Tokushima Budo Council - The Beginning
The Tokushima Budo Council is the legacy that was the dream of Kenshiro Abbe which he left to Kancho Alf Bates to continue so that others too will come to understand the Kyushindo philosophy which he believed in. The TBC is a fairly young organization but the most senior teachers, both past and present, have all come from Budo backgrounds who believe in maintaining the wishes of Abbe Sensei. Abbe Sensei created many paths of Budo, and for many years these paths flourished, but he found that the fundamental principles of Kyushindo philosophy were being overlooked. To this effect, he left the reigns to Kancho Alf Bates to promote a group that maintained these principles that meant so much to him. To this effect that dream gave birth to the Tokushima Budo Council.
But first, we might get a better understanding if we were to know a bit about Abbe Kenshiro who was born in Tokushima, Japan, the son of a schoolmaster who was also a Kendo teacher. At the age of three, his father introduced him to Kendo, but when he was five his father was tragically drowned in flood water during a weekend training course of Kendo in the mountains. After this disaster, his father's students took on the responsibility of teaching their late master's son, but this was interrupted by his attendance at primary school.
No Budo was taught in this primary school, but the children did learn Sumo wrestling, and Abbe Kenshiro became Tokushima Schools Champion of wrestling. In 1931, at age fourteen, Abbe Kenshiro began his Judo career. Only one year later he was graded to 2nd Dan, and at sixteen he was the Champion of the High School Judo League of Tokushima and was awarded 3rd Dan by Shohei Hamsno under the auspices of the Butokukwai, the then-controlling National body of Martial Arts; being the youngest ever to gain this grade.
Abbe Kenshiro passed an examination for the exclusive Busen "Special Teacher Training College" at the Butokukwai in Kyoto. The main studies of the Busen were Kendo and Judo and often during the afternoon studies, students would exchange activities. About this time, Abbe Kenshiro received instruction from Ogawa Hanshi, the Butokukwai 10th Dan sword master, and he also watched many other martial arts.
The Busen College included many academic studies, as well, as martial arts studies, with the government-controlled institution for training, of high-caliber instructors. By 1934 Abbe Kenshiro achieved 5th Dan. Graduating first from the Busen and was immediately retained as an instructor. He was also engaged as a Judo Instructor to the Osaka Police and the Kyoto High School. In this same year again at the youngest age ever of eighteen he won the Main Trophy in the All Japan East-West Tournament and also the 5th Dan Championship at the Imperial Tournament, he was hailed as the "YOUNGEST GRAND CHAMPION" having won every honor and distinction it was possible to achieve.
During this period he first formulated his theory of Budo and Kyushindo, although, at the time, he did not reveal its publicity. He was also selected, by Ueshiba Morihei, the creator of Aikido. Aikido was at this time still secret and only special students were chosen by Ueshiba Sensei. Abbe Sensei was to study for ten years under Ueshiba Morihei and became his senior student of Aikido.
By 1938, at yet again the youngest age of 23, Abbe Kenshiro was awarded 6th Dan and called up for military service. While serving in Manchuria, he was unable to practice Judo because, as an officer, he was required to study Kendo. Having already trained considerably in Kendo he overcame a 5th Dan at his first grading but was only awarded 3rd Dan. During this time he took up riding and delved deeply into Go, yet still practiced Kendo daily.
During the war, he was called back to Tokushima to run a training company. The Japanese army concentrated very much on Jukendo (bayonet) with the principles laid down by the Spear masters. Abbe Kenshiro considered it his duty to study this weapon since he had to teach it and before long became one of its first and foremost exponents of this weapon, overcoming a 6th Dan of Kendo in a Command Match at the Imperial tournament, while his company won other Tournaments.
In 1945 he was graded 7th Dan Judo and 6th Dan Kendo by the Butokukwai, at the end of the war the Occupation Forces disbanded the Butokukwai, and it became illegal to practice martial arts. It wasn't till 1948 that Budo was allowed to be practiced again. Abbe Sensei became an instructor of the Kyoto Police and the Doshisha University, Kyoto. By 1951 he was Editor of Judo Shinbun, the Japanese Judo magazine, and Director of the Judo Social League; he was also the Official Referee of the All-Japan Police Championships and the National Tournaments.
In 1955, at forty, he came to Great Britain to introduce the International Budo Council founded in this same year. Upon his arrival to London, Abbe Sensei launched his theory of Kyushindo and this became well known in the Budo field, which at this time consisted of Judo alone. Abbe Sensei was the Master who introduced Kendo, Aikido, Karate, Kyudo, Jukendo, Iaido, Yarido, and Naginatado to Europe.
By 1957 Abbe Sensei formed British Councils for various martial arts including Judo, Karate, and Kendo. By 1964 the Judo Council was the second largest organization in the country, while the International Budo Council has members all over the Continent, the USA, Australia, Africa, and the Far East. Abbe Sensei returned to Japan for the 1964 Olympics, his health being poor because of a neck injury received in a car accident in 1961, which had become progressively worse. He was thus prevented from returning to London for several years, during which time the IBC lay virtually dormant apart from Kendo.
By 1969 Abbe Sensei returned to Britain and took the title of, "Docho" or "Creator of a System". He expressed great displeasure with how it was run and decided it was necessary, to start again from the basics and build up new spiritual growth for the organization. He found that instead of wishing to study the truth of Budo, most members wanted only the physical instructions which, they could warp, twist, and teach to their students using his authority. He decided it was necessary to break down the Councils and start again from scratch. He therefore did so, virtually destroying the organization, then stepped aside putting Otani Masutaro, whom he had graded to 6th Dan, in his place.
Abbe Kenshiro taught for a while in Europe, returning to London, from time to time, then returned to Japan for the second time to make his home there.
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Otani Sensei
Otani Tomio was born in 1939 and was taught Judo as a child. At the age of fifteen, he conceived a great passion to study Kendo, but, there were no qualified instructors, available. After six months of searching, Abbe Kenshiro arrived in Britain and Otanio Tomio became a pupil of his to study Kendo. At this time nothing was known of Kendo, plus difficulty in obtaining equipment, which was either sought out in antique shops or made by hand. After a year of training, Abbe went to Italy and students had to train alone or amongst each other.
In 1961 upon demobilization from the army Otanio Tomio was awarded 1st Dan Kendo at the National Summer School of the IBC, and later that year was appointed National Coach to the British Kendo Council, the only such appointment within the Council to a non-Japanese. The same year it was the first club teaching only Kendo, the Acton Kendo Kyshinkan, opened.
Two years later in 1963, Otanio Tomio was awarded 2nd Dan by Abbe Sensei and by this time there were small groups in many parts of the country. Equipment was available in a limited way and was still expensive, and there were long delays in arrival. During this period Otanio Tomio studied Aikido under Abbe Sensei and later under Nakazono Mutsuharu 7th Dan Aikikai, as well as most of the martial arts and weapons systems. Most martial arts instructors knew more than one art, thus the young Otani Tomio gained much valuable advice and influence.
In 1965, after Abbe Sensei's return to Japan, Otani Tomio was appointed General Secretary to the British Judo Council and was forced to neglect Kendo for administration duties. Upon Abbe Sensei's return, Otanio Tomio started Kendo groups here and there and was awarded his 3rd Dan in 1969. He was appointed Secretary of the IBC, together with other appointments. In 1972 he was virtually crippled by an old army injury until a recovery was finally affected in 1977 when he again was able to train and teach. At this time the BJC was in a critical state because of the death of Otani Sensei and Otani Tomio returned to the BJC as General Secretary to help the organization survive its difficulties. But this delayed his long-promised plan to make the IBC open to new members and not just for the exclusive few who had been able to remain with the organization during these difficult years.
In 1978 the British Judo Council finally severed its links with the International Budo Council, of its own accord, and is now totally independent of the IBC.
During the past years, many people have asked that the IBC cease to be only a governing body and again open its doors to new members, coupled with a growing interest in Kyushindo. Now, in, 1980 it has been agreed this can be so, with Abbe Kenshiro as the Life President and Otani Tomio as the Acting President.
Within a year Otani Tomio left for personal reasons to promote his Yodokan philosophy