Instructor

Jake Sharpstone, 11th Dan Master Instructor

Jake Sharpstone teaching Ninjutsu

Jake Sharpstone 11th Dan has practiced Martial Arts since 1973, age 8. Beginning with Judo, winning medals at championships. He received his Black belt in Judo from the world famous Joe Robinson at the Brighton Martial Art Centre in 1981.

Jake then studied Judo and various other martial arts until he discovered Grandmaster (Soké) Massaki’s Hatsumi’s Bujinkan Budo Tai-jutsu (Ninjutsu) from an Instructor in Brighton in 1989. He has trained constantly with the Bujinkan since, training every year with many top Master instructors (Shihan), from around the world.

Massaki Hatsumi - Many years ago

Masaki Hatsumi in traditional armour

Soké Hatsumi is the 34th Grand master in an unbroken line of Samurai and Ninja Grandmasters dating back over 900 years.

Soké Hatsumi is also the founder of the Bujinkan which incorporates 9 different martial art (Budo) schools. All are designed for realistic self-protection, self-defence and a good life philosophy (Ninpo), which is very different to sport style martial arts.

Jake Sharpstone and Massaki Hatsumi

Jake first travelled to Japan in 1994, to train with Soké Hatsumi and the Japanese Shihan and has done so most years since. Jake says for martial arts it is very important to train with the Grandmaster regularly as he is the source of our knowledge.

In December 1995 Jake started the Bujinkan Cambridge Dojo, which he is the chief instructor for and runs weekly classes and organises international Ninjutsu seminars.

In 2008 Jake created the “Ninja fitness ^TM” system to share his knowledge and techniques with a wider audience, people that might not want the contact of a pure warrior art but are interested in learning the non-contact and fitness ways and philosophy of the ancient martial arts that are very practical to modern life.