Reference
The Ninjutsu Reference
Twenty-three years of teaching one system, written down. The curriculum, the vocabulary, the equipment, and an honest account of where the historical record runs out.
Ninjutsu is a Japanese martial discipline covering unarmed combat, weapons, body movement, stealth and outdoor survival. These pages set down what it involves, what the terms mean, and what practitioners wear and carry.
- 01The Shinobi ShozokuWhat a ninja uniform actually is: construction, fabric weight, the five pieces, and the dark indigo it was traditionally dyed.→
- 02Ninjutsu TrainingThe nine areas of focus, the five ranking levels, and what a week of live-in training actually contained.→
- 03Weapons and ToolsSword, stick, knife and staff — plus the historical inventory, and where each item is legally restricted.→
- 04Glossary of TermsShinobi shozoku, taijutsu, kuji-kiri, kachi-iro, tabi, shukō. Twenty-five terms defined without the mysticism.→
- 05Myths and the RecordDid they wear black? Was the ninjatō real? What the surviving manuals say, and where the film version came from.→
Why this exists
Total Warrior ran live-in martial arts and ninjutsu programs from 2001 to 2024, in Thailand, California, New Zealand and Europe. The camps have finished. The curriculum they taught is documented here rather than lost.
Where the historical record is thin or contested, these pages say so. That is more useful than certainty, and there is already enough certainty about ninja on the internet.
- Rick Tew’s Martial ScienceThe system in full→
- The Programs, 2001–2024Thailand, California, the Southwest tour, the instructor year→
- Student TestimonialsFifteen accounts from people who trained here→
Field notes from the archive
Occasional writing on ninjutsu history, terminology and training equipment. No schedule, no filler.