Editor's Note: This article is a reply to the editorial "The Devil's Advocate", by Jeff M. Miller, which appeared in the June edition of Ura & Omote. This response is presented here as a "Counterpoint" to Mr. Miller's "Point".

Ura & Omote is a non-partisan newsletter. The articles/editorials included herein are of their author's own opinions and they do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the editor.

Reply to the Devil's Advocate
by Michael Fazekas

I began my training under Shidoshi Hayes, and after several years decided that I wanted to follow a style of learning that more closely related to what Soke was presenting. When I left the Shadows of Iga, I did so without rancor and without making any enemies. I still have many friends who train directly under Stephen Hayes. I consider those under Mr. Hayes to still be students of the Bujinkan. But I also believe that they are studying areas that I have no interest in. Therefore, I spend my time seeking out material that concerns the Bujinkan as a whole. I was most surprised to read the editorial written by Mr. Miller. It is obvious to me that Mr. Miller, in his professed 11 years of training, still has not learned how to observe. But more importantly, Mr. Miller has no grasp of the true purpose of the Bujinkan. When asked why he now teaches openly this once hidden art, Soke has said: "That all men be friends." But in his retaliatory article, Mr. Miller continually holds Stephen Hayes up as "The one selected by Hatsumi-sensei to be the true voice for the western students." He also criticizes those that attended the 1994 Tai Kai as those who "seem to be interested in doing it the Japanese-way."

Well, Mr. Miller, it is obvious to the majority of ninjutsu students in the U.S. that there is no one person that has been selected as the "true voice of ninjutsu in the West". By definition, this role cannot even exist. In an art that relies upon being unlimited and undefined by labels, selecting only one person to be the single voice of authority would be a death blow to the art. That is why Soke has so many of his students in teaching roles across the globe, and asks so many of them to demonstrate their techniques. It is important that the other students have as many examples of the art as possible.

As for your demand that the people demonstrating speak of what they learned, Mr. Miller, that is precisely what they are doing! When someone says "What I saw when Soke did the technique...," the operative phrase is "What I saw," i.e., "My take on this technique is..." Mr. Miller, you simply haven't learned to observe quietly. As for the quotation "doing it the Japanese-way," there are many, many students who believe that since this is a Japanese art, the best way to learn it is to study the way the Japanese do it. This does not make us compulsive or even cultists. It simply proves that we are following what we believe in, as you do. But to fault us for doing exactly what Stephen Hayes once did (I am referring to his extensive time spent in Japan with Soke) is inane to the extreme. If anything, what those of the "American Bujinkan (sic)" are doing is more akin to the path once taken by Stephen Hayes than that you are currently following. This is especially true since Stephen Hayes has decided to augment the training of his students with material learned from other sources.

In the end, Mr. Miller, you are going to find that we are no different than you. We share the excitement of a good class, and the warmth of good fellowship. The difference is that we have decided to follow someone who holds a different view than yours. This is what you are really upset about. That not everyone holds the same values as you. And this is what I am upset about: I was hoping that U&O would be able to remain outside the fracas between the "Hayeslings" and the "Bujies." Adding fuel to this fire, as Mr. Miller's editorial has done, does nothing to further the art itself or the training of those who participate.

Michael Fazekas is a 4th Dan and a Shidoshi-ho training at the Bujinkan Akahige Dojo near Cincinnati, Ohio. He began his training in Ninpo in 1982 under Stephen Hayes. He also holds a 3rd Dan in the Korean martial art of Hapkido. He can be reached at MFazekas@aol.com.