, born , was a prominent Japanese martial artist, researcher and author. Regarded as the 14th and final heir to the

Kōga-ryū Kōka-ryū (甲賀流, "School of Kōka"; occasionally transliterated as "Kōga") is an umbrella term for a set of traditions of ninjutsu that originated from the region of Kōka (modern Kōka City in Shiga Prefecture). The samurai of Kōka-ryū ...

Wada-ha

Ninjutsu , sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some tradit ...

tradition, he was highly respected by his peers and a core member of Japan's classical martial arts community.

Biography

Isamu Fujita was born in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, and studied Kōga-ryū Wada-ha (Ninjutsu) under the tutelage of his grandfather, Fujita Shintazaemon, 13th Soke of the Wada branch of Kōga-ryū Ninjutsu. He was educated at both Waseda and Meiji universities, and initially began his career at a newspaper company. He went on to study several other martial arts and was also noted as an author, researcher and collector of ancient scrolls. According to some references, "opinions are divided if he was a real ninja or a mere

budō is a Japanese term describing modern Japanese martial arts. Literally translated it means the "Martial Way", and may be thought of as the "Way of War" or the "Way of Martial Arts". Etymology Budō is a compound of the root ''bu'' ( 武:ぶ), ...

researcher." During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Fujita taught Koga Ryu Ninjutsu in the Army Academy of Nakano (Rikugun Nakano Gakkō). Fujita later worked as a government security specialist. In later years he was influential in teaching many traditional Japanese arts. Notable students include

Motokatsu Inoue Motokatsu Inoue (1918-1993) was a Japanese martial artist, noted as the Grandmaster of Yui Shin Kai and Ryukyu Kobujutsu The first man to be awarded 'Hanshi' (Menkyo Kaiden) by Taira Shinken. Life and career Inoue was born in Tokyo, the son of a g ...

Mabuni Kenwa was one of the first karateka to teach karate in mainland Japan and is credited as developing the style known as Shitō-ryū. Originally, he chose the name Hanko-ryu, literally "half-hard style", to imply that the style used both hard and so ...

, Fujitani Masatoshi, actor

Tomisaburo Wakayama , born Masaru Okumura (奥村勝),Leous, G. (''c.'' 2003)Tomisaburo WakayamaRetrieved on May 23, 2010. was a Japanese actor best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 19th-century '' ronin'' warrior in the six ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' samura ...

and

Manzo Iwata Manzo Iwata (9 February 1924 – 4 June 1993) was a Japanese martial artist. Life and career Early years Manzo Iwata was born in Tokyo, Japan, to a family that owned the Iwata-en Tea Company. He began the study of Shito-ryu karate at the age of ...

, who became heir to some of his styles. Fujita left no heir for Kōga-ryū Wada Ha. Seiko Fujita published ''Zukai Torinawajutsu'' showing hundreds of

Hojōjutsu or or just , is the traditional Japanese martial art of restraining a person using cord or rope (called in Japanese), as a precursor to modern-day handcuffs. Encompassing many different materials, techniques and methods from many different sch ...

ties from many different schools, and several other texts on ninjutsu and martial arts. He died of

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

of the liver at about the age of 68 and likely suffered from hereditary

angioedema Angioedema is an area of swelling ( edema) of the lower layer of skin and tissue just under the skin or mucous membranes. The swelling may occur in the face, tongue, larynx, abdomen, or arms and legs. Often it is associated with hives, which ...

(which can preclude the practice of martial arts, although Fujita may have demonstrated the ability to overcome some disease symptoms). His collection, the ''Fujita Seiko Bunko'', is housed at Iga-Ueno Museum,

Odawara Castle is a landmark in the city of Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. History Odawara was a stronghold of the Doi clan during the Kamakura period, and a fortified residence built by their collateral branch, the Kobayakawa clan, stood on the ...

Bibliography of the main works

Title in Japanese kanji / Transcription of the Japanese title with occidental alphabet / Translation of the Japanese title / Year of publication * "Hōjutsu Yarikata Etoki", "Illustrated guidance of Budo tricks" ; * "Ninjutsu hiroku", "Secrets notes about

ninjutsu , sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some tradit ...

" ; * "Ninjutsu to wa?", "What is Ninjutsu" ; Translated into English in 2017 by Eric Shahan. * « Ninjutsu kara Supai-sen e » « From

to spy warfare » * "Shintō Musō-ryū Jōjutsu Zukai", "The illustrated technique of the way of the short staff from

Shintō Musō-ryū , most commonly known by its practice of '' jōdō'', is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of the Japanese martial art of '' jōjutsu'', or the art of wielding the short staff (''jō''). The technical purpose of the art is to learn how to defea ...

» * "Doronron : Saigo no Ninja", "The last

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

" * , "Kenpō Gokui Atemi Satsu-Kappō Meikai", "The technique of strike the vital points from the

Kenpō is the name of several arts. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "''quánfǎ''". This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization, but failing to use ...

for kill or revive" In 1972, a big part of this book has been translated in French by Jacques Devêvre, and published by the editions « Judo international », with the title : « Les points vitaux secrets du corps humain » (« The secret vital points of the human body »), then re-published in 1998, by « Budo editions », with the title : « L’art ultime et sublime des points vitaux » (« The magnificent and ultimate art of the vital points ») (with commentaries by

Henry Plée Henry Plée (also named H.D. Plée, Henri Plée, Henry D. Plée, or Henry-Désiré Plée, 24 May 1923; Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais–19 August 2014; Paris) was a French martial artist who is considered as the 'father of European and French karat ...

) * "Zukai Shurikenjutsu", "The illustrated technique of the

shuriken A ''shuriken'' ( ja, 手裏剣; literally: "hidden hand blade") is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or metsubushi to distract or misdirect. They are also known as throwing stars, or ninja stars, although they were ...

" * "Zukai

" / "Zukai Torinawajutsu", "The illustrated technique of the binding rope"

Biography

Bibliography of the main works

References

Further reading