Mario De Mol
Gent police-officer Mario De Mol started his-budo-career in 1982, in a local dojo (Gentbrugge) where a mixture of judo, karate and aikido was taught. This using the name "jujutsu", but in fact it had little to do with "koryu" - old traditional Japanese warrior schools. In 1989 Mario acquired a shodan in this dojo (which currently no longer exists).
After witnessing several Japanese masters at seminars he became more and more intrigued by koryu, and Japanese history & culture.
Near the end of the 1980s his interest in ninjutsu was awakened. Mario became one of the pioneers of the Bujinkan-federation in Belgium. He also trained with Genbukan-members, and participated in their seminars led by Tanemura Sensei.
In 1997, during the taikai in Paris, Mario passed the "sakki-test" by Masaaki Hatsumi, and became a shidoshi godan within the Bujinkan.
In 1995, during a stay in Japan, Mario had already trained with Manaka Sensei, and was truly impressed with his way of moving and teaching.
When Manaka Sensei left the Bujinkan and founded the Jinenkan in 1996 Mario immediately joined as a full member.
After growing increasingly weary about the way the Bujinkan was evolving, and after attending seminars in Europe by Dave Hewitt and Shawn Havens (from the States, the two former "shosei" (living-in students) of Manaka Sensei), Mario decided to leave the Bujinkan and made a definitive choice for the Jinenkan at the beginning of this century. He first became a personal student of David Hewitt, and later on of Manaka Sensei himself.
In 2003 Mario passed all kyu-tests in the Jinenkan Honbu Dojo (then still located in Baltimore, Maryland (U.S.A.)), at the very end of 2003 he passed the shodan test at a seminar in Wales (U.K.), and in 2004 (again in Baltimore) Mario passed the nidan and sandan tests and became a Jinenkan Dojo Cho.
In May 2005 he was the first person in Europe to pass the yondan-test.
In Gent Mario trains just about every day. He is also very often to be found elsewhere, teaching in other dojo or training groups worldwide. At least once a year Mario stays at the Honbu Dojo in Japan for a fortnight. He also participates in all of Sensei's seminars abroad.
In November 2006 Mario passed the godan test in the Honbu Dojo.
