To-Shin Do
Encyclopedia
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. In addition to hand-to-hand combat skills, students are exposed to: methods for survival in hostile environments, security protection for dignitaries, how to instruct classes and run a school, classical Japanese weapons, meditation mind science, and health restoration yoga. The headquarters school (hombu) is located in Dayton, Ohio
, USA.
(戸隠流?) ("School of the Hidden Door") lineage and became the first American to be accepted into the Ninja tradition.
Hayes returned to the U.S. in 1981, with the title of shidoshi or teacher. He founded the Shadows of Iga
Society to serve as a organization for ninjutsu enthusiasts. During the 1980s Hayes gave seminars around the country, maintained a training group in Ohio, and often visited to Japan for training with Hatsumi.
Retiring the Shadows of Iga Society, Hayes founded the Kasumi-An system of warrior training in 1989 on the first day of the Japanese Heisei (平成) Imperial era. Kasumi translates to English as "haze," which is supposed to evoke images of the misty Iga mountain home of the Ninja, as well as being an Heterograph of the founder's name. An means hermitage or mountain retreat. The name reflects more permanency in Hayes' U.S. teachings, which were until this point limited to seminars and a small training group in the Dayton area.
In 1997, the first Quest Center was opened in Dayton, OH.
When written, To-Shin Do is formed of three kanji
: - to - sword - shin - spirit, intention, heart - dō - way, path
The literal Japanse to English translation of To-Shin Do is “Sword Spirit Path”. Practitioners of the art use a more developed translation where To = sword, Shin = the focused sprit of intention, and Do = the path to mastery.
The kanji for to and the kanji for shin combine to form the kanji symbol nin , pronounced shinobi which is the symbol for the ninja
.
Students practice striking against pads, targets, and instructors clad in protective armor. However, there is no sparring as seen in ring point-fighting styles. And as found with ninjutsu, To-Shin Do does not include tournament competition in its training curriculum.
Once a student attains the rank of black belt, the following optional advanced courses are offered:
In interviews, Hatsumi explained that he did not feel it was appropriate to modify traditional techniques to apply to contemporary society or locales. Instead, he charged his trainees to make these adaptations. Black Belt Magazine notes that as early as 1979, Hatsumi told his senior black belts that "it is the duty of every senior instructor to create an unique teaching vehicle from the historical material." Hatsumi reiterated when interviewed for Tales from a Grand Master, and that traditional weapons (e.g. tekagi, kusari gama, or toami) are still part of the core Bujinkan training.
Conversely, Hayes expressed a desire to apply ancient ninja tactics to modern Western society. In his 2008 book The Way of the Warrior: Martial Arts and Fighting Styles from Around the World author Chris Crudelli quotes Hayes as saying founding "To-Shin Do is the greatest tribute he can pay to Hatsumi." Clearly, it can be said that the two men disagreed on the topic of contemporary application of the art. But this disagreement did not sever the men's relationship. For Hayes' sixtieth birthday (in 2009), Hatsumi sent a rare hand-written card and painting to congratulate his American student.
Affiliate Instructors operate as independently owned businesses authorized to train the To-Shin Do martial arts curriculum under license agreement with SKH Inc.
Affiliate Schools are professionally run academies, with full-time facilities dedicated for To-Shin Do instruction, and are authorized to award To-Shin Do belt rank.
Training Clubs are groups of up to 35 members training together in the To-Shin Do martial arts curriculum under direction of either the Dayton Hombu Dojo, or a licensed Affiliate Instructor. Training Clubs are not professional schools, and often use shared facilities not exclusively dedicated for To-Shin Do instruction. Most clubs do not award belt ranks however, some have done so through their sponsoring teachers.
Long Distance Learning allows students to purchase courses for color belts from white leading to black. Students test for promotion by travelling to a licensed school or by submitting a video test to the hombu dojo. Black belt tests must be conducted in person.
According to the Organization's web site, locations include:
or Kalarippayattu
), this concept manifests in senior To-Shin Do practitioners in two ways.
First, Black Belts promoted to 3rd Degree and higher become members of the Order of To-Shi (刀士), which means "sword" - "warrior, knight, gentleman" or succinctly, "Knight of the Sword." It is tradition that upon promotion, the candidate is given a 'warrior' name, uniquely chosen by the Co-Founders.
Second, senior black belts have also taken the 'scholar' title literally, with several publishing books or articles in either martial arts or advanced psychological studies. Specific authors among the black belts include:
To-Shin Do Belt Classifications>Graphic
Color
Element
Traditional Title
White
Earth (Chi)
jugokyu 15th class student
Yellow
Earth (Chi)
juyonkyu 14th class student
Yellow / Black
Earth (Chi)
jusankyu 13th class student
Blue / White
Water (Sui)
junikyu 12th class student
Blue
Water (Sui)
juikkyu 11th class student
Blue / Back
Water (Sui)
jukyu 10th class student
Red / White
Fire (Ka)
kyukyu 9th class student
Red
Fire (Ka)
hachikyu 8th class student
Red / Black
Fire (Ka)
nanakyu 7th class student
Green / White
Wind (Fu)
rokkyu 6th class student
Green
Wind (Fu)
gokyu 5th class student
Green / Black
Wind (Fu)
yonkyu 4th class student
Brown / White
Void (Ku)
sankyu 3rd class student
Brown
Void (Ku)
nikyu 2nd class student
Brown / Black
Void (Ku)
ikkyu 1st class student
Black
Void (Ku)
shodan 1st degree
Black
Void (Ku)
nidan 2nd degree
Black / Maroon
Void (Ku)
sandan 3rd degree
Black / Maroon
Void (Ku)
yondan 4th
Black / Silver
Void (Ku)
godan 5th degree
Black / Silver
Void (Ku)
rokudan 6th
Black / Gold
Void (Ku)
nanadan 7th degree
Black / Gold
Void (Ku)
hachidan 8th degree
Maroon
Void (Ku)
kudan 9th
Maroon
Void (Ku)
judan 10th
Silver
Void (Ku)
Councilor to An-shu
Gold
Void (Ku)
Anshu - Hermitage Founder
Stephen K. Hayes
Stephen K. Hayes is an American Bujinkan ninjutsu master, Buddhist priest and writer.-Life and martial arts:Stephen K. Hayes was born in Wilmington, Delaware and raised in Dayton, Ohio. He graduated from Fairmont West High School, Kettering, Ohio in 1967. He began formal training in the martial...
in 1997. It is a modernized version of 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...
, and differs from the traditional form taught by 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,...
’s 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...
organization. Instruction focuses on threats found in contemporary western society. In addition to hand-to-hand combat skills, students are exposed to: methods for survival in hostile environments, security protection for dignitaries, how to instruct classes and run a school, classical Japanese weapons, meditation mind science, and health restoration yoga. The headquarters school (hombu) is located 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...
, USA.
History
In 1975, Hayes claims to have traveled to Japan to seek out authentic Ninja masters. He met Masaaki Hatsumi, who claims to be the 34th grandmaster of the Togakure-ryūTogakure-ryū
is a historical tradition of Ninjutsu known as the "School of the Hidden Door", founded during the Oho period by Daisuke Nishina , who learned his original fighting techniques from a Chinese monk named Kain Dōshi. However, the history and early lineage of Togakure-ryū may be impossible to verify...
(戸隠流?) ("School of the Hidden Door") lineage and became the first American to be accepted into the Ninja tradition.
Hayes returned to the U.S. in 1981, with the title of shidoshi or teacher. He founded the Shadows of Iga
Iga Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today western Mie Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Iga bordered on Ise, Ōmi, Yamato, and Yamashiro Provinces.-Geography:...
Society to serve as a organization for ninjutsu enthusiasts. During the 1980s Hayes gave seminars around the country, maintained a training group in Ohio, and often visited to Japan for training with Hatsumi.
Retiring the Shadows of Iga Society, Hayes founded the Kasumi-An system of warrior training in 1989 on the first day of the Japanese Heisei (平成) Imperial era. Kasumi translates to English as "haze," which is supposed to evoke images of the misty Iga mountain home of the Ninja, as well as being an Heterograph of the founder's name. An means hermitage or mountain retreat. The name reflects more permanency in Hayes' U.S. teachings, which were until this point limited to seminars and a small training group in the Dayton area.
In 1997, the first Quest Center was opened in Dayton, OH.
Etymology
There is intended symbolism behind the To-Shin name.When written, To-Shin Do is formed of three kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
: - to - sword - shin - spirit, intention, heart - dō - way, path
The literal Japanse to English translation of To-Shin Do is “Sword Spirit Path”. Practitioners of the art use a more developed translation where To = sword, Shin = the focused sprit of intention, and Do = the path to mastery.
The kanji for to and the kanji for shin combine to form the kanji symbol nin , pronounced shinobi which is the symbol for the 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...
.
Training
According to the To-Shin Do training workbook, Enlightened Self-Protection, color belts focus on the following five areas:- grappling: throwing, choking, and joint-locking
- striking: kicking, and punching
- weapons: stick, blade, cord, and projectile
- application: handling multiple assailants and surprise attacks
- preservation: overcoming psychological intimidation or bullying
Students practice striking against pads, targets, and instructors clad in protective armor. However, there is no sparring as seen in ring point-fighting styles. And as found with ninjutsu, To-Shin Do does not include tournament competition in its training curriculum.
Once a student attains the rank of black belt, the following optional advanced courses are offered:
- first-response emergency medical treatment
- methods for survival in hostile environments
- security protection for dignitaries
- law enforcement specialties
- intelligence gathering systems
- how to instruct classes and run a school
- classical Japanese weapons
Relationship to Bujinkan
To-Shin Do is not a part of Hatsumi's Bujinkan Organization. Consequently, speculation on various martial arts web discussion boards and blogs have theorized To-Shin Do represents a split between Hayes and Hatsumi. However published interviews do not support these rumors.In interviews, Hatsumi explained that he did not feel it was appropriate to modify traditional techniques to apply to contemporary society or locales. Instead, he charged his trainees to make these adaptations. Black Belt Magazine notes that as early as 1979, Hatsumi told his senior black belts that "it is the duty of every senior instructor to create an unique teaching vehicle from the historical material." Hatsumi reiterated when interviewed for Tales from a Grand Master, and that traditional weapons (e.g. tekagi, kusari gama, or toami) are still part of the core Bujinkan training.
Conversely, Hayes expressed a desire to apply ancient ninja tactics to modern Western society. In his 2008 book The Way of the Warrior: Martial Arts and Fighting Styles from Around the World author Chris Crudelli quotes Hayes as saying founding "To-Shin Do is the greatest tribute he can pay to Hatsumi." Clearly, it can be said that the two men disagreed on the topic of contemporary application of the art. But this disagreement did not sever the men's relationship. For Hayes' sixtieth birthday (in 2009), Hatsumi sent a rare hand-written card and painting to congratulate his American student.
School Locations
To-Shin Do has established presences on four continents. Because the style is licensed from SKH Incorporated, three are different levels of participation: Affiliate Instructors, Affiliate Schools, and Training Clubs.Affiliate Instructors operate as independently owned businesses authorized to train the To-Shin Do martial arts curriculum under license agreement with SKH Inc.
Affiliate Schools are professionally run academies, with full-time facilities dedicated for To-Shin Do instruction, and are authorized to award To-Shin Do belt rank.
Training Clubs are groups of up to 35 members training together in the To-Shin Do martial arts curriculum under direction of either the Dayton Hombu Dojo, or a licensed Affiliate Instructor. Training Clubs are not professional schools, and often use shared facilities not exclusively dedicated for To-Shin Do instruction. Most clubs do not award belt ranks however, some have done so through their sponsoring teachers.
Long Distance Learning allows students to purchase courses for color belts from white leading to black. Students test for promotion by travelling to a licensed school or by submitting a video test to the hombu dojo. Black belt tests must be conducted in person.
According to the Organization's web site, locations include:
- North America: US (20 schools), Canada
- Europe: Italy, Belgium, United Kingdom
- Africa: South Africa
- Australia: Australia
Warrior Scholar Priests
Throughout To-Shin Do literature (in print, interview, or on the web) is an identification with ancient warrior-scholar-priests. Although other martial arts styles have ascribed to monastic or religious roots (e.g. Shaolin Kung FuShaolin kung fu
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...
or Kalarippayattu
Kalarippayattu
Kalaripayattu is a southern Indian martial art originating in Tamil Nadu but also practiced in contiguous parts of Kerala and Karnataka.Kalari payat includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods...
), this concept manifests in senior To-Shin Do practitioners in two ways.
First, Black Belts promoted to 3rd Degree and higher become members of the Order of To-Shi (刀士), which means "sword" - "warrior, knight, gentleman" or succinctly, "Knight of the Sword." It is tradition that upon promotion, the candidate is given a 'warrior' name, uniquely chosen by the Co-Founders.
Second, senior black belts have also taken the 'scholar' title literally, with several publishing books or articles in either martial arts or advanced psychological studies. Specific authors among the black belts include:
- Isler, Hakim. Modern Hand To Hand Combat: Ancient Samurai Techniques on the Battlefield and in the Street. Tuttle Press. 2010. ISBN 13: 9780804841276.
- Sears, R. W. Integrating Spirituality Into Clinical Practice in Innovations in Clinical Practice: A 21st Century Sourcebook, Vol. 2. Wolf, E.M., Allen, J.B. and Van de Creek, L. editors. Professional Resource Press. 2010. ISBN 9781568871301.
- Denton, R.B., Sears, R.W. Use of Mindfulness in Clinical Practice. in Innovations in Clinical Practice: A 21st Century Sourcebook, Vol 1. Allen, J.B., Wolf, E. editors. Professional Resource Press. 2008.
- Eldridge, Tori Myotoshi. Empowered Living. Publish America. 2005. ISBN 9781413784992.
- Russo, Mark Sentoshi. The Crap in my Cap. TQ Publishing. 2001. ISBN 1-59712-040-5.
Belt Ranking
Below black belt, there are 15-levels of color belt rankings. Ranks are based on the go-dai elemental system, historically used as a counting system in Japan.To-Shin Do Belt Classifications>