TOPSHAM – Martial arts instructor Hahna David Patterson recently completed a training course with Masaaki Hatsumi, the 34th grandmaster of Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu and the founder and head of the international Bujinkan Dojo network in Japan.

Ninjutsu is a classical Japanese martial art, famous for its combat techniques and skills for personal refinement.

Patterson has been studying ninjutsu for more than 16 years, and teaching it for 10. He trained for more than 30 hours on various ninjutsu techniques, including sword fighting and grappling techniques. At the end of his training, he was promoted to an 8th degree black belt.

Patterson is the founder of Maine Budo, a small dojo in Topsham, where he teaches on Thursday and Saturday each week and intends to expand his instruction.

For more information on Maine Budo, phone 232-7217, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.mainebudo.com