Stephen K. Hayes
Encyclopedia
Stephen K. Hayes is an American
Bujinkan
ninjutsu
master, Buddhist
priest and writer.
, Delaware
and raised in Dayton
, Ohio
. He graduated from Fairmont West High School
, Kettering, Ohio
in 1967. He began formal training in the martial arts as a teenager in the mid 1960s. He attended Miami University
in nearby Oxford, Ohio
reportedly because he "heard they had a judo
club". It turned out to be a Korean Tang Soo Do
school, not judo, but Hayes remained. In 1971 he graduated from Miami with a Bachelor's of Arts, having majored in Speech and Theatre.
In the 1970s Hayes traveled to Japan to seek out authentic ninja
masters. In June 1975, he met and began training under Masaaki Hatsumi
, 34th Grandmaster of Togakure Ryu Ninja and founder of the Bujinkan (武神館) organization. Hayes returned to the United States with his wife Rumiko in late 1980 when his Japan residency visa expired, and began teaching and authoring numerous books and magazine articles.
In 1985, he was entered into the Black Belt magazine's Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year. He was again featured on the cover of Black Belt in the March 2007 issue; which contains a chapter from his book Ninja Vol 6, Secret Scrolls of the Warrior Sage. The magazine’s opening editorial described him as "one of the 10 most influential living martial artists in the world".
In 1993, Hayes was awarded the rare judan (tenth degree black belt
) in Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu from Hatsumi. In 1997, he founded the martial art of To-Shin Do
, an art based in his experience of budō
taijutsu
. In 2006 Hayes' name was removed from the display of active Bujinkan teachers, ending his official role within that organization. That Hayes' name plank was removed from the Bujinkan Honbu wall has been documented by both parties. However, the specifics regarding the motivation for the removal are in dispute. Some suggest Hayes was expelled from the organization. Hayes explains that he simply no longer participates as an active Bujinkin instructor. To-Shin Do is taught through his SKH (Stephen K. Hayes) Quest locations. The SKH Quest network now spans 31 schools across North America, Europe, Australia and Africa.
Hayes acted in the 1980 TV miniseries Shogun and in 2004 was featured in the Discovery Channel
documentary Unsolved History
regarding ninja and their practices.
Hayes resides and works in Dayton, Ohio
. He and his wife Rumiko have two daughters, Reina and Marissa.
mikkyo
Buddhism. He apprenticed under Dr. Clark Jikai Choffy, an ordained Tendai priest and personal disciple of Jion Haba, the bishop of Tokyo's Reisho-in temple. He received empowerments and teachings from Dr. Choffy, received transmission in the Homan Ryu school of Tendai esoteric Buddhism, and in 1991 he received Tokudo priesthood ordination in Tendai Buddhism. Hayes has founded a Buddhist Order based on his teachings and experiences with Tibetan Buddhism
and Tendai, called the Blue Lotus Assembly
.
When travelling in Tibet, Hayes met the Dalai Lama
in 1987. The two were at a conference in the United States when the Dalai Lama learned that he had received the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize
and Hayes assisted with the unexpected security concerns as reporters arrived. For many years in the 1990s, Hayes served as Dalai Lama's personal protection escort and security adviser, especially during visits to the United States.
Fiction
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Bujinkan
Bujinkan
The Bujinkan is an international martial arts organization based in Japan and headed by Masaaki Hatsumi, it is best known for its association with ninjutsu. The system taught by this group, called Bujinkan Budō Tai jutsu, consists of nine separate martial arts traditions .-Origins:Hatsumi's...
ninjutsu
Ninjutsu
or may be:*the arts associated with espionage and assassination in feudal Japan, see Ninja*modern schools of martial arts claiming to be based in these traditions, see Modern Schools of Ninjutsu*fictional depictions, see Ninja in popular culture...
master, Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
priest and writer.
Life and martial arts
Stephen K. Hayes was born in WilmingtonWilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
and raised in Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. He graduated from Fairmont West High School
Fairmont High School (Ohio)
Kettering Fairmont High School is located in Kettering, Ohio, United States. It is the only public high school in the Kettering City School District and is home to approximately 2,500 students, making it the 9th largest high school in Ohio.-History:...
, Kettering, Ohio
Kettering, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 57,502 people, 25,657 households, and 15,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,077.4 people per square mile . There were 26,936 housing units at an average density of 1,441.6 per square mile...
in 1967. He began formal training in the martial arts as a teenager in the mid 1960s. He attended Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in nearby Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
reportedly because he "heard they had a judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
club". It turned out to be a Korean Tang Soo Do
Tang Soo Do
Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art promoted by Hwang Kee that has roots in various martial arts, including taekkyeon and Subak.-Etymology:...
school, not judo, but Hayes remained. In 1971 he graduated from Miami with a Bachelor's of Arts, having majored in Speech and Theatre.
In the 1970s Hayes traveled to Japan to seek out authentic ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
masters. In June 1975, he met and began training under Masaaki Hatsumi
Masaaki Hatsumi
Masaaki Hatsumi Masaaki Hatsumi Masaaki Hatsumi (初見良昭 Hatsumi Masaaki, (born 2 December 1931) refers to himself (and is generally recognised) as the 34th Togakure-ryū ninpo Soke (Grandmaster), and is the founder of the Bujinkan Organization. He currently resides and teaches in the city of Noda,...
, 34th Grandmaster of Togakure Ryu Ninja and founder of the Bujinkan (武神館) organization. Hayes returned to the United States with his wife Rumiko in late 1980 when his Japan residency visa expired, and began teaching and authoring numerous books and magazine articles.
In 1985, he was entered into the Black Belt magazine's Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year. He was again featured on the cover of Black Belt in the March 2007 issue; which contains a chapter from his book Ninja Vol 6, Secret Scrolls of the Warrior Sage. The magazine’s opening editorial described him as "one of the 10 most influential living martial artists in the world".
In 1993, Hayes was awarded the rare judan (tenth degree black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
) in Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu from Hatsumi. In 1997, he founded the martial art of To-Shin Do
To-Shin Do
To-Shin Do is a martial art founded by Black Belt Hall of Fame instructor Stephen K. Hayes in 1997. It is a modernized version of ninjutsu, and differs from the traditional form taught by Masaaki Hatsumi’s Bujinkan organization. Instruction focuses on threats found in contemporary western society...
, an art based in his experience of budō
Budo
is a Japanese term describing martial arts. In English, it is used almost exclusively in reference to Japanese martial arts.-Etymology:Budō is a compound of the root bu , meaning war or martial; and dō , meaning path or way. Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit mārga...
taijutsu
Taijutsu
is a Japanese blanket term for any combat skill, technique or system of martial art using body movements that are described as an empty-hand combat skill or system. The term is commonly used when referring to a traditional Japanese martial art but has also been used in the naming of modern martial...
. In 2006 Hayes' name was removed from the display of active Bujinkan teachers, ending his official role within that organization. That Hayes' name plank was removed from the Bujinkan Honbu wall has been documented by both parties. However, the specifics regarding the motivation for the removal are in dispute. Some suggest Hayes was expelled from the organization. Hayes explains that he simply no longer participates as an active Bujinkin instructor. To-Shin Do is taught through his SKH (Stephen K. Hayes) Quest locations. The SKH Quest network now spans 31 schools across North America, Europe, Australia and Africa.
Hayes acted in the 1980 TV miniseries Shogun and in 2004 was featured in the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
documentary Unsolved History
Unsolved History
Unsolved History is an American documentary television series that aired from 2002 to 2005. The program was produced by MorningStar Entertainment, Termite Art Productions, and others for the Discovery Channel. The series lasted over three seasons and had a total of 47 episodes, in which a team of...
regarding ninja and their practices.
Hayes resides and works in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. He and his wife Rumiko have two daughters, Reina and Marissa.
Buddhism
Hayes is an ordained practitioner of esoteric TendaiTendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
mikkyo
Mikkyo
Mikkyō is a Japanese term that refers to the esoteric Vajrayāna practices of the Shingon Buddhist school and the related practices that make up part of the Tendai school. There are also various Shingon- and Tendai-influenced practices of Shugendō...
Buddhism. He apprenticed under Dr. Clark Jikai Choffy, an ordained Tendai priest and personal disciple of Jion Haba, the bishop of Tokyo's Reisho-in temple. He received empowerments and teachings from Dr. Choffy, received transmission in the Homan Ryu school of Tendai esoteric Buddhism, and in 1991 he received Tokudo priesthood ordination in Tendai Buddhism. Hayes has founded a Buddhist Order based on his teachings and experiences with Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
and Tendai, called the Blue Lotus Assembly
Blue Lotus Assembly
Blue Lotus Assembly is a form of esoteric Buddhism established in North America by Stephen K. Hayes. Hayes was originally a martial arts practitioner and instructor who had established the Japanese Bujinkan in North America and later created his own martial art, To-Shin Do.The name, Blue Lotus...
.
When travelling in Tibet, Hayes met the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
in 1987. The two were at a conference in the United States when the Dalai Lama learned that he had received the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
and Hayes assisted with the unexpected security concerns as reporters arrived. For many years in the 1990s, Hayes served as Dalai Lama's personal protection escort and security adviser, especially during visits to the United States.
Books
Non-fiction- The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art (1981), Charles E. Tuttle Co.
- Ninja: Spirit of the Shadow Warrior (1980), Ohara Publications
- Ninja vol. 2: Warrior Ways of Enlightenment (1981), Ohara Publications
- Ninja vol. 3: Warrior Path of Togakure (1983), Ohara Publications
- Ninja vol. 4: Legacy of the Night Warrior (1985), Ohara Publications
- Ninja vol. 5: Lore of the Shinobi Warrior (1989), Ohara Publications
- Ninjutsu: The Art of the Invisible Warrior (1984) Contemporary Books
- Wisdom from the Ninja Village of the Cold Moon (1984) Contemporary Books
- The Mystic Arts of the Ninja: Hypnotism, Invisibility, and Weaponry (1985), Contemporary Books
- Ninja Realms of Power: Spiritual Roots and Traditions of the Shadow Warrior (1986)
- The Ancient Art of Ninja Warfare: Combat, Espionage, and Traditions (1988), Contemporary Books
Fiction
- Tulku, a Tale of Modern Ninja (1985) Contemporary Books