Bushindo
University
Ancient Arts for Modern Times
Ninjutsu · Sword · Eskrima · Inner Arts · Empowered Living
Welcome to
Bushindo University
Bushindo means the Way of the Empowered Warrior. The warrior with heart.
I started this university to share the arts as a way of life. Not only how to fight. How to be strong in body, clear in mind, connected in spirit, and skilled when it counts. The old masters trained all of it as one. Most modern dojos kept the technique and dropped the rest. Here you get it all.
I have spent some 60 years on this path. About 50 training trips to Japan with Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi. Fifteen years with Eskrima Grandmaster Gilbert Tenio, who passed his art to me. Decades with sword masters, and with teachers in India, China and Tibet. I gave my teachers my word that I would not let their arts die. This catalog is how I keep it.
Everything I teach is in these pages: over 100 books, courses and DVDs, built since I pioneered distance learning in the 1980s. Thousands of students in more than 100 countries have earned black belts with this training. Many of them now teach.
Three ways to study
Online at BushindoUniversity.com. Every course streams on your computer, phone or tablet, with lifetime access. I answer questions under the lessons.
In your hands from Store.Bushindo.com. Binders, books, DVDs, uniforms and patches, shipped to your door.
With me. Join my Empowered Warrior Dojo, apply for mentoring in the White Tiger Inner Circle, or book a private session.
Start where you are. Go as far as you want to go.
Doshi Richard Van Donk
GrandMaster · Founder, Bushindo University and the International Bujinkan Dojo Association
In This Catalog
Prices are as listed on BushindoUniversity.com and Store.Bushindo.com in November 2026 and can change. The websites always carry the current price.
Where to Start
Find yourself in the left column. Start there. Each path leads to the next when you are ready.
Study Online
Every course on computer, phone or tablet at BushindoUniversity.com. Lifetime access.
Train With Me
The Empowered Warrior Dojo, White Tiger mentoring and private sessions.
With Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, and with Grandmaster Gilbert Tenio
Doshi Richard
Van Donk
More than training. An empowered lifestyle. Doshi means, simply, “Shower of the Way.”
Richard Van Donk began the martial arts as a boy and set out as a young man to find one complete system for living. That search took him around the world, to masters of body, mind and spirit, and to mastery level in their arts. He teaches enlightenment and martial arts in a direct and lighthearted way, with plenty of humor.
- Personal student of Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi since the early 1980s, with about 50 training trips to Japan. Shidoshi-ho in 1985. Passed the 5th degree test in Japan in 1987.
- Holder of the Golden Dragon Medal and the Shin Gi Tai Ichi Award from Soke Hatsumi, given to only a few in the history of the art.
- Headmaster of the International Bujinkan Dojo Association, serving the Bujinkan community worldwide since 1986.
- Inheritor of DeCuerdas Eskrima from the late Grandmaster Gilbert Tenio. Founder of the International DeCuerdas Eskrima Association.
- Trained with Sword Master Kancho Machida, gurus in India and Daoist masters of China. Black belt level or above in Karate, Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Iaido, Aikido and Battojutsu.
- Named Grandmaster of the Year by the World Head of Family Sokeship Council. His Combat Ninjutsu video won its top international video award in 1999.
- Author of over 100 books, DVDs and life-transformational courses. Pioneer of martial arts distance learning.
- Has helped well over a dozen students to 10th Dan and several hundred beyond 5th degree black belt.
- Teaches privates and mentors a chosen few at the Infinite Way Dojo in Northern California.
Train in My Empowered Warrior Dojo.
directly With Me.
Nearly all of my teachings, in one place, in the Shin Gi Tai Ichi™ System.
Ever feel like something was missing in your training? Even with a black belt or two?
It happened to me too, after several black belts. So I went looking. I traveled the world and trained with masters who taught me the secrets that made the ultimate difference in my martial arts, my body, mind and spirit, and my life.
For decades my students had to choose: the Ninjutsu course, or the Sword, or the Eskrima, or the Inner Arts. In the Empowered Warrior Dojo you do not choose. You train it all, the way I trained it, with me guiding you.
Soke Hatsumi gave me the Shin Gi Tai Ichi Award, given to only a few in the history of the art. I named my system after it.
Empowered Warrior Dojo. All My Core Teachings.
You train it all, the way I trained it, with me. Nothing is missing.
Ninjutsu Masters Course
Shodan to Shidoshi. The complete Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu training from the first kamae through the master levels.
Sword Black Belt Training
Hold, draw, cut and carry presence. The sword training I learned from both the formal and the informal masters.
DeCuerdas Eskrima Black Belt Training
Stick and blade from the Philippines. The art I reached master level in before Japan ever called.
Inner Arts Training
Life force, breath, ki and the 8 Secret Powers. The training most masters never teach, and the one that makes everything else work.
Optimal Life Training
Owning yourself fully. Vibrant health. Choice. The warrior’s way carried off the mat and into the rest of your life.
Living the Spiritual Path
The spiritual practices behind the warrior arts, taught as the old masters lived them, not as a lecture.
Who it is for
Black belts, instructors, dojo owners and grandmasters of any style. Students returning after years away. Serious beginners. You keep your style and your rank.
Already training with me?
Whatever you have studied with me counts here. Your experience moves you through faster, at no extra cost, and credits apply toward your Ninjutsu, Eskrima and Sword ranking.
You Are Not Buying Courses.
You Are Training With Me.
Live training with me, twice a month
Live on Zoom. Bring your questions, show me your movement, get corrected by the man who built the curriculum.
My answers under your questions
Post in the 24/7 Warrior Community and I answer. Not an assistant. Not a moderator. Me.
Rank I personally review
Record your demonstrations, submit them, and earn Shin Gi Tai Ichi™ rank toward Shodan, with credit toward your Ninjutsu, Eskrima and Sword ranking.
Everything you get in the Dojo
| 10 complete Bushindo courses Ninjutsu Masters Course · Inner Arts Course · Sword Specialist Course · DeCuerdas Eskrima Course · Optimal Life Course · Living the Spiritual Path · Ninja Way Course · Enlightened Warrior Training · Body Rejuvenation Course · Fast-Start Guide: How to Become a Better Martial Artist | $6,971 |
| The Shin Gi Tai Ichi™ System Portal Inner arts, conditioning, mindset, spirit and ki, drawn from my mentoring program | $3,997 |
| Live training with me, twice a month Direct personal access, live on Zoom | $4,800/yr |
| Empowered Warrior 24/7 Community Serious practitioners. Real standards. My answers under your posts. | Priceless |
| Shin Gi Tai Ichi™ rank and certification Reviewed by me, level by level, to your in-person black belt test | Priceless |
| Total value |
Best value. That is $6.84 a day. Your price locks in the day you join. Klarna and Afterpay available.
Full access. Start today, upgrade to annual anytime.
When the 100th Founding Member joins, the annual price goes to $2,997. When the Dojo reaches 500 members, enrollment closes, so I can serve each one personally.
“Come. I will take care of you.”
I already had black belts. Karate. Taekwondo. Aikido. Master level in Eskrima. And something was still missing. Then Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi personally invited me to Japan, gave me a hug, and said those words. Whatever he had, I had never reached it. It was internal.
Both of my teachers are now retired. I gave them my word I would not let their arts die. The Empowered Warrior Dojo is my legacy dojo: almost everything I know, in one place, taught by me, to the warriors who will carry it forward. Come, I will Take Care of YOU!!
The 8 Secret Powers of the Ancient Masters
What ancient warriors knew that modern martial arts forgot.
Fifty years of training with masters in Japan, the Philippines, India and China, laid out in a 21-page study guide. Mind, Body, Spirit and Martial Skill, trained as one.
Nine days. One Power a day: one lesson, one 10-minute drill, one journal question. Any style, any rank. Lifetime access. Your $37 comes off your Dojo membership.
Eight Secret Powers. One Great Power.
Warrior Presence
Command the room before a single move is made.
Life Force Mastery
Breath and ki: the energy behind every technique.
Body Mastery
A responsive, resilient body built to last.
Warrior Mindset
Calm, clear and effective under pressure.
Weapon as Extension
The weapon, and your intention, become part of you.
Sensory Refinement
Sharpen awareness to see what others miss.
Spiritual Alignment
Connect your training to purpose and the warrior’s code.
Integration & Harmony
Unite body, mind, spirit and skill as one.
The Great Power: Choice
The power that decides everything else.
Doshi’s White Tiger
Inner Circle
Your golden chance to work personally with a grandmaster.
No matter what course you have with me, I will help you accelerate at it. I want to work with you - Give you perfect Guidance.
The White Tiger Inner Circle is my one-year mentoring program. It is the highest level of training I offer, and it is where the leaders come from. You may know me as a martial arts grandmaster. My real work is changing people’s lives.
In the Inner Circle you are really studying the Art of You: mind, body, spirit, relationships and your martial arts, each taken from where you are now to where you want to be. Shin Gi Tai Ichi, the unification of body, mind, spirit and skill, is the goal.
Brand-new beginners and masters are both welcome. I have both in the Inner Circle. Your year starts the day you do.
The decision to apply should be simple
How I Work With You
- Weekly Wisdom Sessions. A live video call every week with me and the other Inner Circle members. Ask me anything.
- A private study portal. A full year of in-depth study. I answer your questions under every lesson, PDF and video. Most of it has never been published.
- A strategic plan for you. We find out where you really are, set your long-term destination, and lay out a clear path for your training, your health and your life.
- The inner trainings. The Next Level Life training and the Inner Arts course, plus what I learned from Hatsumi-Sensei and other masters that is not told publicly.
- Daily practice. The empowerment skills I use myself, so you live the path instead of reading about it.
Your roadmap
- Know realistically where you are now in your training
- Get your questions answered with clarity
- Know your life possibilities and long-term destination
- Create a clear strategic plan for your training, body health and life
- Get the education you need to achieve your dreams
- Daily practice empowerment skills to live your optimal life
- Be guided and inspired to be the best version of you
- Learn the secrets of Hatsumi and the masters, not told publicly
- Accelerate your martial arts path and excellence
How to Apply
- Fill out the short application. It takes about three minutes.
- I read it myself and answer within 72 hours.
- You receive the full details of the mentorship and the investment, and decide if it is right for you.
No sales call. You are either a fit or you are not. If the timing is not right, I will point you to your best next step in the arts.
“Thank you for all you have changed within me. Life is so much sweeter. I always feel as if I have been re-born!”
Konsta Beck, Yondan
“If there is one person that sees my vision, it is you. Thank you again for these life changing tools.”
Beth Hall
“You are becoming an important teacher in my life. For me your teachings are of great wealth.”
Arnout Griepsma, ShodanPrivate Sessions
with Doshi
Martial arts, inner empowerment or a paradigm life shift. In person at the dojo, by video, or by phone.
Tune up your taijutsu. Get immediate clarity on your path. Rank test with instant feedback and correction. Learn the Inner Arts. Work through a life challenge.
Half-Hour Session
Phone, video or in person. Bring your questions and get clarity on anything.
One-Hour Session
Martial arts lesson, rank testing feedback, Inner Arts daily practice. Time to go deeper.
Day with Doshi
One full day at the Infinite Way Dojo. Train, meditate and do Inner Arts together. Straight-talk life strategy.
2 Days with Doshi
A two-day paradigm shift. What I share is not in the books or on video. Leave with a strategic plan.
Coached or mentored
Coached is short term. I give you advice or a plan of action. Mentored is a longer relationship where I work with you to gain a set of skills or reach a long-term result.
I have been helping people change their lives for over 40 years. Money-back guarantee. No one has asked for a refund, and many have paid me more as a bonus.
or call 707-987-9322
Martial Arts
A private lesson, or rank testing with instant feedback and taijutsu correction.
Inner Arts
Learn the Inner Arts daily practice. Meditate and train life force with me.
Paradigm Life Shift
Life coaching to overcome a challenge and take yourself to the next level quickly.
Become a Ninjutsu
Black Belt From Anywhere
Beginner to certified teacher. Strategic, systematized training in authentic Bujinkan Ninjutsu.
You do not need another random video clip. You need a clear path.
Ninjutsu is my main art. My lineage is direct with Soke Masaaki Hatsumi since the early 1980s, and in 1986 we set a mission together to bring his arts to the world. It was our project, with Hatsumi-Sensei and Quest Co., that filmed, subtitled and distributed Soke’s videos worldwide.
Through the International Bujinkan Dojo Association I built a step-by-step learning and ranking system so that you learn something for every grade and know why you hold it. Hundreds of black belts and masters started with this training.
IBDA’s mission is to help you learn the arts well enough to teach them.
Ninja Way Course
Learn the arts of the Ninja as they were practiced in ancient times: as a way of life. Body, mind, spirit and martial skill in one system.
- 9 Ninja Way of Life online study modules
- 9 full video lessons (the classic DVDs, now online)
- The 30-Day Yellow Belt Challenge: earn your first belt in 30 days
- Kuji-In, Meditation and Dao of Martial Arts bonuses
- Doshi’s feedback on every post and training question
- Private study community
- Everything online, on computer, phone or tablet. Nothing is shipped.
IBDA Membership
Official Bujinkan membership through the International Bujinkan Dojo Association. “Taking you from Beginner to Master.”
Open to Bujinkan teachers and students of any affiliation. You are welcome to become a member even if you do not train with us. Serving the Bujinkan community since 1986.
- Bujinkan ID card, mailed to you
- Downloadable IBDA wall certificate with your name
- IBDA uniform shoulder patch
- The Ninja Vault online: teachings, video clips, the histories of the 9 schools, waza and meditations
- Current membership is required for all IBDA rank testing
The Ninjutsu
Black Belt Course
From 9th Kyu to Shodan. Step by step. From home, with my guidance.
For over 30 years this path has helped students around the world begin and continue authentic Ninjutsu training from home.
Learn Ninjutsu, “the art of the Ninja.”
Learn Ninpo Taijutsu as it was taught by Soke Hatsumi in the 1980s, and the more modern Budo Taijutsu, with step-by-step guidance.
- 11 one-hour+ video lessons, 9 Kyu levels
- 316-page in-depth manual
- More footage online than on the DVDs
- My guidance on every lesson
- Private community invitation
A good dojo runs $150 to $250 a month. Over the average 3.5 years that is about $10,000. This is a proven way to study that costs maybe 10% of that.
Choose Your Black Belt Path
Pay rank as you testBlack Belt Online Ninja Dojo with Binder
or $447 with the course DVDs
- The entire course online, for life
- 316-page binder manual mailed, free priority shipping
- Invitation to the private community
- Japanese Phrases audio
- Ranking registration ($125) and the 30-Day Challenge
- Rank test fees are separate
Payment plan: about $35 a month for one year
Most completeBlack Belt with All Ranking Included
No rank test fees
- Everything in the $397 course
- All certification, 9th Kyu to Black Belt, included. A $650 value.
- Just train and test when ready
- Free updates for life
- Doshi’s guidance on every teaching
Payment plans: about $125 a month for 12 months, or $72 a month for 24
Accelerated pathBlack Belt Instructor Certification Package
9th Kyu to Black Belt and Shidoshi-Ho license
- Shodan Course, online with binder
- Teachers Training Course, online with binder
- Ninja Way Course
- Kyu chest patch and shoulder patch
- IBDA membership for 3 years
- All rank and license fees, and the first year of Shidoshi-kai
Payment plan: about $120 a month for 24 months
Train, test, rank
Use your phone to record what you know at each level test. Private Zoom sessions, dojo and seminar testing are also available. No intimidation and no fear of not passing: we give feedback to pass.
100% money-back guarantee. Buy the course and try it for 30 days. Payment plans through Klarna or Afterpay at checkout.
“A life changing system that has worked for me for over fifteen years and has given me the confidence and courage to live the life I dreamed.”
Shidoshi Jerry Wideman, 10th Degree Black Belt“A fantastic course that allowed me and my friends to train in Ninjutsu at our own pace.”
Shidoshi Ron Elges, 5th Degree Black BeltAdvanced Levels and Teacher Training
Go beyond black belt, school by school, or learn to teach. Each course is online with a mailed binder manual. $347, or $447 with the DVDs.
Nidan: Gyokko Ryu Course
2nd degree. All the Gyokko Ryu waza of the Jo, Chu and Ge Ryaku no Maki, plus Kukishinden Ryu Hanbojutsu. Rare bonus: the Gyokko Ryu kuden and Baku-In mudras.
Sandan: Shinden Fudo Ryu Course
3rd degree. All 84 Shinden Fudo Ryu Dakentaijutsu waza in a 356-page manual, with pictures and video for every waza: Ten, Chi and Shizen Shigoku no Kata.
Yondan: Takagi Yoshin Ryu Course
4th degree. The Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu waza, Shoden through Okuden, in a picture manual with full video instruction.
Budo Taijutsu Course
“Perfecting Your Budo Taijutsu.” Eleven video lessons from Doshi and nine other instructors, a 236-page manual, and the Ten Chi Jin notes.
Shidoshi Teacher Training Course
Become a teacher of the warrior ways. Lesson plans, handling students, your responsibilities, leadership. Required to become an IBDA Shidoshi-ho.
Black Belt Teacher Certification
The accelerated path. Shodan and Teacher Training together, Ninja Way, patches, 3 years of IBDA membership, and all rank and license fees.
The World’s Most Complete Bujinkan Ninjutsu and Budo Taijutsu Study System
Eight complete courses. From how to tie your white belt to Godan and fully trained Bujinkan teacher.
From the old days training of Ninpo Taijutsu, Togakure teachings and Ten Chi Jin to Juppo Sessho, weapons, and the more modern Budo Taijutsu. From the Art of Awareness to Combat Ninjutsu. I codified over 40 years of study with Soke Hatsumi into one university course. These are my own study materials. We will never offer less.
- Six binder manuals with over 2,000 study pages of how-to pictures
- Well over 50 hours of step-by-step video lessons
- 13 audio lessons and 3 study books
- Kyu and shoulder uniform patches, Masters Course certificate
- Lifetime Ninja Dojo Online with all updates and upgrades
- Six bonuses, including the History of the 9 Schools and Ten Chi Jin books and a $150 private session discount
At least 25 years of study. No one has yet finished in less time. We have never had a return on a Masters Course.
The whole library on computer, phone and tablet, for life.
The binders and books mailed to you, with lifetime online access. Free shipping in the USA. Worth over $5,000.
Everything, plus about 60 disks: 47 DVDs and 13 CDs for your library.
BushindoUniversity.com/bujinkan-masters-course-binders-and-online
Ninja Weapons Course
Get certified as a Ninja Weapons Specialist.
Doshi Richard and Linda Van Donk teach you the basics of fourteen weapons: what they are, how to hold them, the postures, and how to strike with them. Learn the material, then test for Advanced Ninja Weapons Certification.
Six trainings: Ninja Weapons Basics Vol. 1 and 2, Kusari Fundo Beginner and Advanced, Hanbojutsu, and Disarming Knives, Guns and Sticks.
Weapons Basics Vol. 1
Weapons Basics Vol. 2
Kusari Fundo Beginner
Kusari Fundo Advanced
Hanbojutsu
Disarming Knives, Guns & Sticks
Ninjutsu Made Easy Course
For years students asked where they could learn just the postures, or just the Sanshin and the Kihon Happo, or get more help with rolling. Here it is, in six trainings for beginners and advanced students alike. Each is also sold singly for $29.95.
Kihon Happo
Sanshin no Kata
Posture Power
Rolling Made Easy
Ninja Weapons Basics Vol. 1
Ninja Weapons Basics Vol. 2
The Video Library
Add to your training any time a subject excites you. $29.95 each streaming in your online library. On disk from the store, $24.95 to $34.95.
Combat Ninjutsu
Award-winning. Master-level skills for ending a fight fast against a bigger, faster or armed attacker.
Kihon Happo
Koshi Sanpo and Torite Goho Gata. The fundamental roots of all budo, piece by piece.
Sanshin no Kata
The five elemental forms: Chi, Sui, Ka, Fu and Ku, as taught to Doshi by Hatsumi-Sensei.
Posture Power
The kamae of all nine schools, their Japanese names, and how to use them in defense.
Rolling Made Easy
Make the ground your friend. Roll smoothly and safely on real-world surfaces.
Taijutsu Integration Magic
Get your taijutsu deep into your body, from beginner to master-level movement.
Ninja Weapons Basics Vol. 1
Hanbo, tanto, kusari fundo, shuriken, teppan, rokushaku bo and naginata.
Ninja Weapons Basics Vol. 2
Sword, jutte, shuko, kyoketsu shoge, yari, gun and kunai.
Hanbojutsu
Art of the 3-foot staff: history, postures, strikes, grappling, disarms and defenses.
Kusari Fundo Vol. 1
Beginner. Handling the short weighted chain: strikes, grapples, chokes and ties.
Kusari Fundo Vol. 2
Advanced. The most devastating use of the chain ever released to the public.
Disarming Knives, Guns & Sticks
Two hours of practical disarming, for martial artists of every discipline.
Kyoketsu Shoge & Kusari
Rare kyoketsu shoge instruction, kamae tips, and inner energy work on the beach.
Comparing the Bujinkan Schools
Shihan Paul Richardson on how the schools differ in kamae, movement and mindset. $29
Warrior Taijutsu Secrets
High-level instructors share what separates masters from everyone else. $27
IBDA Tai Kai
Events on DVD
Every session packed with teachings not easily found elsewhere.
Warrior Secrets Tai Kai · 20th Anniversary
Doshi and several other high-level Shihan share taijutsu, weapons, sword, armor and real-world defense across eight DVDs.
Warrior Taijutsu Secrets
$24.95
Taijutsu Integration Magic
$29.95
Warrior Empowerment
$19.95
Comparing the Bujinkan Schools
$24.95
Fighting in Armor
$29.95
Getting Out of Tough Situations
$24.95
Kyoketsu Shoge & Kusari
$24.95
Sword Training: Power Drawing
$19.95
IBDA Tai Kai 2013
Strategic methods for improving your taijutsu, the core of all your martial arts training.
All Things Bladed · Tai Kai 2014
Strategic edged-weapons training: knives, swords and blades.
Keeping It Real · Tai Kai 2015
No-nonsense defense methods. Will your martial arts work in the real world?
Getting Out of Tough Situations
What will you do with a gun at your back or a knife at your throat? The DVD is free. You pay $3.95 shipping. BushindoUniversity.com/getting-out-of-tough-situations
Books, Manuals and Translations
Ninjutsu Shodan No Maki · Three Levels
The official IBDA Ninjutsu training manuals, used by Bujinkan instructors around the globe. A complete overview of the Ninjutsu systems as taught by Doshi, with step-by-step photos of several hundred techniques from 9th Kyu to Shodan, with the Japanese names.
By Doshi Richard Van Donk
Ten Chi Jin Training Manual
My private notes on the Heaven, Earth and Man scrolls, the core curriculum set by Takamatsu Sensei.
$59.95
History of the Schools of the Bujinkan
By Paul Richardson with Richard Van Donk. These history stories will keep you up all night.
$29.95
Creating Your Life the Way You Want It
A guide for personal transformation. Signed copy.
$19.95
DeCuerdas Eskrima Training Manuals
All four levels, Yellow to Black Belt. $29.95 each.
$99.95Soke Hatsumi’s Japanese books, in English translation
Togakure Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu
$49.95
Sengoku Ninpo Zukan
$34.95
Bojutsu
$29.95
Hanbojutsu
$29.95
Ninja Submission
$24.95
Sojutsu: Art of the Yari
$24.95All books ship from Store.Bushindo.com. See the store for original out-of-print Japanese books in stock.
Sword Mastery
The sword secrets I learned from three great masters, in 14% of the time and 1% of the cost.
I love the blade. It is the reason I went to Japan in the first place.
Sword study is a study of the mind: focus, precision, flow, creativity and personal empowerment. For the Samurai the sword was a way of life. The sword embodied your soul in the blade.
I trained 15 years with a short blade close-in fighting master, over 30 years with an informal Japanese budo sword master, and over 20 years with a formal Japanese sword master. This course joins formal, informal and a unified flowing method in one clear warrior path. Even beginners reach a high level quickly.
Ranking is available. Following the ancient warrior way, I use the old Menkyo Kaiden method of sword grading instead of Dan levels.
The Sword Courses
If you can choose Sword Masters, choose Sword Masters. If Specialist is what you can do right now, begin there with respect. Training started honestly is better than training postponed.
Sword Masters “All In” Course
The complete sword training path, every level from day one.
- Shoden-ho, Shoden, Chuden-ho, Chuden, Mokuroku and Teacher levels
- Sword Specialist Course included
- Formal traditional, informal and unified sword methods
- Private members-only Sword Portal
- Hundreds of clips, never-before-released footage, PDFs
- 8+ years of study material already loaded
- Advanced Inner Arts training
- Coaching and comments on every lesson
- Rank testing opportunity
- Lifetime access and free future additions
Sword Specialist Course
A focused way to begin. A real path into the work.
- Shoden-ho and Shoden foundation training
- Private portal access
- Core sword practice and training clips
- Inner Arts foundation training
- The grandmaster answers your questions
- Downloads, PDFs, images and articles
- 2 to 4 years of structured material
- Rank testing opportunity
- Upgrade into the full Sword Masters Course later
Sword Secrets
Draw fast, cut deep, with presence. A short first step into the sword.
Sword Training Basics
An introductory lesson to get the sword in your hands.
Bushindo Sword Uniform
With the 10-color embroidered 6-inch Wheel patch.
What you will learn
30-day money-back guarantee. Payment options available.
Enrollment is limited so I can manage the portal and support the students well. When enrollment is open, you get instant access right away.
Dynamic DeCuerdas Eskrima
Fast, accurate and deadly. Knives and sticks are everywhere. How skilled are you at defending against them?
I was a karate black belt before I found out it was not effective against a real trained knife fighter. DeCuerdas is my ace in the hole. No other art gives me what it does, and I have studied many arts to grandmaster certification.
I began training with the late Grandmaster Gilbert Tenio in 1981 and was the first person ever to receive a black belt from him. He trained in 19 Filipino systems and passed the true DeCuerdas to me. I promised him I would not let it die. Train it as a stand-alone art, or add it to the art you already have.
Train in belt levels. Each level builds on the last.
Level 1 · YellowFoundationThe weapons and how to hold them, basic strikes 1 to 5, striking and cutting methods, the 9 angles of attack, 5 distances, the House Blocking System, passing and V-movement patterns.
Level 2 · GreenFlow connectionSerrada strikes 6 to 12, long arc and Abaniko strikes, single stick against single stick, DeCuerdas kicks, empty hand sensitivity drills, knife and stick passing, first disarms.
Level 3 · BrownPressure and applicationFalling skills, joint locking, throws and takedowns, single stick grappling, double stick blocking and striking, long blade strikes, knife flow drill, stick disarms, sparring drills.
Level 4 · BlackAdvanced progressionDouble stick principles, Espada y Daga, double blade, fighting from the ground, long staff, dagger defenses and disarms, jailing and trapping, and the Black Belt test and award ceremony.Learn instant defense, blocking, striking, cutting, countering, parrying, passing, counter for counter, fight finishing, disarms, throws, grappling and inner power. Unified defense actions whether you are unarmed or have two blades in your hands.
The Eskrima Courses
Complete DeCuerdas Eskrima Black Belt Course
Online, all four levels. $447 with DVDs online · $379 DVD course in the store
- Levels One, Two, Three and Four
- Hundreds of portal videos you can review again and again
- Step-by-step picture manual and training notes
- Striking, footwork, checking, counters and flow training
- Stick and blade principle development
- Rank testing by video. The Black Belt test is in person.
- Three levels plus Instructor after Black Belt
Level One Yellow, Level Two Green, Level Three Brown or Level Four Black.
Membership ID card, downloadable wall certificate and growing Eskrima Vault access. All Filipino martial artists welcome. Required for rank testing.
Manuals, uniform and gear
Training Manuals
Physical books, one per belt level. All four for $97 online or $99.95 in the store.
DeCuerdas Master Seminar
Two DVDs filmed live with Grandmaster Tenio and Doshi. One and two sticks, blade, disarms.
Eskrima Uniform with Patch
Black and red, with the red and gold 6-inch back patch already sewn on.
Eskrima Sport Shirt
Black polo with red trim and the bladed Eskrima logo.
What makes this a complete system
Living the
Spiritual Path
“Sacred Secrets of Reaching States of Enlightenment Revealed.”
Know inner peace anytime you want. Get it right on the inside.
Meditate like an awakened master. Open your chakras safely, activate your energy system and, when ready, experience the enlightening Quickening Process. 20 years and 250,000 miles of research packed into a step-by-step guide.
- Living the Spiritual Path course manual, 114 pages
- Preparing the Path and Sourcing Meditation guided empowerments
- Life Enhancing Philosophy video training
- Exercises for Heightened Enlightenment video training
Optimal Life Mastery System
Own yourself fully. Vibrant health. The great power of choice. The warrior’s way carried into the rest of your life.
Body and Health Rejuvenation Daily Practice
Advanced Junan Taiso. Joint freeing, stretching, meridian and nerve activation, Amatsu and Chi Kung energy flow.
The Inner Arts Course
Life force, breath and ki. The training that makes everything else work. Taught only inside the Empowered Warrior Dojo and the White Tiger Inner Circle.
Kuji, Mikkyo and Meditation Studies
Home study Mikkyo courses created by SATI and written by Tendai priest Jisho Richard Sears. Awareness, meditation and Kuji-In, the inner side of the Ninja arts.
Every Sati study course together in one package. Online, or shipped from the store.
Kuji: The Nine Syllables
Draw the Kuji grid and learn the nine hand positions, mantras and mudras of the Goshinbo. Two Japanese Kuji manuals translated in full.
$39.95
Mikkyo: An Introduction
A six-week home study course on the secret teachings of Japanese Vajrayana Buddhism, with workbook, meditations and certificate.
$39.95
Buddhism: An Overview
A six-week home study course, from the life of the Buddha to the main schools today.
$39.95
Tendai Daily Practice Manual
The full English translation with the Japanese text, normally given only at ordination. With chant pronunciation CD.
$39.95
Tendai: An Introduction
The fountainhead of Japanese Buddhism and home of Mikkyo: history, teachings and practices.
$34.95
Ritual of Fudo Myo-o
The Tendai ritual for attaining Fudo-Shin, the immovable mind, with 65 illustrations of the mudras.
$24.95
Mikkyo: Goma Fire Ritual DVD
Rare film of the sacred Shingon fire purification ritual, performed for you to receive it.
$29.95Creating Your Life the Way You Want It
Meditation, goal setting and taking charge of your own mind. The book that has transformed thousands of lives.
$19.95
For your practice
| Infinite Way Meditation Pillow Designed by Doshi in purple and gold with the embroidered Wheel of Light | $70 filled $37 to fill yourself |
| Light Warrior Membership Enlightened Warrior Society certificate and Wheel of Light patch | $35 $75 with coin |
Uniforms, Patches and Memberships
Wear your rank. Traditional black uniforms are used in Bujinkan Ninjutsu training. Everything here ships from Store.Bushindo.com.
Lightweight Uniform
Official IBDA black gi by ProForce
$62.95 to $84.95
Heavyweight Uniform
12 oz instructor quality, limited sizes
See the store
Bushindo Sword Uniform
With the 6-inch Wheel patch
$109.95 to $129.95Eskrima Uniform
With the 6-inch back patch
$109.95 to $129.95
IBDA Dojo T-Shirt
Black, with the IBDA NIN logo and sword
$22.95 to $27.95Eskrima Sport Shirt
Black polo with red trim
$29.95
Yellow and Green Belts
100% cotton, sizes 0 to 7
$9.95 each
Brown Belt
100% cotton, sizes 0 to 7
$7.95 to $9.95
IBDA NIN Shoulder Patch
Gold border, sword and 9 stars
$9
Kyu Patch · IBDA Deshi
Chest patch for 9th to 1st Kyu
$25
Dan Patch · IBDA Sensei
For IBDA 1st to 4th Dan only
$25
Bushindo Patch
Large 10 x 9.5 inch embroidered patch
$50
Wheel of Light Patch
“Infinite Way” embroidered patch
$10 (3 in.) · $24.95 (6 in.)
DeCuerdas Shield Patch
5-inch shield. 6-inch round patch $25
$20
Uniform Stars
White, yellow, silver or gold. Pack of 4
$5
Memberships
IBDA $40 a year. DeCuerdas Eskrima $25 a year
from $25What Students Say
Many came to me already holding black belts in other systems. They started at white belt with me, and went further than they thought they could.
“He changed everything within me. Life is so much sweeter. I feel as if I have been re-born!”
Konsta Beck · 4th Degree Black Belt. Came in with a black belt, started over at white belt.“This system has worked for me for over fifteen years, giving me the confidence and courage to live the life I dreamed.”
Shidoshi Jerry Wideman · 10th Degree Black Belt, dojo owner“My thought process and mentality are genuinely changing. If there is one person that sees my vision, it is you. Thank you again for these life-changing tools.”
Beth Hall · Empowered Warrior student“Doshi’s arts have taken me and my martial art skills to a whole new level. I am a much better person from his guidance.”
Ephraim Cheever · 5th Degree Black Belt“Realistic training. Old school. A return to the roots of Ninjutsu. No wimpy training. This is what the art was always meant to be.”
Dan McAuley · 4th Degree Black Belt“I felt very lost on my path in life and Doshi Richard Van Donk has helped set me on the right course. Everyone should be this lucky!”
Shihan Brian Lee Sumpter · 10th Degree Black Belt“I am enjoying the training in the Empowered Warrior and White Tiger programs. I am definitely in the right place!”
Michael Nickels · Empowered Warrior & White Tiger“In studying the Eskrima course it dawned on me how really good you are! I just wanted to thank you for your teachings.”
Bobby Dunford“I finished the Shidoshi course book. You created this in the best way I have ever seen. You are the best teacher!”
Chris Zapior“Doshi, to my humble opinion you are such a Ninja, becoming an important teacher in my life.”
Arnout Griepsma · 1st Degree Black BeltIndividual results vary with your own practice. Read more at stories.bushindouniversity.com
Study Checklist and Price List
Empowered Warrior
Mentoring & Private Sessions
Ninjutsu Courses
Video Library
Sword
DeCuerdas Eskrima
Inner Arts & Spiritual Path
Books
Prices as listed on BushindoUniversity.com and Store.Bushindo.com, November 2026. The websites always carry the current price.
How to Enroll
Bushindo University
Live Your Most Optimal Life
Be stronger, healthier, mentally clear, spiritually connected, with unbeatable martial skills. I share the arts as a way of life. Study with me.
Doshi Richard Van Donk
BushindoUniversity.com • Store.Bushindo.com • © 2026 Bushindo University. All rights reserved.