Masaaki Hatsumi (初見 良昭), born December 2, 1931, in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, is the founder (sōke, or headmaster) of the Bujinkan Dōjō, an international martial arts organization teaching the nine traditional schools (ryūha) he inherited from his teacher, Toshitsugu Takamatsu.

Hatsumi began studying various martial arts in his youth, including judo, karate, and kendo, before meeting Takamatsu in the 1950s. Over the next 15 years, he trained under Takamatsu in a variety of classical Japanese martial traditions, including ninjutsu, samurai combat arts, and weaponry. Upon Takamatsu’s death in 1972, Hatsumi inherited the grandmaster (sōke) title of the nine ryūha, becoming the 34th grandmaster of Togakure-ryū ninjutsu among others.

In the mid-1970s, Hatsumi founded the Bujinkan Dōjō to share these arts with a global audience, combining the nine lineages into a single teaching framework known as Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu. His teachings emphasize natural body movement, adaptability, and the integration of unarmed combat with traditional Japanese weapons. Under his leadership, the Bujinkan expanded worldwide, attracting thousands of practitioners from dozens of countries.

Hatsumi is also known for his work outside the dojo — he has been a writer, artist, and actor, serving as a martial arts advisor for television and film in Japan. He was recognized by the Japanese government with cultural awards for his contributions to the preservation and dissemination of traditional martial arts.

Now retired from active teaching, Hatsumi has passed on day-to-day instruction to his senior students, but remains an iconic figure in modern martial arts for bridging centuries-old warrior traditions with a global, contemporary audience.

Soke Hatsumi has authored MULTIPLE books over the decades. You can order copies here: Masaaki Hatsumi Books