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Living life as a modern-day ninja

Living the ninja life

Location: Iga, Japan

Genichi Mitsuhashi realized ninjutsu

held the key to survival

when he was held at gunpoint

during a stay in Brazil aged 19

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 45-YEAR-OLD MASTER'S DEGREE HOLDER IN NINJA STUDIES, GENICHI MITSUHASHI, SAYING:

"You are allowed to use weapons or make use of your enemy's body, you can use anything you need in order to survive, it's based on reality. It's liberating and flexible - this is what I learned. After seeing this, I felt I wanted to do more and that's how I came to be interested in learning more about ninjas."

Mitsuhashi is the first of seven students

to finish a two-year program on ninja launched in 2018

Like the ninjas of feudal Japan

he grows his own rice and vegetables

while teaching martial and ninja arts

hoping to protect the ancient tradition

He also runs an inn in Iga

a small city known as the home of many ninjas

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 45-YEAR-OLD MASTER'S DEGREE HOLDER IN NINJA STUDIES, GENICHI MITSUHASHI, SAYING:

"We shouldn't pick one aspect of ninja but should aim to learn their way of life. This includes self-defense, a sustainable lifestyle. At the root of this, there must be the skill to utilize nature properly and to also be able to do this with like-minded people. I think we should aim for a comprehensive way of life, and we should learn this from ninjas."