I know... NOT another "April Fools" message.

Well... I figure if you opened this one (maybe it's because I used the word "Ninja?"), that maybe I could sneak a lesson in...

You may know that the "April Fools" term originated a LONG time ago... some say in the 1500's when France made the change to a new system, while others sight different dates.  But...

... it seems to have originated around the time that the Gregorian calendar - named for Pope Gregory - became the standard, and everything became focused on the solar cycles and away from the lunar cycles that had been used since, pardon the phrase... God first made dirt.  It's when the new year was shifted from this time of year, from the Spring Solstice and what was considered to be the rebirth of the "Sun," as opposed to the rebirth of the "Son," and moved to where we now know it in January (the middle of Winter).

This, in and of itself, lead to calling those "weirdos" who kept celebrating the new year in April (generally) as "April Fools."  Because, you know... "everybody" knows the new year is in January... duh!

Because, you know... one of the best ways to get someone to do what you want is to bully and shame them until they comply.  Well... not us, but those not strong enough to tell the bully to "pound sand."

The point is that, now, almost everyone just sees it as a day to prank your friends and then yell, "April Fools," without ever know why.

What does this have to do with Ninjutsu, and our training?

Great question.

The same thing has been going on for a LONG time with regards to the term "ninjutsu."

Everyone and their brother seems to have a meaning for it.  There are those creating their own versions of it 'cause, you know, it's just a bunch of skills mixed together, right?  To kids calling anything cool or tricky as "that's so Ninja," to motorcycles, vacuum cleaners and blenders being named after the shadow warriors of Japan!

But, few know that there was a framework - a minimum set of skills needed to be in a curriculum in ancient Japan for a school to be able to claim to be teaching "Ninjutsu."

I cover these 8 areas, why they are there, as well as what this technology would look like in today's world...WITHOUT making sh!+ up... in my Ninja no Hachimon ('8 Gates of Authentic Ninja Training') program.  Check it out here if you're interested: https://onlineninjaacademy.com/8-gates/

The reason I created that program WAY back, was to make sure that serious students knew what they were talking about, and what they needed to focus on, if they were going to do REAL Ninjutsu.

In fact, here's what one student said who went through this program:

“I always thought ninjutsu was just punching and kicking, swords and throwing stars. I took the Ninja no Hachimon course to see if there really was more to the ninja. The kind of things that are studied in authentic Ninjutsu training just blew my mind. This is the kind of information that’s not often talked about, let alone be able to find training in. Definitely looking forward to diving into other programs to learn more!”

-- Ryan Nelson, Distance Learning Student

I can't do anything about the "Ninja Fools," in April or any other time of the year... who prank themselves every day they insist on just making up their version of Ninjutsu.  But, I CAN help you to understand the areas of training that are supposed to be included if you're going to be able to honestly claim to be training in the authentic art of Japan's ancient shadow warriors!

That's it!

I look forward to training with you again very soon!


In Mastery!

Dai-Shihan Miller