Instructor Tony Whetstine

What martial arts have you studied? I began with studying tae kwon do as a child. Since then, I have studied the traditional Chinese arts of tai chi (yang style), bagua, and hsing I. I have also spent more than 17 years training in the Japanese martial arts of kobudo and ninpo. Where have you studied? I have primarily studied in the US, but have also spent some time studying in Japan.

Above: Tony Whetstine, Chief Instructor

What is your lineage to the founders of ninpo, kobudo, and Chinese arts?

I studied the Chinese martial arts under the guidance of Master Lin Chun Fu, who studied under the following masters:

• Chang Tung Shen - shuai jiao and tai ji quan
• Chi Ching Chih - Yang tai ji quan with Sifu T. T. Liang as partner
• Chou Chang Jou - liu he chuan
• Han Ching Tang - shao lin chin na
• Hsiong Yang He - tai ji quan
• Liu Pei Tzung - kun lun meditation
• Nan Huai Chin - yang tai ji quan
• Wang Shu Ching - bagua zhang and xing yi quan

I studied the kobudo and ninpo arts of the Takamatsuden under the guidance of the Bujinkan Dojo of Soke Masaaki Hatsumi and his master students in Japan and several of his finest American students as well.

• Shihan Mike Pierce - Currently residing as a resident student in Japan
• Sensei Tom Young - Fullerton, California
• Sensei Marty Bakulich - Fullerton, California
• Sensei Quint Miller - Woodland Hills, California

I currently train and teach the kobudo and ninpo arts of the Takamatsuden as practiced in the Jinenkan Dojo of Kancho Unsui Manaka and I am a personal student of one of his highest ranking students, Sensei Peter Steeves of Los Angeles, CA.

Which martial arts instructors have influenced you the most?

This is a difficult question, as I have had so many wonderful teachers and mentors over the years. Yet I suppose, to be brief, I have been most influenced by Kancho Manaka, Master Lin, and Soke Hatsumi in the greater lessons and Sensei’s Peter Steeves and Tom Young.

What are your values? Personal philosophy?

This is another very difficult question to pin down. For my own personal philosophy, I think I am most guided by the writings of Soke Toshitsugu Takamatsu, who brought the lineages of the Takamatsuden kobudo arts I study together. In one of his essays, he talks about the "ever appropriate response" to any given situation. From that, many of my core values have come or been confirmed.

Anyone can learn to fight in any number of different ways. Knowing what is worth fighting for and the appropriate time and place to fight comes from a harmony of body, mind, and spirit. Through these arts, founded in feudal times and forged in the circumstances of their creation, an entire way of life or perhaps a better way to describe it, a "whole life fitness" philosophy was developed that is as important today, if not more important today, than it was when they were founded and transcend far beyond physical techniques of fighting.

What are your affiliations?

I am affiliated with the Jissen Kobudo Jinenkan of Kancho Unsui Manaka.

What other events and people influenced you?

My past experiences as a non-commissioned officer in the US Marine Corps, as well as being a Gulf War veteran, have influenced me significantly. It gave me a perspective that I believe helps me see the martial arts in a more complete perspective, not just theoretical. It is easier to perceive both the physical and original purposes in the more martial aspects of martial arts and still see their evolution even beyond the lessons of personal defense or defense of others.

I have studied a number of religious and philosophical disciplines from Native American to Christian to Buddhist and Taoist. Each of these has helped bring me find my own fundamental point of balance in my life. To again quote a passage from Soke Takamatsu, "...happiness is right in front of you. Only you can choose to experience it."

What charitable works are you involved in?

I have supported California police and firefighter’s through donations to the children of fallen police and firefighters.  I am currently working with at risk and low income children as well as women’ safety issues and I am currently in the process of building a working relationship with the PEACEfund and highly encourage others to look into this fantastic organization dedicated to educating and aiding children around the world.