Jeff Ochester

Jeff Ochester (Bujinkan Daishihan) serves as a volunteer instructor at the Dayton Bujinkan Dojo. He started his Bujinkan training in 1992 at Kurt Rittenhouse Martial Arts (Bujinkan Dojo) in Dayton, Ohio, and earned his Shodan in 1996. During the 1990s and early 2000s, he trained mainly with Kurt Rittenhouse, Dan Klug, and Sean Askew in the United States.

Since 1997, Jeff has traveled to Japan annually to attend classes taught by senior Bujinkan Japanese instructors, among them Hatsumi Soke, Nagato Daishihan, Noguchi Daishihan, Muramatsu Sensei, Someya Daishihan, and others. In August 1999, he passed the Godan test under Hatsumi Soke at the Hombu Dojo. He went on to reach the rank of Judan in 2004 and Jugodan in 2011. Over the following years he received the Golden Dragon Award Medal (2011), the Shin Gi Tai Bufu Ikkan Award (2013), Yushuu Shihan (2015), and Daishihan (2018) menkyo.

A long-standing volunteer for major Bujinkan events, Jeff has contributed and taught at numerous Bujinkan workshops, seminars, and Midwest Tai Kai. He served as a core team member supporting Nagato Daishihan during his 2021 and 2025 U.S. Tai Kai tours in Dayton, Ohio, and took photos for Sean Askew at his 2026 Noguchi Tai Kai in Detroit, Michigan.

Jeff is a founding member and co‑owner of the Dayton Bujinkan Dojo Martial Arts School, established on November 3, 1997. He teaches on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, and leads theme-based workshops. Jeff’s career is in cybersecurity for the energy sector. In his spare time, he enjoys photography (www.jeffo-photography.com).