Ninjutsu
Ninjutsu is a hybrid martial art originating in Japan, encompassing both unarmed and weapon-based training alongside strategic and stealth-oriented disciplines. Its training focus draws together elements of hand-to-hand combat, the use of various weapons, and methods associated with concealment, movement, and tactical awareness. As a hybrid classification, it sits across multiple categories rather than belonging exclusively to striking, grappling, or weapons practice alone, reflecting the broad scope of skills its curriculum addresses.
Training in hybrid arts of this kind generally involves practitioners working across several distinct areas rather than concentrating on a single combat range or method. Alongside physical techniques performed both standing and on the ground, training typically incorporates conditioning, weapon familiarization, and study of strategic principles. The combination of unarmed practice, weapons work, and conceptual or tactical study means sessions can vary considerably in their content and emphasis depending on the school or curriculum followed.
Ninjutsu has given rise to notable sub-styles that developed within or alongside its broader tradition. Gyokko-ryū is one such sub-style, recognized as a koryū school that appears within modern ninjutsu curricula. These sub-styles each carry their own particular characteristics and emphases, and they are examined individually in the sections below.
Styles & branches of Ninjutsu
Gyokko-ryū
Type: Hybrid · Lineage: Ninjutsu
koryū in modern ninjutsu curricula Wikipedia →
Gear to expect. Hybrid training typically calls for gloves and a mouthguard for striking work plus a rashguard for the grappling rounds — your school will tell you exactly what, and when. New students rarely need to buy anything for a trial class.
Find your martial art →Related hybrid styles
Classification and facts from our open-data taxonomy (Wikidata CC0 base + our editorial classification). Where a fact (like origin) isn't recorded, we leave it out rather than guess. Methodology.