Training and fellowship throughout life – according to your life cycle and decisions
Shindenkan is one of Denmark's oldest martial arts organizations in Denmark
Shindenkan is one of Denmark's oldest martial arts organizations in Denmark, founded in 1967. From 1967, teaching was primarily in the single-track Gensei-ryu Karate-do and from 1988 primarily in the multi-track Yakami Shinsei-Ryu and secondarily in the legacy from 1967 the single-track Gensei-ryu Karate-do. On 1 April 2009, Shindenkan was the first martial arts organization in Denmark to be honored with official recognition as a special association and partner with DGI National Organization and Martial Arts by DGI's national chairman.
In Shindenkan there are members who have been members since 1974, i.e. more than 45 years and only 7 years after the foundation in 1967. A great many of the brown and black belts have been members for more than 15 years, with a larger middle group of between 10- 30+ years. The age range is from 5-70+ years.
This means that there are many members of Shindenkan who have experienced each other's student, bachelor and university parties, weddings, children's births and schooling, but also each other's joys and sorrows; new dream job, redundancies, marriages as divorces, children's joys as sorrows, birth as death, healthy health as illness, injuries and accidents.
But common to it all is a foundation for support, understanding, an ear or a shoulder, care, joy and pride, security, compassion, understanding and respect, getting back on the horse to "Get together!", help for self-help.
This happens primarily through the local association's community and togetherness, but also on a national level, where children, young people and adults gain new friends, comrades and valuable contacts across the various local associations.
In the old local associations there are culture bearers who can tell the story from "the old days" and in the newer ones there is often an entrepreneurial spirit, innovative and "out of the box" thinking that benefits others.
You can train and be graduated in Shindenkan from 10th kyu to 10th dan, regardless of gender, age, ethnic origin, religion, height, weight, injuries and various handicaps, - we have taken almost everything into account and therefore have concepts after all – there really are no excuses not to train in Shindenkan 
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Not many national or international organizations can offer that. But you don't get anything as a gift - you have to meet all the minimum requirements in the curriculum handbook, which are the same for everyone. But we support you all the way on YOUR journey and in fulfilling your potential according to your choices and different life cycles.
We take care of you and your children from the very beginning, and meet you and yours where you are and take you on a journey. But at some point you have to be able to walk yourself – at Shindenkan we celebrate the principle of Empowerment.
There are so many options in Shindenkan and it can be difficult to opt in and out optimally as needed when you are brand new and on the bare bottom. Therefore, in this column, we have collected all the most common questions that all instructor teams get locally and nationally, so that you can form an overview yourself and search for the information you need. And if you are in doubt, you can always ask your local or national instructor team!
Welcome to Shindenkan – a world of multi-track martial arts with 1,000 years of history!
Shindenkan - 1,000 year toolbox, founded in Europe and Denmark 1965-1967
Shindenkan in Denmark was founded in 1967 by a young Japanese of 28 years. He was seconded by his Japanese company and had been tasked to establish Gensei-ryu Karate-do in Europe by Gensei-ryu's founder; Shukumine Sensei and had been sent on Shugyo Shosha – trial trip by his famous Budo and Bujutsu grand master; Minouchi Sensei.
The young Japanese was called Yukio Noro, later Yukio Tonegawa due to marriage, and came from an ancient Japanese lowly samurai and Shinto priest family. Gensei-ryu Karate-do was a karate style that arose in the wake of the end of World War II and 300-500,000 allied soldiers in Japan.
After an extended tour of Europe from 1965-1967, Yukio Noro visited his cousin, Noro Masamichi in Paris, who had established Aikido in Europe and Africa from 1961 with more than 200 dojos, on behalf of Morihei Ueshiba, Aikido's founder. They both agreed that Scandinavia would be the most suitable place and as fate would have it, Yukio Noro was stationed in Denmark in 1967. Yukio Noro felt very comfortable in Denmark and called Denmark "The Viking Samurai country".
Yukio Noro had met Shukumine at an American base near Tokyo, where they were both teaching Japanese martial arts. They became very good friends, but Yukio Noro continued to train under his old Budo and Bujutsu grandmaster; Minouchi Sensei, who encouraged him to "test himself" and experience the world so that he could better understand it. So he did.
In 1988 the ring was closed and at the age of 50, Soke Sensei Tonegawa (SST) returned to his family roots, as the 34th Soke Sensei in his family's more than 1,000 year old Shinto multi-track martial art system; Yashin Mon. Yakami no Taijutsu. It is the martial arts system Yakami Shinsei-ryu that we train in Shindenkan since 1988, while honoring our heritage from 1967; (BKK) Gensei-ryu Karate-do.
From 1988-2018, SST founded the International Martial Arts Organization; Jokokan International, and from 2007-2018 the international martial arts organization, Bujutsu Kodosokukai, together with its three top students, all of whom are at least the densho degree Menkyo Kaiden – Initiated Grandmaster of all the Martial arts. In 2018, Yamana-Itotani, Sodenke Sensei and thus Shindenkan, was granted an unlimited permanent Worldwide license by SST.
The Danish organization from 1967 therefore developed from the single-track Gensei-ryu Karate-do from 1953 into an ancient multi-track Japanese martial arts system from 1988, which the old Japanese elite samurai have been trained for over 1,000 years. It was clearly a giant leap forward and a gigantic quantum leap up the international top level ladder!
But it wasn't easy and free! The General Assemblies sent Yamana-Itotani Sensei out into the world to fulfill the construction of the cultural-historical 1,000-year-old multi-track martial arts skills in Japan and China. It turned into 47 intensive training camps, of which 42 were in Japan and China under SST and the best martial arts grandmasters in their fields. It cost blood, sweat – and funding for more than 34 years now, but the result and the investment in an internationally recognized top level of competence has resonated internationally!
We are the fourth generation since 1967. We have been the generation since 1988 which has been at the head of almost 2/3 of Shindenkan's more than 53-year history in Denmark, and the quantum leap from the single-track Gensei-ryu Karate-do to the more than 1,000 year-old cultural-historical multi-track system Yakami Shinsei-ryu.
We have emphasized preserving the Scandinavian background in the best way in our teaching and communication form in a symbiosis with an intact 1,000-year-old cultural-historical multi-track Japanese samurai martial arts system.
We call this Scandinavian-Japanese community and learning symbiosis; "The Way of the Viking Samurais", which cheekily refers to SST's designation from 1967 about Denmark "The Viking Samurai country".
Democracy in the national and local associations - that's how it works
The general democratic structure and structure
Shindenkan is one of Denmark's oldest living and largest martial arts organizations since 1967. Shindenkan is both a national and international martial arts organization. Shindenkan was recognized as a special association by DGI national association and Kampidræt in 2009. The members association SDKSkyt is also a member of DIF, DGI and DSkyU. It is not a requirement that Shindenkan's member associations are members of DGI or DIF, but is a local matter.
All associations in Shindenkan operate according to the Danish Associations Act and the rules of democracy. All member associations of Shindenkan are independent municipally approved local associations with their own CVR association number, statutes, premises, finances, annual general meeting and democratically elected boards and management groups. The same applies to the main association – the organization Shindenkan.
All member associations can register or unsubscribe from Shindenkan in accordance with the Danish Associations Act. All associations or members can apply for admission if they wish to comply with Shindenkan's statutes, purpose clause and curriculum handbook, which apply equally to all.
In case of association registration, the main association - the organization Shindenkan's general assembly must approve the registration. In the case of deregistration, the main association's board or committee must receive the deregistration and inform the rest of the organisation.
When a new local member association becomes a member of Shindenkan, it is normal for the local association to be given a new main name; Jokokan + city name, and it has been that way since the national general assembly decision in the year 2000.
It creates a Shindenkan community and pride, and in terms of marketing, it also becomes very simple and service-friendly. It goes well with one of our mottos; "Keep it simple and safe".
The general democratic annual wheel with general meetings
In Shindenkan, almost everything is transparent through the democratic decision-making processes. This applies to both finances and managerial schisms and decisions. Competitive and stability-building strategic and tactical considerations are, however, taken into account in this fast "IN-OUT - Facebook - Instagram - Selfie - Fake News" world.
It is a fact that most members like to belong to a larger and older martial arts organization like the Shindenkan, but their affiliation and self-interest is and will remain local. Shindenkan has recognized this fact many years ago and the general meetings have therefore adopted a structure which optimizes this recognition and respect for democracy.
We have also recognized that more than 99% of the members are only interested in cultivating the multi-track martial arts system; Yakami Shinsei-ryu and social communities locally and nationally. Everything else just has to play. But a large sports organization within our sport needs to have a management and structural association organization, locally as well as nationally, so that the joint 5-year strategic plan can be implemented. We have therefore chosen to structure and systematize as much as possible at national and local level, so that this important part becomes as efficient and resource-wise and bureaucratically minimal as possible.
In Shindenkan, the local general meetings (GF's) and then the national ones are therefore held annually. The local member associations usually have their general meetings in the first half of the year and the national ones at the end of the season, which runs from summer to summer.
The purpose of this structure is that everyone should have a chance to be heard. It is a general meeting cascade from the bottom up and during the season from the top down with the execution of the 5-year strategic plan decided by the general meeting by the national boards and/or committees.
This adopted optimized general meeting structure also means that each local member association must make up their positions before the national general meetings and give their democratically elected delegated proxy to represent the local member association at the national general meetings; Forbund (the political organization) and Honbu dojo – which is Japanese and means the main school/source (the cultural-historical martial arts system).
This basically means that up to 4/5 of the national and local agenda coincide. This often has the advantage that the national general meetings usually take place in good order with a duration that is adapted to the agenda items, since all delegated and/or present members via the local general meetings have familiarized themselves with all agenda items, schisms, for/ against and the most general answers to questions and necessities. With Shindenkan's size, this is a necessity and so is the recommendation and approach from DGI, DIF, KL etc. It's democracy so it beats!
A general meeting is the association's highest authority. This is where the foundation in the form of statutes, elections, responsibility and finances is determined. The board of directors cannot later change the decisions adopted by a general meeting.
It is at the general meeting that the members have an influence on who will sit on the board. This is also where the members have the opportunity to be heard and have proposals processed, and this is where the board must be held accountable for the year's activities.
There are two types of general meetings: the ordinary and the extraordinary. The ordinary meeting is typically held once a year, when the financial year has ended, and often the time and agenda are determined in the articles of association.
The extraordinary can be held at any time of the year. The agenda consists of the item(s) that the (board) members who have called the extraordinary general meeting wish to deal with.
In the name of democracy - what do we do besides the mandatory general meetings?
It is help for self-help, aligning expectations through information and communication on both a local and national level for all members and their relatives. It is not always easy, but we have optimized a structure after learning it the "hard way". The most important thing is to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them.
Each member association in Shindenkan holds two different information and communication meetings where all members and relatives are welcome, often with coffee, cake and demonstrations; Specific local in nature and specific national/international in nature.
Each member association holds two different operational meetings regularly and as needed; Board and committee meetings as well as instructor meetings. Board and committee meetings are most often 4-8 times a year, while instructor meetings are often 2-4 times monthly and with weekly coordination. This is the normal starting point locally as well as nationally.
The federation chairman gathers all inputs from the local general meetings together in a combined presentation, which is presented at the national general meetings. As the national general meetings usually consist of the member associations' delegates with their members' decision-making powers, the national general meeting in 2012, when Shindenkan had really become a major sports organization, decided that democracy and the open communication policy should be ensured through direct information and communication. Therefore, the chairman of the federation already presents the national general assembly presentation during each Shindenkan summer convention to the often 3-500 attendees. It is "voluntary coercion".
It has the advantage that both active and passive participants, JokoKidz's parents and grandparents, spouses, siblings, friends and acquaintances of Shindenkan members, are all informed and enlightened together with the same communication and presentation method. It is a "win-win" for both members and relatives, as well as all the voluntary and unpaid association forces and zealots. Subsequently, in accordance with the articles of association, the voting members can directly address their local board and national general assembly delegates with in-depth questions, or if they directly disagree, withdraw their decision-making authority to the elected delegates of their local general assembly. Then it can't get any more democratic!
We have very good experience with this general meeting structure and cascade, which has developed over time. Most people would say that we are "surrendering democracy", but that has actually turned out not to be the case. Our members and their relatives are by and large very happy and satisfied with being involved through information and communication. It creates less "splash" when people feel informed and expectations are aligned.
The purpose clause in all bylaws, locally as well as nationally, is that the founding of the Shindenkan is based on the propagation, preservation and sport of the 1,000-year-old Japanese cultural-historical elite samurai system; Yakami Shinsei-ryu and the system's extensive toolbox according to the motto "Place for everyone, - The elite as the exerciser according to effort and different life cycles"
That is why the system also has an annual presentation during the spring meeting, where Yamana-Itotani Sensei as Honbu Dojo's chief instructor and Sodenke Sensei (Initiated Great Grandmaster of Budo and Bujutsu) talks about the system, answers questions about the same rules for everyone according to the curriculum manual, and tells all that which has been during the season and what is planned for the following season. This poll of expectations, like the communication at the summer meeting, aims to inform as many people as possible at once.
Despite all of the above, they should check Shindenkan's website weekly for the latest information, including the annual calendar which is published 6-12 months before the start of the new season, so not everyone gets to do or prioritize this in a busy everyday life with stress and rush, and it can have unintended side effects and consequences for their child, children, spouses, friends and training partners. After all, most people want development and progression with new stripes on the belt, a new higher belt color, the new best skills course or the best community-building experience during the three annual competitions. All this is according to the syllabus handbook, which is applicable and the same for everyone.
Association life today in relation to origin, motivation and daily function
The Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights ensure freedom of association. Shindenkan is a modern association which is based on the original value-based, voluntary and unpaid work of the "good old days" for the benefit of the members, the local community and on a national level. We want to make a difference in society.
In the last 15-20 years, associational life in Denmark has become much more raw, self-imposing and demanding. Association life in Denmark, as in other countries, was originally founded as a voluntary and unpaid contribution to the local community and community. This is still the case in Shindenkan, but society has changed significantly and today it has become quite common for associations to motivate and retain management and instructor forces with pay scales and other performance-enhancing measures. In the last 15-20 years, the organization Shindenkan has also experienced local association and member announcements on that account.
In Shindenkan, we invest in our members for the benefit of themselves and the local association. We also do this nationally and internationally. We still believe that all work in Shindenkan, continued in accordance with the statutes and purpose clause since 1967, must take place voluntarily and unpaid for the benefit of the local community as society as a whole. But today we have to recognize that this position can, most unexpectedly, be provocative, arouse mistrust or cause other people who disagree with this position to ask questions about Shindenkan.
At Shindenkan, we distinguish between investment in skills based on effort and progression over time, and a salary scale and other performance-enhancing measures, which must follow labor market legislation, and investment in the future. The Shindenkan has no individual performance pay scales, as greater motivation to do union work. When an association has to follow the legislation on the labor market, due to salary scales and other performance-enhancing measures in order to function, then you are in the gray area in relation to the origin of the association.
Is it association or business work? It is a fine line and due to society's marked change in attitude and motivation towards the price of doing association work, there are many schisms that need to be balanced.
In many medal-oriented associations, the solution is for the broad to finance the elite and the elite win medals and cast luster and pride over the entire association, the broad as the elite. It is a generally accepted model. In Shindenkan, our model is that it is by effort and progression, and all those who make an extraordinary effort must be treated properly. If you make an effort over time and contribute over time to the purpose paragraph, you automatically get more influence, attention, better instructors and you are invested in according to several different parameters, but there will always be a minimum personal payment of 50 %.
What is invested in skills development and progression must benefit the local school and its members. The investment made by the local school must be returned and before it can be given, the local general assembly must approve and decide on this investment. Exactly the same applies at national level. There is no difference, apart from the significantly higher level of competence and requirements according to international standards.
It is quite natural and has always been so that people listen to people they naturally respect and know under all circumstances. Therefore, leaders in Shindenkan are leaders by virtue of their personality and as proven role models. In business life, as a manager, you have the right to hire and fire, which you do not have in association life and in Shindenkan. Here you can only lead by example and role model, and that requires the members to accept and respect you as a person and human being - for better or for worse.
In Shindenkan, we have 80 % focus on the 1,000-year-old cultural-historical multi-track martial arts system; Yakami Shinsei-ryu and 20 % focus on community, social relations and networks. As the years go by, relationships are also built up across the local schools during the annual joint national activities, and then the percentages become much more fluid and not so easily distinguishable from each other.
80/20 as a starting point with a focus on learning Yakami Shinsei-ryu, may seem very ambitious and purposeful to some, but for the vast majority of members it fits very well. If you feel the other way around, that you have to play 80 % of the time and learn 20 % of the time, then Shindenkan is not for you. It may not be politically correct to say, but it is the truth and why waste each other's time. Remember that because it is voluntary and unpaid association work, rights and motivations go both ways.
In addition, most of the instructors and management in Shindenkan are zealots who want to make a difference and learn from others and learn for themselves. They are happy to take on the task of working with parents with children and teenagers who are challenged in various areas, physically, mentally, behaviourally, self-confidence and self-esteem etc., as all instructors are also and are being educated and trained in this. It is not their main task to entertain, but to motivate to learn and develop to one's full potential in line with the purpose clause in the statutes, which is equally applicable to everyone in Shindenkan – high and low.
The distribution of roles; specialized high competence association compared to general competence associations
In Shindenkan there is associational democracy, as prescribed by the Associations Act and all municipalities' leisure administrations. This mainly takes place through articles of association, guidelines, value sets and the democratically elected board members at the annual general meetings.
All members know very well that in a high-competence organization like Shindenkan, competences are the most important. The higher the skills, the more important. Therefore, the instructor group is crucial for a skills association, as they have the skills that all the members demand and have signed up for. Without the instructor group, the association cannot fulfill its purpose clause and statutes and must close itself down through the democratically elected board.
The instructor group is therefore the most powerful group in a competence organization, and it is crucial for the association's stability, continuity and development that the instructor group is integrated into the democratic work of the association. The only democratic way to reconcile this is to nominate suitable members from the instructor group at the annual general meeting to the board. It is a logical and practical choice, since all the members are already taught by the instructor group during all the local and national activities and therefore have a very close connection to this group.
This makes the association structure very flat, hierarchical and quick-reacting, as the board constantly has its "finger on the pulse of the members" and can thus react and adjust very quickly. If they don't do this, members will quit and fewer new ones will join. So the realization of this reality is a "Win-Win". It is optimal and efficient.
Over the years, there have been municipal leisure administration employees and managers who have not been able to understand this reality that the specialized sports skills organizations live under. They have suggested that you can simply put some courses together or give some members high black belt degrees like the new instructors, and "then the problem is solved".
In such situations, it is good to be a martial arts organization, as we learn to "count to 10", although most will perceive such proposals as rather provocative, arrogant, immoral and a call for the "Emperor's new clothes", but often this is due to ignorance and therefore we explain the following.
In the major sports such as football, handball, badminton, basketball, etc., where the breadth of an association finances the elite, and everyone is satisfied with this set-up, you might well put a parent-zealous person without the educational and pedagogical skills to train the children's or youth teams. Everyone knows that this solution does NOT "win tournaments, medals or give sporting recognition on a national or international level", but it is delightfully non-binding and the flow of members is very high.
Herein lies the contradiction in a specialized competence organisation, where the throughput must be as low as possible, as the competence and resource investment increases among the members.
In the Shindenkan, it usually takes between 9-12 years to train a 1st dan multitrack black belt in Yakami Shinsei-ryu. It takes between 9-12 minutes or seconds to elect new board members at a general meeting.
The higher degrees have trained internationally the best for more than 40 years. Shindenkan's international level of competence is recognized and in demand all over the world within martial arts and martial arts, and as the first specialist association in Denmark by DGI's national chairman in 2009 on the basis of this particularly high level of competence, nationally and internationally.
In addition, Shindenkan has statutes and a purpose clause, which confirms that we must preserve the more than 1,000-year-old cultural-historical martial arts system intact through the curriculum handbook, which applies to everyone. This means that all members, if they wish to graduate, must pass exactly the same minimum requirements as everyone else to get a new stripe or new belt.
In order to ensure a uniform standard across all local associations, graduations are only done at national level during joint conventions and graduations. It also has the advantage that all local associations benefit from the advantages of other local associations with more competent instructors, as the common minimum standard is also ensured through an international graduation proxy.
Democratically, these are the same rules for everyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnic origin, height, weight, status, money and power, etc. It ensures a common assessment basis through a life-affirming community since 1967.
What are the differences between the "Elite way" and the "Fundamental way"
The main difference is three things;
- Higher competence requirements, as "Elite" are graduations from and including the 2nd Kyu and "Fundamentals" up to the 3rd Kyu.
- "Elite" has one annual gold card per 3-year cycle, while "Fundamentals" have up to two.
- OBC for "Elite" is in November, while OBC for "Fundamentals" is in January / February.
What does this mean in practical terms?
"Fundamentals" includes everyone, the elite as the exerciser, i.e. both those who are on the way up, those who are on the way down and those who simply maintain their "Fundamentals" level of competence and enjoy it.
"Elite" accommodates those who want progression and to fulfill their full potential, all depending on their life cycle. This means that the "Elite" contains those who are on the way up and those who simply maintain their "Elite" level of competence and enjoy it.
"Elite" in Shindenkan does not distinguish sports traditionally, as Shindenkan's 1,000-year-old toolbox is Yakami Shinsei-ryu, whose main purpose is to create whole people and fulfill their full potential. A mere physical age will be single-track misleading. Shindenkan is multi-tracked and sees the whole person, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, height and weight, etc.
Shindenkan believes in Empowerment, you have to do the work yourself and take responsibility, but you always get help, support and tools for what you need, when and if you need it.
The annual OBC competency level increases every year. It is clear if Shindenkan is to be developed. On "Fundamentals" it increases less than on "Elite". It's all very logical.
