Shodokan

Shodokan symbol

Shodokan (Japanese 昭道館 Shōdōkan) is a style of the Japanese martial art Aikidō , which was developed by Tomiki Kenji (1900–1979). Tomiki was a student of Kanō Jigorō , founder of Kōdōkan (Jūdō) - Judo , and Ueshiba Morihei , founder of Aikidō. Shodokan-Aikidō combines the techniques of traditional Aikidō with the modern didactics and structure that Kanō Jigorō uses to teach Judo. The result is a modern, effective and structured Aikido that is taught today in Japan and in many countries around the world.

The most important differences between the Shodokan system and traditional Aikidō are in detail:

Exercise of competitions.
Structuring in kata and other established forms of exercise.
Refraining from wearing the hakama .

history

The development of the modern Japanese martial arts, which are widespread today, is related to the economic and cultural opening of Japan from 1853. The traditional Japanese martial art, which was aimed at killing the enemy, proved to be outdated in the age of firearms. The pioneers of modern Budō , namely Kanō Jigorō (Judo), Ueshiba Morihei (Aikidō) and Funakoshi Gichin ( Karate ) changed various traditional fighting styles from the end of the 19th century in such a way that they were used as a method for physical training and teaching moral values could be used. This modernization prevented the centuries-old tradition from being forgotten.

Beginnings

Tomiki Kenji already learned judo as a primary school student and in 1919 he achieved the 1st Dan as a member of the judo club of Waseda University in Tokyo . As a judoka, he has come to appreciate the value of a structured learning system and the benefits of athletic competition ( Randori Shiai ).

In 1926 he was introduced to Ueshiba Morihei and also took courses in his dōjō. Ueshiba had a reliable Uchi-Deshi in Tomiki Kenji , who also followed him to Tokyo in 1934. After Ueshiba introduced the Kyū / Dan level system in 1940 , he made Tomiki the first holder of the eighth dan in 1942.

After he was elected to the head of the sports faculty at Waseda University in 1954, four years later he was given the opportunity to found an aikidō club there. However, this was tied to very strict conditions: it should, among other things, be able to hold competitions, similar to what was already the case in judo or kendo . Tomiki made a virtue out of necessity and brought his many years of experience in judo to develop a competition system for Aikidō ( Aikirandori-ho ). Ueshiba Morihei had no understanding for this decision, as competitions in Aikidō were not allowed to find a place.

distribution

Over the years Tomiki was able to win many judoka and other budo students for his work. With financial support from Japanese industrialists, he opened his own aikido dōjō in Ōsaka in 1967 . The basic framework for the Shodokan as an independent Aikidō teaching system was set up around 1970; This year the first aikido tournament took place between students from different universities.

As a result, Tomiki and his students have spent a lot of time spreading Shodokan Aikidō within Japan and internationally. This teaching activity fell on particularly fertile ground in the USA, Australia and Great Britain. Relations with these countries had been particularly close since the end of the Second World War , which made it easier to hold courses. The Allied troop commanders were also very interested in Japanese martial arts.

International Shodokan Aikidō tournaments have been held since 1989, and in 1999 the first tournament outside of Japan took place in Australia.

Shodokan-Aikidō today

The current Shihan (Grand Master), Tetsuro Nariyama , continues the international spread of Shodokan Aikidō. He runs courses every year. There are currently around 10,000 active members worldwide. The next World Cup will take place in Tokyo in 2005, and around 600 participants from over 20 countries are expected.

Competitions

The implementation of competitions in aikido has long been controversial. In the opinion of many aikidoka of other styles, confrontation and competitive thinking contradict the philosophy of aikidō. Tomiki Kenji, however, stuck to the introduction of Aikirandori-ho despite the criticism of some students of Ueshiba and Ueshiba Morihei. He was encouraged to do this by Kanō Jigorō, who has already integrated two large groups of traditional defense techniques ( Nage Waza - throwing techniques and Gatame Waza - holding techniques) into a competition system. Tomiki had the aim of adapting the two other groups, namely Atemi Waza (striking techniques) and Kansetsu Waza (techniques on joints), in this way and thus maintaining them permanently. Aikirandori-ho should establish itself next to Kendo and Judo as the third modern competitive discipline in Japan.

According to Tomiki, conducting competitions is very much compatible with the philosophy of aikido. Randori Shiai , the Japanese term for competition, does not mean "confrontation", but rather "free training in order to achieve progress together". When training with this goal, Aikirandori-ho is in line with Ueshiba's philosophy.

Disciplines

There are three different competition disciplines:

Embu Kata . This competition involves the presentation of a given set of techniques by two people who are graded by 3 or 5 referees. As an alternative, a knockout system can be used in which two teams compete at the same time. The referees then decide which team will advance to the next round.
Tanto Randori . This is the classic discipline of Aikirandori-ho . One competitor ( Tantō ) is armed with a foam knife ( Tantō is the Japanese word for knife), the other is unarmed ( Toshu ). Tantō tries to hit Toshu with the knife, while Toshu in turn has to dodge the attacks, and tries to use a technique to bring Tantō down. The referees evaluate hits from Tanto , as well as successful techniques from Toshu . The competition is divided into 2 halves of 90 seconds each; at the end of the first half the roles are swapped. The winner is whoever has achieved the greater number of points at the end of the fight. There are also team competitions in this discipline.
Congo Dentai Sen . This is a team competition introduced in 1999 that takes up several aspects of the aikidō training program. First, two teams of two compete in parallel and present the 17 basic techniques of Shodokan. Two other teams perform 16 prescribed self-defense techniques. Then 3 different fighting competitions take place: Tantō Taisabaki (evading against knife attack), Toshu Randori ( hands- free fight) and Tantō Randori . The team with the greatest number of points wins the competition and advances one round.

Exams and ranks

General

As in other modern Japanese martial arts, the kyu and dan systems are used in Shodokan. There are 8 Kyu and 8 Dan grades. Beginners take the 8th Kyu exam after a few months of training; this is followed by further examinations at increasing intervals. After about 8-10 years, an examination for the 1st Dan, Black Belt including teaching authorization, can be taken. In Japan, the 1st Dan can be achieved after a year of intensive daily training.

Content

For the Kyu degrees, the demonstration of certain techniques is required with increasing difficulty. Examinations for Dangrade also contain a theoretical part, in which the candidates must express themselves in writing on a topic determined by the examiner. For levels 1–3. In addition, the ability of the candidates to defend efficiently in a free context ( Randori ) with regard to competitions is tested . For the higher grades, the merit of the candidates in teaching and spreading Shodokan-Aikidō is also taken into account.

Examination Board

8. – 3. Kyu: Teacher of the candidate's association.
2nd Kyu – 3rd Dan: National Technical Commission.
From 4th Dan: Technical Director of Shodokan (currently Tetsuro Nariyama).