History

The history of Toshido begins with the legendary ninja of Japan. It developed as a system to survive in very unstable and chaotic times. These skills were passed down through many generations and eventually fell to 高松 寿嗣 Takamatsu Toshitsugu.

Toshitsugu Takematsu lived an impressive life traveling in his youth through Mongolia and China. His young history included several fights to the death, espionage activities and gaining the nickname “Mongolian Tiger” among his peers. By most accounts his life after returning to Japan was quiet, he founded the Sakushin school and trained most of his students in relative seclusion, often out of his home. He also became an abbot of the Tendai sect and served in the Mt. Hiei region. His proficiency and private manner led to few having knowledge of his martial skills. Upon his death in 1972 many were shocked to learn of his full history even after reading the details in his obituary. In many ways he was the last combat ninja. With his death the lineage was passed to 初見 良昭 Hatsumi Masaaki.

Soke Hatsumi Masaaki founded his school the Bujinkan and carried on the traditions and lessons with a new generation. Hatsumi teaches much more openly and has moved the ninja history much more out of the shadows and into a modern place within the martial arts community. The Bujinkan now operates in countries around the world with students of many nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. Hatsumi holds the title of Soke or “head of the lineage” and has made training accessible through books, conferences and instructors from many walks of life. He has been featured in many documentaries around the world was an advisor on the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Many of Hatsumi’s senior students have gone on to open schools of their own and he continues to head the Bujinkan from Noda Japan.

Stephen K. Hayes studied under Dr. Hatsumi in Japan. In time he returned to the United States. Over the years Mr. Hayes has authored many books on the ninja, their training and their history. He has appeared in several documentaries for the Discovery and History Channels. He has worked as a security advisor for the Dalai Lama and has advised many law enforcement and military agencies on hand to hand combat. Additionally, he is a member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame and most notable for his efforts to bring the ninja to the U.S. He continues promoting the history and legacy of the ninja as a teacher. Under the banner of Toshindo he opened his own school in Dayton, Ohio and has a series of network schools spanning 15 states and several countries in Europe.

The ninja fighting system known as “ninjutsu” is a compilation of martial arts. Historically these began as nine separate martial schools. Over time these schools merged and added to the knowledge of the ninja. Some of these schools began as rivals and initially kept their methods secret…it was through the merging of these rival schools that the early ninja began to see multiple approaches to problems and gave rise to their adaptability and iconic status as warrior sages. Each school had a set of skills and while many of those skills were similar each school also contained many unique aspects to their curriculum. Some schools specialized in certain skill sets and others were designed to be taught in more general terms. Some of these specialties included things like mounted combat, ship board fighting, specialized weapons, espionage, intelligence gathering, survival training, camouflage, medicine, mobility methods and so on. Unlike many martial arts the ninja training incorporated much more than just combat skills. The ninja training had to cover all aspects of life out of necessity and included conditioning, occupational skills, arts, music, philosophy, agriculture, economics and dietary training. Their survival depended on being broadly educated so that they could self sustain and thrive in difficult environments that would bog down and dishearten their adversaries. Because the ninja were seen as outsiders and lived in isolated regions in small groups they did not field large armies or deal in lucrative trade goods. They operated in small family oriented units and depended on these broad skill sets to thrive rather than the support of large clans, rigid social codes and the wealth of feudal lords. They had to operate without numbers and maximize efficiency in every task if they wished to stay alive.

At Inner Power we keep this self sufficient legacy alive through our training. We strive to make not just warriors but to provide tools that allow our students to thrive in circumstances that would detour and overwhelm the average person.