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General Martial ArtsDiscuss General Martial Arts here
I keep hearing references to this guy is he some martial arts joke?
Ashida Kim is a "controversy" in several ways, he actually used allot of hoakey gimicks to attract attention. However, much of what he says makes sense. Personally I'd suggest looking into what he says and does directly and not listening to what others tell you.
I watched a match of his and the moves and fight in it seemed Hokey, like a WWE match. The other fighter was an actor it seems by watching that fight. I found it hard to maintain a not cynical view of his matches. SO I will keep to my opinion that Ninjutsu is too highly a controversial martial art to judge anyone who does that martial art.
__________________ leads to
Formerly Known as Hajilee... embrace the change.
Cynicism is the intellectual cripple's substitute for intelligence
J. Russel Lynes
I watched a match of his and the moves and fight in it seemed Hokey, like a WWE match. The other fighter was an actor it seems by watching that fight. I found it hard to maintain a not cynical view of his matches. SO I will keep to my opinion that Ninjutsu is too highly a controversial martial art to judge anyone who does that martial art.
The other was the south african world kick boxing champ from way back... The fight was an exibition, so I think of it as kinda a WWE like the old boxer vs the wrestler stuff back in the 60s-70s. I was going to say look at the free books on his site. Personally I think when he left Paladin he should have left much of the "hoakieness" with them.
You just have to weed out BS with him, he does have some valuable insights. There is value in everything you just need to know where to look.
__________________
My Personal Mantra:
Where I walk, I walk alone...
Given unto the winds, I am free...
And yet a slave to my own soul...
Well to make this a legitimate discussion as opposed to pointlessly poking fun at Ashida Kim, what say we actually discuss him in terms of what he has said and done? Anybody up for some objective thought and discussions?
Those of use who know of the man, know he has been credited with allot of false claims, some of these quoted claims are just he said, she said stuff so here is an opposed views of Ashida Kim.
Analysis of Hai Lung Ryu
by Ron Collins
I promised to do an analysis of Ashida Kim’s Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu. Its been done for a few days now and I’m just now getting up to post the results of the analysis. I choose to use only statements and quotes from static sources such as books published by Ashida Kim in the past when he was with Paladin Press...
But anyway:
Analysis Of Koga Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu
Ashida Kim, has been a controversial subject for years. And, the "ninja war of words" between Ashida Kim & Stephen K. Hayes has been the inspiration of many ill-researched claims toward on side or the other. So, with this article I plan to discuss Ashida Kim and dissect his Koga Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu. My goal is to remain impartial in my assessments of the style. In order to do this I must put aside my personal friendships and will quote directly from the books written by Ashida Kim on the subjects of ninjitsu.
History of Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu:
The over all history of Koga Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu begins at China in the form of Sun Tzu’s art of war. From this source does Ashida Kim traces ninjitsu to Saijin Omoto (the first "Shinobi") of Japan. There is little other historical information on ninjitsu, however Ashida Kim does mention numerous masters of other styles outside of ninjitsu which leads one to believe Ashida Kim does not practice "pure" ninjitsu but a mix of other styles blended with ninjitsu, to form a modern day ninjitsu, draw from a traditional lineage.
Ashida Kim, also quotes externally of other sources such as Mitchivelli’s the Price as an example to reference. As such, it appears that Ashida Kim follows a Philosophical Tradition rather then a historical one. While a philosophical tradition many contain a deep historic tradition, the goal of a philosophical tradition is growth of the members and the tradition itself. As such only the "idea" or "spirit" of the tradition matters.
Further evidenced as a philosophical tradition in the 16th Chapter of the book Secrets of the Ninja published by Citadel Press under the heading Mugei-Mumei-no-jitsu "Ninjitsu is revealed here in as a pragmatic art. It will employ any technique from any source which will serve its purpose."
Philosophy of Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu:
The philosophy of Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu is divided among many areas of thought. For example, one may use any technique from any source that will serve one’s purposes. Likewise, one may be predisposed to learning or favoring a certain aspect. As such a person who believes strongly in spiritualism, meditation, magic or religion may in fact do so and employ these same concepts of study. At the same time, a person predisposed to believe in science and debases religion may also find use of the scientific psychological principles there of.
Ashida Kim refers to this philosophy as Mugei-Mumei-No-Jitsu "No Name No Art" in this philosophy one is to draw on anything of value to the individual and to in turn follow this advise "Ninjitsu is revealed here in as a pragmatic art. It will employ any technique from any source which will serve its purpose. It strives always to be with the natural order of things. This is the true meaning of passing without leaving a trace… The Ninja acts alone, relying on his [or her] own ability. He is one with himself."
Magical Powers of Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu:
While many people have claimed that Ashida Kim preaches a doctrine of magical powers and cult-like worship of Asian mysticism. I have found this to be exact opposite. Ashida Kim has & does quote from various texts and philosophies considered to be occultism in nature. However, this "occult-doctrine" is not the case of Ashida Kim’s personal agenda. He simply makes a reference to Shinto, Taoist & Buddhist philosophies which have influenced his art.
"Ninja place as much importance on the spiritual and mental aspects of their art as on the physical. To this end they have developed exercises to sharpen their perception and psychological insight. These techniques also serve to rejuvenate the body, calm the mind, and cultivate the inner strength. It was said that the ancient ninja could sense hidden enemies, foresee the imminent death of a sick or aged person, and predict the breakup of a marriage." From page five of Secrets of the Ninja.
While Ashida Kim states that the ninja could sense hidden enemies, foresee the imminent death of a sick or aged person and predict the break up of a marriage, he also attributes this to "perception & psychological insights." What magic is there in perception of one’s environment & other’s mental/emotional states and psychological insight there employed upon these perceptions?
Even in the next paragraph where Ashida Kim discusses meditation for developing chi & chi as inner strength. Ashida Kim further defines chi as "a force within all people that can be forged to perform the will." He goes on to say in the following paragraph that "The secret of meditation is regular practice. Perseverance, diligence and quiet determination are required."
So then while Ashida Kim makes claims of chi as a force within all people that can be forged to perform the will and arguably this can be seen as a description of magical powers or simply focused intent. Ashida Kim also goes on further to call the use of such mystical-occultism as exercise in regular practice, perseverance, diligence and quiet determination of perception and psychological insights. Is it magick or psychology, that Ashida Kim is referring to? Can it be both for those who believe in both, or simply allow one side to neglect the other through their own bias?
Does Ashida Kim, believe in magic? I don’t know, but let us assume he does for the sake of argument. Is this belief in magic any different then say the religions of many continents or in the belief in psychic powers? Not really, no. At the same time, however in the books Invisible Fist, Secrets of the Ninja & Ninja Secrets of Invisibility Ashida Kim also speaks of the power of belief & of how totems give faith to these who lack such belief in their personal strength of will. So then we are left to ask does Ashida Kim believe in magical powers or does he simply see them as psychological exercises to develop "faith?" Ultimately we are left with not knowing either but see evidence of both, allowing us to decide in that which we believe ourselves to be true or false behind a magician’s smoke screen.
To Be Continued...
__________________
My Personal Mantra:
Where I walk, I walk alone...
Given unto the winds, I am free...
And yet a slave to my own soul...
Techniques of Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu:
In Secrets of the Ninja, on page 152; Ashida Kim wrote "Ninjitsu is revealed here in as a pragmatic art. It will employ any technique from any source which will serve its purpose." In the booklet Ninja Hands of Death Ashida Kim also wrote "The ultimate warrior is not the one with who presents the flashiest techniques or even a great variety of striking methods. He is the one who prevails."
So then any use of Kung-fu, Aikido, Karate, Judo or Jujitsu methods or terminology are simply the result of the incorporation of those arts within Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu. Does this debase or embrace a martial art known for its adaptability and practical effectiveness?
On Page 1 of Deadly Grip of the Ninja Ashida Kim writes "In Koga ryu, grappling is taught first. This is because most fights quickly deteriorate into wresting contests where grappling is primary. It is felt the Ninja should not only be qualified in this field, but also highly competent." On Page 101 & 102 Ashida Kim then states "In Ninja grappling, there are five ways of prevailing over an opponent: by a high, spectacular throw in which he is driven to the ground forcefully enough to knock the wind out of him; by a pinning or immobilization hold wherein the opponent is forced to surrender or wear himself out trying to escape; by a joint-lock, which creates sufficient pain to ensure compliance; by a choke or stranglehold, which the opponent is rendered unconscious or semi-conscious by means of pressure against the neck; and ikken hiatsu, or the coup de grace which is a strike to a vital organ or part of the body either as an initial blow as the opponent advances, or as a final blow to render him senseless or dead."
From the above statements, we can see that such techniques as chokes/strangleholds, joint manipulations and so forth are all taught within the system. Within the above quoted book are techniques such as the Step-over Arm-Lever Takedown that uses a wrist grab & round house kick combination to set in a judo or Brazilian jiu-jutsu cross-arm bar or Overarm Throw which is especially effective against an attacker with a weapon. At the same time techniques such as the single leg takedown common to wrestling, shootfighing and similar systems are also observed.
Chapter six of Ninja Secrets of Invisibility includes several escapes & reversals, some of which also appears from a pseudo-clinch type situation.
In the booklet Ninja Hands of Death Ashida Kim wrote "All martial arts teach punches and kicks as well as target areas, vital and fatal points of the body, and so on. The ultimate warrior is not the one with who presents the flashiest techniques or even a great variety of striking methods. He is the one who prevails."
To this we consider that Ashida Kim’s Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu is an art of winning and will apply any and all methods, which allows the individual to succeed. To this end all that matters is the goal and not that which drives the goal to success. At least as far as fighting techniques are concerned anyway. Ashida Kim gives only this advise for the guidance of those who practice Hai Lung Ryu Ninjitsu in Ninja Hands of Death "The only justification of Force is to establish, restore or maintain order. So that all may live in harmony."
Sources of Information:
Thus, I challenge anyone who says otherwise to quote from his or her source as I have done and prove me wrong if you claim otherwise. As "Big" Lew Wallice used to say "the proof is in the pudding" and at least I brought "my pudding."
Secrets of the Ninja, Published by Citadel Press in 1981 ISBN 0-8065-0866-3
Ninja Secrets of Invisibility, Published by Paladin Press in 1983 ISBN 0-87364-279-1
Ninja Hands of Death, Published by Dojo Press in 1999 ISBN 0-87364-322-4
Deadly Grip of the Ninja, Published by Paladin Press in 1987 ISBN 0-87364-441-7
Local Winter Haven Man Leads Way In Selling Mail Order Black Belt Certificates.
Chad Sloman had heard the rumours before. For years in the martial arts community there have been whispers. "Want to impress some guilible potential students with your martial arts skills, but don't have the actual background? Pay a fee to join a martial arts hall of fame or buy a black belt ranking which you can hang on your wall to impress little Johnny and his soccer mom." In March a friend told Chad about The Dojo, and Dojo Press, a site offering to rank to all those who passed certain qualifications. operating out of P.O. Box 209, Lake Alfred, Florida.
"Certification, suitable for framing, in your chosen system of fighting arts can be awarded upon presentation of previous credentials at Yudansha/Black Belt Level or above. Prior certification or documentation eliminates the video testing requirement. Qualified Military Hand-to-Hand Combat or Self-Defense Experts are eligible for this Certificate. No additional training required. Get credit for what you already know.” DOJO PRESS... CATALOG PRODUCTS Ashida Kim Memberships-1
But wait! One also receives
"DOJO ID Card and 8 1/2 x 11 Certificate of Rank and Membership in The DOJO-Academy of Martial Arts, a subsidiary of BLACK BELT INTERNATIONAL the parent company and Representative Commission for dozens of styles and martial arts clubs worldwide. Video Testing is available as part of the Fee, and will be evaluated by recognized instructors and sanctioned in whatever school or freestyle method is designated by the applicant."
A investigation by members of Bullshido.net, a website devoted to discussing and investigating questionable behavior in the martial arts has uncovered the following. By a minimum of clear and convincing evidence we have discovered that the man running this site, is named Radford W. Davis, and he has been using the pseudonyms of both Ashida Kim and Chris Hunter since at least 1980. Starting in 1980 Davis has published approximately a dozen Ninja related books (1) achieved greater circulation then the publications of legitimate Ninjutsu masters like Masaaki Hatsumi and Stephen Hayes who traveled to Japan to study with Hatsumi. Davis, whose "ninja" alias incorrectly mixes a Japanese first name with a Korean last name, has been operating his enterprise out of its current Lake Alfred Florida post office box for well over a decade. (2)
Though Ninjutsu was first widely seen in America in the 1967 James Bond move 'You Only Live Twice' it really emerged in the American public consciousness starting in 1980 when ninjas and Ninjutsu were shown to the American public in the Miniseries 'Shogun', and the Chuck Norris vehicle 'The Octagon'. By the time the 1981 Cannon Group's movie 'Enter the Ninja', was in release, the martial arts community had descended into the Ninja craze. (3)
This trend fueled the rise a number of uncredentialed teachers of which Davis has been perhaps the most successful. Davis is also known in martial arts circles for using without permission the name of the Black Dragon Society which was originally founded by the late John Keegan of Chicago, Illinois. Needless to say, when Davis republished Keegan's book which was written under the name of Count Dante, he did so without permission.
"These certificates are dangerous because their graphics appear professionally done and so they look official," says Neal Fletcher who runs Bullshido.net, a martial arts website which devotes itself to discussing martial arts fraud and misbehavior. "If I stuck one of these up on the wall of a martial arts school, ("Dojo" in Japanese) I could easily convince most people I was certified to train them and take their money for doing so because I possessed legitimate rank in the art specified on the certificate. In actuality I would be a complete fraud, putting them at risk if they ever did need to use their self defense skills in a dangerous situation. It's easy for an average person to get taken in when they see a man in a martial arts uniform with a decorated black belt. It's the 'karate kid' effect: people want to assume martial arts teachers are inherently reputable and trustworthy because that's how they're generally represented in popular culture. But in reality there aren't any genuine standards or regulation of the industry, leaving it open to all sorts of fraud."
So the question became, would Davis/Hunter/Kim sell a black belt certificate to anyone, or did he actually screen applicants and require a video tape or proof of rank as he claimed to do. Sloman, a member of Bullshido decided to find out.
To Be Continued...
__________________
My Personal Mantra:
Where I walk, I walk alone...
Given unto the winds, I am free...
And yet a slave to my own soul...
On March 21, 2005 Chad Sloman sent Ashida Kim (aka Hunter aka Davis) the following e-mail at DOJO PRESS... CATALOG PRODUCTS Ashida Kim Memberships-1 "Please send me a black belt certificate in "Vale Tudo". My experience: 7th kyu Yoshukai Karate (World Yoshukai Karate Kobudo Organization); 1.5 years (untested) Atarashii Naginata (Scouthern California Naginata Federation); 5th kyu Aikido (Aikido Schools of Ueshiba); 7th kyu Judo (United States Judo Association)"
Now for anyone who knows the first thing about Japanese Martial Arts, which a supposed Ninja master would, 7th and 5th kyu are extremely low, pre-black belt ranks. In many systems there are 10th kyu before one reaches Black Belt, with 10 kyu signifying the white belt and 1st kyu indicating the person is a Brown belt and close to testing for their Black Belt. So no matter how one sliced it, Chad was no more the half the way to a legitimate black belt and had less then half the time needed to be awarded a black belt in most legitimate martial arts. (typically 4 years on a part time training schedule.)
The other kicker was what Chad was asking for. Vale Tudo, "anything goes" in Portuguese, is a no-holds barred (mostly) grappling competition commonly found in Brazil. Black Belts are not awarded to people competing in this full contact competition any more then they are awarded in American boxing or wrestling. Anyone with a serious background in martial arts, or even a history of reading martial arts magazines would spot this problem. Ashida is not a soccer dad, or martial arts newbie, even as a faux Ninja master he would be aware of this information. (4)
Ashida's reaction? He didn't ask Chad for more details, even though Chad never presented Black Belt Level credentials from another art as required by Kim's sale page on his website. Davis/Kim/Hunter also didn't inquire about the obvious problems in Chad's story. Instead several weeks after payment of $55 was made via paypal, Chad received the following certificates by federal express, one of which memorialized that he was a Black Belt in "Vale Tudo". A copy of this certificate is attached to this press release, notice the sharp graphics, one would have to know something about the martial arts to know it's actually not worth the paper it's printed on.
On May 26, 2005 days after Chad purchased this black belt certificate, another Bullshido member wrote Ashida :
"Hi Ashida,
Further to our previous chats. It is now public knowledge that we arranged for a less than qualified MAist to purchase a blackbelt grade off you to test your claim that you check applications.
"From :
Sent : 26 May 2005 21:28:33
To : armchair_strategist@ hotmail.com
Subject : Re: You selling blackbelt grades without checks
You lot have been THREATENING me with an "expose" for years. Talk is cheap and that's all you want, attention in the form of a reply. Problem is, your facts are all wrong. No matter how many times I prove you to be liars and fools, you just come back for more. I don't care what you children waste your time on at Bullshido. Not one of you is worthy to kiss my foot.
?I remain,
Ashida Kim"
These include: that 1) Chad has no right to complain of fraud because he received his certificates as paid for. 2) Chad Sloman falsely claimed that he had prior BJJ/MMA/Vale Tudo experience, 3) that the certificate only described Chad as an expert in Vale Tudo, not a black belt, 4) that these were only honorary certificates, 5) Sloman was required to fill out a form in the material that was sent to him providing proof of his prior experience or a tape showing him perform his martial arts skills, after the sale, which he did not do, 6) that since a no hold barred fighter has published a book through Dojo Press, Ashida has the ability to rank people in Vale Tudo.
Dealing with these arguments in order, 1) Chad and Bullshido were under no illusions about Mr. Davis before we ordered his certificates. The deceived would not be the party ordering the certificates but the students of this buyer whom would be recruited with a false claim “documented” by this certificate. Therefore Ashida’s response here is irrelevant. 2) Chad did not deceive “Ashida Kim” into believing he was more skilled then he actually was. On one of the two certificates labeled “Black Belt Certificate” Chad’s prior non-black belt experience is explicitly mentioned and he is still granted the rank of “Expert”. So Davis has no claim that Sloman did not tell him what his martial arts experience was before both certificates were issued.
3) There were two certificates issued. One was entitled “Black Belt Certificate” and awards Chad the rank of “Expert” The other is a “Certificate of Rank and Membership” inducting Mr. Sloman into the Dojo Martial Arts Academy at the rank of “Black Belt 1st Degree in the Martial Art, Style, or System of the Vale Tudo”. The second officially calls Chad a first degree black belt and the first an expert in Vale Tudo. While the second certificate would be more useful for fooling soccer moms, the term “expert” in the first certificate is synonymous with the term Black Belt. 4) The term “honorary” did not appear on either certificate so these were not sold as honorary certificates and could be used to dupe the unwary. 5) The only form shipped to Sloman after the fact to be filled out was an Black Dragon Fighting Society Dojo Application. Since Chad was not attempting to start his own BDFS affiliate he did not have to provide any post sale information as Kim/Davis alleges. More importantly the language of the page under which Mr. Sloman bought the certificate indicates such proof was supposed to be provided before the rank was issued. See DOJO PRESS... CATALOG PRODUCTS Ashida Kim Memberships-1 6) Finally, regardless of Mr. Davis’s assertion that he was competent to hand out rank in Vale Tudo because of a fighter who had written a book for him, this NHB figher never signed Chad’s certificates or reviewed any video tape of him because none was ever provided. Mr. Sloman would be willing to sign a sworn affidavit attesting to the facts outlined here and in his post on the wikipedia thread under the heading “The Facts Regarding the Vale Tudo Black Belt”. When Samuel Browning challenged “Ashida Kim” to sign his own affidavit under his real name, supporting his own version of the facts, Kim/Davis did not even address Mr. Browning’s challenge.
Contrary to Ashida Kim's assertions, our facts are reliable and we have a Black Belt certificate that was bought from him simply for money and displays his signature. It is unknown how many of these certificates Kim/Hunter has sold, how many have been used to open schools, and how many have been used to acquire slightly less 'shady' rank. (5) But this is a defective product widely available through the internet and it may be decades before we fully know how many of these certificates are out there being used to con people. Neal Fletcher observes: "Ultimately this is only one belt factory, there are other places we've heard of second hand where one can also get a black belt, in this industry it's really buyer beware."
1) "Christopher Hunter" published "The Book of the Ninja" in 1980. There is some confusion about when Davis published "Secrets of the Ninja" under the name Ashida Kim because the text itself provides a date of 1980 though it was not copyrighted until 1981. "Secrets" is now available via pdf at Davis's/Hunter's/Kim's website. The majority of the techiques contained within involve meditation and sneaking around, with little or no specific hand to hand combat techniques that are actually used by Ninjutsu. This is not particularly surprising since to provide such information Davis/Hunter/Kim would have actually had to have studied this art.
A review of Library of Congress online holdings at Library of Congress Online Catalogs (Upgraded May 19, 2008) reveals that they have 15 separate titles on Ninjutsu published either by Chris Hunter or Ashida Kim between 1980 and 1999, though some appear to be the same books published under different titles and by different publishers. The pictures in these books indicate "Kim" and "Hunter" share the same general size, posture, and even items of clothing. Since Ashida has previously said he has posed unmasked in his books, as has Hunter, who follows him around like a Siamese twin, it appears they are one and the same.
On http://www.ashidakim.com/proof.html Ashida Kim boasts of sneaking into a Stephen Hayes seminar at the Sarasota Motor Inn in Sarasota Florida on either February 11 or 12th 1984. Kim would later write Mr. Hayes that he had attended the seminar. On the above link he has a picture of the letter he sent to Hayes. The signature reads “Chris Hunter”.
To Be Continued...
__________________
My Personal Mantra:
Where I walk, I walk alone...
Given unto the winds, I am free...
And yet a slave to my own soul...
2) Radford W. Davis's real name was established the following way.
A search of book copyright information revealed that a Radford Davis held the copyright on a videotape published by Dojo Press. The names Ashida Kim and Christopher Hunter were both psuedonyms, and that the latter was the psuedonym of one Radford W. Davis who was born in 1948.
A search of copyrights in US (books).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Registration Number: PAu-1-237-121
Title: Dojo Press--Ninjitsu collection/series.
Description: videocassette.
Note: Cataloged from appl.
Claimant: Radford W. Davis
Created: 1989
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Registration Number: TXu-325-302
Title: The Invisible fist / by Christopher Hunter [pseud. of] Radford W. Davis.
Description: 217 p.
Claimant: Radford W. Davis
Created: 1988
Registered: 14Mar88
Special Codes: 1/B/D//A Cross Reference: acChristopher Hunter , pseud. SEE Radford William Davis , 1948-.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Registration Number: TXu-334-930
Title: So you want to be a stuntman / Christopher Hunter.
Description: 1 v.
Claimant: Radford William Davis
Created: 1988
On 6-9-2005, Samuel Browning talked to Sheila Conroy of Paladin Press. She is the wife of Peder Lund who owns Paladin. She confirmed that Chris Hunter and Ashida Kim was the same person and that when they were carrying his books they sent his royalty checks to the P.O. Box in Lake Alfred used by Ashida's website. The checks were sent in the name of Radford Davis.
"Kick Catcher" a Bullshido member used a search engine called ZABA Free People Search by ZabaSearch! to verify names/addresses etc for free. There were three men named Radford Davis in Florida.
1a. RADFORD DAVIS, 2021 11TH AVE FORT LAUDERDALE FL
1b. RADFORD W DAVIS, born Sep 1925, 1010 AVENUE W NW WINTER HAVEN FL (863) 293-6975
1c. RADFORD W DAVIS, born Jul 1948, 1010 AVENUE W NW WINTER HAVEN FL (863) 293-6975
Both 1b & 1c are good matches, but 1c was approximately the same age as the man listed in the copyright information provided above.
Lake Alfred is less the 10 miles from Winter Haven Florida.
There was no trace in the entire United States for the name Ashida Kim. Assuming that the this search engine has a high % content integrity, at least for real people, then this suggests that Ashida Kim is an alias.
3. Christopher Hunter
There are 78 in Florida.
Three were born in September 1948:
3a. CHRISTOPHER K HUNTER, Sep 1948, 5071 DUNDEE AVE DE LEON SPRINGS FL (386) 985-6696
3b. CHRISTOPHER K HUNTER, Sep 1948
3c. CHRISTOPHER K HUNTER, Sep 1948, 4799 HARMONY WOODS TRL DE LEON SPRINGS FL
These are probably the same person who moved from address to address.
There are a few other Christopher K Hunters but they are either too young or do not have their birth dates recorded. One Christopher Hunter lives near Radford W. Davis:
3d. CHRISTOPHER HUNTER, 4900 CYPRESS GARDENS RD WINTER HAVEN FL
We checked the name "Chris Hunter" also. There are 55 in Florida but none born in 1948 with the same address or phone# as Davis (1c).
Ashida Kim's website is hosted by Powerweb out of California and is listed to Mark Miller, 1010 Ave W NW, Winter Haven, FL, with a phone number of 863-409-4910. It's the same address as Radford Davis's but with a different name (probably an alias) and a different phone number. Another computer search reveals (863) 293-6975 (Radford W Davis' above) comes back registered to George W Davis - (863) 293-6975 - 1010 Avenue W NW, Winter Haven, FL 33881. If we are wrong and Mr. Radford W. Davis is just another pseudonym, then the most likely alternates are Mark Miller, or George W. Davis which trace back to 1010 Avenue W NW, Winter Haven, FL 33881. We believe however that George W.Davis is Radford Davis’s father and that they share the same residence.
Two of Bullshido’s members have reviewed a video of a man outside 1010 Ave W NW, Winter Haven Florida during daylight. The man appeared to be the older man in the following black and white pictures http://www.bullshido.net/forums/shoight=no+comment [post 34] These pictures have been identified as being that Ashida Kim in Florida by one of his German followers, Andreas Leffler. See:
If our visual identification is accurate as we believe it to be, then Radford Davis and Kim/Hunter are one and the same person.
3) I am indebted to John Corcoran and Emil Farkas, whose book "The Original Martial Arts Encylopedia: Tradition-History-Pioneers" (Pro-Action Publishing, Los Angeles, revised 1993). pp. 288-290 which provides a short history of martial arts films. Their discussion of Ninjutsu on pages 105-110, and Hatsumi and Hayes on pages 328 and 329 is also quite valuable.
4) Given that Kim/Hunter admits he never met Hatsumi on his website, Ashida Kim he never studied in Japan with a legitimate master of Ninjutsu, before starting to write ninja books in 1980. At this time there were VERY few legitimate teachers in the United States other then Stephen Hayes, the suspicion in the MA community has been that Kim either totally made up his material or that he cribbed what little he knows of the art from the writings of Mr. Hayes or the late Donald Draeger. Alternately Kim could have simply borrowed from the Black Belt Magazine articles on this subject published starting in Jan 1978. Needless to say, even as someone who gained his Ninja knowledge from books, Hunter who has been reading M.A. publications for years, would be able to spot this problem immediately.
5) One phenomena in the Martial Arts community is that some instructors will trade rank between themselves so that they can claim the authority to teach additional arts. usually such trades are done without demonstrating any proficiency in the other art. With this certificate Chad could easily trade 'up' to a more 'legitimate' martial art lineage.
I would also like to thank Anthony, Kickcatcher, Asia, Chad, and Lawdog among others for helping out with this article.
__________________
My Personal Mantra:
Where I walk, I walk alone...
Given unto the winds, I am free...
And yet a slave to my own soul...