Seiko Fujita


Seiko Fujita was a prominent and highly respected member of Japan's martial arts community. An authority on Kobudō, the classical martial arts of Japan & the Ryukyu Islands, Fujita inherited Wada-ha Kōga-ryū Ninjutsu from his grandfather. Academically, he graduated from Nihon University in the department of Religious Studies. From 1922 onwards, Fujita was called upon to lecture at military academies across the country and was program director for ninjutsu studies at the Imperial Army Intelligence Academy. He compiled a library, the largest of its kind in private hands, and authored numerous books & instructional manuals.

Biography

Isamu Fujita was born in Tokyo, and studied Kōga-ryū Wada-ha under the tutelage of his grandfather, Fujita Shintazaemon, 13th Soke of the Wada branch of Kōga-ryū Ninjutsu. He was educated at both Waseda and Meiji universities, and initially began his career at a newspaper company. He went on to study several other martial arts and was also noted as an author, researcher and collector of ancient scrolls. According to some references, "opinions are divided if he was a real ninja or a mere budō researcher."
During World War II, Fujita taught Koga Ryu Ninjutsu in the Army Academy of Nakano. Fujita later worked as a government security specialist. In later years he was influential in teaching many traditional Japanese arts. Notable students include Motokatsu Inoue, Mabuni Kenwa, Saito Satoshi, Fujitani Masatoshi, actor Tomisaburo Wakayama and Manzo Iwata, who became heir to some of his styles. Fujita left no official heir for Kōga-ryū Wada Ha.
Seiko Fujita published Zukai Torinawajutsu showing hundreds of hojōjutsu ties from many different schools, and several other texts on ninjutsu and martial arts. He died of cirrhosis of the liver at about the age of 68 and likely suffered from hereditary angioedema. His vast collection of books, scrolls and historical documents, the Fujita Seiko Bunko, is housed at the Odawara Library in Kanagawa Prefecture. His collection of historical weapons, tools and attire were bequeathed to the Iga Ryu Ninja Museum in Mie Prefecture.