Michi Publishing Author Receives Eighth-Degree Black Belt.

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H. E. Davey, the author of Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation and The Teachings of Tempu: Practical Meditation for Daily Life was promoted to hachidan, an eighth-degree black belt. Aside from his decades of training in Japanese yoga, healing arts, and fine arts, Davey Sensei has been studying classic jujutsu since the age of five. Jujutsu is Japan's oldest martial art, and truly authentic versions of it are rarely found outside of Japan. Davey Sensei studied in Japan, where he also gave well-received lecture-demonstrations in Japanese and English. His promotion was authorized by the prestigious Shudokan Budo-Kai (Shudokan Martial Arts Association) and its board of examiners, which consists of some of the top martial arts experts in Japan and the West. Davey Sensei's advancement to hachidan makes him one of the highest ranked teachers of traditional Japanese martial arts in the world. The announcement below was published in the SMAA Journal.

In October of 2013, H. E. Davey was unanimously approved for eighth dan in the SMAA Jujutsu Division. Stephen Fabian Sensei, a Director for the Jujutsu Division, and Nicklaus Suino Sensei, an SMAA Primary Director, recommended him for this promotion. The recommendation then went to the SMAA Board of Directors and SMAA Board of Advisors for consideration, which is the case with all promotions to higher dan within the SMAA. It was ultimately approved.

Unlike some associations, promotions within the SMAA are not based on the opinion of a single person. All members of the SMAA Board of Directors and SMAA Board of Advisors have an opportunity to comment on and discuss the merits of a proposed promotion. Video demonstrations and in-person examinations are frequently required.

If a group consensus is reached, the promotion is issued. This means that an international panel, made up of some of the world’s top martial arts teachers, is behind the ranks that members receive in the SMAA. Both Japanese and Western experts in modern budo and koryu bujutsu consider each application for ranks above third dan. (Ranks of sandan and below are determined by the Director, or Directors, in charge of a division within the SMAA.) It isn’t enough to gain the backing of the Director of the SMAA Karate-do Division (for example); an applicant for higher dan must also receive the approval of the leaders of the other martial arts divisions within the SMAA and the SMAA Board of Advisors, which means the rank is approved by experts in a very wide variety of martial arts—not just a single discipline. The proposed promotion is then finalized by the SMAA Primary Directors. This unique and demanding examination process, involving authorities in multiple Japanese martial arts, ensures the legitimacy of SMAA ranks, which are well regarded internationally. This worldwide recognition is due to the serious nature of the SMAA’s rank examination process and to the stature of the elite international multidisciplinary panel that considers ranks in the SMAA.

The SMAA’s thorough approach to rank examinations guarantees that rank is not obtained too quickly or easily, thus ensuring that certified SMAA teachers will not be embarrassed by another SMAA instructor’s lack of competency. In the case of Mr. Davey, the time between his last promotion and his new rank of hachidan was 19 years.

H. E. Davey has been studying Saigo Ryu sogo bujutsu and other martial arts, in Japan and the USA, since the age of five. (Saigo Ryu evolved in Japan in the mid-20th century, stemming from ancient forms of bujutsu, and it includes jujutsu training, along with the practice of a variety of classical weapons.) He is one of the founding members of the SMAA, and he has taught at several SMAA events over the years. He is also the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts and the author of multiple books on various traditional Japanese arts, including The Japanese Way of the Artist, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation, Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu, Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony, and others. His articles on Japanese arts and culture have been published in a variety of Japanese and American newspapers and magazines.

Mr. Davey told the SMAA Journal, “I’m honored to accept this promotion. I’ve been fortunate to have had very good martial arts teachers, without whom I would have never obtained much skill or understanding. In particular, I’m grateful to my late father and teacher, Victor Davey, who introduced me to martial arts training. He started studying jujutsu, and later Kodokan judo, in 1926. He lived in Japan for several years after World War II, where his training continued. Over the course of his life, he obtained teaching certifications, and some fairly high ranks, from several martial arts associations in Japan. He passed away before the formation of the SMAA, but I think he would have enthusiastically supported our approach to traditional budo and koryu bujutsu. I’m lucky to have been a part of the SMAA since its inception, and I appreciate the many friends that I have made in the group. Thank you to everyone who endorsed my promotion.”