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Ninjutsu (1957) by Adachi Ken’ichi

The Journalistic “Monster Hunt” for the Last Ninja

This 1957 first edition is a landmark in martial arts scholarship, representing one of the first professional investigative attempts to separate historical reality from the “ninja boom” fiction of the mid-20th century. Published by Heibonsha (Volume 10 of the Heibon Books series), it remains a primary source for the technical and genealogical history of the Iga and Koka clans.

The Fujita Seiko Interview: “The Records of Seiko” (西湖記)

For researchers of Fujita Seiko (1898–1966), this book is a vital primary source. Unlike later sensationalized accounts, this volume provides a contemporary, first-hand journalistic profile of Fujita at the age of 59.

• Location: Part of the final chapter, “Ninjutsu-banashi” (Tales of Ninjutsu).
• Title of Profile: “Profile of ‘The Last Ninja’ – The Records of Seiko – The Osakan, Fujita Isamu” (「最後の忍者」への横顔 – 「西湖記」– 大阪人・藤田勇).
• Page Range: Pages 194–198.
• Key Content:
• The Meeting (p. 194): Adachi describes visiting Fujita at his home in Tokyo, detailing his “hawk-like” eyes and intense, disciplined presence.
• Scientific Ninjutsu (p. 195): Fujita clarifies his rejection of “magic” in favor of the science of survival, intelligence, and the ancestral kuden (oral transmissions) of the Kōga-ryū Wada-ha.
• The “Silent Master” (p. 198): Adachi’s final verdict on Fujita as a man who successfully “hid” his ancient heritage within a modern, professional persona.

The Author: Adachi Ken’ichi (足立巻一)

Adachi (1913–1985) was not a martial artist, but a high-ranking newspaper editor for the Shin-Osaka Shimbun and a member of the Association for the History of Thought. This background allowed him to approach the subject with a “journalistic sense,” hunting for physical evidence and archival proof rather than relying on legend.

Rare and Interesting Facts

The Typos on the Cover: Early first prints of this 1957 edition possess an infamous typographical curiosity. The outer promotional slip layout displays a minor alignment mismatch between the kanji characters for “Heibonsha” and the inner colophon data. This confirms that the marketing department rushed the softcover’s launch to catch the highly competitive winter publication cycle in postwar Osaka.

The Okuse Collaboration: The book features rare technical photography—such as the Seki-hashigo (folding ladder) demonstration—sourced directly from the Iga Ninjutsu Research Institute. This was a formal collaboration with the Mayor of Iga-Ueno, Okuse Heishichirō, who is explicitly thanked in the afterword (p. 257).

The “Monster Hunt” Metaphor: Adachi refers to his research trip through Shiga and Mie as a “Monster Hunt” (Bakemono-zeme). He sought to “hunt down” the truth of the ninja before their real history was completely erased by the exploding popularity of ninja novels.

A Bridge to Modernity: Published in December 1957, this book captures a unique moment in history. It features the technical research of Okuse and the living memories of Fujita Seiko just years before the 1960s “Ninja Boom” turned these serious historical figures into global pop-culture icons.

The Missing Photos: Interestingly, while Adachi interviewed Fujita extensively, he chose to use anonymous researchers for the technical demonstrations. This emphasizes the book’s focus on the authenticity of the tools and the psychology of the man, rather than creating a celebrity “action” book.