I've read this thread without dipping my toe in the water, but this comment by ToShinDoKa just forced me to comment. ToShinDoKa wrote:
He, while some would easily focus on defending themselves, truly demonstrated the NIN in ninja and endured such persecution, focusing instead on keeping his students or practitioners in general, focused on self improvement. Truly, IMHO, the ninja spirit.
I'm sorry, but it is anything
but the "ninja spirit" that makes Hayes act polite and focused in the matter. I've known Steve for a
very long time, and as long as I have known him, he has always been a
ceaseless self-promoter. And no, I don't mean that in an entirely good way either.
I recall when he was writing articles for Ninja Magazine and interviewing himself under a pseudonym (ie he "interviewed" himself). :shrug:
I used to talk to Steve over the phone back in the 80's, and he once lied to me about why Soke could not attend a particular Ninja Festival. He made a huge lie as an excuse, and then I found out the real reason...he was being cheap. Didn't want to spend the money Hatsumi demanded, and he was demanding it as a test for Steve because Steve had entered his "greedy mode" by that time.
I was friends with the guy who ran Shadows of Iga for him (Ron Murray) and used to spend time at the "Shadows of Iga house" that Steve bought to run the organization. So I got the inside scoop on many of his "tempter tantrums" when people upset him by doing training that Steve was not himself able to do. I even witnessed a few myself. And of course, we got the "dirt" on many things he did through people like Roger Stebelton, Dan Johnson, and Larry Turner, all of whom were close to Steve and knew the
real Steve who only ever showed the world his "Stephen K. Hayes" personna. I myself have only personally interacted with Steve outside of his "Shidoshi mode" (as we used to call it) about 2-3 times over the years.
When Hatsumi started demonstrating the
kukinage (energy throw, without touching a person), and a teacher who trained with the Highland, Indiana Shadows of Iga group was demonstrating a similar skill,
Steve went ballistic because he did not have that skill. Suddenly in his next book,
Ninja Realms of Power, we find Steve
faking the
kukinage throw.
:bs1:
The same thing happened when the Highland group started learning some special 6-member military patrol techniques from certain special forces instructors (Jeff Prather, etc). Eventually this training became part of the Windwarrior Seminars conducted by Roger Stebelton and other instructors. When they would not teach it to Steve (he wanted them to teach it to him),
he had a conniption fit. Lots of shouting and pounding of fists on desks. Steve did
not like the idea of anyone being able to do anything
he could not do. It was precisely this jealous and fanatical pursuit of power on Steve's part that caused many of his early students such as Roger Stebelton to have a falling out with him. Anything that he perceived as a threat to his egotistical belief that he was "the" great source of ninjutsu training in America was belittled, ridiculed, or pushed away.
This ultimately culminated in Steve distancing himself from Soke and going in his own direction once others started training in Japan and passing Steve up in rank. Many of us saw that coming, because we knew Steve's ego would not allow it. No need for a crystal ball to forsee that event!
So it is not Steve being "ninja like" and he is certainly not the suffering martyr you paint him as. So please spare us the :sadsong: about how poor Steve is being unfairly treated. The criticisms some of us have for him stem directly from our direct interaction with him over the years and Steve's own actions. There's no need to cover his recent outrages against Soke, it's been talked to death.
No, it's not some "ninja spirit".
It is merely Steve being careful not to blow his carfully crafted public image, which he has invested his entire life and career into. It's not that he doesn't want to rip into people for it, it's that
he cannot afford to allow himself to do so because of the bottom line...it would hurt him
financially. It's
always been about money to Steve. At least, ever since he found himself growing rich in the limelight anyway.
Now lest any Toshindo students go ballistic, I will remind them that
I am not saying that Steve has no skills. He does have a good deal of skill. He's not exactly on the Top Ten List of people I'd like to get into a life-and -death combat with. And I'm not saying that it's wrong to train with Steve or that Toshindo has no value.
What I am saying is that all the negativity Steve is having to "endure" comes from his own egotistical, greedy, and disrespectful actions. I'm just telling it like it is. Steve has issues, and he's not made any progress with them that I can see in over a quarter century now. Money is the ultimate thing in Steve's life, and he will corrupt, sacrifice, or warp his training in order to keep the money coming in.
You gotta hand it to him though. He's the ultimate self-promoter. That's where most of his training in the last 25 years has been. And Steve was always fond of surrounding himself with sycophants who worship the ground he walks on (or in some cases those who pretend to). I see that has not changed over the years either.
Like I said, perhaps the truth hurts, but truth is truth. It won't change how some people think of Steve, because usually people are not interested in hearing the truth, but rather only that which they want to hear. So be it. I no longer associate with Steve, so what he does no longer matters to me. I do find it interesting though, watching his ongoing antics.
[Edit: Grammar/spelling]
