WHAT THE HELL IS A BLACK BELT RANK?
By Hayward Nishioka
I once asked a high ranking friend of mine, “What is a Shodan?” How does one
know if one is a first degree black belt, or a second, or a third for that
matter? Is it that a person can beat a certain number of other practitioners?
If so, how many, and of what quality? He couldn’t answer the question with any
degree of conviction. He just said, “I know he doesn’t look like a white belt
or even a sankyu. (third degree brown belt) I asked this question because I was
at one time a member of four American promotion committees on or about the same
time, and each one of them had different criteria’s for shodan. Even within the
same organization’s criteria, weird differences arose. I also noticed that
internationally many of our U.S. brown belts would easily beat Japanese
shodans. But, that’s where it usually stopped. Once they got to nidan and
sandan it was a different story. There seemed to be more Picasso art than
Newtonian science to how judoka got promoted, and I was somewhat confused, as I
am sadly even to this day.
The following are a few thoughts on this most perplexing but soul searching
subject, rank promotions. Everyone who sits on a rank promotion committee or is
to be elevated to a high rank in judo should be required to write a paper on
the subject in order to comprehend the complexities involved in this process we
take for granted as a natural progression of our sport and way of life, judo.
Well, what are you waiting for? Try starting with the sentence, “ I should be a
____dan because - - - - - -
Who decides who is to be promoted? Is being tough the
only qualification? Can a higher rank always beat a lower rank? What about a
red and white belt? Can they beat all lower ranks? What about red belts? Why
don’t we see these higher ranks compete? If they’re so good why don’t we see
them winning at the World Championship tournaments? Obviously it’s not just
about winning but what causes our minds to equate higher rank to higher
physical ability? What causes this obsession for higher rank when we don’t even
know what it represents or whether we are truly eligible for the thing we know
nothing about? Why is everyone trying so hard to get the next higher rank? What
is the value of a belt ranking system? What does it all mean?
Before Kano and the Meiji restoration there was jiujitsu.
People then just practiced in ordinary kimono; usually a hakama (pant/skirt
looking thing) and uwagi (thick jacket type material). Because of the social
agenda of the times when Japan was throwing out old ideas of feudalism and
bringing new ideas from the West, activities aligned to the old samurai ways
such as kenjitsu, karate, jiujitsu were thought anachronistic and slated to be
eliminated. It was the time of the “Last Samurai.” It was Jigoro Kano who
stepped in to save the day. Dr. Kano’s interest in education, physical culture,
and English, and of course his love of his own activity of judo, plus his
political connections that helped to save the martial arts in Japan. His English
language skills allowed him access to Western ideas that were so favorable to
the Meiji government of the time. Among these Western ideas was the burgeoning
importance of sports as a means of developing the vitality of a Nation’s
citizens both physically as well as culturally. From about the mid 1850’s to
the 1880’s came an on-slot of then new sporting events such as ice hockey,
baseball, basketball, and football encompassing the values of planning, skill
development, team work, courage, quick thinking, discipline, and much more.
Kano felt that Judo (then thought of as a feudal martial art) could also be
transformed into a sport but it had to be packaged differently. Essentially
this is how many of the Japanese martial arts of the time, considered as part of
the old feudal system, came to be preserved.
Philosophically, Dr. Kano was quick to note that rather
than judo being a means of offense and defense that it was used as a means of
elevating ones life. To drive this point home he promulgated his maxims of “self
perfection, mutual welfare and benefit and maximum efficiency with minimum
effort.” He said that there were three levels at which an individual could
train in judo: One, as a means of self defense, two, to cultivate the body and
ones mind, and three, to do this for the betterment of society.
Additionally he changed the look of judo by developing a specialized work out
uniform called a judogi. In line with the idea of Western sports clothing it
utilized pants rather than the traditional hakama. The upper garment was made
of a stronger weaved material resembling the type of coats then worn by
Japanese firemen. The color of the uniform was an off color white, and was
shorter in the pants and sleeve than found today. The most dramatic difference
however was the belt that was worn. By 1884 there were two colors; white to
denote a beginner or mudansha and black belt by advanced or yudansha. The belt
was an outward manifestation of the station or level one had attained in judo
through hard practice. Other martial arts such as karate, aikido, jiujitsu,
kyudo, bojitsu, iaido,’ and kendo, followed suite and utilized the belt ranking
system as well.
In Tokugawa Japan jiujitsu students were awarded
certificates with the titles of shoden, chuden, okuden, menkyo, or kaiden
according to “Jigoro Kano and the Kodokan.” With a certificate however there
was no way to display it. It sat at home on the shelf. With Kano there was now
an immediate visual incentive to work toward-- the black belt. The very first
black belts were given to Tomita Tsuneyoshi and Saigo Shiro in August of 1883.
To this day it has represented excellence in performance and is coveted by
millions.
As judo membership grew over time, higher ranks were
given out. The first fifth dan was awarded to Tomita in 1888 but it wasn’t till
some 10 years latter that the first sixth dan was awarded to Yamashita,
Yoshitsugu and Yokoyama, Sakujiro in 1898. The very first 10th dan was awarded
to Yamashita, Yoshitsugu in 1935, some 53 years after many hard practices and monumental
achievements in the development of judo, and this only posthumously by the
founder. Many of the early belt ranks were given directly by Dr. Kano but as
membership increased a Council was established, overseen by the founder.
Under the Kodokan Council criteria were established and
read as follows under:
Article 10 Consideration for promotion is based on the candidate’s character,
technical proficiency in kata and randori, knowledge of judo, application of
judo training, achievements in judo and so forth. Candidacy will be judged in
accordance with the following:
a) If the candidate is lacking in character, he/she will not be promoted even
they meet other requirements.
b) Those deemed to be of good character and who train diligently, applying
their judo skills and knowledge to daily life, and those who have made
achievements through judo maybe compensated for technical inadequacies to a
certain degree.
c) The assessment of judo techniques will emphasize posture, balance and poise
in execution.
d) In regards to knowledge of judo, candidates to promotion to shodan or above
must show how they place importance on their judo experience
(Kodokan Council Regulations printed in Judo Nenkan, 1925)
After the death of Dr. Kano the
council continued on, however due to WW II, promotional activity, at least at
the higher levels, slowed down and didn’t resume to it’s full potential until
after the Mac Arthur restrictions on the practice of martial arts in Japan was
lifted. Not withstanding the war judo still flourished in other parts of the
world. Europe, the America’s, Asia, Oceania, went on to develop their own
promotional system’s catering to local needs but still mimicking the precepts
first promulgated by Jigoro Kano; that of technical proficiency, knowledge of judo
theory, continuing education, the use of judo in one’s daily life, and
character.
In the United States judo was
heavily practiced in areas with a high concentration of first and second
generation Japanese, and didn’t become popular with the Americans until after
WWII as returning service men from Japan searched out places to continue their
practice. Much of judo was under the control of first generation Japanese who
felt that judo was a cultural right rather than an athletic activity. Much of
the rank promotion system back before and even after the War was linked to the
Kodokan. It wasn’t until the mid to late 60’s when a more objective system was
implemented by Phil Porter, making it easier for non-Japanese to be promoted in
judo through the USJA.
While the system worked well for the
promotion of lower ranks, sandan and below. Ranks of fourth and higher in
America were, and still are, a puzzle with missing pieces. Ranks up to sandan
can easily be compared with other organizations through competition. If your
sandan’s are losing to the other organizations shodan’s something is wrong but
adjustments can easily be made.
“Ah but what of promotions given to
older judoka who started later in life, and did not have the opportunity to
compete at a high level and build a history? Were they not helping in the
development of judo?” Even if one were to receive up to a sandan through time
in grade and through his efforts as a part of the leadership staff as an
assistant instructor, instructor, coach, organizer, clinician, representative,
committee member/chair, or officer, would this not seem acceptable? For any
rank higher than sandan the individual has to be of exceptional quality and
dedication to be equated to a competitor of fourth and fifth dan. After all, this
is about judo and judo deals with proficiency, or does it?
Here is where things begin to get a little muddled. For all the champions that
we have produced over the years we have not produced champions who would remain
to become good leaders during or after their competitive years. Our judo
organizations have done little to provide opportunities or incentives to
encourage growth beyond championships. It is only haphazardly that those who
compete and stay on in various capacities are somehow elevated for this thing
we call “time in grade”. What is perplexing is that this same “time in grade”
standard is often times applied to those who have not had a serious competitive
record but have stayed on, and have contributed to the running of the
organizations. So now what does it mean to be a higher rank? It doesn’t seem to
mean that the higher the dan, the more one is proficient in judo. Rank now when
issued seems to become a tacit, collateral or payment for organizational skills
and services rendered. That now, the person who has volunteered his services
stands equal to the “man in the arena.”
To the common public, and to even more structured organizations like Six Sigma,
the perception is that the higher the belt rank the more stellar the
participant. Again the perception of proficiency is predicated on the best of
the competitor side of the equation and not on who has been around a long time
or has friends in high places that have been given a possibly inflated rank to
them. The inflated rank, also as with money matters, lessons the quality with
quantity.
The International Judo Federation, in its attempt to belatedly control rank,
has issued a proclamation that they will be the only body to confer ninth and
tenth dans. Furthermore that they will only recognize ranks issued by National
Governing Bodies; in the United States that would be USA Judo. Not withstanding
USA Judo has an agreement with the other two larger U.S. Judo organizations
that all three would reciprocally honor each others ranks. Things would not be
so bad except for the fact that the United States has more high ranking black
belts with less skill level and knowledge than most European countries. It may
be that the United States has more ninth dan’s than France. France has a judo
population of well over 500,000 registered members while the US has about
25,000 registered members.
For the French, Rokudan is gateway rank leading to higher rank. To attain this
rank a very large hall where 4 to 6 mat areas may be installed is rented. The
candidates vying for rokudan must now perform before a panel of higher ranking
individuals. First they select a technique such as ouchigari, seoinage, etc.
and demonstrate at least 25 different ways to execute that one technique. Next
they select a kata and demonstrate it. There is also a presentation of ones
theory of judo, a written examination, and a demonstration of how one would
conduct a judo lesson. The examination is an all day affair that many say the
fifth dan must prepare for at least one year in advance. The result being that
each person promoted to rokudan is assuredly a proficient judoka capable of
meeting high standards. It is little wonder that France has a 500,000+
membership. It has an army of really capable judoka. Additionally if one wants
to teach judo in France an additional certification is required. The
certification is sponsored through the ministry of education and is a physical
education degree.
Now for tough love to begin. This article would become meaningless without
really looking honestly at our promotion system. The truth may hurt many of the
ones that I have come to respect and honor and serve with, but unless these
issues are brought to the foreground they will not be addressed for the
betterment of judo in the United States.
1. Integrity – Mel Applebaum once
wrote to his friend the following:
“The topic of promotion is not a simple matter. High dan grades reflect
significant expertise and contribution to the sport and must be administered by
High dans with integrity. On the lower dan levels, competition is the main path
to promotion. Promotion procedures must be fair and consistent and not
influenced by the payment of money, as in the way some in the past have
literally sold rank and disgraced our sport. It is similar to those claiming
doctorates and using the title doctor from degree mills and on line degree
factories. It diminishes the value of all degrees.”
In the past, as it is today, ranks can be bought. It could be an outright
bargained for exchange or it could be more sophisticated in nature as with
donations, dinners, junkets, favors, services, etc. in exchange for rank. A
question was once asked if it may be justified in that the monies exchanged for
rank is truly in the service of judo or may be at a crucial juncture where the
life or death of the organization is at the heart of the matter, what then?
After all rank promotions can be a viable source of income for an organization.
In recent years there has been a rise in the cost of rank promotions world
wide. This most likely started by the Kodokan whose promotion costs are very
high (in the thousands of dollars). Taking a cue from this action the IJF has
also raised its promotional fees as a means of raising monies to fund its
programs as well.
These increases raise another question for the Japanese as well as others, “Do
I spend my money on this promotion I am qualified to receive or spend it on the
family or other needs?” More importantly, am I really worth the rank for which
I am putting out the money to receive this rank or is the organization using me
as a source of income? For those with expendable income it is not a problem to
shell out the big bucks for the privilege of being named amongst the
esoterically honored few.
2. Equality – When thinking of this
word one thinks of two words, equal and quality. Is the quality of one side of
an equal sign the same as the other side? When looking at seventh, eighth,
ninth and tenth degree black belts from Japan, Korea, France, Germany, Holland,
and England to name a few powerhouses can we say that our recipients are equal
to theirs? Have our candidates competed and practice at a high level? Are they
held to high standards? Have they done as much as say a Neil Adams, or Nobuyuki
Sato to promote judo. Adams is a eighth and Sato a ninth dan. Have they
contributed to the betterment of judo?
Granted these two men are of exceptional quality and are at the top of the
rating scale and perhaps America due to its situations should be given some
slack. Still, in spite of the need for incentives to encourage judoka to stay
on, rank as a currency has to be personally deliberated and weighed against our
social needs.
3. Role Model Consistency – “What’s
good for the goose, (should be) is good for the gander.” While exceptions to
the rule do exist, some rules are blatantly disregarded and run contrary the
ideals of judo. At a fairly recent promotion meeting a high ranking member of a
promotion committee suddenly proposed to elevate another member to a rank equal
to his own rank. This would not have been out of the ordinary but for the fact
that there was no prior submittal of promotional forms of any kind to
deliberate upon. This is highly unusual since there was no written record of
past performance, kata, character reference, nothing. Not even his name and
address. Other candidates because they lacked the listing of one kata or even
one line not filled in were not passed for promotion yet those within the
committee were given a pass. Furthermore the following year the person who was
promoted proposed that the person who nominated him the year before should now
be raised to the next level higher. This also may have well have been a
deserved promotion but for the fact that it also came with no paperwork and
possibly no payment.
Should not those who lead, lead by example? Or is it that the strong do what
they will and the weak suffer what they must? What was exceedingly bad was that
the rest of the board of examiners voted to pass these two very high promotions
while flunking others who merely forgot to fill in a line or two. Fortunately
or unfortunately this author was not privy to a vote or party to this
organizational decision.
4. Rank Inflation - In the 1950’s a
sixth degree black belt was a rarity. Today it is fairly common place. At the
current rate of escalation of promotions to high dan America could see its
ranks swell with high dans and maybe even a tenth dan or two. Imagine
that!
Two of the three U.S. organizations have already had tenth dan promotions.
There are quite a few who are young enough to make tenth dan through the
criteria of “time in grade.” Some may not have even competed at a high level or
even contributed greatly to the development of judo, but they will have “time
in grade.”
5. In the end the rank promotion
certificate is only a piece of paper. It allows no increase in income. No added
fame. No added power. Those who flaunt rank are thought of inversely
proportionately. Those who have high rank undeservedly are smiled at outwardly
and laughed at inwardly by those in the know.
High rank is just a confirmation that a group of high ranks have confirmed that
you have met their organizational criteria to be promoted. Usually if the group
and/or its criteria is of low quality the rank may not mean as much. For
example if your promotion committee consists of sixth degrees who have never
been in high level competition or been in a leadership role and they are voting
to raise you to seventh, eighth or ninth it would not mean as much as a group
of seventh, eighth, or ninth degree black belts who have been in high level
competition or leadership roles voting to promote you. Even then should a
seventh or eighth be voting on elevating someone to become a ninth or tenth
dan?
In conclusion I am reminded of a U.S. Navy Admiral whose shame was so great
upon being discovered wearing a campaign ribbon on his chest for which he did
not participate in nor deserve to wear that he committed suicide rather than
face his peers disdain. I am in no way advocating this type of behavior for
judo, I am merely pointing out that some representations of honor are life and
death meaningful to some but not to other. While judo is not the military,
nonetheless it raises the question of what motivates people to want to claim
credit for going down a pathway they have not traveled.
Sooo, back to the question; what the hell is a black belt rank?
For an answer let’s look outside the box. Let’s not look at who wears the belt
but who devised the system. What might his motivations be for wanting a rank
grading system. While the following is but conjecture, this author thinks the
founder understood the need for order, hierarchy, self esteem, and the human
need to fulfill goals. The black belt ranking system does all of these things
and more. It perpetuates the sport by meeting the needs of its participants.
However, maintaining excellence in the system and under changing social
conditions requires training, knowledge, judgment, integrity, and, dedication
Dr. Kano understood change. That is how he changed the idea of martial arts
from activities of destruction to one of sports and character building. That is
how he changed the use of Japanese street clothes to uniforms and the more
visible belt ranking system. Even within the belt rank system as his students
increased in numbers and in age he later added five more rank levels with
concomitant requirements in order to keep interest levels constant over a
lifetime of participation. For Dr. Kano judo was a work in progress and had he
lived on to this present day he would surely have devised a better measure of
competency than time in grade.
If he were alive today he would most likely look at elements or judo that would
increase membership, increase performance levels, increase an understanding and
acceptance of judo. As per increasing membership, attention should be given to
those who run judo dojos and those who could be trained to do so. Performance
wise clinics and certifications are important. Certifications are more
important than clinics since certifications usually require course work and
testing. Amongst the more successful of the certification programs are those of
kata and refereeing, both having very stringent examinations, but their success
records speak for them self. Refereeing has several levels that are tested for:
local, regional, national, continental, and international “B,” “A,” and now
rostered “A;” those qualified to do the World Championships and Olympic Games.
The National level referees are further divided into “N”(National) 3,2, and 1.
“N 1” being the highest. Any referee not meeting the higher “N 1” standard can
be dropped to “N 2” or even “N3” by the examiners, who are usually “A”
referees.
Along with these certifications other areas that currently do not exist but
that could aid in the development of judo might be as follows:
Instructor, Coach, Assistant coach, Assistant instructor, Tournament Director,
Public Relations, Sport Information Director, Writing judo, Grant writing, Dojo
Management, Match Making – Scoring – and Timing, Judo Games and Drills, Judo
Story Telling, Judo and the Media, Sports Psychology, Biomechanics, Exercise
Physiology, Running a Meeting, Running a Judo Camp, Judo Clinics, Master
Instructor.
While there are an array of other certifications that could aid in the
development of judo the important part is that there is standardization and
acceptance. That means there has to be written documentation and materials with
tests that have been agreed upon as to what is necessary for that particular
certification. As with refereeing there also has to be follow up and
maintenance of a level of performance or the individual is dropped lower on a
hierarchy scale. To run these types of certification programs requires persons
of integrity, energy, insight, and a feel for doing the right thing.
It would make more sense to elevate individuals possessing a number of these
certifications to a higher rank than an accumulation of a lot of time in grade
were the individual did nothing but wait for the years to pass. Just think,
wouldn’t an individual who had certifications as an instructor, judo drills,
biomechanics, exercise physiology, kata, refereeing, tournament directing,
etc., be more valuable and worthy of higher rank than having time in grade and
simple points. Wouldn’t such a certification system increase the knowledge base
and performance for U. S. Judo and at the same time professionalize judo, where
Qualified Presenters of Judo Certifications could receive remunerations for
services rendered.
As Porky Pig so often say at the end of a Looney Tunes Cartoon, “badabadat
That’s all folks”, I’ve presented a few of the problems of our ranking system
but I’ve also offered a solution. If we are not careful and change we may well
become the laughing stock of the world of judo.
This of course is only one avenue of deciding the rank of an individual rather
than leave the reader with only the problem to think of a solution was also
offered.
END
