The Judo Rank System
Achievement in Judo is recognized by a series of ranks. The student ranks are
called kyu and are usually differentiated by colored belts (obi). Different
colors may be used around the world and in some countries there are more than
6 kyu ranks. The ten black belt, or expert, ranks are called dan.
The traditional Judo ranks are:
English Japanese
6th grade rokyu
5th grade gokyu
4th grade yonkyu
3rd grade sankyu
2nd grade nikyu
1st grade ikkyu
1st degree shodan
2nd degree nidan
3rd degree sandan
4th degree yodan
5th degree godan
6th degree rokudan
7th degree shichidan
8th degree hachidan
9th degree kudan
10th degree judan
In the
days before Kano created Judo, there was no kyu/dan ranking system in
the martial arts. A more traditional method of recognizing achievement was the presentation
of certificates or scrolls, often with the secrets of the school inscribed.
Kano started the modern rank system when he awarded shodan to
two of his senior students (Shiro Saigo and Tsunejiro Tomita) in 1883.
Even then, there was no external differentiation between yudansha (black belt
ranks) and mudansha (those who hadn't yet attained black belt ranking).
Kano apparently began the custom of having his yudansha wear black obi
(belts) in 1886. These obi weren't the belts karateka and judoka wear
today -- Kano hadn't invented the judogi (Judo uniform) yet,
and his students were still practicing in kimono. They were the wide
obi still
worn with formal kimono. In 1907, Kano introduced the modern judogi and
its modern obi, but he still only used white and black belt ranks.
Professor Kano was an educator and used a hierarchy in setting learning objectives for Judo students, just as students typically pass from one grade to another in the public school system. The Judo rank system represents a progression of learning with a syllabus and a corresponding grade indicating an individual's level of proficiency.
Earning a black belt is like graduating from high school or college. It indicates you have achieved a basic level of proficiency, learned the fundamental skills and can perform them in a functional manner, and you are now ready to pursue Judo on a more serious and advanced level as a professional or a person seeking an advanced degree would.
Around 1930 Jigoro Kano created a new belt to recognize the special
achievements of high ranking black belts. Jigoro Kano chose to recognize
sixth, seventh, and eighth degree black belts with a special obi made
of alternating red and white panels (kohaku obi). The white color was chosen for purity,
and red for the intense desire to train and the sacrifices made. The
colors red and white are an enduring symbol of Japan, and they have been
used in Judo since Jigoro Kano started the first Red and White Tournament
in 1884. The kohaku obi is often worn for special occasions, but it is not required to be worn at any time and the black belt remains the standard for all the yudansha ranks. Jigoro Kano also created the optional red belt to recognize 9th
and 10th degree yudansha.
Theoretically
the Judo rank system is not limited to 10 degrees of black belt. The original
english language copy (1955) of Illustrated Kodokan Judo, by Jigoro Kano, says: "There
is no limit...on the grade one can receive. Therefore if one does reach a stage
above 10th dan... there is no reason why he should not be promoted to 11th
dan." However, since there has never been any promotion to a rank above 10th dan,
the Kodokan Judo promotion system effectively has only 10 dans. There have only been 15 10th dans awarded by the Kodokan in the history of Judo.
Other colored
belts for students who had not yet achieved black belt originated later,
when Judo began being practiced outside of Japan. Mikonosuke Kawaishi
is generally regarded as the first to introduce various colored belts
in Europe in 1935 when he started to teach Judo in Paris. He felt that
western students would show greater progress if they had a visible system
of many colored belts recognizing achievement and providing regular incentives.
This system included white, yellow, orange, green, blue, and purple belts before
the traditional brown and black belts.
The Judo practice uniform and belt system eventually spread to many of the other modern martial arts, such as aikido and karate, which adapted them for their purpose. Karateka in Okinawa didn't use any sort of special uniform at all in the
old days. The kyu/dan ranking system, and the modern karategi (modified
judogi) were first adopted by Funakoshi in an effort to encourage
karate's acceptance by the Japanese. He awarded the first shodan ranks
given in karate to Tokuda, Otsuka, Akiba, Shimizu, Hirose, Gima, and
Kasuya on April 10, 1924. The adoption of the kyu/dan system and the
adoption of a standard uniform based on the judogi were 2 of the 4
conditions which the Dai-Nippon Butokukai required before recognizing
karate as a "real" martial art. If you look at photographs of Okinawan
karateka training in the early part of this century, you'll see that they
were training in their everyday clothes.
Promotion requirements for each rank vary according to the sensei and the national
organization that you are affiliated with. There is no worldwide standard for
each rank, although it is generally accepted that a blackbelt has had many
years of practice and can perform at least the nage-no-kata,
the gokyo-no-waza and the newaza
techniques. For further information about promotion requirements see your
sensei.
Here's how
to tie your belt, proper sizing for a judogi,
and some information about where to get a judogi.
Here is another article on Origins of
the Karate Rank System and on Belt
Colors and Ranking Tradition.
When you seek it, you cannot find it.
Your hand cannot reach it
Nor your mind exceed it.
When you no longer seek it,
It is always with you.
.....Zen Proverb
