At first glance, the rooms high above Park Street and Santa Clara Avenue might appear the lair of an avenging pulp-era hero, ever-vigilantly gazing down at evildoers from this aerie.
Masks hang from the walls, a bookshelf holds dozens of manuals on self-defense and sword-play. Beyond this foyer lies a small gymnasium lined with weapons. Within, a soft-spoken, bespectacled man of good humor greets you. If you met him elsewhere, you might be led to believe that Harold Hayes is a college professor or perhaps a diplomat — not a man who makes his living by the sword.