I have an unusual job. As part of my job, I research ninjas.
No, really. It’s a long story.
Anyway, I’ve recently learned about the claims made by Jinichi Kawakami and I’m interested in them. Kawakami apparently claims to be the 21st lineage holder of the Kouka/Koka/Koga/Kouga/insert romanji here Ryu. Points to note:
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He apparently is listed as such by the Koga Ninja Museum, but that august authority is, well, not so august. He also apparently donated artifacts to them. Lest one see this as a comparatively bad thing, note that Hatsumi has done the same thing for “his” pet ninja museum in Togakushi.
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He was apparently featured in a Japanese documentary about ninjutsu. Clips of it, like this: ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjFc2weuo4Y ) are floating around youtube. Wayne Muromoto commented about the documentary and Kawakami in this e-budo post: http://www.e-budo.com/forum/showpost.php?p=328832&postcount=12
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The infamous Juan Hombre, who once claimed the Iga museum curator as a teacher, apparently went to visit and train with him. Muromoto mentioned his opinion about this, too. Hombre did, however take pictures of interest, posted here:
http://groups.msn.com/LasArtesMarcialesdelSenseiJuanHombre/misartesmarcialesii.msnw?Page=1
and has a page purporting to represent Kawakami, here:
http://www.jinichikawakami.com/
Hombre is totally unreliable as a source, though.
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Kawakami apparently is a consultant for the Kurondo theatrical ninja performance troupe.
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Lastly, here’s what’s apparently his webpage:
http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~bankeshinobi/navi04.htm
I’m curious on several fronts. First of all, the guy is, unlike several pretenders, actually Japanese and in Japan at the same time. He met with the dodgy Hombre, but I’m not sure what this means, and it muddies things because others have confused Kawakami with the Iga guy Hombre attached himself to before.
I’ve reached the limits of my competence for the simple reason that I can’t read Japanese or Spanish. So this is why I’m posting. I think it’s relevant because of Juan Hombre, because of historical interest and because hey . . . ninjas. Plus Kawakami himself seems to be taking students now where he didn’t in the past.
Unfortunately, I don’t trust anyone from the Takamatsuden to assess this stuff at all, because of their painfully obvious vested interest in being members of the One True Ninja School(s). That includes E-Budo, because E-Budo is partly a club for those guys to play at koryu. Don Roley said that Kawakami is considered a fringe individual and this may be true, but everybody who isn’t in the Bujinkan says the same thing about Hatsumi.
I don’t think Jinichi Kawakami will end up being proven a “true ninjutsu teacher,” but he might be proven to be “true” in the ballpark of Takamatsuden claimants,w hcih would be interesting.
So basically, if you can read Japanese and/or Spanish and know more about the whole situation, please add your two cents.