A Matter of Degree?

by O'Sensei Brian R. Fey

  A father and his teenage son were having what some would call a "heated discussion" over curfew restrictions, car privileges, spending allowances, etc.  A typical high school senior, filled with energy and enthusiasm, the son is about to break the bonds of childhood and enter the adult world, feeling his oats and all grown up.  In his mind, he is an expert on all subjects as they relate to him now and in the future.

  Not so, says dad.  During the span of his own confusing adolescence to his present matured state, the father has experienced several of life's challenges sometimes with success and sometimes with disappointment, but always with a lesson learned.  he can only hope that his son will also be able to find his way. 

A Black Belt Isn't Enough

  In many ways, today's massed-produced black belts are like the headstrong son.  To the average American looking for the right martial arts teacher, it seems that being a black belt just isn't good enough anymore.  In fact, more emphasis is given to the belt degree the the arts themselves.

  Prospective students often ask a teacher, "What degree black belt are you"?  Most of them believe that the higher the degree, the better the teacher.  This belief stems from inexperience and can perhaps be excused, but what is really disturbing is that some black belts believe this as well.  In that case, the belief is based on ignorance.

  Too often, school owners also promote the idea that a high-degree black belt signifies experience and ability.  Students are given erroneous information about their art and about who or what their teachers are.  it is not uncommon for teachers to declare that they hold a very high-level dan (degree) gradings, sometimes eight, ninth and even tenth dan gradings in as little as ten years of study (see table above).  The real surprise is that they have accomplished this feat around the same time they received the right to vote!  To further complicate matters, some teachers also state that they are either a supreme master, close to godlike status, or the creator of the ultimate martial art, usually accomplished after studying various arts for six months each and "combining" them.

  This tainted information confuses people in their quest for the right martial art and the right teacher.  After hearing that an instructor has studied traditional /orthodox Japanese karatedo for nearly 21 years, students expect that the teacher will be a 15th degree, supreme and magnificent master of all time.  This illusion is quickly replaced by reality when they hear that the instructor only hold half the rank degree of some of these "super masters".

  The problem lies, not in the new student's perception, but in the young, high-ranking black belts who actually believe in the status they claim to hold.  Although some schools and even a few styles, dish out advanced black belt ranks as fast as McDonalds™  sells hamburgers, the overall consensus is that being a black belt is not a matter of degree.

  Like the son who waves a high school diploma and a driver's license in his father's face to prove his level of expertise in life, so the young eighth degree black belt waves his certificate and multi-colored gi in the faces of his students.  In contrast, the teachers with twice the experience prefer to teach what they know, not boast of what they wear or hang on the wall.

Traditional Ranking

     As  pointed out by Hanshi Richard Kim of the Butoku Kai and Sensei John Sells of the US Shito-Ryu Karate Association and the US Kobudo Kai, the guidelines for the modern day kyu/dan grading system were established by the Federation of All Japan Karatedo Organizations (FAJKO) in 1971.  Their mission was to establish uniform guidelines in which dan are awarded based on progress and development thorugh service.  Yet though the FAJKO standards are internationally recognized, they are not always held in great regard outside of Japan.

  Gichin Funakoshi, the father of Japanese karate, died in 1957 at the age of 88 and was considered a fifth dan.  That's right, only a puny, "insignificant" fifth dan black belt.  At the time, fifth dan was the height of the dan rank scale.  In fact, Funakoshi was never actually a dan level rank, but was recognized by the Butoku Kai as a renshi (master of the self) in the late 1930s.  many of Funakoshi's counterparts, who also brought other styles from Okinawa to Japan, held the same or lower rank as Funakoshi or held no rank at all.  As holders of fifth dan, were Funakoshi and these other karate masters really not as good as history them to be?  Were their individual egos beyond the quest for rank?  Neither is the case.  Rather, in those early and formative days, the presentation of rank was generally given the the student and not bestowed on the founder or style leader.

Evolution of Advanced Rank

  As a matter of political and competitive rivalry between the various style organizations, the sixth through tenth dan levels evolved several years after Funakoshi's death.  However, this was not the only motive for adding the additional dan grades.  As a matter of consequence, it became necessary to increase the dan scale to differentiate the fifth dan with 20 years of study from those with 40 or more years of study.  Thus the "time in grade" dan were born.  Although technical ability is required, these advanced dan levels simply indicate the passage of time.  It is interesting to note that after his death, Funakoshi was posthumously awarded a judan grading, making him the supreme headmaster of the Shotokan ryu.

  In addition to the technical criteria, FAJKO also implemented minimum age guidelines.  People under the age of 16 are considered junior grade holders.  Using the technical and age requirements as outlined by FAJKO and adding one year to each dan grade as a control factor, the accompanying chart illustrates the path of a typical 13 year old student's journey through the dan grades.  Assuming that it took the student four years to complete all kyu level requirements, the chart begins at the rank of shodan.

  Noting the history of ranking puts things into their proper perspective.  The attainment of rank, especially advanced dan grades, is a process of refinement and distinction.  It serves to measure the individual's progressive attainment of martial arts perfection.  A true martial artist should not degrade himself by accepting an unearned rank.  The black belt is not just a matter of degrees.