A brief history of the RKC DOJO, South Africa

The RKC DOJO (RKC) was founded in 2015 by Warren HO (5th Dan) and Andrew WHITTAKER (3rd Dan), with the intentions of bringing their combined knowledge and unique aspirations to the greater Kendo community.

 

As past students of the original San Kawa Kendo Dojo (SKKD) that was then headed up by the original founder of SKKD, Tony Hughes sensei (6th Dan, Renshi), it was both Warren and Andrew’s intention to use much of their SKKD experiences in the formation of the RKC.

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To pay homage to this history and tradition, Tony Hughes Sensei was elected as the lifetime honorary head sensei of the RKC.

 

Both Warren and Andrew had also been members of the South African National Kendo Team, and had represented their country at several European Kendo Championships (EKC) and World Kendo Championships (WKC). Both have earned their National Sports Colours in Kendo.

Furthermore, between the 2 of them, they have over 20 years of experience working at a national level, as they have both served as executive committee members of the South African Kendo Federation (SAKF), the national governing body of Kendo, Iaido and Jodo in South Africa.

 

Lastly, both Warren and Andrew had completed their Martial Arts South Africa (MASA) Coaching Certification (NQF3), as well as both having had attended the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF) Foreign Leaders’ Kendo Training Camp in Kitamoto, Japan.

 

Warren had also attended the European Kendo Federation’s Shimpan/Referee Seminar twice to further his knowledge of Kendo and Kendo refereeing.

To reflect the aspirations of its founders, the RKC set forth to accomplish three major objectives, namely to:

 

1) ...FOCUS on helping ALL their members develop good Kendo, Iaido, and/or Jodo..

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2) ...Whilst still having FUN during their time of training and socializing together...

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3) ...Resulting in lifelong relationships that make them feel a part of the RKC-FAMILY.

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The RKC has adopted the Kendo proverb of "Kō Ken Chi Ai" (交剣知愛) , “the desire to achieve mutual understanding and betterment of humanity through sword training”, to help guide its members on their lifelong pursuit of Kendo.

 

As from January 2020, the RKC had ceased to be a non-profit entity, and had opted to become a professional martial arts institution.

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In 2020, "Iaido", the art of drawing and cutting with a sword, and "Jodo", the art of the short staff, was added as additional Japanese sword-related martial art that was offered at the RKC.  

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As from the 27 September 2021, the "Rivonia Kendo Club" would be referred to as the "RKC DOJO" or "RKC". This subtle change in the name was because of the opening of a new RKC branch of the dojo in the eastern suburbs of Johannesburg. The RKC Dojo in Observatory opened its door for Kendo training on Tuesday, 5 October 2021.