Could someone explain the differences of Ninjutsu, Karate, and Kendo?

I know Kendo is purely sword fighting, but does Ninjutsu incorporate it in its teachings?





I have to pick only two out of the three. Which do you feel would work best together? Is Ninjutsu like Karate (ie, learn self-defense) or something different?|||Ninjutsu is a very old japanese martial art. it survives only by a few legitimate organizations. Bujikan, Jinenkan, Genbukan, To Shin Do (a modernized version)





search any of those orgs for more info. ninjutsu is only a small part of what they teach. and you will NEVER be a ninja. noone is a ninja. they dont exist anymore. period.





it has every kind of weapon you could think of and some you couldnt. it has empty hand fighting, and alot more.





the bujinkan is the source of all of the above orgs. it teaches bujinkan budo taijutsu. it is not called ninjutsu by soke hatsumi anymore as...ninjutsu makes up only 3 of the 9 ryu (styles) taught under the %26quot;bujinkan%26quot; name. the rest were samurai arts. and most of the %26quot;ninjutsu%26quot; stuff isnt taught too much. they all mostly concentrate on taijutsu (unarmed self defense)





karate means empty hand. it is originally from the ryukyu islands, the largest of which is called okinawa. it is a blend of %26quot;te%26quot; okinawan martial arts...and what they called %26quot;kempo%26quot; which referred to chinese martial arts. combine the two and you have %26quot;tote%26quot; which means %26quot;china hand%26quot; ...which was later changed to %26quot;karate%26quot; also meaning %26quot;china hand%26quot; ...which was later changed yet again to karate meaning %26quot;empty hand%26quot;.





okinawan karate is very well rounded, and traditional. students spend much time training alone or in pairs. not in big groups as much as the karate in japan.





it has all manner of techniques, strikes, kicks, claws, rips. joint locks, takedowns and throws.





it is %26quot;kata%26quot; based. kata are %26quot;forms%26quot; or %26quot;sets%26quot; that teach principles, as well as individual self defense techniques.





japanese karate is also kata based. and is based on the original karate of okinawa. but it is more focused on the striking portion of the art...kicks punches knees and elbows. and stragety.





there are many styles of each. okinawan karate%26#039;s main styles are goju ryu, uechi ryu, shorin ryu, and isshin ryu ( a blend of shorin ryu and goju ryu)





japanese karate%26#039;s main styles are: japanese goju ryu, wado ryu, shotokan, kyokushin, chito ryu, and shito ryu.





kendo is as you said, a sword art. but is it quite different than its ancestor...%26quot;kenjutsu%26quot; ...it is hard contact sword fighting with protective gear, and bamboo swords called %26#039;shinai%26#039;





it is very masculine and rough. but also quite spiritual. hence the change from ken%26quot;jutsu%26quot; (sword art...fighting style) to...ken%26quot;do%26quot; (sword way...spiritual art) you could say it is a free sparring version of kenjutsu.





if you can take two...ninjutsu and kendo would work well together. karate is the most %26quot;different%26quot; of the 3.





kendo and ninjutsu both have sword training. karate does not.





kendo and ninjutsu are both japanese and thus based on the same principles and ideals. karate may not be...depending on if its japanese or okinawan.





beware of %26quot;mcdojos%26quot; though.





it the ninjutsu isnt bujinkan, jinenkan, genbukan, or to shin do...be very suspect.





make sure the school is good, and legitimate no matter which two you choose.





if you have any doubts...ask. you can email me if you like. or ask here on yahoo answers.|||I only know ninjutsu, so I will tell what I know ^^





If you go and learn ninjutsu properly It is many things, unarmed combat, sword fighting, stick/staff fighting, shuriken, spears, naginata.. lots of weapons





you can learn explosives, impersonation, stealth, how to enter an area, tactics, escaping etc..





but practically it is devistating hand to hand combat, that teaches you human anatomy and how to find and destroy its weaknesses





It all depends on who your teacher will be, If you have a good teacher, ninjutsu is one of the most devistating forms of martial arts in the world.. also after a few years of study, you can tell people your a ninja ^_^





In my opinion I would try and study only ninjutsu, because it is practical fighting, self defence and spiritual refinement.|||Kendo=Sword tatics and skill





Ninjutsu=Defense WITH weapondry AND hand-hand





Karate=Defense WITH OUT wepondry