Shadows of Iga explanation, please

[dra_uk]

Hi,

I studied Taijutsu in Toronto about 14 years ago as a teenager. The dojo was called "Kageyama - Shadows of Iga." I see that there is a new Kageyma in Toronto that opened a few years ago, but the people involved don't seem to be the same.

I've started going to a dojo here in the UK and I'm trying to fill out my application to join the dojo, and I needed some help.

I've done some Googling, and as far as I can see, it looks like the "Shadows of Iga' was a society founded by Stephen Hayes. I was blissfully unaware of all this when I studied, and there seem to be varrying opinions online about the man and the way he has taken the art in North America.

What can you tell me about this society? Have I gotten it totally wrong? Hayes came up to Toronto in about 1989 for a two day seminar. He started out the weekend by giving a speech at the Japanese Cultural Center, and then we had two full days of training. It was good, and I still have very fond memories of some of the weapons techniques he showed. (We had to bring a hanbo, a training knife, and a length of rope as a manriki - he took a shine to the plastic balisong I brought with me... :D )

I've been out of the art for the better part of 14 years, and it would really help to know what's been going on.

I do, however, get the feeling that this might be opening a big old can of worms!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cheers,

dra_uk

[JimGould]

Mr Hayes is already being discussed in another thread. Might pay you to read that one :)

[dra_uk]

I wasn't really looking for and explanation about him, but I certainly will check out the other thread. I was more interested in the Shadows of Iga society, which does not appear to have been discussed here.

The history of the organisation is what I am looking for - while it is interesting to see what regard he is currently held in, I'm more interested in what was happening in the late 80s and early 90s.

I think that their ranking system was different, and I just want to know something about it. Any ideas?

:)

[Patrick Hughes]

I realize this was a while ago. Do you remember who it was that you trained with in Toronto?
Cheers!

[Keikai]

The shadows of iga was what Hayes called his dojo some time before toshindo thats all, i think it was around the end of the 80's early 90's that it existed, i remember looking on the net at work at college for in a long long long time ago!!

[dra_uk]

I realize this was a while ago. Do you remember who it was that you trained with in Toronto?
Cheers!

I certainly do - it was the Kageyama Dojo (http://www.kageyamadojo.com/). When I studied it was on Dawes Road in the East end of Toronto, but that place closed long ago. This is a relatively new incarnation, but with the same instructor Greg Tremblay (http://www.kageyamadojo.com/shidoshi_greg_tremblay.html). I'm sure he wouldn't remember me, but I really enojyed my time studying with him.

I hope this helps. The new dojo looks very impressive, indeed. I wish I was still in Toronto - it would be nice to be able to train every day in such a sexy place!

All the best,

Dan

[Patrick Hughes]

Must have been around '86? The Dawes road dojo only lasted about a year. Chances are that we met if you trained there.
Shadows of Iga was actually the name of Steve's organisation. Anyone could join for a fee. And, since Greg was part of the organisation it was required that his students be too.
Cheers!

[dra_uk]

Must have been around '86? The Dawes road dojo only lasted about a year. Chances are that we met if you trained there.
Shadows of Iga was actually the name of Steve's organisation. Anyone could join for a fee. And, since Greg was part of the organisation it was required that his students be too.

Howdy,

I guess it must have been around then. I was introduced to the dojo by a chap called Mike who's surname I can't remember. He was a friend of a friend, and she had asked him to get in touch knowing that I was interested in martial arts. I was only a teenager at the time... I also hung out with a guy called Kevin Vandeyck. (I wonder whatever became of him...)

I hadn't realised that it was only open for such a short period of time. Do you know whatever became of Ed Brown? I seem to recall he and his wife both attended.

Did you go to the weekend of training that Steve Hayes gave around that time? He did a talk at the Japanese Cultural Centre and then we trained on the Saturday and Sunday. It was... interesting...

Do you still study bujinkan? I started back last December, and am really enjoying myself.

All the best,

Dan

[Patrick Hughes]

Hi Dan!
KVD is a trainer for a large security company now. Ed and Anne have moved out of the city. Last I heard they have a kid now.
I went to the seminar. Funny the things we all wanted to believe back then!
I no longer train Bujinkan. Met a lot of interesting people thru it though. Best of luck in your training.
Cheers!
Patrick

[snake_plisskin]

The Shadows of Iga Society was Steve Haye's "ninja appreciation" society, as it were, back in the early to ??? '80s. How do I know this? My brother joined back in '83 at the beginning of the huge Ninja Boom. I had his membership card hanging for old time's sake on my refrigerator, but apparently during our recent, um, falling out I put it somewhere I can't recall (I still have my old Society for Creative Anachronism card up there, though, from '83 when I was a wee one).

It was white with a pale reddish-pink shuriken on it, and had my brother's name typed (using a real-live typewriter, Courier font, I believe) on it as well. I think the print was typed in blue?

Anyway, you joined Shadows of Iga by writing to the address in the back of Hayes's first book, then you sent in your money, and you got the card, and also got the newsletter--four times a year, I think. it was pretty cool reading, and showed pics of the Ninja Festivals and whatnot in Ohio. It was NOT the newsletter Hayes eventually put(s) out by his Nine Gates Institute, but another one altogether. I forget its name, however. I think you also got some other goodies when you joined SOI.

Of course, I also remember buying some cool Ninja Gear from what I believe was called Scorpion Enterprises back in the eaaarrrrrly '80s... tetsubishi (ouch!), climbing claws, a cool flat-black painted kusari fundo, and some little "snaps" fireworks thingys. Somehow I remember this being related to Bud and/or Bonnie Malmstrom, but my memory is REALLY hazy, and was linked to Shadows of Iga, too (like, you joined and the newsletter had ads in it for Scorpion? maybe? Hey--I was 14, I can't remember it all!)

So, again: Shadows of Iga, '80s incarnation of Steve Hayes's ninja explorations/marketing/hooey. For a 14 year old kid, it was cool beans.

--Scott

[George Kohler]

The shadows of iga was what Hayes called his dojo some time before toshindo thats all,

AFAIK, the Shadows of Iga is still going on and is seperate from Toshindo. I think this is the organization that Mr. Hayes uses to teach the Bujinkan curriculum and gives out Bujinkan rank certificates directly from Japan.

[Keikai]

AFAIK, the Shadows of Iga is still going on and is seperate from Toshindo. I think this is the organization that Mr. Hayes uses to teach the Bujinkan curriculum and gives out Bujinkan rank certificates directly from Japan.

Is that used to give out or still gives out?

Have you seen the thread on Kutaki about him George?