Stephen K. Hayes

By a miraculous turn of events—he found them! After years of rigorous training with Masaaki Hatsumi, Stephen built a reputation as an expert practitioner of ninjutsu . He authored numerous books on the subject, taught seminars around the world, and was featured in countless martial arts magazines as the man who brought the ninja martial arts to the West. Stephen (still focused on the power to protect ) believed that what he had learned could be highly effective for modern self-defense , if practitioners chose to prioritize realism and stayed open to continually adapting and updating their training. Stephen also realized that physical protection was only half (or less) of the picture. So, in the late 1980s (while continuing to teach martial arts), he set-off on another quest to explore the mind-science and spiritual arts of the ninja in depth, especially the mysterious five element system that his teachers had occasionally mentioned. His quest took him through esoteric mountain training in Japan with the Mikkyo and Shugendo traditions, eventually leading him to the roots of those practices in India and the mountains of Tibet. (He even worked in the 90s as a bodyguard for the Dalai Lama). The To-Shin Do community now has schools on four continents and practitioners all over the world on their own quest to build their protector skills and create a brighter future for all people. Find a To-Shin Do school near you, check out upcoming training seminars with Stephen K. Hayes and other top instructors, or BECOME A MEMBER of our online Global Dojo to access our extensive library of video courses (including all Stephen K. Hayes DVD & VHS publications), plus private community, coaching, and testing for remote students! Stephen K. Hayes was born on September 9, 1949, in Delaware and grew up in Ohio. Even as a young child, he remembers wishing he had the power to stop bullies and protect people —just like his favorite TV heroes. He was so determined to learn martial arts that he convinced his mother to check out books on the subject from the library after the librarian had refused him, thinking the topic was inappropriate for kids! He was finally studying martial arts! Stephen trained diligently, eventually earning several degrees of black belt in Tang Soo Do . After college, he opened his own martial arts school, but deep down he knew there was more. The sport martial art he was practicing wasn’t enough to satisfy his questions about finding the most effective way of protecting people from real violence. In 1975, with no connections in Japan, no visa, and little money —Stephen took a break from his school and followed his dream to Noda City, Japan, where, by miraculous circumstances, he was able to meet Masaaki Hatsumi, the 34th generation headmaster of the Togakure Ryu school of ninjutsu. After a brief initial visit, Stephen was able to obtain a rare cultural visa that allowed him to return and stay in Japan for 5 years. He trained tirelessly, learning everything he could about the ninja approach to combat, weapons, espionage, and escape—as well as methods of building mental and spiritual power. But Rumiko had already discovered his secret and had a ninja dream of her own! Rumiko joined Stephen at the dojo with Masaaki Hatsumi and played a key role in translating historical documents and arcane records about the ninja’s lineage and legacy. Stephen started writing books and to everyone’s surprise (and his publisher’s delight) Stephen’s books flew off the shelves! For the first time in the West, the ninja became a public icon. Hollywood made movies. There were Ninja Turtles . Shinobi video games. The small dojo in quiet Noda City was about to become a destination for tens of thousands of aspiring martial artists from around the world! Stephen and Rumiko married and moved back to the United States in the early 80s, but returned to Japan frequently for on-going training. Due to the success of his books and his reputation as an e