Rethinking the Ninja Body

PUBLISHED 7 JAN 2026

Professor Yuji Yamada on Fujita Seiko and the Origins of “Ninja Physical Ability”

On December 7th, a special lecture titled “Ninja・Ninjutsu Studies Course in Tokyo: The World of Ninpō Taijutsu” was held at Mie Terrace in Nihonbashi, Chūō-ku, Tokyo. Bringing together scholars, martial artists, families, and enthusiasts, the event offered a rare opportunity to examine ninjutsu not as pop culture fantasy, but as a historical and evolving body of knowledge.

The first part of the program featured Professor Yuji Yamada, Professor of Humanities, who delivered a fascinating lecture titled “The Body of a Ninja.” Yamada’s talk challenged many long-held assumptions about ninja training and physical ability—particularly those that modern audiences often take for granted.

Fujita Seiko and the Construction of the “Superhuman Ninja”

Professor Yamada explained that many of the physical feats now commonly associated with ninja—extraordinary jumping ability, breath-holding tests, extreme endurance, and seemingly superhuman movement—are not widely documented in Edo-period ninjutsu texts. Instead, Yamada pointed to the significant influence of Fujita Seiko, the 14th head of Kōga-ryū Ninjutsu, whose writings and teachings in the early Shōwa period played a major role in shaping the modern image of ninja physical training.

According to Yamada, Fujita described rigorous tests such as candidates submerging their heads in water-filled barrels for extended periods, walking across water-soaked paper without tearing it, and training breathing so subtle it would not move a piece of cotton or paper placed at the nose. Fujita also spoke of remarkable jumping and falling abilities—claims that, while captivating, push the limits of what is physically plausible.

Yamada emphasized that while such accounts may reflect training ideals, metaphors, or personal exaggeration, they cannot be reliably confirmed through earlier historical documentation. Importantly, Edo-period ninjutsu manuals tend to focus far more on strategy, intelligence gathering, deception, and survival, rather than on extreme physical conditioning.

Myth, Transmission, and the Power of Demonstration

Professor Yamada did not dismiss these traditions outright. Instead, he highlighted how ninjutsu was historically transmitted—often orally, within families or close teacher-student relationships, rather than through formal written manuals. This makes it difficult to definitively state what practices did or did not exist. However, from an academic standpoint, Yamada stressed the importance of distinguishing documented history from later interpretation and performance.

He also explained how Fujita Seiko’s ideas gained widespread influence through public demonstrations, lectures, and media appearances. Fujita taught figures such as Okuse Heibei, who traveled across Japan and appeared on television, helping to establish a shared public image of ninja training. Over time, these dramatic descriptions became accepted as historical fact, even when evidence was thin.

This process, Yamada suggested, mirrors how ninja abilities became increasingly exaggerated in films, manga, and anime—where spectacle naturally takes precedence over realism.

A Living Tradition and a Curious Audience

The second half of the event featured Yoshifumi Hayasaka, a classical martial artist, who spoke on Kotaro Kobayashi, a well-known ninjutsu practitioner of the Shōwa era. Hayasaka discussed how Kobayashi transmitted teachings through Kiyomi Maehara, passing down rare documents and methods, some of which were demonstrated alongside his students.

The event drew a wide-ranging audience, from children to elderly seniors, and generated lively discussion and many questions—clear evidence of continued public fascination with ninjutsu. Rather than diminishing the ninja mystique, Professor Yamada’s lecture offered something more valuable: a clearer understanding of how that mystique was formed, and how historical research can deepen, rather than diminish, our appreciation of the shinobi tradition.

As Yamada’s talk made clear, the true legacy of the ninja may lie not in superhuman feats, but in the subtle interplay between history, myth, transmission, and imagination—a legacy that continues to evolve even today.