Over the past few months I have been attempting to ascertain the atmosphere and general attitudes towards Ninpo on the internet via subscriptions to on-line list services which operate almost like newsgroups, and also personal e-mail communications with several people in other martial arts. I should point out that I am unable currently to discuss the pervading attitudes found in newsgroups since my place of employment is still setting up security features so we can have access to them.

One of my first stops was at the homepage of Furyu Magazine, published out of Hawaii by Wayne Muramoto and Charles Goodin. On the page, it is explained what Furyu tries to concentrate on and what is not covered. As I read down the page, I discovered they will not be discussing "whether ninja exist in America, hahahaha." Of course I immediately felt compelled to email Mr. Muramoto and get a more in-depth explanation from him as to what he meant by this.

Needless to say, I was surprised and rather pleased when Mr. Muramoto promptly replied and explained himself. According to him, the magazine holds what Hatsumi-sensei teaches in high regard, but will not publish articles about American ninjutsu since they feel that many American shihan are not doing Hatsumi-sensei justice via their actions and over-inflated egos. However, Mr. Muramoto quickly points out that his own teacher, Quentin Chambers, studied under Hatsumi-sensei and Mr. Muramoto does have respect for him, even though he feels Hatsumi-sensei can be confusing. I found myself agreeing more than not with Mr. Muramoto and found his magazine Furyu an excellent read and would heartily recommend it to anyone who finds the serious study of martial arts enjoyable. Cheered by this, I set out again.

From Furyu, I was able to obtain the e-mail for Aikido Journal, another excellent magazine. I e-mailed them and asked whether they would ever be doing an interview with Hatsumi-sensei since they had been interviewing other Japanese MA luminaries. Diane Skoss, the Managing Editor promptly replied that they were attempting to set up an interview for a future issue with Hatsumi-sensei as they have a good deal of respect for him. After a brief discussion of the possibilities of whether Morihei Ueshiba studied Kuki Shinden-ryu, our communications ended since the deadline was fast approaching for the next Aikido Journal.

A column in Furyu had led me to subscribe to the Aikido List. Throughout the day, messages would pop into my mailbox from devoted followers of Aikido discussing an assortment of topics both interesting and inane. I found myself dumping approximately 98% of what I received. At times, someone would post an interesting comment like the effects of atemi and the reasons for using them. This would be followed by a few responses and then it was back to such silly topics as discussing ways to apply shiho nage on a horse! Seriously, this was the main topic for a good two days! Complete, I might add, with as realistic a rendering as could be achieved using their keyboards.

It was here, however, that I ran into trouble. In the course of "conversation" someone asked about ranks which extended beyond tenth dan and this prompted a reply that included what I took to be a disrespectful comment aimed at Hatsumi-sensei and his addition of five new ranks to the Bujinkan grading system. I immediately attempted to correct the information and explain that there had probably been a misunderstanding regarding the five elemental grades which exist within tenth dan. This prompted the author to write back defiantly stating that adding five to ten did in fact equal fifteen. (Needless to say, I felt relieved that all those years in grade school had not been wasted as that was the sum I had also arrived at.)

Attempting to explain that these five ranks were not, in and of themselves, additional per se, but more likely an inclusive requirement of tenth dans, had little effect on the person who seemed rather set in his ways. I found his attitude wholly disrespectful and when I commented that Ninpo, at the very least for its history, was worthy of further study to any aikidoka, my mailbox got bombed with a three line message from someone suggesting that I was way out of line and that I reconsider my reasons for being on the list. He ended by attaching a flurry of important looking letters to his name and stating that he was Chief Instructor at such and such dojo in Santa Monica, CA.

Well, I was torn. As I sat down and listed everything I could attach to the end of my name (ex-USAF, security clearances, lover of Chinese food, struggling Japanese linguist, president of the Beavis and Butthead fan club, age I lost my virginity...you know, the stuff that makes us all proud), it occurred to me that I was perhaps standing at the brink of a very high cliff, looking a long way down.

And of course, in all my glory, I promptly stepped off the edge.

My message back was incendiary. All right, maybe it was a tad explosive. But, being human (and convinced this is only my third time around on the wheel) I was upset that these people were refusing to see why I was taking offense at their statements. The Ph.D. from California hadn't even (and still hasn't) articulated exactly why I was out of line, but his friend Mr. Cold Miser took great pleasure in retaliating and calling me such wonderful and time-honored things like "jerk", etc., etc.

Well, I read all of this the next morning at 6 AM. I think I should probably save bad mail for a later hour, but that's just hindsight. Instead, I sat back and reviewed what I had written. I found it emotional and definitely angry. I could see where I was attempting to make points but they seemed to get lost in the shuffle of my emotions.

So I wrote a new post. This time I was careful. I responded to each of the criticisms I received (and e-mailed several people privately) and once again set my points out as best I could. I apologized to the other people on the list and thanked them for putting up with me. I did not apologize to the two individuals that had delighted in calling me names. That was posted at approximately seven thirty in the morning.

At two o'clock that afternoon, one of my two detractors fired back another nasty letter that he foolishly posted to the entire list. He got bombed immediately by a number of people telling him to back off. Needless to say I was delighted. But my delight grew even more when I began receiving messages from people (privately) who were requesting information about Ninjutsu. I spent the next few days replying to queries for information and directed alot of people to resources better than myself. Most of the people were genuinely interested in learning about Ninjutsu. They readily admitted that there were many misconceptions about the art and wanted to rectify them in their own minds at least.

So out of controversy comes recognition. In attempting to correct the popular image of ninjutsu in general and Ninpo in particular, I had given free reign to an emotional outburst. But after realizing what I had done and attempted to correct it, I not only got alot of support from people but also (hopefully) helped some seekers better find what they might be looking for. Meanwhile my opponents overextended themselves and fell onto their own blades.

So now as I sit here contemplating whether this whole incident was just a verbal application of the kake hiki (sp) techniques in our sword work, I am glad that I've embarked on this perilous journey. Ninpo has a scarred reputation in this country, and perhaps more so on the internet where most of the martial inhabitants view themselves as slightly superior. Trying to establish the credibility of Ninpo is a daunting challenge in a cyberworld dominated by Tae Kwon Do and Aikido stylists. Hopefully, if more Ninpo people get involved, maybe we can change some opinions. Most of the people out there are willing to listen, and some even like Ninpo. Yes, there are some incredibly stubborn people but when you run into them, make sure you don't make the same mistakes I did. Keep your postings professional and riddled with facts, verifiable facts. Keep comments about your own training and accomplishments to a minimum. The intelligent people out there appreciate it so much more than listening to back-and-forth bickering (or flaming as they call it).

See you in the trenches.

Jon Merz has only been studying for four years. Due to his repeated evasion of the Santa Monica police department for willful application of barbed comments on an Aikido instructor, Mr. Merz currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts where he trains under Mark Davis at the New England Ninpo Society. When not attempting to get into a Snapple commercial, he spends most of his time finishing his manuscript and considering the metaphysical aspects of Spam. He can be e-mailed at john.merz@fmr.com.