In a farmhouse yard, a man stops an attacking samurai with an elbow strike to the ribs; behind them two students practice kicks and strikes on straw-wrapped wooden posts.
Every part of the body a weapon

Body Weapons

Forehead, elbow, thumb, fingertips, heel – in ninjutsu every part of the body becomes a weapon against muscles, tendons, and bones.

Chapter
3, Body Training
Sections
28
Reading time
6 min
In a farmhouse yard, a man stops an attacking samurai with an elbow strike to the ribs; behind them two students practice kicks and strikes on straw-wrapped wooden posts.
Every part of the body a weapon

Locks, Punches, Kicks

In taijutsu 体術 the whole body fights. This martial art is more than punches, throws, and holds: every part of the body serves as a weapon of defense. The Japanese word ken 拳 covers all of these natural weapons. Just as the combat stances keep adapting to the circumstances, the natural weapons change with the situation. Gripping hands turn into striking fists and perhaps back into claws; kicking feet turn into knee strikes. The hip and shoulder lever and ram.

Ninjutsu is also marked by the way it uses the dynamics of these weapons. A hard blow does not come from raw muscle power. Body energy, balance, and breath control work together and give it a terrible, crushing force. Combined with speed and a scientific knowledge of the human body’s weak points, this natural power becomes a deadly and effective weapon.

Kikaku Ken – Demon Horn

The samurai seizes the ninja’s jacket with both hands; the ninja grips the samurai’s arms and drives his forehead into the samurai’s face with his whole body behind it.
Kikaku ken (鬼角拳)

In kikaku ken 鬼角拳 the head becomes the weapon. With its bony structure, above all the forehead, you strike, jab, and ram, or stretch the opponent’s joints. Grabbed from behind, you slam the back of your head into the attacker’s face and cause terrible pain. The head can also be rammed into the breastbone or the chin.

Shuki Ken – Elbow

The samurai punches; the ninja steps inside the punch and drives the point of his elbow across into the samurai’s jaw, his body turning behind it.
Shuki ken (手起拳)

The elbow, shuki ken 手起拳, uses its hard bony structure against the bones of the arms, torso, and head. It can also press on sensitive points. With the swing of the whole body behind it, it becomes a formidable weapon in close combat.

Sokki Ken – Knee

The samurai is bent forward with one arm folded; the ninja stands close behind him, holds that arm, and presses a raised knee against the point of the elbow.
Sokki ken (足起拳)

The knee, sokki ken 足起拳, is used much like the elbow, against the limbs, torso, and head. It also reaches places on the opponent’s body that punches and kicks can hardly get to.

Shitō Ken – Finger Sword

The ninja lifts the samurai’s right arm by the wrist above shoulder height and drives the tip of his extended thumb into the samurai’s unarmored armpit.
Shitō ken (指刀拳)

Shitō ken 指刀拳 is also called hisoken (“hidden spear”). The tip of the thumb stabs into semi-soft targets and presses on sensitive points. The preferred targets are places where muscle covers bone: the arms, the ribs, and the neck.

Shishin Ken – Finger Needle

The samurai holds the ninja’s wrist; with his other hand the ninja jabs an extended index finger at the samurai’s throat.
Shishin ken (指針拳)

The finger needle, shishin ken 指針拳, works at short range against soft or semi-soft targets: the face, neck, solar plexus, or forearm.

Shitan Ken – Finger Ends

The samurai reaches for the ninja; the ninja thrusts the tips of four closed, slightly curved fingers into the samurai’s eyes through the gap between helmet brim and red face mask.
Shitan ken (指端拳)

In shitan ken 指端拳 the fingers become hooks that tear, grab, or crush the opponent’s sensitive areas. The fingertips add pressure, the fingernails add pain. Good targets are the neck, the hand, the eyes, and the mouth.

The technique comes in variations: with three fingers (san shitan ken) or supported by the thumb (shi shitan ken).

The ninja drives the tips of three extended fingers into the throat of the samurai, whose head snaps back.
San shitan ken

Kiten Ken – Create a Turn

In kiten ken 起転拳 the edge of the open hand strikes the bones of the arms, legs, neck, and head. The hand sets off at a 90° angle and opens only just before the target. The whole body is behind the strike. It touches the target for only a split second, but that should be enough to knock the opponent off their feet.

The ninja strikes the edge of his open hand against the samurai’s throat, and the samurai tips backward.
Shutō ken

Gyōkaku Ken – United Horns

For gyōkaku ken you form the index, middle, and ring fingers into a trident. The fingertips stab into soft parts of the body such as the neck.

Shu Ken – Beak

With fingers and thumb bunched to a single point and the wrist bent, the ninja pecks into the side of the samurai’s neck.
Shu ken

In shu ken all fingers meet in one point, giving the hand the shape of a beak. The power of all the fingers is concentrated on a small area, which makes this strike especially useful against muscles and pressure points.

Shikan Ken – Finger Ring

Shikan ken 指環拳 strikes large bony areas such as the lower ribs, the breastbone, and the face with the knuckles. The fingers are half folded, and the knuckles of the middle finger joints form the striking surface. The whole body is behind the strike, and the knuckles shoot straight into the target.

In variations, two, three, or four knuckles strike.

Koppō Ken – Bone

In koppō ken 骨法拳 the fist is closed as in fudō ken 不動拳, except that the thumb lies against the side. Its knuckle hits the target.

Shako Ken – Crab

The ninja clamps an open hand with spread, bent fingers over the face of the charging samurai, digs the fingertips in under the helmet, and forces the head back and down.
Shako ken (蝦蛄拳)

In shako ken 蝦蛄拳 the fingers are spread and bent so the hand forms a claw. This weapon targets the soft parts of the body. The heel of the palm rams and breaks, the fingers rake. Effective targets are the face, neck, abdomen, groin, the muscles of the upper body, and the inner thighs.

Happa Ken – Eight Leaves

The samurai charges in; the ninja steps inside and claps both cupped open palms against the sides of the samurai’s head, over the ears.
Happa ken (八葉拳)

Happa ken 八葉拳 is the opened fist: you strike with the palm. If both palms hit the ears at the same time, the eardrums can rupture.

Fudō Ken – Immovable

The samurai lunges in with a punch; the ninja slips outside it and drives a tightly clenched fist into the samurai’s jaw just below the red face mask, wrist straight, hips turned into the strike.
Fudō ken (不動拳)

Fudō ken is the “normal” fist. It strikes against bone and can hit with different surfaces: the front, the bottom, the outside, and others. It breaks bones and knocks the opponent down.

Soku Yaku Ken – Dancing Foot

In soku yaku ken 足躍拳 the underside of the heel and the sole of the foot kick into the opponent’s semi-soft or hard areas. The kick can come down from above onto the knee, for example, or go to higher targets. It is not thrown and quickly pulled back; it goes “through” the opponent.

Zenpō Geri – Forward Kick

The samurai advances with his katana raised overhead; the ninja kicks straight forward and drives his heel into the samurai’s midsection, supporting leg bent, hands on guard.
Zenpō geri (前方蹴り)

Zenpō geri 前方蹴り is a straight kick forward that can go to different heights. The heel or the sole of the foot hits the target.

Sokuyaku Suitei Ken – Horizontal Kick

In sokuyaku suitei ken the leg kicks forward horizontally, and the foot strikes the target from the side.

Sokuhō Geri – Side Kick

The samurai attacks from the side; the ninja leans away and kicks sideways, driving the edge of his foot into the samurai’s ribs.
Sokuhō geri (側方蹴り)

In sokuhō geri 側方蹴り the leg kicks out to the side while the upper body stays facing forward.

Kō Ken – Hook

In kō ken the leg kicks backward in a hooking motion, for example to bring an opponent down.

Kōhō Geri – Back Kick

The samurai attacks from behind; the ninja looks back over his shoulder and kicks straight to the rear, driving his heel into the samurai’s midsection.
Kōhō geri (後方蹴り)

In kōhō geri 後方蹴り you lower the upper body and kick the leg out backward.

Kagi Kōhō Geri – Back Hook Kick

The samurai rushes the ninja from behind; looking back over his shoulder, the ninja hooks his heel backward and up into the samurai’s midsection in a sweeping arc.
Kagi kōhō geri

Kagi kōhō geri kicks out backward and hits with the sole of the foot. It helps to break free from a hold.

Kata Ashi Tobi Geri – One-Legged Jump Kick

The samurai advances; the ninja leaps up, drives one foot into the samurai’s chest, and tucks the other knee up high.
Kata ashi tobi geri

For kata ashi tobi geri you take off from one leg and point your body and arms in the direction of the jump.

Ryō Ashi Tobi Geri – Two-Legged Jump Kick

The samurai advances; the ninja flies horizontally through the air and drives both feet together into the samurai’s chest.
Ryō ashi tobi geri

For ryō ashi tobi geri you take off from both legs and keep them together during the jump. The jump is difficult but effective, because the full force of the body hits the opponent.

Ryō Yoku Geri – Two-Legged Wing Kick

The ninja is airborne with both feet off the ground and drives one extended leg into the samurai’s chest.
Tobi geri (飛び蹴り)

Ryō yoku geri is used mostly when leaping down on the opponent from a raised position.

Soku Gyaku Ken – Inverted Foot

The samurai advances; the ninja kicks with the toes and ball of the foot into the samurai’s groin just below the armor skirt, supporting leg bent.
Soku gyaku ken (足逆拳)

In soku gyaku ken 足逆拳 the tips of the toes kick into soft or semi-soft targets: the abdomen, the neck, and the muscles of the arms and legs. The kick swings into the target with momentum, the toes pressed tightly together so they support each other.

Omote Soku Gyaku Ken no Keri

The samurai steps in; the ninja kicks along the inward line with pointed toes into the samurai’s inner thigh below the armor skirt, supporting leg bent.
Omote soku gyaku ken no keri

In omote soku gyaku ken no keri the sole of the foot is turned inward. The foot swings from the outside to the center line in front of your own body and meets the opponent on that line, for example on the inner thigh.

Shizen Ken – Natural Body Weapons

The samurai charges; the ninja turns into him and slams his shoulder and hip into the samurai’s chest, knocking him off balance.
Shizen ken (自然拳)

The techniques shown here are only part of the repertoire. Shizen ken 自然拳 “natural body weapons” and tai ken 体拳 “total body weapons” offer countless variations for every part of the body. Shoulders, the backs of the wrists, fingernails, teeth, body weight: whatever you can think of becomes a weapon.

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