gmunoz said:
My question is what experience, to speak of, do you have with American Ninjutsu schools other than seeing others (neo schools as you put it)? I was under the impression you train in Japan? Please clarify.
Before I do so, maybe you would like to explain the experience that the judgement by you I was responding to is based on. Namely,
Ninjutsu in America is similar to what it is in Japan, but definitely different. Can we say therefore, that it isn't ninjutsu? Absolutely not.
Based on what you have written on the internet, it seems that your experience with martial arts is confined to a video home study course from Stephen Hayes for a short period of time so far. You claim Hayes as your teacher, but you live several time zones away and don't even seem to have ever been in the same room with him. You have made no mention of personal instruction in a regular Bujinkan dojo, a trip to Japan or instruction under Hatsumi.
Despite this lack of personal experience, you feel qualified to say that the ninjutsu in Japan and American (neo) ninjutsu is similar. On the other hand, you, Enson and Sojobow are all lining up to say that I am
not qualified to say that they are not similar unless I have had a good deal of personal instruction in American ninjutsu.
So, when you want to say that an art is similar, personal experience is not needed in Japan, but no one else can say that they are different unless they meet your standard of personal instruction.
Personally, I think it is far easier to look at something and say that it is different from what you do than to actually learn that art. So, after years of learning the Togakure ryu in Japan, I feel no hesitation in looking at something and saying that it shows charecteristics different from what I am learning. I would not say that I
know the other art well enough to do it or receive rank in it based solely on watching a video, but saying that it is not the same as something I have spent years of personal instruction in is another matter.