Product Description: Secrets of the Ninja Grandmaster is a collection of heart-to-heart lessons from ninja grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi to his senior student and first American disciple, Stephen K. Hayes. When this book was first published in 1987, it gave Western martial artists their first chance to learn what the grandmaster himself had to say about the essence of warrior training that emphasized real-world battlefield fighting methods (jissen-gata) - from the use of weapons to ninja invisibility to kuji warrior spirituality - as opposed to art or sport...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Describes the history and religious influences of the ninja, looks at their weapons and strategies, and demonstrates ninja fighting techniques

Ken Odate, a young apprentice, and Kozo Matsutani, his aging master must find a way to stop a series of murders that have so far stymied fellow Ninja operatives

Gives practical advice on the Ninja approach to hypnotism, camouflage, and the use of the cane, sword, and throwing stars

Traces the history of the ninja, describes techniques of concealment and escape, and demonstrates punches, kicks, and throws

Poems explore the traditional philosophical principles and teachings of the practitioners of the Japanese martial art, ninjutsu

Describes the training exercises and meditation techniques of the Japanese ninja warriors and explains how to perform the ninja's methods of self-defense