Customer Reviews

Wisdom from the Ninja Village of the Cold Moon

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At its core, Wisdom From The Ninja Village Of The Cold Moon is an extraordinarily beautiful book of poetry. The maki-mono scrolls of the ninja clan's collected knowledge and wisdom inspire the compositional style of the book. If there is one book which can break the ... view of the black garbed ninja, this is it. Rather than focusing on what weapons the ninja uses or what fighting style he or she employs, this book reaches into the heart of the ninja. Hayes brings the philosophy and responsibilities of the ninja to the forefront by exploring everything from the need for harmony with the surrounding natural world:
"Become one with the small animals of the forest.
Teach them not to fear you.
Move with natural gentleness through the realm
You share with them." (Hayes)
To controlling one's inward feelings:
"Do not hate
and your enemy will not know that you bring his
destruction.
Do not fear
And you will not be controlled." (Hayes)
This book is necessary for the true practitioner of ninjutsu to understand that the most powerful weapons are not what is held in the hand, but what is harbored in the heart and the mind. Even for the more casual reader, truths to dealing with everyday problems will come forth from this book. A masterpiece to be treasured upon any bookshelf.

Know that the heavens were created to descend into the five elemental manifestations.
>> From the rocks and earth we learn stability.
>> From the water we learn flexibility.
>> From the fire we learn intensity.
>> From the air we learn acceptance.
>> From the ethereal heavens we learn understanding.

The benevolent warrior understands the true scope and priorities of warfare.

The ninja trains to hold an empty heart to lose the singularity of self and become a part of the scheme of totality where actions are simply actions and words merely words.

Such is the Wisdom From The Ninja Village Of The Cold Moon. Stephen K. Hayes has written a most inspirational book offering insight into the heart of Ninpo. Yet beyond poetry and inspiration Stephen K. Hayes reveals secrets of the ninja's art.

Nine throwing stars of steel pocketed over your heart. Blades borne on dark winds raining from the ninja's hand ~ The steel extension of your very life force shoots forth to stun those who stalk you in the darkness.

Wisdom From The Ninja Village Of The Cold Moon is based on the cryptic maki-mono scrolls of ancient Japan ~ yet written by a modern practitioner of the ninja's art. The scrolls contain the secrets possessed by each ninja family and expanded by each generation as new truths were discovered. And so here we have the contributions of Stephen K. Hayes to the secrets of the ninja's heart.

I highly recommend this book to any student of ninjutsu, and to anyone who seeks to make his heart the source of light in his life.

This was written in the style of the traditional teaching scroll inherited down the lineage among Ninja clans, pointing to their traditional teachings, but leaving much to the oral lessons of Master - student relationship. A great read!

The author is an American who traveled to the remote Iga region of Japan. While there, he became the apprentice of a thirty-fourth generation Togakure ninjutsu grandmaster. Ninjutsu is a nine-hundred-year-old art of ninja combat based on silent movement and subtle combat. Hayes became the first westerner in the history of the Togakure ninja clan to be awarded the title of Shidoshi or "teacher of the warrior ways of enlightenment." This book is a collection of his original writings and photos.
While written in English, these verses have a clear Japanese style. Soft, sometimes subtle messages embedded in brief passages that describe the ways of the ninja warrior. Contrary to what is often depicted in movies, the way of the ninja is not one of pounding everyone within reach while screaming at the top of their lungs. It is guile, stealth and cunning, for the greatest victory is often in the battle that is not fought. While Hayes is obviously not a polished writer, I was impressed with his verses. It kept the Japanese style, although with an American modification and they clearly express the true way of the ninja master.

A book of Ninpo Philosophy and poetry, liberally illustrated with photographs of Stephen and Rumiko Hayes, Hatsumi Masaaki, and numerous photographs in the Mikkyo Buddhist tradition and of Japanese architecture.

Hayes says he has based this work on the cryptic "Makimono" (school transmission scrolls) of history. This is Hayes way of passing on the lore of ninpo to the rest of us. Well thought out, well written, and thankfully NOT cryptic or confusing. Nowadays, it is often difficult to talk about "ninja" without sounding cheesy. Hayes always manages to completely avoid all vestiges of cheesiness and pretentiousness. This is definately not some grade-schoolish effort to "sell ninjurs by the river".

Stephen Hayes was one of the first Non-Japanese (and the first American) to study Togakure ninjutsu and the Bujinkan traditions under 34th generation Togakure-ryu Ninpo headmaster Hatsumi Matsaaki. He was the first American to be awarded the title "Shidoshi" by Hatsumi Sensei.

in this great book Stephen K Hayes does such a breathtaking essay on Ninjitsu and especially ninja poetry!!!
it is not just about Ninjutsu but poetry on Life in general,on the elements of nature and on how these cunning wizars/warriros /philosophers brought their art alive from medieval japan to today's industrial world!
there is such beauty in the poetry of Stephen K hayes that one starts loving ninjas and forget the negative stereoptypes!!!
nah!the Ninja is not darth Vader!!!on te contrary he is a poet,a man or woman dedicated to ecology!!!of living in accordance with Nature!!!a wild character but a good character!!!
Buy this book!you'll change entirely on the Ninja!!!Don Draeger was wrong!!!in his book on Ninjutsu he copied old spy stories and fantasy but the true Ninja is here with Stephen K Hayes and Masaaki Hatsumi Sensei his teacher!!!