[Greenskar]

Yeah, ninjutsu is very popular in that area actually. It spread through the area after one of Hatsumi sensei's students Doron Navon, a senior student and first foreign born Shihan of the Bujinkan system introduced it to Israel. Bujinkan has spread worldwide these days along with Genbukan (which was founded by Shoto Tanemura).

I studied a family art of ninpo for the past 8 years in San Diego that originated from Fukushima Valley, Japan called Shirinjin-ryu Saito Ninjitsu. This art is not like anything Hatsumi teaches in anyway except for the philosophy which seems to be something that was shared amongst farmer class warriors. The art actually has a very Chinese feel to the movements which makes sense since Shorin pretty much means Shaolin and Jin (depending on kanji) just means man. The schools founder never claimed to be ninja and said he only kept the word because "that's what grandpa taught". If anything there is a lot of classical aiki-taijutsu and jujutsu involved and the only thing reminiscent of actual ninjutsu is the use of improvised weapons.

It is definitely a unique art in comparison to others I've studies throughout the years and it may be a country cousin of how farming communities developed martially away from the Waring prefectures of the southern and central Japan that were constantly fighting.

Interestingly enough, I've read just about every book Hatsumi and Tanemura have put out on the art of ninjutsu along with stuff published by the ninja museum in what once Iga Japan, and those who think Navy Seals and the like are the modern day ninjas are sorely mistaken. Even the Samurai had their own special assassins or special ops working for them.

The ninja (a word that is more modern than what was originally used and changed over time) were almost like what Americans would consider "terrorists" today. That is how they operated actually. Except when everyone around you is Japanese it makes identifying a terrorist pretty impossible. The real terrorists were the oppressing Daimyo's and Samurai who raided the lands...sound familiar, lol. Not making this stuff up I have plenty of books I can recommend. Ninja became so out of necessity. Their belief system is what empowered them to challenge those who were greater than them.

Otherwise...these ladies swinging swords are useless against full on automatic weaponry. Lol.