“In Principles United; in Artistry, Free.”

What is the purpose of this organization?

The aim of Kaze Uta Budo Kai is to provide an affordable, reliable, fair and supportive organizational structure that can be as inclusive, fun, inspirational, and as transparent as possible. It’s also to provide for our members’ needs for credentials, education, and evolution with a variety of products and programs both on-line and in live venue. We hope to provide these services in a smooth and efficient manner, avoiding much of the “drama and baggage” that can sometimes accompany membership in traditional organizations.

Kaze Uta Budo Kai is essentially “nondenominational” within the aikido, judo and jodo world. Our purpose is to transmit true principle-based budo, unencumbered with politics or business. As such, members are welcome from all styles and systems of training. Our ranking is free to all members.

In reality,  promotions cannot be given by anybody to anyone; they are only ever earned. The promotion that is an external credential or certificate of ranking is only given by a teacher to his student as recognition of what has been realized through the student’s own training after the fact.

Once a basic level of technical competence is established, we don’t believe anyone should get between a teacher and a student on such issues as rank. We consider all of the teachers in Kaze Uta Budo Kai as equal in this regard; each is responsible for ranking and promotion of their own students. And as they are the ones ultimately responsible for creating a fair and mutually beneficial relationship with their student, their use of rank and promotion are but one aspect of building and maintaining that relationship. The organization provides certificates to teachers, and teachers do the ranking in their own school.

We have a general set of guidelines and preferences for ranking (which are particularly helpful to beginning teachers) but once technical competence is verified, these guidelines are very open to interpretation and application. Conformity is not the point. Technical standards, though helpful, are also not the point. Rewarding and recognizing the student for a job well done is the point. That activity must be based primarily on the subjective impression and evaluation by the teacher.

It behooves a teacher to do a good and fair job in this regard since, past a certain level, the teacher’s own ranking is largely based upon how he has built positive relationships with his students and the results he has achieved in transmitting budo principle to them. Higher grades in ranking are based far more on the quality of students you create than your own technical wizardry.

If you like what we are about and want to help us move forward, you are welcome to join our Budo family today for as little as $5 per month or $60 per year. Membership does include official ranking diplomas and discounts on all Kaze Uta Budo Kai events and services.

Unlike most martial arts organizations, we’re not in the business of “selling ranks” or charging “testing fees” to stay afloat. Our rankings are fair and ethically balanced, and carry no price tags — none. Because we have divorced money-making from ranking and promotion and we have simultaneously encouraged the development of ethical treatment in positive relationships between student and teacher, our aim is to restore complete integrity and autonomy to the teacher’s practice of recognizing rank and making promotions.

We roll the vast majority of dues money collected back into development of products and services. This includes:

  • Paying for the equipment necessary for the ongoing open source YouTube videos.
  • Upkeep on the physical plant of the dojo.
  • The development and maintenence of KUBK’s online presence (website, social media, self-promotion, etc.).
  • Research toward the development of tangible educational resources such as future publication of books and DVDs.
  • Travel expenses for seminars that foster education, outreach, and community building.
  • Providing the ranking certificates and technical verification discussed earlier.
  • And there are also free patches and other goodies.

All of which can cost quite a bit. Someday KUBK may break even, and possibly pay an administrative salary, but it has not done so yet. Basically, you pay for services provided.

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Joining up (or asking more questions) is quick and easy!