Thank You for visiting the New England Ninjutsu website, Connecticut’s original source for authentic Ninjutsu training.

Founded in 1983 by Greg Kowalski, NEN is Connecticut’s original & only legitimate Bujinkan Dojo in continuous operation since 1989, where you can find fully qualified, Japan-trained and licensed instructors, under the auspices of world-renowned Grandmaster, Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi.

Involved in the Martial Arts for over 30 years, NEN founder Greg Kowalski, is one of the first to have trained at length with Dr Hatsumi in Japan. Moving to Tokyo for that purpose in 1985, studying in Japan for over 4½ years and returning as often as possible, he was one of the first non-Japanese to earn his Black Belt in the art directly from the Grandmaster. One of the first foreigners accepted as a personal student of the Dr Hatsumi, Greg was also among the first Bujinkan members in the world to pass the Godan (5th Degree) test and attain full instructor status. Still actively training in the art, he remains one of the senior-most Bujinkan instructors in the world today. Besides extensive training in various forms of Ninpo Taijutsu, Mr. Kowalski also has a wide range of experience and expertise in a number of Martial Arts both here and in Japan.

Since Greg’s return to America in 1989, NEN has been providing quality instruction in Martial Arts, as well as pioneering Connecticut’s original ‘No-Nonsense Self Defense’ programs for Men, Women and Children.

The senior instructors on our staff have been training consistently with Greg from 6 to over 18 years, including some who have also lived and trained in Japan. Most of our teachers and students have had considerable experience in other martial arts and some had been instructors in other styles before discovering NEN. Some of our teachers also are, or have been, in the Military and/or in Law Enforcement and they contribute their insights and experiences to ensure that our self-defense training is practical and effective. While our primary focus is to impart practical, No-Nonsense, Personal Self-Defense for everyday people, long-term training at NEN includes instruction in a wide variety of areas including, Japanese weaponry and of course, authentic Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. On the subject of authenticity….

While you may come across other people who claim to teach Dr Hatsumi’s art, a little research often reveals little actual training with him, or any reputable instructor! Even for some of the people who can technically claim to be ‘personal students’ of the Grandmaster, their actual training with him is often little more than a handful of classes a year, if that. Not quite the image conveyed by some self-proclaimed ‘Masters’ of the art.  Then there are also the outright liars, people who have no training at all in the art, but claim to teach it. Of course fraud and/or misrepresentation can be found throughout the various martial arts so it is not surprising that some have been making questionable claims regarding Ninjutsu. With NEN however, you may rest assured that anything stated in this website can be verified and that no one in Ct can come close to matching the depth and breadth of experience in Dr Hatsumi’s art, found at NEN.

On a related note, for some time now it seems the industry trend for Martial Arts schools has been to jump on the mass-marketing bandwagon, success predicated on keeping the customers satisfied and ‘keeping the numbers up’. For some schools (too many) this has meant promoting students according to billing cycles rather than upon merit and now it seems like every other person you meet has a Black Belt in something. All types of marketing gimmicks are used and I even know of one school that guaranteed promotion to Black Belt within two years! I have even been called ‘old-fashioned’ and criticized for not getting ‘on board’ with this new approach but here at NEN….  We are NOT a Belt Factory!

For me Martial Arts is much more than a hobby and our school has always remained focused on small group, quality instruction. At NEN our training is not watered down for the masses and it has not been modified for sport, or to ‘speed up’ the promotion process. Our classes are suitable for beginners as well as experienced martial artists and we have had students of all ages and abilities. The training is enjoyable and at the same time it is particularly appropriate for anyone who may find themselves in violent and/or dangerous situations. Of course any school can make whatever claims they like on that score, but we have received an overwhelming amount of feedback from Bodyguards, Bouncers, Law-Enforcement and Military Personnel including SWAT officers and Combat Veterans, reporting that our training has proven itself to be practical, useful and in several cases, life-saving. If we sound like the kind of school you are looking for, please follow the links to learn mor e about who we are and what we do.

For information about our training programs please click here.

Have questions? Contact us.

Be sure to come back and visit as our site continues to grow.