ninjutsu

Ninjutsu is a martial art that originated in ancient Japan, often referred to as "the art of stealth" or "the art of invisibility". The term "ninja" itself comes from Japanese characters meaning "conceal" or "move stealthily" and "person".1

Historically, practitioners served as military spies, trained in a wide range of skills including disguise, concealment, geography, meteorology, medicine, and combat. While popular legends associate ninjas with espionage and assassination, modern practitioners typically study ninjutsu to enhance physical fitness and self-defense abilities. The word "ninjutsu" first appeared in English in 1950.12