This is a very temporary post for those attending my NINE CUTS – NINE POWERS Winter Quest seminar in North Carolina. This also appears with an explanation in the SKH Quest Hombu Dojo On-Line Community. NA-MA-KU Namah Homage SHI-CHI-RI YA-JI-BI-KYA NAN try-adhvikanam to the three worlds of SA-RU-BA TA-TA-GYA-TA NAN sarva tathagatanam all Enlightened Ones! […]

“The more I know, the higher I climb, but the mountain just grows taller. The more I learn, the further I search, but the valley just grows deeper. I see no finish ahead. Such is the path of my life.” …a motto for me, an honored present from a much-older martial master friend, adapted by […]

An-shu Stephen and An-shu Rumiko Hayes brought their “Nine Cuts – Nine Powers” 2011 teaching theme to Plaistow, New Hampshire, to celebrate the dedication of the Shinobi Martial Arts dojo. Over 70 practitioners gathered to share training with An-shu Stephen and An-shu Rumiko and hosts Dennis Fuutoshi Mahoney, Theresa Murphy, and Darryl Brazee. Guest instructors […]

Here is some important insight from the heart as to what it feels like to challenge yourself mentally and physically in the martial arts training hall. Man or woman, we can all have these periods of doubt and then make breakthroughs if we are brave enough to ask the disturbing questions. At one point in […]

At Boulder, Colorado, SKH Quest Center, one-third of the students are women – different from the national perception of martial arts being a male endeavor. So, what inspires girls to study with us? What have they gained? Feeling confident about themselves in any situation – on or off the mat – was a consistent response […]

One of the key principles we teach in To-Shin Do for effective defense against an attacker who is bigger, stronger, or more angry than you is the concept of effectively controlling ma-ai “interval” in combat. Though the Japanese term ma-ai usually refers to spatial relationships, there are intervals in time as well, which I will […]