Clarifying My New Position

In my mid-70s, I now call myself retired. That just means I no longer run a dojo, I drastically cut back on my traveling seminars, and I have assigned rank-awarding duties to the To-Shin Do seniors.

I am however still working with a select few dedicated students.

In the past, I devoted my entire life to promoting our martial art in the public eye. I had no job or other commitment that could split my devotion to promoting To-Shin Do. We did our best to attract all who might have been seeking a martial art dedicated to absolutely effective self-protection – from the physical perspective, the legal entanglements, and the inner reality of dealing with violence in the most effective manner. I think we were pretty unique. I knew of no other martial art that we could have been compared to.

My focus is now much smaller than it was years ago. I leave the promotion and building of To-Shin Do to anyone who wants to take it and address new frontiers. Let’s see if there is a legacy that others choose to carry on?

I have accomplished my 2-fold purpose. That purpose was 1. to gain access to the secrets of how to handle physical altercations and 2. the secrets behind the arcane Asian spiritual paths. I consider myself successful. I got what I was looking for. And I did it all for myself. Yes, I aided countless people along my way, but I was focused on my own growth way more than I was ever focused on any student’s growth.

I am still available to all who seek me out. I am willing to teach anything I know. I am just a bit harder to access for regular training.

For some, I will be an “advisor”. I will offer my knowledge that you will add to your greater amalgam of martial capability. You will have other teachers of other systems you study with too, and I will be just one more voice added to the chorus guiding you. Admittedly, in many cases, those other systems will not align with the purposes or principles of To-Shin Do, but that is OK with me if it is OK with you. We will focus on whatever I can offer to make you a better martial artist.

For others, I will be a “teacher”. I will guide you in all aspects of your journey. I will share core knowledge in how to be the most effective at self-protection, how to run a successful school, how to adapt the lessons from the dojo into lessons in living as a powerful, dignified, and focused individual, and how to effectively teach your own students. Most likely you will be solely focused on To-Shin Do as your martial practice, with little time devoted to other martial arts with principles at odds with To-Shin Do. We will focus on your becoming a tatsujin “fully actualized human being”.

We can do private lessons in my house dojo or by Zoom. Lessons can cover physical applications, history, philosophy, and personal development. I will only teach what I know and daily demonstrate in my life, because those are the things I truly believe in. Lessons can focus on modern considerations we developed from the mid-1990s, or on historic bases for knowledge of the ninja ways I studied in the 1970s.

Think about it. Are you one of the few up for a special relationship with the aging slightly more reclusive founder of To-Shin Do? I am still here. Will you choose to be here too?