So what does this mean. There are couple different ways people interpret this expression and I am going to use it the way I think Taika meant it. Essentially, Taika Seiyu Oyata had regional Shihan Dai which were meetings where a bunch of brown and black belts got together, without him, and worked on things together.

 

Shihan (師範) is often interpreted as Master Instructor.

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Dai (代) is often translated as 'substitue'.

 

Thus Shihan Dai is often translated as 'In substitute of the master'. I think it goes deeper, per some conversations with Taika.

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The kanji ‘代’ originated in ancient China, and it initially represented ‘a stretch of rice fields’ as a pictograph. Over time, this kanji evolved to include meanings related to the passage of time and replacing one thing with another. This became a significant character representing various cultures and eras.

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I think, Taika's intent and meaning of Shihan Dai was not that it was a substitution for training with 'the master'. I feel it was more along the line of a generational torch passing. As in, these participants are the next generation.

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And thus, the goal of these groups, is to pass the torch and pass the knowledge to the next generation.