In order to better communicate the purpose of the Kunoichi Taikai, the organizers have compiled an open letter to all Bujinkan Shihan, Shidoshi and Dojo-cho, in order to ask for their support regarding the event.

See Sheila Haddad's letter below.

What is Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu?

Photo by
Sheila Haddad

Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Ninjutsu is a Japanese martial art system, which has within it, nine schools in the styles of jujutsu, various weapons arts and ninjutsu. The grandmaster, or Soke of Bujinkan is Masaaki Hatsumi, inheritor of these 9 schools from his teacher, Toshitsugu Takamatsu. These schools became available to westerners only in Hatsumi Soke's lifetime. Western interest formed during the 1970's and at that time there were very few students, all of whom had to travel to Japan to receive teaching from Hatsumi Sensei.

Kunoichi is the term for a female ninja, or practitioner of Ninpo. The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for woman (女, onna); said in the order they are written: ku (く) - no (ノ) - ichi (一). In Japanese, the 'ku' is written in hirigana, 'no' in katakana and 'ichi' in kanji - add the three together, as in the image below, and you get the Japanese word (in kanji) for woman.