[Espacamlisa]

I've been watching the slow motion train wreck that is Shorinji Kenpo in the UK, and the myriad of issues (political, legal, cultural, etc) relating to it with a great deal of interest and even a smattering of horror. Basically the short version is that the WSKO has dissolved the British Shorinji Kenpo Federation as a result of the BSKF refusing to follow a directive from the WSKO (it appears that to follow this directive may have caused the BSKF to break UK employment and contract laws). Imagine FIK summarily dissolving the British Kendo Association and you get some idea of the magnitude of the furore.

Whilst not wishing to buy into the gossip (or the libel), I do think we should consider whether it is even theoretically possible for a similar situation to happen in kendo. Are there any lessons to be learned for kendo in how this has been handled? The similarity between kendo and SK is that both have a single world governing body. The difference is that at the head of SK is a single (hereditary) ruler with what seems to be absolute authority of over the art and all affiliated organisations. The latter difference I have always thought is one that is a protective factor against a similar situation happening in kendo. Am I still correct in that assumption...?

E-budo is where most of the online part of the drama has been played out over the last year or so, and it can be hard to find out what's what, with closed threads, deleted posts and banned users all being part of the fallout. However a bit of searching will hopefully appraise you of what the main issues are and who the main players are, if not who is right and who is wrong. That's a bit more difficult.

Here is the announcement on the World Shorinji Kenpo Organisation website. Note that the WSKO not only governs SK but also owns the name Shorinji Kenpo and protects the 'brand' quite rigourously. IOW you can't call what you do "Shorinji Kenpo" unless you are affiliated with the WSKO. A bit different to kendo. Some SK instructors in the UK have either left the art completely, or are continuing but calling what they do something other than 'shorinji kenpo'.

The really interesting post I thought was this one from a previously banned e-budo member. He makes an analysis of Japanese culture and the Japanese legal system which is compelling, if a bit pessimistic.

The tricky thing about this whole debacle is that it involves libel, and anyone can be prosecuted for libel under UK law if they are found to have spread libellous claims, no matter what their intention was. So this is why everyone is not only cagey about going into details, but also about pointing people in the direction where they could find info about the central issue.

But when all is said and done the most important issue is the cultural one. What are others' thoughts?

b

[mypharmalife]

Q & A from the UK standpoint here:

http://www.bskf.org/pdf/KenshiQAMarch2010.pdf

Sad really. Bloody politics as usual. I've always liked watching SK.

[maxfieldj1]

Thanks for finding that FAQ page Scott. I had tried to find it and the links weren't working for me.

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[JakeBarkings]

The shitfights on ebudo are embarrassing in the extreme.

[leyliana]

Maro, do mean ebudo in general or the SK subforum in particular?

Either way I agree they are embarassing, but think about it. Your world governing body suspends your chief instructor of 20+ years, busts him down from 8-dan to 6-dan, and then dissolves your national body like that . Without debate, without negotiation, without showing evidence of wrong-doing on the part of the chief instructor or giving him the chance to answer his accusers. This is the interesting part about Tony Kehoe's letter, that, he asserts, the concept of 'natural justice' (everyone is innocent until proven guilty and should have the chance to answer their accusers) is foreign to Japanese culture, thus allowing the WSKO to operate like this. So they wouldn't see themselves as unjust or dictatorial, this is the normal way of dealing with these situations in Japan. The fact that the criminal justice system in Japan has an apparent >95% conviction rate, largely due to 'confessions' signed by the accused, seems to back up Mr Kehoe's analysis.

The problem is that, from a Western point of view (and if indeed these are the facts of the case, big caveat there), such actions are clearly unjust and dictatorial. Possibly also illegal.

My question is particularly for expats and those with long experience in Japan, does this analysis sound plausible?

And if so, what exactly are the things about kendo and its organisational structure that might make a similar situation less likely? Are there any?

b