Are all of the "last grandmasters" of Ninjutsu authentic?

First of all, Ashida Kim is out of the question. That fool is not worth discussing. Masaaki Hatsumi, the grandmaster of the Togakure, Kumogakure, and Gyokushin schools claims to be the last Ninja. Anshu Christa Jacobson%26#039;s teacher was the grandmaster of Tomo Ryu Ninjutsu, an art passed down for 6 centuries. I don%26#039;t think she claims to be the last, however. Jinichi Kawakami, the founder and president of the Iga Ninja museum claims to be the only and last grandmaster. Are all of these %26quot;last grandmasters%26quot; authentic? The way they train seems to be very similar. I train in the Bujinkan, and I would like to train with Anshu, and I would like to visit the Iga Ninja museum, and I just wanted to know who%26#039;s authentic, and who%26#039;s not.|||Hands up.... who%26#039;s a member of a secret society?





In the Illuminati trilogy, the author brings up the fact that the easiest way of debunking someones membership in a secret society is to ask them. If they say they are, they%26#039;re not. If they say they%26#039;re not, they might not be or they are. If they deny belonging, they, again, may or may not.





I am especially leary of of someone claiming association with an ancient, secret order of assassins.


Might as well say you teach CIA martial arts. They will neither confirm or deny your employment.





But they might send some ninjas to kill you. ;)





|||I don%26#039;t think anybody has to put on a claim on being %26quot;the last%26quot;. The fact is that it never ends, just like it never really started, although there legends about the %26quot;founders%26quot;.Just that very fact already puts a few of these people in question. What drives them? Im not sure about authenticity of Hartsumi, although i am aware that he has a large following. There s definitely something authentic about him, however he chooses to shroud everything in fables - that%26#039;s fine. I think we all need that. That said, considering the high level of today%26#039;s technology - it IS possible to create masters by simply using mass media. That is something to be aware of. thank you.|||Ninjutsu is by it%26#039;s nature a art shrouded in secrecy and confusion. Will the real last Ninja please stand up.


There are several different schools or lines if you will of Ninjutsu. These arts were passed within families or clans and were kept very secret. Whatever we round eye have been privileged to see is only a shadow of the real art or arts. Who is authentic? I think the best way to determine that is the same as you would test the pie. Sample it. If it works than it is good If it don%26#039;t.... well I guess it ain%26#039;t the real deal.|||all you ever wanted to know about this and more:





historical discussion of thier claims included.





http://www.bullshido.com/articles/ninjut...





|||Good question!! I would say yes. Once when I was twelve I wanted to be a unicorn, so I ate some popcorn and went to school.|||Not unless they%26#039;re 300 years old.|||Sifu Frank has it, try the styles out and judge whether they are worth learning.





These people claiming to be last are looking to promote themselves and their style, whether they are the last or not.





In the case of Hatsumi, his Bujinkan organization teaches only some of the aspects of ninjutsu, while he himself was supposedly trained in all aspects. This is why he is %26quot;the last.%26quot; He has undoubtedly spread his teachings across the globe but I have to question whether he will transmit the other teachings, the ones he has removed from the standard Bujinkan system, to a sucessor. I have read that he strongly feels a teacher should always be able to kill their student, which in itself hints that he wouldn%26#039;t transmit the final lessons to a sucessor. This just seems like a waste and a way to get attention by claiming %26quot;ninjutsu dies with me.%26quot;





I hope I am wrong about Hatsumi because everything I have read about the man says he is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to Japanese martial arts. I would love the opportunity to train with him but as he advances in age one has to wonder who will take ownership of his organization when he passes (as I%26#039;m sure he%26#039;ll be teaching till that day).