| The first question I asked the founder of the | | | | rank, some serving as instructors and others go |
| martial arts school when I interviewed as a | | | | on to open their own academies, with the |
| prospective student was whether he had | | | | approval and occasional assistance and support of |
| sufficient money on tap to stay around long | | | | the sensei that trained them. |
| enough for me to earn my Black Belt. | | | | In the case of my dojo, a hand scrawled sign |
| Stunned and slightly miffed by the question, he | | | | appeared in the window saying the school had |
| said he did. | | | | been "Stolen." |
| And true to his word, though he started and | | | | Apparently, renegade instructors and managers |
| personally managed an additional branch on the | | | | took the student body to a secret location in a |
| East coast, after eight years of study and hard | | | | neighboring town, and opened a new enterprise, |
| work I was awarded the rank of Shodan, 1st | | | | there. In doing so, they undid about 35 years of |
| degree Black Belt, in Kenpo Karate. | | | | hard work and left the founder with an unpaid |
| But that isn't the end of the story. | | | | lease and other bills that he had to handle while |
| Two years later, I phoned the dojo to wish | | | | being a continent away. |
| Happy Holidays to all, and I heard a recording that | | | | The disappearance of the original dojo has |
| told me I had reached a disconnected number. | | | | created a lot more victims, burdening those that |
| I was shocked. | | | | were close to testing for their next belt level. |
| Most martial arts academies revere traditions and | | | | Where will they study and practice? |
| are proud to announce that they've been teaching | | | | If they believe the mutineers are blameworthy, |
| for 25, 35 or more years, so when they suddenly | | | | how can these "Ronin" i.e. suddenly "Master-less |
| disappear, it's like hearing that the high school you | | | | Samurai," in good conscience, join the miscreants |
| graduated from was plowed under to make room | | | | at the new locale? |
| for a shopping mall. | | | | We'll explore the options for "orphaned" martial |
| Dojos aren't supposed to simply vanish. They | | | | artists in a future article. |
| endeavor to turn out graduates that attain high | | | | |