TOKUMEIKAN

Our Policy

At our dojo, we do not condone discrimination of any kind. Everyone is different in their make-up, abilities and personalities. To discriminate shows a lack of respect for an individual's personality and a shallow and small-mindedness which is contrary to the basic spirit of our school. This kind of behaviour tarnishes the sacredness of the dojo and is injurious to the emotional and psychological well-being of all members.

Concerning our policy for new students, we accept any student who shows himself worthy of study. Anyone who shows a genuine interest in learning our art will be accepted.

Regarding students who leave our dojo, we do not chase after them. If they return and want to study again, we do not turn them away. We strive to be honest and compassionate in our dealings with potential and existing students.

In Japan, the group as a concept is extremely important. The Japanese realized that if they were to survive as a people and a nation, they had to depend on one another. There is much to be learned from their experiences.

At our school, as mentioned earlier, we are all members of a group. We should start to think of our dojo in these terms. In a group, there are many more resources that can be called upon in time of need. Also, groups and organizations have better chances for survival due to their size and the resources that they can tap into. In Japan, there is a saying: the Law of the Jungle is that the strong eat the weak. If we are to survive as a group, we must all contribute. This does not mean monetarily. We must strive to maintain our traditions and our spirit. If we can do this, people will eventually come to know of our style and our organization and consequently, our numbers will grow with time. We must take a long-term view of this.

Relationships

At our schools and in our organization, we do have a system in place. The philosophy of our system is a traditional Japanese system, called " Sempai‑Kohai ". In essence, it is a seniority‑based system and also one which stresses obligation and responsibility, most succinctly summed up as a "mentor" system.

To define the terms, a sempai is a senior or mentor. A kohai is a junior or disciple. The role of the sempai is to help the kohai and basically to "look after" the kohai. So, in effect, the sempai takes the kohai "under his wing" and tutors him along, looking out for the kohai's interests. In return, the kohai owes the sempai a debt of gratitude and his loyalty to the sempai. The sempai is, in most cases, older than the kohai and naturally, more experienced. This system is based primarily on age and/or experience or a combination of the two.

Therefore, at our schools, anyone who is already a member at the time you join is deemed to be your sempai. And it follows that anyone who joins after you have joined is deemed your kohai. Your role and responsibility as a sempai is to help your kohai(s) along by teaching them when you have the chance (thus freeing up the head instructor's time so that he may better circulate around and teach more people) and generally to try to make sure your kohai(s) are progressing. Kohai(s) are usually unsure about themselves and their technique so they will look to you to guide them in their learning. As a sempai, you should play an active role in encouraging your kohai(s) to improve in a variety of ways. How you will do that specifically is left up to you. The reason for this is because it is impossible to dictate what type of teaching method should be used with a certain student as this depends a lot on your personality as well as the personality of the person you are teaching. You should think carefully about aspects of your personality and figure out a teaching style which suits you and with which you feel comfortable using. The important point is to teach with patience and understanding. As a sempai, there is a natural tendency to feel superior since you are in a position of authority and hold some power over your kohai. There is a real danger that one can easily become arrogant and condescending. As a sempai, you are also a role model. It would be good to reflect carefully on what kind of impression you want to create in the minds of your juniors: to inspire or to terrorize?

As a kohai, you will encounter many sempai and each one will be different. And you will have favourites as well. Even if you don't personally like the sempai who perhaps is teaching you at the time or if you don't agree with what they are teaching you, it would perhaps serve you best to go along and endure the experience until he is done. Also, you may find yourself learning from a sempai who is not as skilled technically as you are. The best thing to do in this circumstance is to do what you are told. Later, though, when you get home, analyze what was taught to you. Keep the good and throw out the bad. Remember, there is much that you can learn from your sempai(s) if you dig deep enough and to waste the chance is regrettable. If you respect what they say and who they are, you may find that  you can learn much more and at a faster rate from your sempai(s) than you would, say, if you had to rely solely on the teacher since the teacher is invariably busy and thus, has less time to spend on each student. Some sempai will teach you well and others poorly but the key is to learn how to distinguish good from bad and to learn the virtues of patience and tolerance.

Ranks

In our style, we do not employ a ranking system per se, as is found in other styles of martial arts.  Most modern martial art schools use some form of ranking system involving the use of coloured belts, certificates, testing, etc... This makes sense when there is a hierarchy or organizational structure in place and some method of categorizing and defining a person's position in that hierarchy is needed. From the student's viewpoint, there is a clear understanding of one's position. In addition, a good ranking system makes it easy for the student to gauge and measure his/her own progress in terms of techniques learned and level of technical skill. For the instructor, the use of coloured belts or different uniforms for different levels helps him/her to easily differentiate students, especially in large classes, and consequently aids him in teaching more effectively and efficiently. As well, with an organized system of clearly‑defined levels, it is much easier to organize and plan schedules of progression, define the specific requirements to be accomplished for each level and generally, to design an integrated, well‑thought‑out and complete system. All in all, this is an analytical and logical approach to system organization.

At our dojo, however, we follow the old traditional system. In some of the truly classical ryu, ranks did not and still do not exist. There is only teacher (sensei) and student (deshi). This is because in old times, one trained for the battlefield. Warriors trained basically for self‑preservation. The purpose for training was to sharpen and improve one's technique and skill so as to hopefully be victorious in battle and thus bring honour and glory to one's name, one's "house", and one's lord. In such tumultuous times, one simply trained in preparation for the inevitable call‑to‑arms, a challenge to a duel, or an unexpected attack. It was enough to simply want to improve one's skill for survival. It is important that we try to maintain the basic essence of this spirit in our daily training.