If there’s one creature from Japanese folklore closely tied to martial arts, it’s the tengu. Dressed like a yamabushi, the mountain ascetic warrior, it is usually depicted in two forms: · Karasu tengu: literally “crow tengu.” Half-man, half-crow, often less powerful and subordinate to the daitengu. · Daitengu: more human-looking than the karasu tengu, often…

A martial arts master was sitting outside with his student when a stray dog passed nearby. The master caught a flea on the dog to show the student how high it could jump. Back at the dojo, the master took out a small box and showed it to the student; inside was another flea. Once…

Armor is an inseparable element of the medieval warrior and the battlefields of that time. The same goes for the samurai and his distinctive armor (yoroi). This armor evolved over the centuries, in line with changes in warfare practices and technologies in Japan. Thus, the ō-yoroi of the Heian period (794–1185), designed to protect mounted…

What is Bujinkan? Bujinkan  (literally «House of the god of war) is a martial organization found by Masaaki Hatsumi which teaches knowledge from the nine martial arts schools he inherited from his master Takamatsu Toshitsugu. These ancient schools were created between the 9th and 17th centuries and all have their own principles and characteristics. Togakure Ryû Ninjutsu : School of the hidden…