A Conversation with Ashida Kim: Exploring the Art and Legacy of a Modern Ninja

Grandmaster Ashida Kim, a polarizing yet iconic figure in the world of martial arts, is renowned for his extensive writings on ninjutsu and his leadership in the Black Dragon Fighting Society. In this exclusive interview, we delve into the enigmatic persona of a man who has captivated readers with books like Secrets of the Ninja and sparked debate over his mysterious origins. Join us as we explore his insights on the art of the ninja and the philosophy behind his enduring legacy.

Can you share the story of how you first became interested in Ninjitsu and what drew you to this particular martial art over others

For me it was when I was in grammar school. I was seven or eight years old. We were stationed at Ft. Benning GA. I went to class in on-base facilities. One afternoon when everyone else was out at recess, three of the lady teachers decided to have a meeting in one of the empty classrooms. For some reason, probably because I was always the teacher’s pet because I asked good questions, I was not on the playground this particular day with the rest of the urchins, but instead privy to this conference. My first secret meeting. I have no idea what they were trying to prove or accomplish, but after a while they decided that our three primary classes should combine and put on a play.The talk turned to what sort of play and how to present it and at last, how to fund it. One of the young ladies asked, “How will we pay for the costumes and set decorations?” Without a moment’s hesitation I chimed in, “I have five dollars we can use…” I offered. A life savings of birthday money and odd job fees.

They all smiled at me sweetly and my teacher leaned over and gave me a hug. “It’s okay, honey,” She said. “We’ll find a way to pay for it.” And, they did. But, I often thought later on that it was my willingness to throw myself into the fire and give it all I had that got me my part in the play.

They had selected a Japanese Noh play, one full of drama and emotion, lots of colorful costumes and action and most of all one that was narrated and would not require the children to learn a lot of complicated lines.

One of the characters in this theatrical extravaganza was the stage handler. A figure dressed all in black, masked and silent, who crept onstage and set the props for each scene, or darted in and out to assist the principal players with some magical feat. In the Noh play there are no curtains, the stage handler is often onstage during a scene, but is ignored by the audience because of his black costume.

Sometimes I would be standing behind the young lovers, two embarrassed and bashful classmates pretending to be in love and kiss, with one leg wrapped around the other, head down, holding two cherry blossom branches to simulate the tree beneath which they met. Sometimes I was the wind, carrying a message from one camp to another. Sometimes I was the river that carried the lover’s baby to safety and a new life as a prince.

I often thought later what a common mythological theme the forbidden lovers and the baby cast adrift on the water is. Happened to Moses and several other historical figures. At any rate, when the tale was told I was off stage, hiding behind the backdrop, peeking through the curtains, watching the teachers and the other players take their bows. I was so proud of them, they had all done so well. All the parents were applauding, everyone was smiling, my little heart was swelling with pride.

Then my teacher noticed I was missing. She looked around and spotted me behind the curtain, she waved and told me to come on stage with the others. Never occurred to me I was supposed to be out there. The whole idea of being the black-garbed stage handler was to be invisible. She waved again for me to come on. When I did the other kids opened up in the middle of their line and let me be seen by the crowd.

I stepped forward to a round of, for me at the time, thunderous applause. “Take a bow,” my teacher signed to me over the noise. I pulled off the mask and bent forward at the waist.

That brought them to their feet. I came up smiling. We all took another bow before stepping back and letting the curtain close in front of us.

It wasn’t until many years later that I found out the stage handler in the Kabuki theatre is known as the Ninja. That, just like the martial arts counterpart, it is his job to set the stage and move the action along, unseen, unheard, unnoticed.

There were many other confirmations that this was to be my Path, but I often ignored them or let myself be swayed. Once I accepted my role, life became a lot easier and sweeter. This is the meaning of the ancient saying, “What will happen in one’s life is already written, but we must choose to be there.” May you find your own way as pleasant."

You’ve described Ninjitsu as a path to spiritual growth and invisibility rather than just a fighting system. How do you define the core purpose of Ninjitsu in your teachings?

The Koga Ryu clan that my system came from were healers. Like the sages of the Pole Star School, they knew the secrets of longevity. They would travel and learn and find places where the people were happy and well fed and led by benevolent chieftains, who they would then teach the secrets of longevity so that their village might continue to grow and prosper for a long time. Additionally, as healers, many of them worked in the city of medicine, Koka City, which still exists in Japan today.

You’ve mentioned learning from various teachers, including a mysterious figure known as Shendai. Can you tell us more about the key mentors who shaped your understanding of Ninjitsu?

Shendai was the clan name given to my teacher. It means "spirit body," and referred to his ability to pass anywhere unseen.

Guru was born in New York City, Brooklyn to be exact, on December 7th. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on this third birthday. The adults all gathered around the radio to hear the latest news reports, the festivities were at an end. He never quite forgave them for ruining his party.

The punch that Guru used was sort of a “family secret,” even though it was known and practiced in several styles of Chinese Kung Fu. The story went that Guru’s great uncle, who worked on the South Docks in New York, had killed a man with such a strike. He had been a game warden in Sicily before the family immigrated to the United States and was known for having a no-nonsense attitude.

The pressure point between the eyes is quite sensitive. In Yoga it is known as “trivena” the meeting place of three major nerves and site of the Third Eye in meditation practice.But, the most important thing I learned were the internal exercises. At first I thought they were boring, but as time went by I realized they were the foundation for all the rest. He often said, “One cannot learn how to be a Ninja. One must be born a Ninja and discover it for himself…”

Most of the other mentors I have encountered taught me things other than Ninjitsu.

Your books, like Secrets of the Ninja and Ninja Mind Control, have been widely read. What inspired you to write these training manuals, and how do you respond to those who question their authenticity?

I was teaching Shotokan Karate-do at a small Dojo and had a few students who were taught a few of the techniques that I had learned. You had to be careful with what you said or revealed, “loose lips sink ships.” You never knew who was listening. At that time, anyone trained in Dim Mak or Ninjitsu was considered sort of beyond the norm of commercial martial arts.

But, we had produced a self published Dojo training manual so some of the students said, “Sensei, why don’t YOU write a book about Ninjitsu?” And, we did.

We sold Secrets of the Ninja by mail order for a while, then contacted a publisher and the race was on. I never really criticized the other Ninja, because that would be speaking ill of a fellow Black Belt, and considered in poor taste among gentlemen of the martial arts. Not they I.

There were others, however. Mostly internet commandos, who decided that I was a fake and a fraud and a coward and must be destroyed. There were websites that stated on their banner, “Yes, Ashida Kim, a whole website dedicated to your destruction.”

Some “clean up martial arts” sites spent hours arguing over my credentials and qualifications. Still others actually hired private investigators to videotape people they thought were me and put them in danger. But, because Ninja value peace and harmony above all else, by refusing to fight with them, they were defeated.

You’ve been associated with the Black Dragon Fighting Society. Can you clarify your role in this organization and how it has influenced your approach to teaching Ninjitsu?

At the time the coordinators for this service were the Blackstone Rangers, a street gang known and feared throughout the city. Their name was later changed to El Ruhkn and their chieftain sent to jail for trying to sell guns to Libya. They arranged for a training session between those who had volunteered to “protect the crowds from the police,” should it become necessary, at one of their secret training halls and I was invited to come along.

We were taken south, to Chinatown, past a large building with Oriental turrets we were told was the Chinese Merchants Association to a secret/closed Kung Fu School with whom the Blackstone Rangers had an alliance of some sort.

The teacher of this class was Count Juan Raphael Dante, Grandmaster of the Black Dragon Fighting Society, of whom it was rumored had fought in the Sierra Maestro mountains with Fidel Castro, and killed three men with his bare hands in Death Matches on the closed Chinese mainland. His style was a particularly vicious form of Dragon Style Kung Fu and opened the door to the Chinese systems of martial arts. From Count Dante I learned the Dance of Death, which is, without doubt, the most savage and terrifying self-defense form known to man, and earned my membership in the Black Dragon Fighting Society. Later, when I was met Shendai, it was my understanding and performance of what I learned from him that qualified me to learn Ninjitsu.

Ninjitsu has a reputation for secrecy and espionage. How do you balance teaching an art rooted in stealth with the public nature of your books, seminars, and media appearances?

Mostly what I teach is Mugei Mumei no Jitsu.

“Grain of sand in eye can hide mountain…”Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, 1939

Sha Nei Mu, or "sand in the eyes," is a distraction technique that is used to temporarily blind the enemy. Some schools devise complex formulae for their blinding powders. Itching and sneezing dust are two obvious examples. In ancient times these were stored in hollowed out eggshells, so they could be brought quickly into play. A handful of native dirt will produce the same effect if one can be surreptitiously obtained. If

Crushing the Black Egg to expose the dust within, cup the left palm lightly, keeping the dust concealed from the enemy. Swing the hand up and outward in a smooth arcing action to cast the dust, coins, whatever object you may have at hand, into the enemy’s face. Swinging your hand out from behind his hip releases a handful of sand, flour, or similar dust device in a sweeping motion toward the face and eyes of the sentry, who is thus necessarily

Once the enemy has been temporarily blinded, the Ninja gets behind him and applies the Sleeperhold to: A. subdue and eliminate him as a threat; B. or, take him prisoner for interrogation. Or, simply runs away. It is the perfect non-violent self-defense technique in which no one is injured. And, martial arts are for defense only.

You’ve faced significant criticism from some martial arts communities, with detractors questioning your credentials. How do you handle these accusations, and what do you say to those who doubt your expertise?

I ignore them. First, because as Will Rogers said, "I never met a man I didn't like," and most of these critics have never met me. Second, to quote William F. Buckley, " When I was twenty, I worried about what people thought of me. When I was 40 I didn't care what people thought of me. When I was 60 I realized most of these people weren't thinking about me at all."

In your view, how does your approach to Ninjitsu differ from other well-known practitioners like Masaaki Hatsumi or Stephen Hayes? What unique perspective do you bring to the art?

Most of what Hayes learned from Hatsumi and taught commercially was similar to many of the techniques that I learned, but stressed the combat aspects more than invisibility. Our system is based on non-violence. If a man strikes me with a stick I have several choices. I can take a beating, I can run away, I can fight back, or I can take away the stick. One of the greatest examples of Koga non-violence was when fifty Ninja, disguised as merchants, infiltrated Osaka castle in 1591, drugged the sentry dogs and stole the Shogun's entire arsenal in one night, preventing a war.

You’ve emphasized the importance of meditation and mental discipline in Ninjitsu. Can you share a specific technique or practice that you find particularly powerful for students?

The best and simplest technique is to close your eyes and count down from 3-2-1 and relax, when your breathing slows, your heart rate slows and you relax. When ready to return to the waking world, count up from 1-2-3

Your book Ninjitsu for Women has been both praised and criticized. What was your goal in writing it, and how do you address concerns about some of its self-defense advice?

Ninjtsu for Women was a combination of two earlier books, Dragon Lady of the Ninja and Kunoichi, Deadly Sisterhood of the Ninja. The purpose of those two was to explore the role of female Ninja agents and present some self-defense techniques.

You’ve spoken about the concept of “invisibility” as central to Ninjitsu. Can you explain what this means practically for your students in everyday life?

It means humility. When you know you can defend yourself you don't have to go around proving it all the time. One of the reasons Ninja wear masks is to diminish the ego. Nor do they brag or boast of their victories, because most of them are done in silence.

You’ve written about the historical roots of Ninjitsu, including references to the Kimitake clan and the Polestar School. Can you elaborate on the historical lineage you draw from?

The Pole Star School is a noble order of sentinels, guardians, protectors, teachers, and friends unified by their belief and observance of the universal brotherhood of all mankind. They hearken back to a more civilized, classical time before the Great Flood of Biblical history. A legend that is found in the mythos of every ancient civilization known to man. As before, they would travel and learn and find places where the people were happy and well fed and led by benevolent chieftains, who they would then teach the secrets of longevity so that their village might continue to grow and prosper for a long time. Some of them made their way to Japan and taught among the Koga clans.

In your career, you’ve taught police seminars and worked with various groups. What is the most rewarding aspect of teaching Ninjitsu to such diverse audiences?

Seeing them develop the skills is a large part of it, but when they truly KNOW they can do it, that is the real reward.

You’ve been involved in some colorful projects, like The Amorous Adventures of Ashida Kim. How do these creative works fit into your broader mission as a martial artist?

Amorous Adventures was based on a true adventure,there were plans to make it into a movie, but the regime changed in South Africa and all that was lost. But, storytelling is a wonderful way to teach the moral lessons of our philosophy without dogma or credo.

What advice would you give to someone just starting their journey in Ninjitsu, particularly in a world where martial arts are often commercialized?

Study hard, learn much, in this way, you will discover the truth for yourself.