My first grading examination in Aikido

It happened in April, 1994.
I was studying Aikido for 6 months already, at the Cluj University club. My instructor was Ioan Barbos, a 2nd Kyu by then. Training was held in the Judo hall at the Faculty of Chemistry, near the Central Park.
The club was affiliated to the Romanian Aikido Union (URA), headed by Mr. Dan Ionescu.

URA regularly held week-end national seminars in Bucharest, every 3 months.
At the April 1994 seminar, from Cluj participated a group of 10-12 practitioners.
Before the seminar, I remember that we were pre-tested for the grading exam by our instructor, Nelutu Barbos, to be sure we won’t be a disgrace.

Everything fine, we arrived in Bucharest after an 8 hours trip by train and we checked in in a worn-out one star hotel near the Northern Railway Station. After that, we got to the training sessions that took place at Ecran Club. The training was conducted by sensei Dan Ionescu, 4th Dan by then, assisted by sensei Ioan Grigorescu, 2nd Dan. I still remember I was impressed by Mr. Grigorescu’s Ukemi (rolling or breakfalls), very smooth and silent.

At the end there were the grading examinations, where the majority of our group from Cluj was tested for 5th Kyu, as we were beginners.
However, something happened that day or the days before the examination, there were some disputes related to the Cluj group, possibly some frictions between Mr. Ionescu and Nelutu Barbos, I don’t know exactly, since I was not involved.
Fact is that during the examination Mr. Ionescu was very irritated. From my performance I only remember demonstrating Ukemi and Katate-Dori Shiho-Nage. It must have been something else also, maybe Ikkyo, but I don’t remember.

The verdict was drastical: all people from Cluj were failed, except for Mihai A., who was promoted from 5th Kyu to 4th Kyu. It was unpleasant for us, then, because we didn’t think that we did something so wrong for that minimal level that we were tested for. I am convinced that Mr. Ionescu was too intransigent with us because the negative background that has been developed for reasons that I still don’t know. He wanted to teach somebody a lesson, but in the end I don’t know who learned what lesson.

Afterwards, I have been graded twice by Mr. Ionescu, no problem whatsoever: 5th Kyu in November 1994 and 4th Kyu in April 1995.

When you are “young” in Aikido, you give a greater importance to grades. That’s why any failure to promote is felt harder then. Now I understand that grades are not so important as practice and experience.
And if you practice Aikido for a lifetime, there is time enough for grades.

Where are they now ?

Dan Ionescu is still the head of the ex Romanian Aikido Union, now called the Romanian Aikido Federation (FRA).
He is also the president of the European Aikido Confederation (CEA), an independent organization not very big, grouping clubs from France, Romania and Great Britain. CEA was formed around the French master Daniel Brun, a former student of Tadashi Abe.
In CEA, Daniel Brun is ranked 9th Dan, and Dan Ionescu 8th Dan.
FRA has 15 dojos, while CEA has a total of 43 dojos (France 25, Romania 15, Great Britain 3).

Ioan Grigorescu separated from Mr. Ionescu’s organization some years ago and keeps a small independent organization with a few dojos. He is ranked 5th Dan by Dan Ionescu.

Ioan Barbos gave up on Aikido a few years ago, and is teaching Judo, his first love. As far as I know, he is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Sports from the “Babes-Bolyai” University in Cluj.

Mihai A. was, between 1994 and 1995, the first instructor in our dojo, nowadays known as the “Musubi” Dojo Cluj. Mihai doesn’t practice Aikido anymore since sometime around 1997-2000, if I remember well.