高木揚心流柔体術)
• Gikan-ryū Koppō Jutsu (義鑑流骨法術)
• Gyokushin-ryū Ninpō (玉心流忍法)
• Kumogakure-ryū Ninpō (雲隠流忍法)

Hatsumi's Teaching Style

Hatsumi taught Bujinkan students to focus on the "feeling" of a technique. He wanted them to understand how it would feel in a real situation. Black Belt magazine described his teaching. They called him "wild, funny, unpredictable." They also said he was "a cross between Charlie Chaplin and Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Hatsumi mainly taught taijutsu to his students. Taijutsu means body movement skills. He believed other ninja arts were mostly for "historical study" today.

Masaaki Hatsumi in Films

Hatsumi has also worked as a martial arts advisor. He helped with different movies and TV shows. This includes the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. He also worked on the first film of the Japanese series Shinobi no Mono.

He appeared in the Japanese TV show Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya. This show is known as tokusatsu, which means special effects. In the show, he played Tetsuzan Yamaji. This character was a mentor and father figure to the hero.

• You Only Live Twice (1967) - He had a small, uncredited role. He played a photographic assistant on a train.

Ninjutsu History and Lineage

Masaaki Hatsumi says that ninjutsu was created by Japanese mountain clans. He believes they used special skills and ideas. These ideas were brought to Japan by people from the Tang dynasty.

Some people have different ideas about ninjutsu history. The Iga-ryū Ninja Museum in Japan says Jinichi Kawakami is the only true inheritor of real ninjutsu. Jinichi Kawakami is also the honorary director of that museum.

The Bugei Ryūha Daijiten is an encyclopedia of martial arts styles. Its 1978 edition lists the grandmaster lines for Hatsumi's schools.

A martial arts expert named Donn Draeger once said something interesting. He believed that Fujita Seiko was the last living ninja. Fujita Seiko worked for the Japanese government long ago. Draeger stated that "No ninja exist today." He also said that modern experts like T. Hatsumi do most of the research on ninjutsu.

Awards and Honors

Masaaki Hatsumi has received several awards for his work:

• 1986 – He was named Instructor of the Year by Black Belt magazine.
• 1994 – Hatsumi has stated he received a title of "knight" from the German government. However, Germany stopped giving out noble titles in 1919.
• 2000 – He received the International Culture Award. This award was given by the Japan Cultural Promoting Association. The Japanese imperial family officially presented it.
• 2001 – He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the USMA International Hall of Fame.
• 2013 – He was added to the CBME's Dutch National Hall of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: Masaaki Hatsumi para niños