Ninjitsu (or ninjutsu) is Japanese for "nothingness techniques". The martial art of the ninja. As the ninjas were assassins and tried to avoid confrontation they didn't have that much emphasis on fighting skills as other martial arts and therefore the hand-to-hand techniques are not that sophisticated. A ninja also needed to know about espionage, poisons and other assassination methods, infiltration and of course weapons.

Nowadays ninjitsu is focused on empty hands techniques and weapons for obvious reasons.

Ninpo Taijutsu is this Japanese martial art's current correct name, this can be broken into

nin: Hidden
po: art
Tai: Body
Jutsu: Movement

so quite literally it means the hidden art of/in body movement. It's current soke is Dr Hatsumi Masaaki which is sometimes written as Masaaki Hatusmi.

Ninjutsu can be broken into just "hidden movement"

These translations are very loose since the Japanese language is so alien in comparison to Western languages. Ninjutsu is actually 9 schools of martial art.

1. Togakure Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu
2. Gyokko Ryu Kosshijutsu
3. Kukishinden Ryu Happo Hikeniutsu
4. Koto Ryu Koppojutsu
5. Shindenfudo Ryu Dakentaijutsu
6. Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu
7. Gikan Ryu Koppojutusu
8. Gyokkushin Ryu Ninjutsu
9. Kumogakure Ryu Ninjutsu

The last known practitioner that faced open battle was Takamatsu Toshitsugu
