Aikido - the organizational context

Chapter 19

As the NCAF was the single Hombu recognized organization and the IAF member, it tried to live up to its responsibilities. Since there was no job-description it tried to define its role based on the three lines I have described:
– what followed from the Hombu regulations
– what followed from membership of the IAF
– what followed from government policy

However, as more and more groups left the NCAF, for different reasons* we realized that we could hardly claim to be the single representative for Aikido in the Netherlands. However, the remaining dojos were actually strongly committed to being a decent democratic organization. So, the NCAF tried to remain open, cooperating, exchanging information with the other organizations, providing information on international policy, developments in Hombu policy, etc

To express that we no longer claimed the pivotal role, the name of the organization was informally changed. We started using the name Festina Lente, rather than NCAF.

As the majority of Aikido organizations moved to the FOG, the contours for an umbrella organization took shape. With the ever increasing number of organizations it became more and more apparent to everybody that some form of structure was needed. As slowly the concept of the umbrella organization took shape.

During that period in time Hombu changed its policy from informal recognition to multiple recognition. As we struggled to find solutions for the informal recognition we were now confronted with all organizations being recognized. This in fact went so far that organizations that until then had claimed they were not Aikikai now could apply for Hombu dan-grades and get them awarded**.

The spectrum of organizations was so broad, that it deserves credit that an umbrella organization was formed. However, part of that solution needed to be to safeguard the IAF membership. This was done in several steps.

First of all, as AN was formed, a section for Aikikai-organizations was established. The second step was that the NAF/Festina Lente was asked to create a new organization Festina Lente and apply for Hombu recognition***. The NAF was then offered as an empty body to all the Aikikai-organizations that were in the new umbrella AN. The NAF was appointed institutional member of AN****.

These steps all worked well for parties involved. The ministry of sport and the NSF were happy, the Aikikai-organizations were happy they were now on equal footing, the other Aikido-organizations were now happy they were under a recognized umbrella. The IAF was happy because the NAF was still only an Aikikai organization. Hombu was happy because the complex situation in the Netherlands was now resolved.

And this summarizes the transition period. What should follow is a description of the current situation. Which will be the next chapter.

* I will try to summarize the splits in a later chapter, but this will be a sensitive topic
** this is one of the reasons why AN initially had in its regulations that if an organization applies for Aikikai-grades it is considered Aikikai. Later this was rephrased and that it must have the right to conduct Aikikai gradings to be member of the Aikikai section. This section structure was later abandoned, but traces are probably still to be found in the statutes of AN.
*** Contrary to Hombu policy that an organization must exist for at least 5 years, the newly formed association was given recognition immediately.
**** Until today nobody has any idea what that actually implies.

Chapter 18

In chapter 8 I described how the formation of an umbrella organization for all Aikido in the Netherlands (AN) posed a problem, because of the complex interrelated issues of Hombu recognition and IAF membership. In essence:
– to be Hombu recognized the organization must do Aikikai Aikido (and certainly not competitive forms of Aikido)
– the get national recognition the organization must be member of an international organization and organize all the Aikido in the country
– to be member of the IAF the organization needs Hombu recognition

I further described the history of the NAF: how a Budo federation was divided into three different organizations for Karate, Taekwondo and Judo, and how a federation for Eastern Martial Arts (FOG) was established.

I explained how a government committee proposed that Aikido should be member of the FOG and how the conflict between the Judo-instructors doing Aikido and the Aikido-instructors led to conflict and incidents unbecoming.

In this chapter I will try to describe how the umbrella organization NAF was established and what it has become over time.

As the BBN was dissolved and a committee advised the formation of the FOG, the people that wanted an Aikido organization in its own right set out and created an association called the NCAB. This organization applied for membership of the FOG and was given that under the condition it would change its name from ‘Bond’ or union to ‘Federation’ to stress the democratic nature of the organization.

At that point in time this was the only national organization for Aikido. This was not undisputed, because the JBN claimed that they were the continuation of the BBN and that therefore they should take on the recognition by Hombu and the IAF membership. While still before my time, I know only from the stories told that the IAF decided to make the NCAF member and that Hombu decided to recognize the NCAF.

But just like many other early organizations the NCAF was struggling to find its role. The Hombu regulations at the time still spoke of a strong position for a man in charge, and his dan-rank. Therefore the NCAF asked Kanetsuka Sensei to become technical director. At approximately the same time Fujita Sensei was asked to become technical supervisor. Both instructors took their role very seriously and the NCAF slowly developed under their technical guidance.

They however had little influence on the organizational development. The NCAF and the JBN both strived for the samel goals: technical develpment, recognition as an Aikido organization, gradings, an instructors course.

For the NCAF this cocktail led to initiatives such as developing an instructors course and striving for government recognition. But the JBN strived for the same thing. And the ministry of Sport insisted on cooperation which the officials at the time could not make happen.
The NCAF also strived for events that would give it recognition: participation in the World Games in Karlsruhe in Germany, hosting the Aikido demonstrations at the World Games in the Hague, participation in the EAF and the IAF, organizing seminars.

The political climate was nasty. The conflict between the NCAF and the JBN was harsh, but a new organization presented itself: the ARN. These Aikidoka were not Hombu recognized, but did work with highly respected instructors. They presented themselves as a non-political alternative. But under the one recognition per country regime from Hombu and the one organization per country regime of the IAF they were not really connected to organized sport.

Their appearence did however open the door for other organizations to get started. New instructors quite quickly found out that if you had a relationship with a Japanese instructor you could exist very well outside the recognized structure. Gradings could be handled informally through the organization of the Japanese instructor. Hombu appeared to turn a blind eye to the fact that Dutch students were getting their dangrades through Japanese local dojos.

Once this became public knowledge the number of organizations grew quickly. The government-driven policy of having one organization per country became subverted within a few years, and this process was unstoppable*.

When the conflict between the JBN and the NCAF culminated in the explusion of the NCAF from the FOG, and the NCAF found refuge under an umbrella organization called NCS, all the new organizations joined. They were all in the same situation, and for the first time in probably a decade an atmosphere of cooperation could be noticed. Within the NCS the cooperating Aikido organizations worked on an instructors course, that was eventually realized and with great success. Instructors from all organizations participated, the course was recognized by the government and it was highly appreciated by the participants.

As described, during this time the Aikido-department of the JBN sought reconciliation with the NCAF and the ARN and this worked out well. As described, only when the government started to overturn the structure for umbrella organizations for sport in the Netherlands, did things get off track again.

The FOG allowed one disgruntled organization under its wings. The NSF supported this organization in starting a process to establish a next umbrella organization. When the NCS epxressed its concern it might cease to exist, a number of groups abandoned ship and joined the FOG.

But what did this all imply for the NCAF? That’s the content of the next chapter.

* This did not only happen in the Netherlands, but all around the world