To students and practitioners:
by looking over all of these pages,
you can determine the standards
and values of those teachers whose
names are listed below.

Shidoshi-ho are assistant instructors, junior black belts (1st through 4th dan) who have been recommended by their shidoshi teachers to Hatsumi Sensei for inclusion into the shidoshi-kai.

Eric Vito	Kalamazoo, MI
Bernadette van der Vliet	Cheyenne, Wyoming
J.R. Edens	Cusseta, GA
Ron Bergman	Brookings, SD
Phillip Vautour	British Columbia
Michael Blanton Jr.	Wimberly, TX
Mark Darrah	Ontario, Canada
Pierre Benoit	Pierrefonds, Québec
Charles O. Lucas	New York, NY
Mike Tari	Yamika, WA
Lee Allan Smith	River Glade, Ontario
Richard Hanson	Highland, IN

 

1) To promote the Bujinkan via following the Rules of the Bujinkan and the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no maki as set by Hatsumi Sensei. The Members hereby PUBLICALLY AFFIRM that they uphold the RULES OF THE BUJINKAN,and that they agree with our SUGGESTIONS FOR BUJINKAN TEACHERS 2) To offer a non-political forum for Shidoshi and Shidoshi-ho to discuss their problems and insights in training. 3) To provide Shidoshi-ho with mentoring should they not have a Shidoshi instructor near at hand. 4) Please note: The ASF is not a governing body, nor an organization, just a fellowship. We DO NOT "kick people out". Rather, let us work toward guiding our warrior friends in the right direction, builiding a 'feeling of fellowship' through open communication.  That is our vision. It is important to realize that this is not an organization of any kind-- there are no fees or dues. There is no need for yet another organization. We already have an organization-- it is called the Bujinkan Dojo. This is a more like a club...a circle of friends with common ideas who wish to connect. It is simply a means to communicate more easily with those who think alike. Ultimately we hope that this becomes like the soil of a garden, a place that will give friendships a chance to take root and grow naturally.  We are teachers committed to preserving the art into the next century with the proper level of quality and understanding, so that the true art is not diluted or lost over time. There are no leaders in this group.  We are all shidoshi who have come together with common beliefs in the hope that the Bujinkan in North America (U.S. and Canada) is evolving in the direction that Soke intends. Many people complain about Soke's lack of control, standards and direction with the training in America.  His answer has always been: "It's not my country".  He has been waiting for the shidoshi in America to take care of their own country, as the European shihan have. We do not necessarily claim to be superior to anyone, but do claim that we try to follow the direction and feeling that Soke has established. In addition, we are here to support and recommend each other. The Round Table We are a gathering of loyalist Shidoshi (and shidoshi-ho) who wish to associate with like-minded individuals. Our closed FORUM, where members can freely discuss any subject, is one of the strongest reasons for joining the ASF. Joining the ASF Shidoshi and shidoshi-ho wishing to join this fellowship of committed teachers should read through all of the material on these pages, and simply fill out this form to have your name and link (or dojo address, if you have no web site) added to the list. Before filling out the form, please be sure you have a current Shidoshi-kai membership card from Hatsumi Soke, and either a Shidoshi or a Shidoshi-ho license. These items are issued directly from Japan. If you do not have these things, please do not bother attempting to join the ASF. Also, the ASF is for teachers in North America-- the United States and Canada (and for those North Americans living in other countries).