ARUKI

By PAUL ADAMS FUMA RYU NINJUTSU

47

The night was silent, there was nothing amiss. The noises of the night sounded all around
in the woods. Nature was in balance and the animals in the woods went around their
normal nocturnal activities. It was as it should be. The night was passing without event
and soon the last hour of the day would be reached and the new day would begin. The
noises of the night would soon change as animals would prepare for the coming dawn.
Behind all this activity lay the silence, within this the ninja moved in the woods.
The sentry post was quiet. The Takeda
troops were going about their routine,
as they had done for many nights. They
were watching the borders of their
land, ensuring that the roads were safe
and that any movements of the enemy
would be picked up. Within the night a
group of Fuma Rappa were moving
silently around the Takeda foot
soldiers. Their aim was to return home
as quickly and as quietly as possible.
The Fuma ninja had been on a
reconnaissance mission. Their goal was
to scout the land and map out the troop
movements and outposts of the Takeda
in preparation for war. As always the
fragile peace of the region was hanging
in the balance. Any time now one party
would make a move, it was just a
question of when.
The Houjou family had decided that they needed to be prepared so they had tasked
Kotaro Fuma to gather information on their rivals. There was a great need to be discreet.
If the Takeda found the Fuma Ninja then war would be inevitable and the Houjou could
be seen as having instigated it. The ninja must therefore undertake their actions without
being seen. The need for stealth was paramount. All their skills would be tested to their
full. This assignment had been set two weeks ago and with the information gathered the
Fuma Rappa were now travelling home, their last barrier was the Takeda outpost, once
they were past this then they would be on the road back into Houjou territory.
This mission had used all of the Inton skills the group had learned and on their return
journey they could not afford to let themselves slip. With the night being dark
camouflage was not a problem, but they had to be mindful of any noises they would
make to disturb the balance around them and give away their presence to the Takeda
troops. It had taken them an hour to move through the land but with each silent step they
were nearing closer to their objective. By the time dawn broke the land bore no trace that
they had travelled through and no noise had been made to bring alert to their enemies.

48

Aruki is a skill that is found within ninjutsu that is peculiar in that it is a separate skill
that is not usually found in other Japanese martial arts. This represents the difference in
ninjutsu in relation to these arts. Ninjutsu is more than just learning about fighting along
with the other technical and academic aspects of their art. Ninjutsu in a pure form is an
art of survival and aruki is an important aspect of this.
Aruki covers walking skills. This is not
just stealth walking and what most
people think about, that is, walking
without making a noise. Aruki covers
walking skills for a number of different
circumstances so that the ninja can
adapt to a situation and continue to
operate
without
them
being
compromised.
Each ryuha of ninjutsu that is practiced
today have their own methods of aruki.
This article will explore some of the
methods taught within the British Fuma
Ryu Ninjutsu Society. I will look at a
number of methods of walking and
how these were employed to achieve a
set aim.
There are a number of aruki used within the school these are listed for reference below:
Types of Aruki Taught within the BFNS
Ayumi
Kizami
Tobi
Suri
Kougo
Kousa
Yoko

-Walk
- Chop
- Jump
- Slide
- Cross
- Zigzag
- Sideways

Within this article we will explore the use of Ayumi, Tobi and Suri. Each of these utilise
a different type of movement to achieve a different aim.

Aruki is an important skill for the

ninja. If implemented correctly, as part
of Inton, aruki can ensure that combat
skills are not employed
49

AYUMI
Ayumi is the normal aruki you would use within the dojo. It is the walk that is used when
forming enjin, between techniques and as part of normal dojo activity. When you walk
normally you have a natural heel toe action, placing your heel on the floor before rolling
your foot forward onto your toes. This is how everyone naturally walks. However, this
motion makes it very difficult to stop you transferring your weight onto your foot as you
walk if you feel something underneath it as you are walking. This increases the chance
that when you step on a sharp object it will stick into your foot.
Walking in ayumi is different to how
you would walk normally. As well as
making it difficult for you to stop
transferring your weight the normal
action of your feet can also be very
noisy. This can create a slapping sound
as your foot rolls and you toes are
placed on the ground. Ayumi allows
you to walk more quietly and stop you
transferring your weight onto your foot
if you feel something underneath as
you walk.
Ayumi is executed as if you were walking normally, but the action of placing your feet
on the ground is different to how you would usually walk, as explained above. You place
your foot down on the outside then roll your foot inward, this way if you feel an object
under your foot you will be able to stop yourself from putting your weight directly on it.
This method is also quieter than walking normally as your feet do not flap in the walking
motion and you will not create the normal noise associated with human footsteps. This
motion with the foot is utilised in nearly all of the aruki practiced within the ryu as it is a
stealthier way of walking.
Ayumi is demonstrated in the following pictures:

Start in Shizen standing relaxed

50

Begin to walk as normal

stepping forward with one leg

As you walk you place your foot

in front of you on its side

You then roll your foot as you

transfer your weight

Ayumi takes practice to implement naturally, to begin with students will over emphasise
the movements so that the walk will not appear natural and will not flow. It is essential
that ayumi flows as if you were walking in the normal heel toe motion. This will ensure
you continue to walk at the same speed as you would normally. Ayumi should be the
walk that is used within all BFNS dojo. Practicing this walk enables students to get use to
moving without making too much noise. It is also a very good aruki to practice as most
aruki use the side of the foot to help minimize noise, therefore mastering Ayumi in a
natural fashion helps students get use to the motions they will need when they train in the
other methods of walking within the ryu.
TOBI
Tobi is a fast moving aruki which requires good balance and strength. It is utilised to
draw opponents into a swampy area or an area of un-even ground where you know the
safe and quick route through. You move quickly jumping from one leg to the other as you
navigate your path through the area.
Tobi is not about getting height, it is more about getting distance as you move. This is
because you will need to jump from one area to another that you know can take your
weight. This way you run through a safe path while the people following you will be left
struggling with unfamiliar ground.
When practiced within the dojo the students need to visualize a path in their minds as
they are not using the aruki within its natural environment. There is also a temptation to
lean too far forward as they tobi in a bid to get distance. This can cause people to lose
their balance as their head is too far in front of their centre of gravity. Essentially to
implement tobi you jump from one foot to the other as quickly as possible, keeping on
the move and placing one foot on the ground at a time as you jump.

51

Tobi is a quick moving aruki. It is executed at speed and you should not place both feet
on the ground, which helps to keep you mobile. This aruki also utilises changes in
direction, which can be achieved through turning as you tobi or as you land. Balance and
posture are very important in this aruki to prevent you from becoming unstable and fall
over. This aruki takes a lot of practice to master as it is difficult to develop speed and
distance without having strong legs.
SURI
Suri is a slide aruki. This is another aruki which is employed to make a sound. When you
use suri you know that you will be making a noise so you slide you feet to make a noise
that does not sound like a human footstep. This should distract anyone listening to your
movements and if executed correctly the noise may be ignored as a threat because it does
not sound like someone walking.

Start in Shizen standing relaxed

Place your toes on the ground

and begin to slide your foot
forward
52

Bring put one foot forward and

point your toes towards the
ground

As you slide your foot forward

twist your foot from side to side
at the ankle to create noise

Suri should be used when you know that you will make a noise. It disguises that you are
stepping forward. Your knees will be bent to help keep you balanced at all times and it
may be necessary for you to implement this aruki at low levels, keeping below the night
line, this can be difficult. Suri is generally used to mimic the noise of small animals
foraging or running in the undergrowth. It is a technique that needs to be practiced
outside of the dojo to ensure that your foot movements are correct and that the noise you
make does not sound like a person walking or a person making another noise. It is a
difficult aruki to master.
All aruki require good conditioning of the legs and ankles to implement effectively. You
must be able to hold all of your weight in a low position with one leg and keep your
balance at all times to be sure you can utilise aruki. This takes training and dedication,
conditioning kamae such as sonkyo no kamae are good at developing your leg
conditioning and ability to hold your own body weight. Training in these kamae is useful
to develop your ability to implement aruki.
The three aruki that I have covered
within this article each have a different
use. Suri is used in situations where
you may have to make noise, tobi is
used for quick movements in uneven
ground while Ayumi is used for normal
walking within the dojo. Each is
therefore important to learn to be
applied in different situations. Aruki
are therefore not just used for moving
unheard.

Ayumi is an important aruki to learn within the ryu as it teaches students to be mindful of
where they place their feet and how they walk within the dojo. Using this aruki as part of
training allows everyone to hear what is going on around them and you can tell the effort
some students make to keep quiet and watch how they walk around. Once people have
got into this frame of mind it can be taken outside of the dojo and used as part of the
practice of inton.
Fuma Ryu Ninjutsu offers a range of training in a number of martial disciplines as part of
the skills taught to the Ikusa Shinobi. If you would like to find out more information
about this form of martial art or have any further questions about Fuma Ryu Ninjutsu
training please log onto our website:
www.fumaryu-braintree.co.uk.
Article Written by
Paul Adams
Joukyu Renraku Shinobi
BFNS
January 2010

53