Bujinkan Techniques for Surviving in an Urban Environment
by Professor Jeffery T. Walker

The ancient Ninja were considered by history and by us in the Bujinkan to be complete warriors. The good thing for us but a disadvantage for them is that they were guerillas fighting against well armed and organized government troops with only what they could find or make for weapons and what proved effective in battle for empty hands fighting. In doing this, they had to be innovative and to develop weapons and skills that were very effective – they did not have the luxury of techniques or weapons that did not serve them well in a variety of situations. When combined with the samurai arts adopted into the Bujinkan, we have a complete fighting system that covers many aspects of combat and warfare (self defense). This complete fighting system was based on the Shinobi no Juhappan, no doubt taken from the Bugei Juhappan used by the samurai. These were the eighteen skills to be mastered to be a complete warrior. The Bugei Juhappan is also considered to be one of the characteristics that separate koryu (focusing on the whole art) from budo (focusing on one aspect of the art).

I think one of the minimal errors we make in our training today is that we focus almost exclusively on empty hands and weapons fighting to the exclusion of other elements of the Shinobi no Juhappan that make up the complete warrior. Specifically, I believe we do not focus enough on the skills of, Shinobi Iri (infiltration and movement), Choho (intelligence gathering), Intonjutsu (“lying low”) and Bo Ryaku (battle strategy). The reason for this is simple: you are much more likely to need to know how to defend yourself against a person throwing a punch than you are to need to know how to infiltrate an enemy camp. But these skills are important, and once learned can be adapted to many different activities of your every day life. This article addresses briefly some of the aspects of the Shinobi no Juhappan. The intention is not to make you experts in these areas, but rather to hopefully create an interest in learning these important but often forgotten skills.

As you might expect, these skills will have to be modified some to make them applicable to our lives. The obvious difference between the ancient Ninja and us is that they mostly worked in rural and wooded environments. Most of us will never need these skills; however, we do need to know how to survive in urban environments. This is where these lesser talked about skills come into play. The ancient Ninja understood, worked with, and took advantage of nature. If you replace “nature” with “environment,” you can apply these skills to modern times. For example, whereas the ancient Ninja listened for birds and animals to tip them off that someone was near, you should listen to how sounds change when people come down your hall or enter your doorway. If you understand these principles in relation to, for example Bo Ryaku, you may not need to be able to escape a choke hold because you evaded the attack before it developed.

There is one tool that is a part of everything addressed in this article, and the skill you will need the most to survive in an urban environment: Observation. You have to have very keen powers of observation to put everything discussed here into practice. In this case, observation is more than just seeing; it includes any of your five senses (and beyond). In fact, at least part of the mystique of the ancient Ninja can be attributed to observation as much or more so than magical power. For example, the Ninja who knew and understood that birds could alert him or her to someone’s presence had a distinct advantage over those who did not possess that skill. Likewise, you can display mystic power if you reach a point where you can work and still be aware of footsteps near your work area. This is not mystique, it is observation. You should work on your powers of observation whenever possible. Just like other skills, observation can be improved with practice, so begin to work on being aware of your surroundings.

With the understanding that observation is a vital part of the total warrior, the rest of the article will address how we can use some of the lesser talked about skills of the total warrior in our everyday lives. The discussion will begin with the ways you move and end with “battle strategies” for surviving in your environment.

Shinobi Iri (Infiltration and Movement)

A key skill of the ancient Ninja was silent and undetected movement. Their work required moving in different environments and the ability to cover long distances quickly to get to castles or areas containing troops. This skill also included entering methods (including using ropes, rapelling, etc.) and using shuko and ashito for climbing trees and entering structures. These skills are still vital to modern warriors; and special operations forces (Special Forces, SEALs, military snipers) work hard to keep them sharp (although not always in the same form).

Unless you are in special operations, you will probably never need to infiltrate an enemy encampment or fortification; and you do not need to be all that quiet in most situations in the city because of background noise. In most situations where you would need to be quiet, it is pretty easy to do so when you are walking on concrete. So why talk about movement? At least part of the time in urban environments, you are going to be walking, and that is when you are most vulnerable. To complicate matters further, the majority of the time, you will be doing at least one other thing while you are walking. Generally that is not a problem – we all know how to walk, and practice in taijutsu makes movement much smoother and surer. But if you are walking and trying to keep track of someone who may be following you, you are much more susceptible to tripping over something or not seeing things you may run into. So Shinobi Iri in this case is much more about precision than silence. It is important, then, to practice your taisabaki taught within the Bujinkan, such as maintaining balance, keeping your knees flexed, and not concentrating so much on your feet that you do not see above your eyes.

Choho (Intelligence Gathering)

The next skill is Choho or intelligence gathering. The ancient Ninja were masters of intelligence gathering. They used all of the other seventeen skills of the Shinobi no Juhappan in accomplishing this goal. You do not need to know much about intelligence gathering, but you do need to know something about when it might be happening to you by criminals and possibly even by terrorists.

Criminals will not be nearly as sophisticated as spies or terrorists, but they can be quite skilled; and the ways to defeat the best people in intelligence are even more successful on those who do not know what they are doing. Once again, the greatest skill you need is observation (including awareness and your feelings) to see if you are being followed or observed. The first thing you have to keep in mind about being surveilled is to know when you are being watched. If you think you are being followed on foot, you can use one of several methods to test for foot surveillance. If you think you are being followed in a car, you can do similar things to test for surveillance, or there are some things you can do specifically for vehicles. Either way, if you find you are being followed, do not tip off that you know until you are ready. If you let the people know you know you are being followed, they may react at a time you are not in a position of advantage. The better course of action is to just know you are being followed and put them in a position that they cannot move without thinking they will be caught. Keep moving until you can take the actions you want to take in a way that guarantees the outcome – keep the element of surprise on your side and take action when they are not expecting it.

Intonjutsu (Lying Low)

Intonjutsu is closely related to Shinobi Iri. This technique is translated as “lying low”, and includes the art of Onshinjutsu (invisibility techniques) Onshin Tongyo no Jutsu (techniques for concealment and escape), and Kyojutsu ten kan ho (in this case, the art of changing). These skills were regarded as the highest level of techniques within Ninjutsu. They traditionally included hiding and camouflage. Kyojutsu ten kan ho was making the ancient Ninja appear to be something or someone else – such as the classic disguises of a monk, traveling actor, or a gardener.

This applies to survival in a modern urban environment because there are times when you want to be invisible to people: You do not want to stand out in any way. This is a form of urban camouflage. This takes two forms in modern urban survival: not letting people know who you are, and the more difficult technique of being invisible.

Many people provide much more information than they should. They have websites where they provide their name, background, interests, and other information. They may even have a blog that provides intimate details of their life. On a smaller scale, we often give people information about ourselves in the t-shirts we wear and other outward indicators of our lives. Most of time, it probably will not make any difference; but you do not want to give people more information than necessary, and you do not want to tip off another skilled person that you have some training. I am proud of this art, and I wear Bujinkan t-shirts all the time. I only do so, however, when I am in my relatively safe environment. I do not wear them when I travel or if I go to a bar or someplace where it might provide someone more information than I want them to have. I am not suggesting you become paranoid, but you should always think about the information you are providing to those who might use it against you.

At a more advanced level, you can actually become invisible to others. I am not speaking of people ignoring you, I talking about them not even recognizing your presence. Part of it has to do with what you wear; but you can go beyond that to where it is as if you were not there. Being invisible is actually better than being confident. Many people say “walk confidently with your head up”. This is true, as much from an awareness standpoint as anything else. But if you are too confident, you can actually attract attention. If you are invisible, people will not even notice you. This is a concept beyond this article, but it is possible with some training.

Bo Ryaku (Battle Strategy)

The final skill I want to discuss is Bo Ryaku. Bo Ryaku originally dealt with planning for battle, and to a certain extent that is the context within which I will use it here. Mostly, I am using Bo Ryaku as a means of planning what you should do and how you would handle different situations. There are several ways you can use Bo Ryaku to aid you in surviving in the urban environment, including how to deal with different kinds of people and understanding your vulnerabilities.

Hatsumi said in The Ninja, “By recognizing an adversary’s needs and fears, the ninja knows just what to give him or deprive him of in order to bring him to submission. The ninja observes subtle body signals, voice qualities, facial features, and personality quirks in the enemy to know how to manipulate him.” In a modern example, a criminal who means you harm may be dissuaded by only making it a little more difficult or risky. Other people may be dealt with by actions that feed their ego (flattery, respect, or adoration).

A second, and probably more important, aspect of Bo Ryaku is assessing your vulnerabilities and having a plan for not being vulnerable. For example, we know most attacks happen when you are moving; and most of those happen at places where the criminal, terrorist, or whoever has knowledge of and control of the territory. The reason is simple, most people do not want to take you on in your home where you know the layout and may have weapons available. They want to attack when you do not know your surroundings and when you may be distracted by other things. So when you are waking, it is important to know where the attack could come from (doorways, around corners, etc.) and have a plan for escape. The same applies when you are driving with one additional caveat. You should not drive where you can be blocked in (driving against the barrier on a road or pulling up too close to people at stop signs so you cannot maneuver out of the way). Whether walking or driving, it is also important to know the locations of such things as police stations. Even when you are stationary, such as at a restaurant, it is important to know your vulnerabilities. You should know where an attack could come from (entrances and within the building), know who might do the attack, and know where to go if attacked (strongholds, exits).

Conclusion: When everything goes wrong . . .

Remember, the attacker has all of the advantages (time, place, tactics, understanding). To overcome this, you have to always be aware of what is going on around you, and you have to not put yourself in a situation where you can be attacked easily. You have to recognize attacks before you get to them. But even with observation and plans, there will be times when everything goes wrong. When that happens, there is one final element of Bujinkan Ninjutsu you should know – Move. Move and keep moving. Do not execute a particular technique and stop to admire your work. Keep moving, keep trying things. It makes you harder to attack and opens more opportunities for one of the attacks you are trying to make to work. If you do not know fully whether you are under attack or not, keep moving until you figure it out.

In this short article, I have attempted to give you an idea of where some of the elements of our art that are often not studied can come into play in your daily lives. Of course, there is much more to it than can be placed in a short article such as this. Some effort and work in the areas of Shinobi Iri, Intonjutsu, Choho, and Bo Ryaku can pay off well in surviving in an urban environment; and I can think of no other art that has more experience in these areas than ours.

Jeffery T. Walker is a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock (UALR), where he has worked since 1990.Jeff has written 6 books and over 30 journal articles and book chapters. He is also an active member of the Armed Forces Reserve. His current assignment is as a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI); specifically as the Superintendent of Counterintelligence Investigations at Headquarters/AFOSI in Washington, DC. He also continues to conduct major felony crimes investigations (specializing as a computer forensic examiner), and undertakes a variety of counterintelligence and counterterrorism operations. In October 2001, Walker was mobilized for over a year to provide counterintelligence and counterterrorism support to Air Force personnel in overseas locations. This is a job he has continued, serving almost 100 days a year, since 2002. Prior to joining the Air Force, Walker served as a Chemical Reconnaissance Specialist and Light Weapons Specialist in Special Forces and Army infantry units. Jeff practiced several martial arts before finding a home training with Ed Martin in the late 1990s.

Professor Walker can be reached via email @ jtwalker@ualr.edu