Peter Goldsbury

Mr Johnson,

Thank you. However, your post requires a few more comments.

No. Joseph Bowen is correct. Unless Tamura Sensei has delivered his own dan ranks, which the Aikikai would not know about anyway, or the organization in Hungary has forbidden him to conduct dan examination (which is unlikely), any grades he has awarded in Hungary would be recognized by the Hombu, with a numbered certificate signed by the Doshu.

No. The situation is more complicated. If you take the case of Korea, for example, there was an organization recognized by the Aikikai and a member of the IAF, but they actually did hapkido, which, despite being written in the same characters as aikido, is a completely different art. The situation was made more confusing because the senior hapkido instructor regularly visited the Aikikai and said he was practising the same art as the Aikikai was. This organization was expelled from the IAF. Yasuo Kobayashi is an old Hombu deshi and his organization is 100% Aikikai. So the IAF will soon have a new member for Korea. I was approached by Kobayashi Sensei's son a few years ago, who asked how Korea could join the IAF. My reply was that the organization had to have Recognition first. They received this shortly afterwards. I think that a number of Japanese instructors visit Hungary, but this is not enough to create an aikido organization.

Actually, Eastern Europe, as well as Hungary, is rather complicated. It was Kisshomaru Ueshiba who first had the dream of spreading aikido outside Japan and this was a direct consequence of Japan's defeat in World War II. However, he sent Japanese instructors to places like the UK and the US, Germany, Italy, France: countries that were directly involved in the war. Eastern Europe was hardly touched. In any case it was difficult to obtain visas.

Then shihans like Masatake Fujita began to visit Eastern Europe and aikido organizations were created. Thus, I myself visited Hungary and Bulgaria a few years ago and taught a course in Budapest to members of an organization created by Michel Gollo, who worked for an airline. Gollo was trying to create an organization, obtain Hombu Recognition and join the IAF, but local politics prevented this. There were too many local quarrels and splits.

I am British by nationality and began aikido in the UK, nearly 40 years ago. There was a resident Japanese shihan, sent by the Hombu, so the connection was already clear. But the number of shihans like Tamura Sensei, who were direct deshi of the Founder and Kisshomaru, is dwindling and soon there will be none left. No one teaching aikido will have had direct knowledge of the Founder and the Aikikai is already planning for this situation (the planning is not without controversy). It will no longer be possible for Japanese instructors to reside outside Japan and teach aikido professionally. Any Japanese who do live outside Japan will be there because of their jobs, not because of aikido. So the focus will move to the organization, not on the individual shihan. The organization has to be stable and have a history of good training, teaching and examining (as these are understood by the Aikikai). As I stated in my previous post, I do not know why no organization in Hungary has yet been given Aikikai Recognition.

Can I ask who awarded your teacher his first dan?

Best wishes,