Shawn Gray has been a student of martial arts since 1984 and spent over 17 years training in Japan under Bujinkan Sōke Masaaki Hatsumi and the senior Shihan instructors, often serving as interpreter and Uke. Since founding Bujinkan Gray Dōjō in Ibaraki in 2000, Shawn has frequently been invited to share his understanding of the Bujinkan arts in training seminars internationally, and has been awarded the Bujinkan Gold Dragon Award and the Bujinkan Shingitai Award in recognition for these efforts. He has made many appearances in Japanese media in connection with Bujinkan training, and has translated much of Hatsumi Sōke's work into English, including newspaper and magazine articles, media subtitles, and notably Sensei's recent book, "The Complete Ninja: The Secret World Revealed".
武号 龍雲
"Ryū Un" ( dragon cloud )
先生
Sensei, "one who has gone before"
The word Sensei is comprised of two Japanese characters: Sen (先), which means "to precede, to come before", and Sei (生), which means "life, existence". Sensei thus refers to someone who has gone before, someone who has prior experience. Having a good teacher means being grounded in good roots that reach deep into the wellspring of past experience, drawing nourishment for growth as a martial artist.
With 12 years of martial arts experience in Canada, Shawn moved to Japan and, in addition to classes with Hatsumi Sōke, began training with the senior Japanese Shihan to take advantage of their decades of training with Hatsumi Sensei. After some time, Shawn became a student of Shiraishi Sensei at the direction of Hatsumi Sensei, and spent the next 17+ years at the Dōjō three to five times a week.
Shiraishi Sensei is known for his ability to transform decades of being on the receiving end of Hatsumi Sōke's techniques into easy-to-follow, step-by-step by step movements that dismantle an attackers balance in efficent, effective ways that make it much easier for small people to defend themselves against larger opponents. His constant smile and easy-going, friendly manner combined with his Taijutsu skills are what made Hatsumi Sōke name him, "Smiling Demon".