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Tulku: A Novel of Modern Ninja
Ken Odate, a young apprentice, and Kozo Matsutani, his aging master must find a way to stop a series of murders that have so far stymied fellow Ninja operatives
- GenresMartial Arts
228 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Stephen K. Hayes
53 books57 followersStephen K. Hayes has spent his entire adult life in the pursuit of perfection through the study of the Asian martial arts and spiritual traditions, living and traveling throughout North America, Japan, Europe, the Arctic, China, Tibet, Nepal, and India.
Promoting the benefits of Life Mastery Through Martial Arts, he travels the world as teacher, seminar leader, and lecturer, inspiring others by translating his extensive background in martial arts and meditation into practical lessons for handling the pressures and uncertainties of life. Students, readers, and seminar participants have reported that his teachings have brought them deep encouragement and empowerment, and inspired them to achieve new levels of success in their personal and professional lives.
While a university student, he read a series of articles in Black Belt Magazine about Japan’s ninja phantom warriors he had first read about in a James Bond novel as a high school student. “Incredibly inspiring lore! Painful to know that such an art existed and was impossible for me to learn. Too bad that martial art was not taught in my hometown…”
On a hot steamy July day in 1975, Stephen K. Hayes stepped off a jetliner in Tokyo with the thinnest of hopes that he could find the Togakure ninja dojo. “What a miracle. I found them and they accepted me as an uchi-deshi student in the grandmaster’s home dojo. You can read the story of my search for the ninja dojo and how I got started training in Japan in The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art.”
In the early 1980s, American ninjutsu students often trained outdoors in the woods and rocks and dust, and usually wore tough durable military style attire rather than traditional Japanese martial arts suits and belts. “Since I was the only one in the western hemisphere to have studied in the Togakure ninja martial arts school, I rarely wore my black belt. People knew where I had trained, and I was happy to let my martial skill and knowledge determine any fame I might earn.”
From the 1980s right up to today, he has been featured in TV and film documentary projects with networks such as NBC, A&E, Discovery Channel, and Fuji TV
His 19 books have sold over 1 million copies – many volumes published in different languages around the world, translating the timeless knowledge of the East into pragmatic lessons for contemporary Western life.
Stephen K. Hayes was awarded the extremely rare honor of Ninja Taijutsu Ju-dan 10th degree Black Belt in 1993. He went on to found the martial art of To-Shin Do in 1997; he and his wife Rumiko are both known as An-shu, founder-directors of the Kasumi-An.
Stephen K. Hayes has demonstrated self-protection combat skills to military and law-enforcement groups including the U.S. Air Force Academy, the FBI Academy, the American Society for Law Enforcement Training, and members of Britain’s elite SAS. He has worked on special assignments with the United States Department of State Dignitary Security Services, and under contract with the United States Defense Intelligence Agency.
Stephen K. Hayes taught as Adjunct Professor in the Masters of Business Management program of the McGregor School of Antioch University, and serves on the University of Dayton Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Advisory Council, and the Union Institute & University Center for Clinical Mindfulness and Meditation.
An-shu Stephen K. Hayes is Chairman of the Board of SKH Quest and a network of licensed affiliate schools around the world. His personal school – SKH Quest To-Shin Do Central Training Headquarters – is located in Dayton, Ohio.
Promoting the benefits of Life Mastery Through Martial Arts, he travels the world as teacher, seminar leader, and lecturer, inspiring others by translating his extensive background in martial arts and meditation into practical lessons for handling the pressures and uncertainties of life. Students, readers, and seminar participants have reported that his teachings have brought them deep encouragement and empowerment, and inspired them to achieve new levels of success in their personal and professional lives.
While a university student, he read a series of articles in Black Belt Magazine about Japan’s ninja phantom warriors he had first read about in a James Bond novel as a high school student. “Incredibly inspiring lore! Painful to know that such an art existed and was impossible for me to learn. Too bad that martial art was not taught in my hometown…”
On a hot steamy July day in 1975, Stephen K. Hayes stepped off a jetliner in Tokyo with the thinnest of hopes that he could find the Togakure ninja dojo. “What a miracle. I found them and they accepted me as an uchi-deshi student in the grandmaster’s home dojo. You can read the story of my search for the ninja dojo and how I got started training in Japan in The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art.”
In the early 1980s, American ninjutsu students often trained outdoors in the woods and rocks and dust, and usually wore tough durable military style attire rather than traditional Japanese martial arts suits and belts. “Since I was the only one in the western hemisphere to have studied in the Togakure ninja martial arts school, I rarely wore my black belt. People knew where I had trained, and I was happy to let my martial skill and knowledge determine any fame I might earn.”
From the 1980s right up to today, he has been featured in TV and film documentary projects with networks such as NBC, A&E, Discovery Channel, and Fuji TV
His 19 books have sold over 1 million copies – many volumes published in different languages around the world, translating the timeless knowledge of the East into pragmatic lessons for contemporary Western life.
Stephen K. Hayes was awarded the extremely rare honor of Ninja Taijutsu Ju-dan 10th degree Black Belt in 1993. He went on to found the martial art of To-Shin Do in 1997; he and his wife Rumiko are both known as An-shu, founder-directors of the Kasumi-An.
Stephen K. Hayes has demonstrated self-protection combat skills to military and law-enforcement groups including the U.S. Air Force Academy, the FBI Academy, the American Society for Law Enforcement Training, and members of Britain’s elite SAS. He has worked on special assignments with the United States Department of State Dignitary Security Services, and under contract with the United States Defense Intelligence Agency.
Stephen K. Hayes taught as Adjunct Professor in the Masters of Business Management program of the McGregor School of Antioch University, and serves on the University of Dayton Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Advisory Council, and the Union Institute & University Center for Clinical Mindfulness and Meditation.
An-shu Stephen K. Hayes is Chairman of the Board of SKH Quest and a network of licensed affiliate schools around the world. His personal school – SKH Quest To-Shin Do Central Training Headquarters – is located in Dayton, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 14, 2023
First things first - This is a book I never thought I would get to read. When I first discovered it online, it had already gone out of print and was going for extravagant sums on the secondary market so I shoved it to the back of my mind and got on with my life. So imagine my surprise when this book got donated to the library I work at!! Having grown up thumbing through Hayes martial arts books on Ninjutsu and read his account of learning in the dojo of Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi (The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art), I was eager to delve into this.
The story is actually kind of slow to start, following the Matsutani Shojo corporation uncovering a plot against them. For this family organization has a secret - they are the descendants of a dishonored samurai who founded a ninja clan and have slowly and deliberately advanced themselves in an ever-changing world. When one of their number, Kozu Matsutani, rebels and leaves the clan during WW2, it is believed that there will be dark ramifications for the family. Until he returns, 40 years later, to aid his family in their time of need. For Kozu is a tulku, the "reincarnated custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments" (thank you Wikipedia). Kozu's powers and abilities are magnified due to this unique combination of spirituality and martial arts. He begins to instruct a protege, Ken Odate, an apprentice ninja, as they and other Matsutani ninja team up against a conspiracy to eliminate the family.
So this was good, but not great. Hayes obviously has a great amount of knowledge about his subject matter (both ninjutsu and buddhism) and his depiction of ninja in a modern world is compelling but brief. In fact, the book at 228 pages has the feeling of don't blink and you miss it (or the literary equivalent of such.) I wonder if this was intended to be the first of a series. If so it's a shame that Hayes never continued with these characters because I wanted more of the adventures of Kozu and Ken and their secret world. It also felt more realistic in their depiction of modern ninja than Eric van Lustbader's Nicholas Linnear (who is one part ninja, one part private eye, one part NYT best seller hero.)
If you can find it, it's worth a read.
The story is actually kind of slow to start, following the Matsutani Shojo corporation uncovering a plot against them. For this family organization has a secret - they are the descendants of a dishonored samurai who founded a ninja clan and have slowly and deliberately advanced themselves in an ever-changing world. When one of their number, Kozu Matsutani, rebels and leaves the clan during WW2, it is believed that there will be dark ramifications for the family. Until he returns, 40 years later, to aid his family in their time of need. For Kozu is a tulku, the "reincarnated custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments" (thank you Wikipedia). Kozu's powers and abilities are magnified due to this unique combination of spirituality and martial arts. He begins to instruct a protege, Ken Odate, an apprentice ninja, as they and other Matsutani ninja team up against a conspiracy to eliminate the family.
So this was good, but not great. Hayes obviously has a great amount of knowledge about his subject matter (both ninjutsu and buddhism) and his depiction of ninja in a modern world is compelling but brief. In fact, the book at 228 pages has the feeling of don't blink and you miss it (or the literary equivalent of such.) I wonder if this was intended to be the first of a series. If so it's a shame that Hayes never continued with these characters because I wanted more of the adventures of Kozu and Ken and their secret world. It also felt more realistic in their depiction of modern ninja than Eric van Lustbader's Nicholas Linnear (who is one part ninja, one part private eye, one part NYT best seller hero.)
If you can find it, it's worth a read.
August 18, 2009
Hayes is the foremost authority to the western world on everything Ninja.
I would give this book an "R" rating, too, however.
I would give this book an "R" rating, too, however.
November 6, 2016
Fun story, especially for those of us who enjoy the mortal arts. Stephen Hayes has become the foremost authority here in North America on the Ninja tradition. Fun, easy read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews