Are you prepared to, in a life-threatening situation, shoot another person?

Yes, I am, but we'll get back to that later.

On 27 February 2012, the first course in Pproject ISLANDld Motter Warrior, POMW! A, held. First course part of a series of several in instruction and course in the use of modern weapons. Around 30 specially invited Shindenkaners with at least 6-8 years of training and up to 38 years of training were present, all of whom were excited and looking forward to today's course.

Just this modern weapons course is controversial and there has been a lot of talk about the justification for this course series. Because what do we need with modern weapons, pistols and revolvers, when we train a 1000-year-old martial art? Isn't it just a boy's game, once a shooting game and thus more for fun and pleasure, but which at the same time costs a lot of money?

If there has been talk about exactly this, then I think the talk and the thought about it was quickly put to shame.

For Kimu Sensei took us through an exciting three-hour seminar which precisely highlighted the justification in POMW - the use of modern weapons in our multi-track martial arts system. It has always been there, whether we like it or not.

The course was divided into two halves. The first part was a detailed story and explanation about the use of weapons in Japan's history, the connection with our karate and the multi-track combat system. Ryugi – why, how and where to.

The second part of the course was about the history of firearms. This part was relatively easy to deal with and is straightforward in our understanding of the development from smooth-bore guns with black powder and bullets, to modern semi-automatic or fully automatic weapons with cartridges. Although there has been an incredible development in weapons and their impact, the pistol that we will learn to use is still relatively a short distance combat weapon with normal accuracy between a few meters to approx. 50 meters. Only the most skilled can hit consistently with a pistol over 100 m. Above this distance, rifles, sniper rifles or similar are thus used. In this connection, there was also talk of close combat, which requires a higher level of competence, versus combat over distance, which required a lower level of competence. But regardless, we know that firearms are dangerous – depending, of course, on who holds the weapon.

The first part of the course was thus more complex and, I think, more difficult to deal with. It was very clear that Kimu Sensei had put many, many hours of work and preparation into today's presentation and instruction. Minouchi Sensei (SST's teacher) was quoted several times and he had already many years ago brought modern firearms into our modern karate system and teaching. Weapons can kill regardless of whether they are knives, swords or guns, and that is why we have to deal with modern weapons in our time.

Kimu Sensei told that there are over approx. 1-1.5 million weapons in Denmark, of which up to half are illegal and illegal. It is not only our soldiers in Afghanistan who have to deal with firearms, because with the large number of weapons we have in this country, sooner or later we may be faced with a person with a gun. We were challenged, because how would we react in a given situation if we were faced with the ultimate threat? Would we hesitate – and if we did – wouldn't we be dead?

Basically, the question is about our competence. Are we settled? Do we have the right attitude and self-awareness? And isn't the gun just a metaphor for being ultimate settled and killing?

Is it a question of Omote – the exterior? Or about Ura – the interior?

Minouchi Sensei was also controversial in his time. He challenged the established karate community and broke new ground - here also with the use of modern weapons, which we discussed today. I haven't heard of other ancient martial arts systems that have modern weapons training, so aren't Kimu Sensei and Shindenkan breaking new ground as well?

I was clear before I came to the course and I am just as clear here after the course. If I or my loved ones were threatened with life and were in extreme danger, yes, I would be able to kill. For me, the easiest would be with a gun (if you have this at hand), more difficult with a knife and most difficult with your bare hands. In addition to the distance between these weapon uses, there is also speed in how quickly you can kill. But in the ultimate situation, I am fully settled and would fight when it mattered – with or without weapons – and regardless of whether there is physical contact with the opponent or not – and thus take life if it mattered.

The course dealt with the unresolved situation, and although others explained during and after the course "that they were better and more internally settled and had gained a better understanding", I must unfortunately confess that I have not yet seen the "light" for this clarification and inner self-knowledge (the bridge) during the course. Is it because I was/am already settled cf. the ultimate situation above?

According to Kimu Sensei and koryo bujutsu and budo, there is a connection between the Densho degrees and our (human) development. When we reach Joden-Menkyo, the bridge from martial arts to martial arts has been reached and thereby a higher clarification and self-knowledge has also been reached.

I have wondered a lot after this course about where I really was and how far I had come in Shindenkan and how I will move forward.

Thus, the course has not moved me in terms of being able or daring/wanting to use a firearm in the ultimate situation - because I already wanted to, but rather set some questions in motion about how to proceed.

From Omote – to Ura? How, how?

But maybe this was what Kimu Sensei wanted from us?…