Stephen K. Hayes — Pioneering the Ninja Arts in the West
In 1985 he was elected to the Black Belt Hall of Fame for his years of pioneering work introducing the Japanese ninja martial arts to the Western world. In 1993, Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi of Chiba-ken, Japan, awarded him the rare honor of ju-dan, 10th degree Black Belt, in the nine historical traditions of the Bujinkan Dojo martial arts. In 1997, exactly 30 years after beginning his formal training, Stephen K. Hayes founded the martial art of To-Shin Do. He has been featured in publications ranging from Black Belt to Tricycle Buddhist Review, and is the author of nineteen books which translate the knowledge of the East into pragmatic lessons for contemporary Western life. His books have sold over 1.3 million copies and many are published in a variety of languages around the world.
Listen to the interview
This interview was conducted for Martial Arts Professional, the trade magazine the National Association of Professional Martial Artists has published since 1996, and appeared in the magazine’s interview series. It is republished here as part of the magazine’s archive. The original recording date is not stated in the surviving archive record.
