Rating: 
Summary: The first book from the man that revived ninjitsu
Review: From the table of contents:
1. Historical perspectives
2. Building blocks of the universe
3. Fighting
4. The Sixth Center
5. Active Meditation
6. Extended realities
7. The art of understanding
Rating:
Summary: Read it over and over!
Review: It's somewhat pricey for a relatively thin paperback, but this Hayes book contains very useful knowledge about ninjutsu. If you own Hayes's other (earlier) titles, you may think this is simply "rehash"; but it's really not. "Ninja, Volume 1" contains basic kamae (postures), information about the manifestation of the elements in combat (techniques included), meditation exercises, and a "self-help" section about understanding the self. As always, Hayes's wisdom is only surpassed by his instructor's (Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi). It's a worthy investment if you are willing to spend the money!
Rating:
Summary: 1st in a series
Review: Spirit of the Shadow Warrior written by a western that has a true understanding of Ninjutsu. A student of Grandmaster Hatsumi, Mr. hayes gives us an introduction and lessons that start us on our way of understanding the Togakure Ryu ninjutsu traditions. Book is filled with excellent photos.
Rating: 
Summary: Um..
Review: Stephen K. Hayes's SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is an unusual sort of book. First published in 1980, Hayes's volume has undergone twenty-six printings(!) as of 2001, but still retains the feel of a very specific era in American culture: the Ninja Era. During the Ninja Era, which endured through a large chunk of the 1980s, the national obsession with everything ninja knew practically no bounds. There were ninja movies, ninja games, ninja in comics, ninja weapons and, of course, ninja books. SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is the first of five "how to" volumes by Hayes that exploded onto the eager stage of the Ninja Era.SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is unusual in that it's not a book specifically about anything. A quick flip-through reveals the step-by-step photo panels of combat that typify many books on martial arts, but that's only part of the total package. Other chapters in the book include history, philosophical discussion, meditation techniques, and even a series of exercises meant to expand an individual's awareness of what can only be described as ESP. This is a lot of ground to cover, perhaps too much. Weighing in at a slender 143 pages, Hayes's ninja volume scarcely has time to dwell on anything in depth, giving a reader the sense of rapid skimming even during a careful read. While this keeps a reader from growing bored (there's hardly time), it also leaves a vague sense of dissatisfaction when the last page has turned. There doesn't seem to be enough meat on this bone. This is not to suggest that SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is not worth a read. Author Hayes is, according to his bio, the first non-Japanese to be awarded the highest honor in the "Togakure Ryu ninjutsu tradition." He parlayed this achievement into a number of books beyond this series and enjoyed some measure of popularity during the Ninja Era, but faded into relative obscurity shortly thereafter. His writing style in SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is quiet and deeply metaphorical. Bits of his poetry appear scattered throughout the book's pages. For those expecting a muscular, testosterone-heavy exploration of action-movie ninja, Hayes's book will be a genuine surprise. Even those with no interest in shuriken-tossing, sword-swinging ninja can find lots of useful material in the philosophy and meditation chapters, the ones that veer so far away from the stereotypical ninja material of the Ninja Era as to be almost unrecognizable. The text isn't the only thing that sometimes seems out of place. Hayes appears throughout the book in black-and-white photographs, a bearded guru in black garments. Like his soft-toned, almost contemplative writing style, he seems too darned nice to be mixing it up with edged weapons, or creeping around on rooftops on assassination missions. But it's this peculiarity in the book that eventually makes it worthwhile. While SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR would not even exist were it not for the Ninja Era, its refusal to fit neatly into the mold of popular culture lends Hayes's writing relevance it might not otherwise have had.
Rating: 
Summary: An unusually thoughtful work.
Review: Stephen K. Hayes's SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is an unusual sort of book. First published in 1980, Hayes's volume has undergone twenty-six printings(!) as of 2001, but still retains the feel of a very specific era in American culture: the Ninja Era. During the Ninja Era, which endured through a large chunk of the 1980s, the national obsession with everything ninja knew practically no bounds. There were ninja movies, ninja games, ninja in comics, ninja weapons and, of course, ninja books. SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is the first of five "how to" volumes by Hayes that exploded onto the eager stage of the Ninja Era. SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is unusual in that it's not a book specifically about anything. A quick flip-through reveals the step-by-step photo panels of combat that typify many books on martial arts, but that's only part of the total package. Other chapters in the book include history, philosophical discussion, meditation techniques, and even a series of exercises meant to expand an individual's awareness of what can only be described as ESP. This is a lot of ground to cover, perhaps too much. Weighing in at a slender 143 pages, Hayes's ninja volume scarcely has time to dwell on anything in depth, giving a reader the sense of rapid skimming even during a careful read. While this keeps a reader from growing bored (there's hardly time), it also leaves a vague sense of dissatisfaction when the last page has turned. There doesn't seem to be enough meat on this bone. This is not to suggest that SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is not worth a read. Author Hayes is, according to his bio, the first non-Japanese to be awarded the highest honor in the "Togakure Ryu ninjutsu tradition." He parlayed this achievement into a number of books beyond this series and enjoyed some measure of popularity during the Ninja Era, but faded into relative obscurity shortly thereafter. His writing style in SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR is quiet and deeply metaphorical. Bits of his poetry appear scattered throughout the book's pages. For those expecting a muscular, testosterone-heavy exploration of action-movie ninja, Hayes's book will be a genuine surprise. Even those with no interest in shuriken-tossing, sword-swinging ninja can find lots of useful material in the philosophy and meditation chapters, the ones that veer so far away from the stereotypical ninja material of the Ninja Era as to be almost unrecognizable. The text isn't the only thing that sometimes seems out of place. Hayes appears throughout the book in black-and-white photographs, a bearded guru in black garments. Like his soft-toned, almost contemplative writing style, he seems too darned nice to be mixing it up with edged weapons, or creeping around on rooftops on assassination missions. But it's this peculiarity in the book that eventually makes it worthwhile. While SPIRIT OF THE SHADOW WARRIOR would not even exist were it not for the Ninja Era, its refusal to fit neatly into the mold of popular culture lends Hayes's writing relevance it might not otherwise have had.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This book is good for bujinkan trainer.
Rating:
Summary: Um..
Review: This book is mostly filled with bad atempts at trying to teach taijutsu. Mostly step by step pictures of un-effective techniques. I wouldn't buy this book if I were you. The rest of the series is the same.
Rating:
Summary: It's great!
Review: This is another one to own; in fact, all of Hayes's books are. It contains more information on elemental manifestations in fighting (similar to Volume 1), basic taihenjutsu (breakfalls, tumbling, and body movement), real-life combat situations, weapons defenses, and spiritual ponderings about the Kuji-in. Hayes, it should be noted, is now a Tendai priest; and his section on the "mudra" (ninja's mystic hand symbols) IS authentic. But the information he gives is not to be "practiced," per se; one shouldn't expect to "use" the hand symbols after reading the book. It takes a qualified instructor to obtain that kind of knowledge. "Warrior Ways of Enlightenment" was one of my favorites of the 5 books in Hayes's "Ninja" series. Again, it's one to own--you'll cherish it for the duration of your ninjutsu training.
Rating:
Summary: Hayes does it again!
Review: This is another one to own; in fact, all of Hayes's books are. It contains more information on elemental manifestations in fighting (similar to Volume 1), basic taihenjutsu (breakfalls, tumbling, and body movement), real-life combat situations, weapons defenses, and spiritual ponderings about the Kuji-in. Hayes, it should be noted, is now a Tendai priest; and his section on the "mudra" (ninja's mystic hand symbols) IS authentic. But the information he gives is not to be "practiced," per se; one shouldn't expect to "use" the hand symbols after reading the book. It takes a qualified instructor to obtain that kind of knowledge. "Warrior Ways of Enlightenment" was one of my favorites of the 5 books in Hayes's "Ninja" series. Again, it's one to own--you'll cherish it for the duration of your ninjutsu training.
Rating:
Summary: 2nd in a series
Review: Warriorways of Enlightenment written by a western that has a true understanding of Ninjutsu. A student of Grandmaster Hatsumi, Mr. hayes gives us an intriduction and lessons that start us on our way of understanding the Togakure Ryu ninjutsu traditions. Book is filled with excellent photos.
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