Jikishin-Kai International
国際日本武道直心会

The Jikishin-Kai International (JKI) is a non-profit §501(c)(3) educational and athletic organisation operated by volunteers from its Dōjō Members for the benefit of our members, so we charge only the lowest fees necessary to fund our basic operations, such as website hosting, printing and mailing of membership materials, maintenance and dissemination of curricula, instructor certification, and any direct travel expenses incurred in providing our member services.  By operating so frugally, we are able to charge only $75.00 per year in dues to our Dōjō Members and $25.00 for Individual Members..

Our Dōjō Members provide all direct instruction to our students other than special events held by the JKI, and it is those local dōjō that acquire and maintain the facilities and equipment used in student training.  Since costs can vary significantly by location, each member dōjō charges different fees for its instruction and other services.  Please contact the dōjō at which you intend to train for its current class offerings and fees.  A listing of our Dōjō Members is available here.

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The JKI is a global governing organisation for Shimabukuro-Ha Shitō-Ryū karate-dō and several other forms of budō ("martial arts").  As such, we maintain and disseminate the official curricula and standards of these arts, certify instructors, and provide support services to our Dōjō Members.  We do not provide instruction directly to students, other than at special events, like gasshuku (training seminars).   All day-to-day instruction is provided at our local member dōjō. 

Some of our member dōjō do offer free trial lessons, so please contact your nearest JKI member dōjō to request information about class times, dues and fees, and trial lessons.  A listing of our Dōjō Members is available here.

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The JKI is a global governing organisation for Shimabukuro-Ha Shitō-Ryū karate-dō and several other forms of budō ("martial arts").  As such, we maintain and disseminate the official curricula and standards of these arts, certify instructors, and provide support services to our Dōjō Members.  We do not provide instruction directly to students, other than at special events, like gasshuku (training seminars).   All day-to-day instruction is provided at our local member dōjō. 

The class schedule of our member dōjō is different, so please contact your nearest JKI member dōjō to request information about class times, dues and fees, and other questions about instruction.  A listing of our Dōjō Members is available here.

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The Jikishin-Kai International (JKI) is the exclusive worldwide governing body for Shimabukuro-Ha Shitō-Ryū karate-dō (see description below).  In addition, we maintain a comprehensive curriculum and promotion standards for several other forms of budo, all but one of which are authentic classical (koryū) styles of Japanese budō.  Most of these arts can trace their origins back at least 400 years, and have been battlefield tested for centuries and proven effective for the purposes for which they were created.   These arts and styles include: 

n	Shimabukuro-Ha Shitō-Ryū karate-dō: a distinctive branch of the most comprehensive and second-most widely practiced style of karate in Japan and the rest of the world. For detailed information on Shimabukuro-Ha Shitō-Ryū, please click here.
n	Okinawa kobujutsu:  the use of various ancient weapons and tools, such as bō, sai, tonfa, kama, nunchaku, eku, kuwa, and nunte.  For detailed information on Okinawa Skobujutsu, please click here.
n	Musō Jikiden Eishin-Ryū iaijutsu: the most widely practiced style of self-defence with the samurai sword in which the opponent's attack begins while the defender's sword is still sheathed.  For detailed information on Eishin-Ryu, please click here.
n	Shindō Musō-Ryū jōjutsu: the use of a four-foot (jō) stick in self-defence against a samurai sword.  For detailed information on Shindō Musō-Ryū, please click here.
n	Shindō-Ryū kenjutsu: a simplified style of samurai sword combat developed to assist in training in Shindō Musō-Ryū Jōjutsu.  For detailed information on Shindō-Ryū, please click here.
n	Ono-Ha Ittō-Ryū kenjutsu: a style considered by many to be the most effective form of samurai sword defensive dueling.  For detailed information on Ittō-Ryū, please click here.

Although all of these arts were developed for use in situations that people no longer encounter in their daily lives—even under the most unusual circumstances—their fundamentals and principles, as well as the strategies and tactics of defence and counter-attack employed in these arts, are as applicable today as they were centuries ago.  More importantly,  they are steeped in a philosophy of life and personal discipline that serve their practitioners every day of their lives.

PLEASE NOTE:  Not all of these arts are offered at every JKI dōjō .  The curriculum of each member dōjō varies, so please contact your nearest JKI member dōjō for information on the arts and styles taught there.  A listing of our Dōjō Members is available here.

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Each JKI member dōjō is different.  Some dōjō may accept students as young as 4 and have no upper age limit.  Others may offer instruction only to more mature students.  So please  contact the local JKI member dōjō at which you wish to train for information on age ranges of students, class schedules, dues and other fees, and similar details.  A listing of our Dōjō Members is available here.

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All instruction at JKI member dōjō have several things in common.  One of the most important of these commonalilties is the emphasis we place on teaching participants of all ages, especially children, good behaviour, self-control, respect, courtesy, and an age-appropriate level of personal discipline and responsibility. 

The class activities of blocking, evading, punching, kicking, grappling, etc. are just one means to that end by emphasising the difference between proper and improper use of force.  We also teach and apply the principles of Bushidō (please see our About Us page for more about Bushidō) at every age level, but with children we try to explain these concepts in terms they can understand. 

Teaching methods do vary between dōjō and instructors, so please  contact the local JKI member dōjō at which you wish to train for information on instructional methods, age ranges of students, class schedules, dues and other fees, and similar details.  A listing of our Dōjō Members is available here.

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Each JKI member dōjō chooses it's own pricing and pricing strategies based upon its individual costs and the local conditions in which it operates.   Some find it necessary or desirable to use contracts and others do not.  Some offer a variety of incentives, such as free uniforms, for longer-term commitments; others do not.  These are matters you should discuss openly and in depth with the instructor at you local JKI dōjō .   A listing of our Dōjō Members is available here.

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This is a difficult question to answer for several reasons. First, it implies that reaching Black Belt is a legitimate goal, which it should not be.  The Japanese word for Black Belt is yūdansha, which literally means "possessor of a step [or level]".  There are ten levels of dan ("Black Belt") ranking, the first of which is called shodan ("beginning level").  So, when a student reaches Black Belt as a shodan, all it really means is that he or she has attained sufficient ability in the fundamentals of the art to begin training in its more advanced techniques.  Therefore, shodan ("first level" black belt) is considered the beginning; not the goal.  In most practical respects reaching shodan can be viewed as roughly equivalent to completing elementary school.  Think how silly it would sound if someone interested in becoming a neuro-surgeon asked, "How long will it take me to complete elementary school?"

But, to answer the question, the time it takes to reach shodan depends on many factors:  how diligently and frequently the student trains, the student's natural aptitude, and the student's emotional maturity are the three most crucial factors in advancement.  A student who trains consistently three or more days per week and has average natural aptitude and maturity will typically take four to five years to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for advancement to shodan Black Belt in most of the arts we teach.  Exceptionally athletic and committed students might do so in three years or slightly more, but this is unusual.  And there is one more significant requirement to consider:  to be awarded shodan in any of our styles a student must be at least 13 years of age.  Prior to that the highest rank attainable is shodan-ho (provisional "black belt").

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By training diligently. Then testing formally.  Each rank in the arts we teach has specific requirements, including a requirement to invest a minimum amount of training time in order to qualify for testing.  Those students desiring to do so are offered several opportunities per year to test for promotion at most JKI member dōjō, if they meet the eligibility requirements.  Students are not required to test, at most JKI dōjō, but they are encouraged to test if they wish to advance in official ranking within the the dōjō and JKI.  They are equally welcome to remain ungraded if they prefer. 

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There is no universally accepted definition of "McDojo", but it has become a popular (derisive) term for a school or dōjō that operates like a fast food restaurant.  Fast food is typically high volume, mass production, preprocessed, pre-measured, reheated food full of flavour additives, but little nutrition, that is served quickly by unskilled or semi-skilled workers.  The equivalent characteristics of a "McDojo" are large class sizes, mass instruction by teachers with limited knowledge and experience, "canned" class format, sessions high in activity but low on instruction and depth of understanding, with rapid advancement from belt to belt, and numerous activities that require additional fees to be paid. 

The converse of this is the "traditional" dōjō which typically has smaller classes, more individualised instruction by instructors with decades of experience, moderately-paced advancement from belt to belt with stringent promotion requirements,  arduous testing for promotion, and class activities that emphasise conditioning, practical use, and appreciation of long-standing traditions over fun, fanaticism, self-promotion, and esteem building.

Most JKI member dōjō blend these two approaches to some degree in the conduct of their children's classes.  They employ some (but certainly not all) of the features of a "McDojo" to the operation of their children's classes by trying to make the activities fun, light-hearted, highly engaging, energetic, and affirming while subtlely instilling the virtues of Bushidō in the students.  In their adult classes, however, they operate as closely as feasible to the manner of a traditional Japanese dōjō with austere, diligent, no-nonsense, purposeful training.

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There are several reasons we require our students to wear the appropriate uniform (called a keiko-gi in Japanese) while training.  The primary reason is that a keiko-gi is designed to withstand the rigours of training without tearing or wearing out quickly.  They were originally designed so people wouldn't stain and damage their street clothes when training, and that remains their primary purpose.  They also remove all "class" distinctions while training.  Everyone looks and dresses the same and are treated the same, regardless of income level or social standing.  But a keiko-gi serves another important purpose:  it alters the participants' frame of mind and sets a mood for training.  For the same reason people wear a suit, tuxedo, or formal gown on a special occasion, or athletes wear a uniform when playing sports, we wear a keiko-gi to serve as a reminder that we are doing something special when we train in budō.

Members are strongly encouraged to purchase their keiko-gi and other equipment needed for training directly from their local JKI dōjō.  Doing so helps your local dōjō pay its costs of operations and fund the purchase and maintenance of equipment, like mats for grappling, striking targets, safety equipment, and more.  It also ensures that your keiko-gi will comply with the standards of your local dōjō .

If your local JKI dōjō does not offer or stock keiko-gi, we can recommend online sources from which they can be ordered.

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No.  We do not require any participants to compete in tournaments.  In fact, we try to discourage excessive competition in tournaments, because they tend to emphasise "winning" over self-improvement.  Furthermore, in sparring competition, the targets that are most effective for practical self-defence are prohibited because of the danger they pose in the event of accidental or excessive contact, so competition tends to train participants to strike the least effective targets.

Having said that, we do believe that there is legitimiate training benefit to occasionally competing in tournaments.  Performing in front of judges and spectators and competing against opponents who are trying their best to defeat you adds a useful level of uncertainty, stress, and even fear that is similar to the emotional conditions of actual combat—yet it is under the reasonably safe and controlled conditions and the supervision of trained tournament referees and judges.  Learning to perform calmly under those intense conditions is extremely beneficial.  We therefore encourage (but do not require) all members to compete once in awhile to gain that experience.

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