Hatsumi Masaaki, the World’s Most Famous Ninja, and His Essence of Martial Arts

Deshi from around the world practice techniques at Bujinkan.

Hatsumi easily throws a towering student.

Baffled at how easily he has been defeated, the student can only join in the laughter.

Hatsumi’s deshi concentrate on his demonstration of the technique.

Hatsumi applies what seems the lightest of touches, but it leaves his opponent grimacing in pain.

Hatsumi wears a sweatshirt he says was a gift from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. On the back, matching letters spell out “SOKE,” transliterated from the Japanese term sōke, the head of a school. When asked why he dyes his hair an electric purple, he beams: “Because my wife thought I should give it a try!”

The dōjō’s kamidana altar with a photograph of Hatsumi’s late teacher, Takamatsu Toshitsugu.

Hatsumi’s deshi follow his every move with hawk-like attention.

The test for promotion to fifth dan. You pass if you can avoid the descending bōken using your senses alone