Shorinjin ryu saito ninjitsu is a martial art based on the teachings of the late Mark Saito Sr., as preserved and passed down by his son, Maui Saito. Practitioners of the art say it is an ancient tradition of ninjitsu with origins in Japan's Fukushima Valley, but that all of the art's traditional scrolls and documentation were destroyed in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
The Shorinjin
According to the gift of the shorinjin, which is the origin story of shorinjin ryu saito ninjitsu, the art was revealed to a farmer from Fukushima, Japan, by a shorinjin, or Shaolin man, indicating a Chinese origin for the techniques of the art, despite its Japanese name. The same farmer is supposed to have also been taught by the king of the tengu, a type of mountain-dwelling goblin from Japanese folklore. One of the exercises of the shorinjin ryu saito ninjitsu system is called the dance of the tengu, a choreographed solo martial arts exercise in which the practitioner attempts to imitate a tengu.
Dances
The head instructor of shorinjin ryu, Maui Saito, says other martial arts address only the technical aspects of the art of fighting, which amount to only 1 percent of the topic. The remaining 99 percent is the spirituality of combat, which is supposedly addressed by saito ninjitsu. The curriculum of the art includes exercises known as dances, including the dance of the tengu and the ancient ritual dances of the dancing god. According to Maui Saito, these dance exercises are the key to developing a deeper understanding of the art through years of practice and contemplation.
Other Exercises
Shorinjin ryu saito ninjitsu includes elements of over 40 martial systems. There are exercises from aikido, karate and judo, as well as ninjitsu. Practitioners can also study tengu swordsmanship, referring to the tengu or mythical Japanese goblins. Other exercises are drawn from the traditional Hawaiian martial art of lua. The art also includes exercises for healing and meditation. Because of the wide range of exercises from different martial traditions, shorinjin ryu martial arts refer to its system as a mixed martial art.
Fighting Techniques
Shorinjin ryu saito ninjitsu includes an exercise for defending yourself against a kick by turning your back to the attacker and raising your arms in defense so the opponent's high kick is caught on the outstretched arm. There are also exercises for shinkeido, or attacks to the opponent's nervous system. The nerve-strike techniques of shorinjin ryu are intended to shock the system of an attacker to put a stop to his attack.
