Shindenkan is one of Denmark's oldest martial arts organizations in Denmark, founded in 1965. From 1967, teaching was primarily in the single-track Gensei-ryu Karate-do and from 1988 primarily in the multi-track Yakami Shinsei-ryu Taijutsu & Karate-do and secondarily in the legacy from 1965-67 the single track Gensei-ryu Karate-do. On April 1, 2009, Shindenkan was honored as the first martial arts organization in Denmark 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 1965-67. 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 😊

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!

We have not come to this story asleep. We are the fifth generation, but the generation which, since 1988, has contributed the most to Shindenkan's nearly 60-year history in Denmark and Europe. But after all, everything is on loan and right now we have the guard that we have taken over from previous generations. They also have a history. The foundation we have built on.

The history of this foundation is important to us as others with an interest in it. That is why we wanted to share this so that others can learn from it.