All martial artists below the densho degree Menkyo are white belts

"All martial artists below the Densho degree Menkyo are white belts!", SST has declared every time during training camps in Denmark since 1967.

It wasn't until 1994, when I became a Menkyo myself, that I understood the meaning of the spoken word, and until then, like everyone else, I was outraged and offended by this very arrogant and condescending statement about all martial artists.

The Densho degree Menkyo means "Master of all the Martial arts" and is a multi-track all-encompassing degree. Yamana Samurai

The square means "Know thyself". Or rather "Know yourself for better or worse - 100 %". The Menkyo degree typically corresponds to the degree 7-8.dan, black belt, multi-track Yakami Shinsei-ryu and many more dan in single-track martial arts.

The Densho Menkyo degree is a martial art degree according to the same assessment criteria for the last 600 years. DAN and KYU degrees are not. It varies from "pulling the machine" to an honest attempt to divide a densho degree into several DAN degrees.

With the above explanation, it will make sense to most martial artists what SST declared at every training camp in Denmark, - and many other martial arts grandmasters in China and Japan have continuously declared: This is not only limited to martial arts grandmasters, but to grandmasters within all the arts of life paths of cognition, both in the West and in the East and over several thousand years.

Few people break down mentally on a hot summer day at the beach. Most people first break psychologically under pressure.

Under the various forms of pressure is where people show their true selves, – ie. where they are now in their realization process on their path and life cycle.

People usually change and develop the most when they are forced to, and people have a general tendency to make it easiest for themselves.

But major personal life events, such as childhood failure, children, marriage, divorce, death, new job, lost job, etc., force most people to either evolve or do the opposite, depending on where they are in their cognitive and behavioral process in their life.

Few people embark on a lifelong conscious and purposeful process of self-discovery.

It mostly happens during holidays and quiet moments or significantly during serious illnesses, life events and after retirement.

Some do not wait, but actively seek to join a journey with 100 % control and only as long as they are motivated to do so.

Here Shindenkan is a very good example. Shindenkan reflects society and its ever-changing currents.

But Shindenkan also reflects a 1000-year-old proven toolbox for learning yourself through the martial art of Yakami Shinsei-ryu with KYU and DAN degrees.

When you begin the ancient densho degrees, you follow in the footsteps of the old samurai elite warriors and their increasing skills and knowledge.

If you reach the densho degree Menkyo and beyond, where you go from knowing yourself to knowing others through yourself. This is the way of martial arts.

The focus is now on densho degrees, as DAN degrees have played out their ego role. This is my path and can be yours too.

The world of reality and self-created worlds

The survival of a martial arts system is often opposed to the requirements for the survival of a martial arts system.

The survival of a martial art system is 100 % based on the intact continuation of a century or millennium old toolbox and this can only be done by budo and bujutsu grandmasters from and including the densho degree Menkyo Kaiden.

This is not necessarily the case for the survival of a martial arts system, but it depends on whether the creator of the martial arts system is locally, nationally, or internationally limited.

Martial arts systems such as Judo, Kendo, Taekwondo, Wushu etc have their origins in the martial arts systems, but were spread very successfully internationally by becoming martial arts systems.

Judo's founder, Dr. Kano, also painfully stated that his Judo system had never reached such a low point in terms of competence, when Judo became the greatest international martial arts success ever.

Dr. Kano solved the problem like many others using the 99.999999% problem. Only those who really wanted to took the path of martial arts and they were very few.

One of the founders of Japanese karate, Dr. Gishin Funakoshi also took the consequence of the difference between martial arts and martial arts, and therefore never even graduated practitioners in his Shotokan system more than 5th dan, black belt.

It corresponds to the densho degree OKUDEN, which is the densho degree BEFORE MENKYO, which is the first real martial art degree, and also the degree Funakoshi himself received when he was sent from Okinawa to Japan to spread karate in 1922.

Other of Funakoshi's students have then graduated up to 10th dan, black belt.

Funakoshi and Kano were friends and trained with each other. This is how martial arts masters did it then and today. It's about the essence of the art and not giga egos.

Today, it is rare for martial arts masters to master more than their own martial arts system.

They do not expose themselves to the risk of failing and learning beyond their own control and breathing space.

A Martial Arts Master always masters several martial arts systems.

It is a significant difference, simple and complicated.

The international development of martial arts - the bombed-out ruins of World War II

Anyone who wants to can establish an association. Today, anyone can also establish their own martial arts system.

In Japan, it happened especially after World War II, when the American and allied victors dictated Japan's new constitution in 1947, which turned Japanese society upside down.

There was great poverty in Japan, but a great many foreign soldiers who, in the nature of their attitude and profession, had a great interest in the Japanese warrior culture.

Demand therefore increased and demand exceeded supply.

The market mechanisms made a great effort to quickly balance this, as this could ensure survival and money.

It therefore also went beyond the quality and competences.

But it meant that millions of foreign soldiers spread the message that all Japanese knew karate, Judo, Jujutsu, Kendo, etc.

It was of course very far from the truth, but they didn't know any better when they didn't know the difference between the real thing and questions about "Survival, bazaar and Chinese horse markets".

More than 6 million Japanese soldiers had returned home unemployed and a bombed-out country, and at times up to 400,000 American soldiers and up to 50,000 British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers had a hungry interest in learning martial arts before returning home.

And that demand was met and sold well by the Japanese, Chinese and Korean martial arts providers.

And the soldiers didn't care and they spread the sales messages when they had to tell everyone the "soldier stories" about their time in Japan. And I wish those stories didn't get better and better over the years :-).

But there was also a rapid establishment of Japanese martial arts around the world, later supported by sent Japanese instructors in the 1950s and 60s.

It also fits well with our own Shindenkan story; Kodosokukai Gensei-ryu Karate-do came to Europe and Denmark in 1967, and Yashin Mon. Yakami no Taijutsu in 1989.

But it also meant that the market mechanisms made their entrance again.

This also applied to Denmark.

In the 70s, the first Danish martial arts systems were launched by Danish practitioners with 5-15 years of training in different and highly varying competence quality as a starting point, where their instructors' degree was often no higher than the first Dan degrees.

Since there is no international or national regulation of DAN (Black Belts) and KYU (Coloured Belts) degrees, these instructors often graduated themselves, got the association's board to do it, or one or the other more or less dubious person from abroad.

Often these new self-established martial arts systems claimed their origins in Japanese or Chinese monasteries or warrior clans.

Which, on further investigation, could not hold water, as the world, due to international air traffic and the Internet, quickly became smaller and smaller.

Many felt deceived at that time, and many continue to be deceived, but now it is "enlightened deception" because of the Internet.

But that has not prevented several Danish martial arts systems from coming and going.

Common to almost all of them is an eminent marketing, emphasizing themselves and their own system and belittling the traditional systems that HAVE a history with content, and a more or less loose connection with professional areas that people generally consider to be cool.

In addition, a sound feeling for the different demand needs that have arisen over time; Kong-fu, Ninjutsu, superheroes and people's fear of abuse In a violent uncertain world.

One finger points forward and three fingers towards yourself

When I point to this, I must also point to myself. Over the years I have also involuntarily created several "giga ego socks and Sensei's" who have more or less successfully established their own martial arts system in a region, municipality or country.

After 30 years, I have concluded that it cannot be avoided as it is human nature for various reasons and level of conscience.

Every year, Shindenkan also experiences different degrees of self-appointed "Soke & Sensei" tendencies among both the black and brown belt group, but also local chief instructors throughout time.

There is of course politics in all major democratic sports organizations like the Shindenkan.

But in honbu, it is not what you say you can do that is decisive, but what you actually can do - because that is revealed quite quickly in a dojo.

That's why some choose to leave Shindenkan, as they can't be revealed and have no competition in skills and can stand unchallenged about their acquired skills and abilities - and as if in their own film masterpiece.

Shindenkan has a 50-year history in Denmark, and for 50 years it has almost always been instructors with a starting point from one region in Denmark in particular, who have had a great need for the "giga ego Soke and Sensei" dreams and bring them to life, as heroes in their own cinematic masterpiece, and they spare no expense. But some have been successful.

We have actually investigated why this is so and what the cause has been.

Why exactly that region of Zealand, we haven't actually found out - maybe it's something repressed locally culturally? or is there much underlying hidden in that region?.

But we have been very open about it for the past 10 years - and yet it still happens.

But we have found out what is the reason why some would like to drive autonomously in the semi-hidden, but under the Shindenkan umbrella and Shindenkan's safe international guarantee for martial arts skills.

50 % it is primarily their wife/girlfriend, and secondarily the ambitions, expectations, self-interests and pressure of local supporters.

50 % their own ego needs, where they are always themselves the hero in their self-created universe and kingdom, instead of the needs of the community and the responsibility for their own and others' lives in the real world. They want to stand unchallenged and not expose themselves to risk that could destroy their own self-image, which usually happens at the expense of other people – their closest friends and students over many years.

The motivation, the self-delusion, the duplicity and the arguments are most often surreal and beyond pedagogical scope, the vast majority would think. It can be quite scary after having trained an instructor - and friend for many years, to suddenly change 100 % personality, which does not shy away from any means. It can be quite hard and relentless. But unfortunately that is reality and life.

Unfortunately, we experience this when instructors reach the first self-determined ego ceiling for internal pressure, and announce their true face and intention in the public space after many years of responsive and devoted teaching.

The ego ceiling is where the sacrifice cost becomes too high, i.e. the demands knock on the door to the risk of failing and destroying one's built-up self-protective self-image, most often from childhood. This means that the requirements are that you must look at yourself as you are and accept this. In Shindenkan we call this “BURT”.

It can range from wanting to graduate themselves, making their own system within the system, special special rules for them, their children, "court", me me ME, to what many would describe as "treason", egocentric vindictiveness for not get his royal will and the most despicable things you can imagine and more.

But it has happened before and it will happen again, but we have become better at spotting it with timely care and taking precautions, which most often include looking out for those involved against themselves, themselves against their family, ourselves and Shindenkan.

Reality and truth versus self-created hero movies

Now you want to ask the question why?. But maybe you've already guessed right if you think about my own background and why this came along.

For many years I thought that everyone could do as I did and become Menkyo Kaiden "Initiated master of all the Martial arts". Basically, I still believe that.

It had never been easier and with greater possibilities, as there is now a fully trained traditional martial arts grandmaster in Japanese and Chinese Budo and bujutsu in Denmark and Europe. And you didn't, like me, need to travel to Japan and China to be educated, developed and trained in the millennia-old techniques and toolbox. It was all suddenly on the other side of the street!

I had big plans to make it possible for everyone who wanted this.

But reality just isn't like that and it just didn't work out that way.

Today, since 1989, I have trained the following Densho; One OKUDEN, Three JODEN and some CHUDEN AND SHODEN in Yakami Shinsei-ryu. It is 3-6.dan, multi-track black belt and 4-7.dan in single-track karate-do.

Within martial arts, it is a huge success and actually the highest overall level of competence in Shindenkan over the last 50 years!.

But seen from the eyes of the martial arts system, it is a disaster, as there is no MENKYO, who is first degree within martial arts.

It is only at Menkyo that you choose to be constant, a somewhat square expression "That you do as you say and say as you do - always".

As I usually say to the chief and deputy chief instructors and the black belt team, you can only be constant when you know yourself through thick and thin – 100 %.

Until then, you have to go up and down in year-round, half-yearly or quarterly cycles, - and then it becomes extra challenging to create progression and development for an Okuden or Joden on the way to Menkyo, when the prerequisite is that the student is constantly on the road - DO.

I myself got one chance.

Either I was good enough or I wasn't. One chance was given and it has been like that for 1,000 years.

The grandmasters' comparison of 99.999999 % means that 1 in 1 million martial artists will become Menkyo Kaiden - Martial Arts Grandmaster.

That number I never wanted to acknowledge, but have fought against this grand master of truth and statistics for the past 30 years. I've always believed that anyone could be Menkyo, Kaiden or Menkyo Kaiden IF they wanted to.

The problem is that few want to WANT it when it comes down to it and the ego pressure of illusions becomes too great. But EVERYONE can if they WANT to.

The problem is that everyone says they want to, but when the illusory pressure on the ego becomes too great, they can't anyway. But still expecting chance no 9999.

People's ego and inferiority means that most people do what is easiest for themselves, both expansively and destructively – Yin/Yang.

Most people do not like to be judged or put themselves in a situation where they can fail, because their self-created illusions can burst.

But how can you learn from the past and the experiences and learnings of other generations?. Is it the secret of life?. Repetitions upon repetitions?. An eternal ring?.

But here Shindenkan can help you. As Shindenkan takes you on a journey, builds and supports you, gives you confidence and increased self-esteem - if you want this.

POMW and the SHIELD KISS project have proven that we dare to put ourselves in situations where we can fail big time, in order to prove our essential methodologies, techniques and human insight, skills which obviously show that we dare to fail, but do not that. How many others dare and do it?.

Is it because our origin is true martial art and from this comes to know oneself and one's own self worth?

The second practical schism

NKT - National Competence Training under the auspices of Honbu, was introduced last season 2016-2017 and was a huge success. It revealed all our curriculum skills and most were quite surprised at how much they can actually do!.

It brought an inner pride and practical understanding of Yakami Shinsei-ryu's multi-track skills and values, - and we are NOT like other single-track martial arts systems.

This professional pride, - together with a nice KataFIT body, has quickly worked wonders for most. We have skipped years of information and communications with this initiative. We can be very proud of that as an organization and individually!

Especially the black belt team and the brown belt team have welcomed NKT with open arms and have a very high attendance percentage for the 6 + 6 local as well as national NKT trainings, which are conducted as during a competence demonstration.

Two hours of continuous armed demonstration in kenjutsu (sword), Kotachi (long knife), Jo (long staff) and Iai (quick draw with blank weapon sword), or two hours of continuous unarmed demonstration in Jujutsu (fall technique, throws, locks, floor technique and nerve points), Hsingi (Chinese boxing), and Task Fight (from point fight to full contact melee).

It's a pretty impressive sight!, - and it's even "just" for 1st dan Yakami Shinsei-ryu, 2nd dan BKK.

We can rightly be proud of ourselves and our 1,000-year heritage.

The challenge is simply that especially TG1, TG2 and some TG3, i.e. 9.kyu to 3.kyu, do not always prioritize the 6 + 6 local as national NKT, and thus quickly get a lower attendance rate and thus great uncertainty in the maintenance of the curriculum competence courses.

This has the obvious consequence in the near future that we will see many Shindenkaners dump for TG3+ graduations and perhaps even give up, as it becomes too unmanageable for them.

It quickly becomes a growing destructive problem, or a challenge.

Here we have the choice between letting it stand and saying it is the people's own responsibility, or with timely care to do something about it.

It is Shindenkan's set of values and motto "Space for everyone, the elite as the exerciser" and everyone, without exception, needs encouragement and support at some point.

Therefore, a formal stop test has been introduced in the graduation process for TG3+ and therefore a constant and formal supporting training and teaching structure has been introduced for the OBC courses.

The third practical schism

Another problem is the disproportionately large and years-long resource consumption within both finance, financing and 24-7 teaching resources during RRCamps, conventions and in daily management work.

It is challenging to create momentum and development according to a strategic plan 2021, when you never know what managerial resources you have at your disposal and whether these are running at 100 % power, 50 % or 1 % power.

You can do that over a shorter period of time, but it is not appropriate year after year, when there is only one constant resource who is expected to be available 24-7 and has to keep managers up when they are down and put turbo and momentum on , when they are up.

Therefore, there are now just four quarterly RRCamps for TG5+ and two more half-yearly RRCamps for TG6+. It should be enough and also fits the family and other obligations very well.

Shindenkan is now a martial arts organization, but must also in the future be a real martial arts organization with more members than Yamana-Itotani Sensei.

The breadth has been accommodated and this has led to a giga success that is rarely seen on the international martial arts scene, but elitistly we lack the original leg - the source and the origin, which must ensure the survival of the future generations and the continued development for the benefit of society and the world as a whole.

Shindenkan's motto is; Space for everyone, – the elite as the exerciser.

Inspired by the successful step 1 to step 5, the only solution is therefore to create a supporting teaching and training structure that not only supports graduations up to 3-6.dan, multi-track black belt and 4-7.dan in single-track karate -do, but also 8-10.dan multi-track and single-track, and most importantly, Densho degrees from Menkyo, Kaiden and Menkyo Kaiden.

We must secure the future and take our members on as long a journey as possible.

The fourth practical schism

So far, we have been very good at paying tribute to and respecting our heroes and heroines of all ages, who make a big extra effort that most others take for granted.

This significantly through the Kohaku-jin and Gold IRIS concepts.

Stages 1 to 5 have suggested that we also have to to a greater degree and mark, to pay tribute to and show the function of head instructors as role models, - than necessarily their martial arts degree.

Because in this world and setting of martial arts, martial arts instructors have alternating life cycles and self-perceptions of their own worth and effort.

But so that life and the Shindenkan train go on, even if they themselves sit on the bench for a while, or take a break for a number of years.

This means that other instructors take over, and so far the next in line have clearly emphasized that Shindenkan's top management support and support network, RRCamps, instructor, and Black Belt training and education are extremely successful and valuable leadership educations.

Therefore, the next natural step in the Shindenkan martial arts organization is that the opening and closing lineups in a row (line-up) now also primarily reflect the national and/or local function, effort and influence, and then degree.

This means per August 1, 2017 at line-up – nationally and locally;

1. That all honbu appointed chief instructors by degree, stands first.
2. Next, honbu appointed Deputy Chief Instructors by degree.
3. Then Honbu appointed special instructors, called Sr. Instructors by degree,
4. And then everyone else by degree.

This means in practice that there are no changes for Shindenkaners below 1st dan, Yakami Shinsei-ryu, 2nd dan BBK, Black Belt. Here is the line-up as it has always been - by degree.

In this new way, the line-up will be changed from a static to a dynamic tool and discrete signal value on both the short and long track, with which everyone can quickly and easily form an overview.

This means that when old black belt instructors who come back for one reason or another will first experience this simple "Ego and attitude test".

If their ego can handle this over time and they acquire the professional skills corresponding to their Yakami Shinsei degree on par with everyone else at all times, they can also qualify like everyone else for the lead head instructor position again.

It is fair for everyone, a clear reconciliation of expectations and it minimizes the waste of resources for the few leading principal director forces.

It is a Win-Win according to Shindenkan's value set and Strategic Plan 2021. As step 5 says "Development after effort - More Fun!"

In the martial arts organization Shindenkan, it will continue to be traditionally by degree.

I have high expectations that this supportive initiative for everyone – a Win-Win, will be a huge success for everyone. Thanks in advance