Stephen K. Hayes

{{short description|American martial artist and writer (born 1949)}}

{{infobox person

| name = Stephen K. Hayes

| image =

| caption =

| alt =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|9|9}}

| birth_place = Wilmington, Delaware, United States

| alma_mater = Miami University

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Ninja master
martial arts
instructor
author
Buddhist priest

}}

| spouse = Rumiko Urata Hayes{{cite web|url=http://www.skhquest.com/skhbio.html |title=Biography of Hayes |accessdate=July 23, 2011 |url-status=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19991003183426/http://www.skhquest.com/skhbio.html |archivedate=October 3, 1999 }} (1999), his business website.

| children = Daughters: Reina and MarissaTreadway, Marcia J. (November 23, 2000). "Dream Big, American Ninja Says". Dayton Daily News. p. 24.

}}

Stephen K. Hayes (born September 9, 1949) is an American martial artist and writer.

Early life

Stephen K. Hayes was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and raised in Dayton, Ohio. He graduated from Fairmont West High School in Kettering, Ohio, in 1967.

Hayes attended Miami University in nearby Oxford, Ohio, because he "heard they had a judo club".[http://stephenkhayes.com/biography/ Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226014208/http://stephenkhayes.com/biography/ |date=December 26, 2011 }} at his official website. December 24, 2010. 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 of Arts degree, having majored in speech and theatre.Hayes, Stephen K. (1992). Enlightened Self-Protection: To-Shin Do Martial Art Tradition. SKH QUEST Publications. p. 80. {{ISBN|0-9632473-9-5}}.

Martial arts career

In the 1970s, Hayes traveled to Japan.Skittone, Lisa Susan. "Ninjutsu: The Power of a Dirty Look". Choices. Spring 1994. Vol. III, No. 2. pp. 38-43 {{ISSN|0895-6014}} In June 1975, he met and began training under Tsunehisa Tanemura. He later trained under Masaaki Hatsumi,{{cite book | last = Hayes | first = Stephen | title = Lore of the Shinobi Warrior | publisher = Ohara Publications | year = 1989 | isbn = 0-89750-123-3}} who refers to himself as 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-ryū ninjutsu and is the 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.[http://www.bujinkanatl.com/about-bud.html About Bud Malmstrom] There is some evidence that he visited and taught in the United States on ninjutsu as early as 1976.

In 1985, he was entered into the Black Belt magazine's Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year.{{cite web|url=http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Main_Page|title=BME Encyclopedia|work=bmezine.com}} He was again featured on the cover of Black Belt in the March 2007 issue.{{cite web |url=http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/521 |title=Black Belt Magazine |accessdate=2008-02-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205075023/http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/521 |archivedate=February 5, 2008 |df=mdy-all}} Archive of Black Beltwhich contains a chapter from his book Ninja Vol 6, Secret Scrolls of the Warrior Sage{{ISBN|0-89750-156-X}} /{{ISBN|978-0-89750-156-9}} The magazine's opening editorial described him as "one of the 10 most influential living martial artists in the world".{{cite news |last = Young |first = Robert |title = Editorial |date = March 2007 |newspaper = Black Belt |url = http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/553 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071218022045/http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/553 |archivedate = December 18, 2007 |df = mdy-all}}

In 1993, Hayes was awarded the judan (tenth-degree black belt) in Togakure-ryū ninjutsu from Hatsumi.

In 1997, he founded the martial art of To-Shin Do,Toller, Dennis (October 1998). "Once the West's Most Celebrated Ninja, Stephen K. Hayes Has Moved Beyond the Assassin Image." Black Belt. p. 32 an art based in his experience of budō taijutsu.

In 2006, Hayes's name was removed from the display of active Bujinkan teachers, ending his official role within that organization. That his 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.Hamon, [http://www.ichinendojo.com/navigation/media/articles/articles6.html Welcome to Ichinen Dojo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407103533/http://ichinendojo.com/navigation/media/articles/articles6.html |date=April 7, 2015 }} Hayes explains that he simply no longer participates as an active Bujinkan instructor.[http://stephenkhayes.com/2009/03/17/questions-and-answers-part-4/ Questions and Answers Part 4] at his official website 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.[http://www.skhquest.com/train-with-us/schools/ Licensed Instructors] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323125017/http://www.skhquest.com/train-with-us/schools/ |date=March 23, 2010 }} SKH Quest

Hayes acted in the 1980 television miniseries Shogun{{cite news|title= Japan's Hatsumi Will Highlight Burbank Martial-Arts Event | work= Los Angeles Times |date= April 30, 1988 |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-30-vw-1804-story.html|access-date= August 28, 2010}} and in 2004 was featured in the Discovery Channel documentary Unsolved History regarding ninja and their practices.[http://shopping.discovery.com/product-56036.html?jzid=40588004-59-0 Unsolved History: Ninjas]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Discovery Channel

Buddhism

Hayes is an ordained practitioner of esoteric Tendai Mikkyō Buddhism.[http://www.bluelotusassembly.org/ Blue Lotus Assembly]. 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.[http://www.tendai.org/i_around_the_world/north_america/mistugon-an-texas.html Choffy]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928130656/http://www.tendai.org/i_around_the_world/north_america/mistugon-an-texas.html |date=September 28, 2007 }} He received empowerments and teachings from 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.

While traveling through Tibet, Hayes met the Dalai Lama in 1987. During a conference in the United States when the Dalai Lama learned that he had received the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize Hayes assisted with the unexpected security concerns as reporters arrived.Srivastava, Spriha (December 5, 2010). [http://www.thesundayindian.com/article.php?article_id=10479 "The Dalai Lama: War and Peace"]. The Daily Indian For many years in the 1990s, Hayes served as the Dalai Lama's personal protection escort and security adviser, especially during visits to the United States.Zezzo, Mickey (April 9, 1998). "Dedicated Toward His Quest; Stephen K. Hayes Will Help with Security for the Dalai Lama". Dayton Daily News. pp. Z3–10.

Personal life

Hayes resides and works in Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife, Rumiko Hayes,[http://stephenkhayes.com/2011/04/14/happy-in-your-home-and-dojo/ "Happy in Your Home and Dojo"] at his official website. have two daughters, Reina and Marissa.

Books

Non-fiction

Ninja: Spirit of the Shadow Warrior (1980), Ohara Publications
The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art (1981), Charles E. Tuttle Co.
Ninja vol. 2: Warrior Ways of Enlightenment (1981), Ohara Publications
Ninja vol. 3: Warrior Path of Togakure (1983), Ohara Publications
Ninjutsu: The Art of the Invisible Warrior (1984) Contemporary Books
Wisdom from the Ninja Village of the Cold Moon (1984) Contemporary Books
Ninja vol. 4: Legacy of the Night Warrior (1985), Ohara Publications
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
Ninja vol. 5: Lore of the Shinobi Warrior (1989), Ohara Publications
Enlightened Self-Protection: The Kasumi-An Ninja Art Tradition: An Original Workbook (1992), Nine Gates Press
Action Meditation: The Japanese Diamond and Lotus Tradition (1993), Nine Gates Press
The Ninja Defense: A Modern Master's Approach to Universal Dangers (2012), Tuttle Publishing
The Complete Ninja Collection (2013), Black Belt Communications

Fiction

Tulku, a Tale of Modern Ninja (1985) Contemporary Books

Filmography

Ninja Vengeance (1988), Himself (as Ninjutsu Instructor){{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095745/ |title=Ninja Vengeance (1988) |publisher=Amazon.com |website=IMDb.com, Inc. |date=June 30, 1993 |access-date=19 February 2017}}