The association game
Eras, zeitgeist, greatness, decline and new beginnings
The zeitgeist is a general term for what characterizes us in a certain time period. It is a combination of the right attitudes and actions and at the same time describes what the social debate is about at the time of the zeitgeist. The 60s was an optimistic time period with economic progress.
From 1967-1972 came the youth rebellion against authorities, the deep pent-up anger and rage and the rebellion against the established society, drugs and alcohol culture, which in 1973 was replaced by the oil crisis, struggle for survival and a huge economic downturn with unemployment, as in the 80s turned into Yuppies, greed and everyone is the smith of his own luck and very much at the expense of others. The 90s were the decade of law, ethics and wholes - there must be room for all of us. We are the fifth generation from 1990.
The spread of karate and martial arts followed the zeitgeist, and the zeitgeist in the late 60s and early 70s was youth rebellion against the established society, drugs and the establishment of the Danish alcohol culture.
It was also the heyday of the underworld and the various film companies around the world understood this, to get linked together. First with Bruce Lee and then all the Ninja movies.
All karate-do schools benefited from the increased demand. In Japan, it was known that Kyokushinkai black belts could get work with the Japanese underworld - Mafia.
Many Danish Kyokushinkai black belts who came to the system's main school in Japan told many stories about the effects of this connection, both in business districts and fights with the police, and the power discipline between the belt classes and according to the founder; No one above and no one beside and a very aggressive and confrontational behavior in competitive relationships.
The same thing happened in Denmark. Often, Kyokushinkai people were sent out to competing systems' activities to "put amber in it" with shouts, provocations, extremely bad behavior and behavior. In Japan, this Yakuza method is called; Sokaiya.
From 1967-1972 came the youth uprising in Denmark.
In the same period, especially Hollywood actors and American martial arts practitioners were worshiped as heroes in, among other things, the magazine "Blackbelt".
Most karate and Taekwondo systems can report on this mainly in the 70's and 80's. Some targeted these "mafia methods", others did not and took them at their word. It was the beginning of the "Karate War in Denmark" which reached all the country's newspapers in the 70s.
But it still occurs ad hoc from people with other cultural traditions than the Danish or from old nostalgic Yakuza-inspired black belts or from special types of people. Unfortunately, most Danish associations have one or more accounts of experiences on this front.
Shindenkan also experienced it at a joint meeting in Ballerup around 2008 and at a local association's Slagel's general meeting in 2019, where a police car chose to extend the break and stay outside - well supplied with good cups of coffee and cakes from the general meeting 🙂.
But let's get started with the exciting report, which is based on both own experiences, the own accounts of those involved, newspapers and other players with in-depth knowledge of the process and the process. It also means that some may remember it differently for one reason or another, and it will always be that way.
In Danish karate history, there is no doubt that the period from the 1960s to the early 80s was characterized by two primary actors, some would also say combatants; The butcher and doorman, Jørgen Buller Bura Larsen (1938-2023) from JKA Shotokan and business graduate Jørgen Albrechtsen (1949) from Oyama Kyokushinkai Karate.
According to official figures, but given up by themselves, Kyokushin was the most successful karate organization from 1967 to approx. The 80s with more than 5-6,000 members spread over 15-20 schools with the world's largest karate school on Ørnevej with 3-4,000 members.
Famous Hollywood stars within Kyokushinkai Karate.
Nakayama – JKA Shotokan.
JKA Shotokan had more than twice as many schools with Vermlandsgade in Amager as the main school, but spread over 4-5,000 members.
In the same time period, Gensei-ryu Karate-do had 11 schools with around 800 members. Goju-ryu and Wado-ryu about the same.
Kyokushin Karate was still only one organization and so was Shotokan karate-do. It only changed in connection with the death of Kyokushin Oyama Sensei in 1994 and in earnest with the JKA Shotokan Nakayama Sensei in 1987. Today there are more than 5-10 different Kyokushinkai and Shotokan organizations worldwide today.
Tonegawa Yukio Sensei's Danish Gensei-ryu Karate-do organization from 1967-1988.
From left to right: Klaus Sivertsen, Tommy A. Hansen, Peter Asher, Tonegawa Yukio Sensei, Jess Petersen, Steen Petersen and Takami Miyashita.
