I sometimes say things that are misunderstood. Perhaps all of us, at one time or another, have paid someone a compliment only to have the intended recipient take offense. We may have done what we thought was a good deed only to have it misinterpreted or criticized. And I can remember a few good ideas I’ve had that were readily shot down by others.
I travelled to Ohio many years ago to inform my teacher, Stephen Hayes, that that I was quitting my career so I could start a school and teach martial arts full time. He looked at me with what I took to be hesitant surprise, but the look on his face quickly turned to interest. I could see the wheels turning as he weighed the situation and then lowered his voice in that conspiratorial tone he sometimes adopts. He began to tell me of an audacious and extraordinary idea to establish his own martial art. This would be unlike any other art. Drawing from his training in the combat methods of Japan’s legendary ninja warriors and Yamabushi mountain ascetic traditions, his thought was to marry powerful techniques for personal protection and dynamic living with modern teaching methods. The results would be offered to the world so that these timeless skills would be available to all people.
At the time, Mr. Hayes had a sizable number of students throughout the United States and around the world. I remember Mr. Hayes thinking how wonderful it would be to have all these existing students training in this new art. These were skilled martial artists who would make an excellent foundation for the growth of To-Shin Do, as he called it. To-Shin Do would provide even more comprehensive training than its ninjutsu predecessor and would be more relevant in dealing with modern conflicts, fight tactics and technology.
Yet, the great idea that was To-Shin Do was to be shot down by enemies, and even friends. To Anshu’s disbelief, many friends and students misunderstood the idea of To-Shin Do and thought it to be a watered down version of ninjutsu. They tried to discourage him from moving in this new direction. I remember his frustration when he explained that To-Shin Do was not watered down at all, but beefed up and made stronger, organized in a sensible way that would make learning safer and more meaningful. All were invited to join him on this quest.
And, I remember Mr. Hayes’ surprise and disappointment when nearly all of his old students left him. It could not have been easy to see so many walk away. Thus it was that, with only a few students remaining, Mr. Hayes resolutely embarked on his journey to bring To-Shin Do into the world. And it is because of that decision, the realization of that dream, that we train and learn and grow in what has become something significant and life-changing. Perhaps someday, I will share the reasons why I was one of the few who chose to stay.
