Something's Rank - Black Belts in Aikido
What was Jigoro Kano thinking, anyway?
Yoshimitsu Yamada in Kauai Hawaii, 1966
The other day I was reading an interview with Yoshimitsu Yamada on the Aikido Sansuikai website. This passage happened to catch my attention:
Well, the ranking system in aikido is another headache. I personally disagree with this system. A teaching certificate is okay, a black belt is okay. But after that, no numbers, no shodan, no nidan, etc. People know who is good and who is bad. The dan ranking system creates a competitive mind, because people judge others – "oh, he is sixth dan, but he is not good, this guy is much better…"
Yamada has made similar statements before, I know, but it's always interesting when the person responsible for handing out rank to a large number of people in several countries states publicly that he is himself opposed to the ranking system.
Donn Draeger - martial arts coordinator on the set of the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967)
- the first non-Japanese to enter Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū
Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū (天真正伝香取神道流) is the oldest organized martial tradition in Japan, dating from 1447.
You may ask how Katori Shintō-ryū is relevant to Yoshimitsu Yamada's interview, and here it is - no ranks.
For over 400 years, there were no ranks or ranking systems, no black belts, in the traditional Japanese martial arts.
Somehow, these arts survived, and even prospered.
All that ended when Judo Founder Jigoro Kano adopted the Dan ranking system into Judo and promoted Shiro Saigo and Tsunejiro Tomita to Shodan in 1883. This ranking system would rise to great popularity in the pre-war era, eventually becoming adopted by virtually all of the modern (and many of the not-so-modern) Japanese martial arts.
Prior to that, for over 400 years, there were no ranks - no Black Belts in Japanese Budo.
Until the modern introduction of the ranking system in 1883 (and almost 60 years later than that for Aikido) people got by with a "Menkyo" certificate system that showed a persons qualification in the Ryu.
Morihei Ueshiba was a participant in such a system under Sokaku Takeda in Daito-ryu.
Sokaku Takeda's Eimeiroku
Sokaku Takeda kept an "Eimeiroku" (英名録), in which each student's study was recorded, along with a record of any licenses granted to that student.
For example, the page on the right above shows the awarding of the Kyoju Dairi (Assistant Instructor) license to Morihei Ueshiba in 1922. The page on the left is from 1931 and records that Sokaku Takeda taught Morihei Ueshiba the 84 Goshin’yo No Te techniques for 20 days at Ueshiba's home in Ushigome (now Wakamatsu-cho).
Goshin’yo no Te (護身用の手) was the highest level scroll awarded at the time that Morihei Ueshiba was training under Sokaku Takeda.
Most of Morihei Ueshiba's pre-war students (Minoru Mochizuki, Rinjiro Shirata, Kenji Tomiki, for example, among others) also received some version of these scrolls.
Then - the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (大日本武徳会) happened along.
The Dai Nippon Butoku Kai was organized under the authority of the Japanese Ministry of Education, and was tasked with standardizing and regulating the traditional Japanese martial arts.
The Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, for example, was responsible for the adoption of "Aikido" as the name for Morihei Ueshiba's art.
Along with the name change came the standard Kyu-Dan ranking system established by Jigoro Kano, already in use by many other martial arts in Japan.
Both the name change and the Kyu-Dan ranking system were implemented by Morihei Ueshiba at the behest of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai in the early 1940's.
1) This means that many of Aikido teachers instructing today are actually older than the so-called "traditional" ranking system as it is used in Aikido.
2) It also means that the "traditional" Kyu-Dan ranking system actually has no connection to traditional Japanese Budo - that it is a modern convention.
For his part, Ueshiba himself seems to have had a fairly cavalier attitude towards the modern ranking system.
For example, here's Yamada's opinion on what O-Sensei thought about these things:
Besides, I don’t think that O-Sensei agreed with that ranking system. To him the number doesn’t matter. Once when I was giving him a massage he said to me "Mr Yamada, what rank are you?" I answered: "I’m shodan," and he replied: "So today I’m giving you sandan." [laughs] Nobody believed that. I knew his personality and I didn’t take it seriously. I just answered "Thank you very much." That is what happened.
Yamada's not alone with this anecdote, I've heard the same or similar anecdotes from a number of people.
Yasuo Kobayashi (right) at the old Aikikai Hombu Dojo
Another post-war student from the 1950's, Yasuo Kobayashi, related some similar incidents that occured around 1958:
About this time there were the following incidents. People came from the countryside suddenly demanding an Aikido 10th dan license. This was because in the old days, when O-Sensei was teaching in the local areas, he would notice someone who, for just a moment, seemed to understand, and he’d say, "Oh, this guy’s got it. I’ll give him a 10th dan."" It seemed he would easily say things like, "You’re great! Let’s make you a 9th dan,"" to people who took him at his word, even though they may bave been only a 3rd or 4th dan. That was one face of O-Sensei. He’d just say something like, "You’re a 9th dan or 10th dan,"" When I was younger, O-Sensei told me, too, many times, that I was a 9th or 10th dan. The other uchideshi were also “promoted” to 9th or 10th dan many times.
Mitsugi Saotome, another contemporary of both Yamada and Kobayashi, related a similar story to me, in which he was spontaneously "promoted" to eighth dan by O-Sensei after having had a particular moment of insight (he didn't actually get promoted to eighth dan until much later, long after O-Sensei had passed away).
Shusaku Honinbo's (本因坊秀策) Shodan Certificate in Go, circa 1840
When Jigoro Kano instituted the Kyu-Dan system of ranks he adopted a system that had been in use in Japanese Go since the 1600's, when it was introduced by Dosaku Honinbo (本因坊道策).
Jigoro Kano was an educator by trade, and was actually director of primary education for the Ministry of Education (文部省) for several years. He was also deeply committed to the modernization of Japan's educational system, which was in the midst of a transition from the traditional system of Temple Education (Terakoya Kyoiku / 寺子屋教育) to the modern Gakusei (学制) system of education modeled on Western educational methods which was instituted starting in 1872.
Temple Education in the Edo Period
Interestingly, Morihei Ueshiba, in something of a hang-over from the Edo Period, was sent to be educated at a Shingon Buddhist temple at the age of 7.
So...why didn't Jigoro Kano keep the traditional Menkyo system?
1) Depending upon the particular Ryu, the Menkyo system consists of any where from two to eight or so certificates, with years (sometimes many years) between certifications.
This is well suited for adults, who have long attention spans and are committed for a training span measured in years, but not so much so for children.
2) Under the traditional Menkyo systems there is no system of visibly recognizing a person's achievements in the art - the "gold star" of the colored belt system that has been adopted into modern ranking.
Again, well suited for adults, who are (or should be) more interested in learning an art than advertising their prowess around their waist, but not so much for children.
Especially not so much for children in a modern educational system, which is built upon a structure of grades, ranks and gold stars.
And that was really the focus and goal of Jigoro Kano - to bring Judo into the modern educational system as a complimentary form of physical education.
Even the "black belt", introduced three years after the Kyu-Dan system itself, may possibly have been adopted by Kano from a school system in which advanced swimming students were divided from beginning students by black ribbons worn around their waists.
Moshe Feldenkrais demonstrates Judo with Mikonosuke Kawaishi in Paris, 1938
The system of colored junior belts (for example, white → yellow → green → blue → brown → black) wasn't invented in Japan at all - it was introduced in Europe in 1935 by Mikonosuke Kawaishi, who was instrumental in spreading Judo to there and then later brought back to Japan. The color scheme made it easier for the students to re-dye the same belts.
Again, it was a system that was introduced for...children, and it worked well...for children.
(Note: Demetrio Cereijo notes that the colored belts may actually have been introduced in the London Budokwai by Gunji Koizumi around 1927 and later popularized by Kawaishi)
For adults and as adults, I think that most of us have some experience with the negative aspects of the ranking system. Some of us have a lot of experience with those negative aspects.
The question then becomes - what do we, as adults, get from such a system, and is it worth the price we pay?
If you answers are similar to mine, then the question may become - why don't we just get rid of it, as Yamada himself suggested?
Of course, most organizations encourage the existence of a ranking system.
In organizational terms it makes sense - Aikido is no longer a single source art, it's available pretty much anywhere, and if you don't like one group then you can join another with relatively little trauma.
There's really only one point of control these days that an organization, dojo or instructor has over their students, and that is the dispensing of rank.
Controlling who gets rank and when is the one and only control mechanism over their students outside of the will of the students themselves.
Someday it may be people will wake up to the fact that this entire mechanism is imaginary - it only works when those in the system permit themselves to buy into the premises made by the system itself.
Also making sense in organizational terms are the financial aspects.
Most large organizations (and even many small ones) survive in some large part off of the testing and promotion fees proffered by their members, which can run into the thousands of dollars for some promotions.
When Jigoro Kano introduced the modern Kyu-Dan system he also opened the door to a potentially difficult to ignore income stream for both martial arts schools and martial arts organizations.
Which brings us right back to the first question - what do we get from such a system, and is it worth the price we pay?
Personally speaking - twice I've made the decision to step out of the ranking system, and twice I ended up getting drawn back in, so I don't really have any good answers.
Both times that I ended up getting drawn back in it was for the same reason - the sad fact of the matter is that most people in conventional Aikido treat you differently according to your rank. This despite the fact that most people also talk about how rank doesn't really matter.
Because I have some particular rank people may ask my opinion about Aikido - but the guy standing next to me with a third kyu just gets ignored.
Never mind that the third kyu can kick my butt all day long - what could anyone possibly learn from a white belt?
Christopher Li
Aikido Sangenkai
Aikido Hawaii
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eigthteen comments
Great article, very insightful. I think any martial artist really thinking about what they are practicing will come to the conclusion that the belt system is just smoke and mirrors, that it is necessary for the business and administration side, but not for the improvement of self or acquisition of technique and proper thinking about ‘budo’. If we extend this further, you can see that the ideas of individual martial arts themselves is also an illusion, albeit a necessary one. A karate and taekwondo kick are indistinguishable to someone who feels one, as are a judo and aikido throw to someone sailing through the air. They are just ways of organizing our thoughts. Aikido says we’ll teach you falling first, then movement and throws, and punches you’ll pick up later. Karate says start with the punch, move to throws, and you’ll pick up falling. I’ve watched high ranking aikido senseis doing tansoku undo and karate shihans doing old kata – very similar.
Absolutely right. I think that the only way to advancement is by introducing new techniques, of course, based on the Ryu you follow. This is equivalent to a thesis or better still, study of innovation, to your school. It should not automatically be followed by a Dan upgrade, but if efective, in time, should lead to it.
Excellent article. The old Shobukan dojo here in St.Louis had the no rank concept when Dave Lowry was teaching there. His opinion was that Kano’s system had screwd up the practice of true budo with the general public. I remember a dojo visitor asking him about ranking. He asked the person “What religion do you practice?’ The guy replied “I am a Christian”. To which Lowry asked “what rank Christian are you/” It was an interesting thought. After visiting other dojo’s the guy joined the Shobukan.
Even worse, how about cross-trainers who end up with Dan ranks in multiple religions? 
Thanks for the great anecdote!
Best,
Chris
I spoke with with Takashi Nonaka Sensei recently and he stated during O Sensei’s Hawaii visit he experienced a “jump” in rank also. After the demos in Hilo, O-Sensei stated to Koichi Tohei to promote Nonaka Sensei (Then a Nidan) to Sandan. O-Sensei apparently wanted to write his promotion immediately on any paper nearby and without a test.
without ranking…
good side = equal treatment, no ego / downside = cannot determine who’s next in rank
with ranking…
good side = systematic distinction of level (seniority or rank) / downside = ego boost. especially for those who just BUY their position up the ranks even if they are altogether undeserving.
however… i’d still choose “with ranking” school. with this, we don’t need to apply the principle of “burn them all, let God sort them out” just to determine the good students from the bad ones.
with respect.
one for aikido, rei!
Love the article, and forgive me if I step on any toes but the dojo I visited in Honolulu made a big deal about rank. Going so far as to tell me I cannot wear my hakama because I was not a shodan.
The simple fact of the matter is Rank in its various forms are necessary for a time, and the carrot on the end of the stick helps some to persevere when otherwise they would have quit.
Hi Justin,
Sadly, that’s not an uncommon experience around here – some of the local folks can be pretty stuffy.
I wonder if the carrot is really a good thing for adults?
Best,
Chris
Greetings Aikido Sangenkai,
Plenty of good points have been made on rank, skill is hard to measure objectively, ranking is a snapshot of a particular time, ranks are someone else’s opinion of you, ranks are frequently made for more reasons than technical skill, and ranks grant social perks.
I don’t quite follow your thesis that koryu had no ranks for over 400 years. Take for example, Shinto Muso Ryu, which has several levels of rank leading up to menkyo such as oku iri sho, sho mokuroku, etc. Japan is a strict hierarchical society and the need to stratify is baked into the cake.
As far as the need for rank, it may be a reflection of the organization of human society and the brain’s need to impose a sense of order on the chaos of existence.
The koryu “ranks” aren’t really ranks – they are certificate systems that certify coverage of a certain portion of a curriculum. More like a diploma than modern ranks, which were adopted from a handicapping system for a board game.
There are plenty of human activities that get along fine without ranks, despite the chaos of existence.
Best,
Chris
awesome article.
I shot a video ranting about this. http://youtu.be/bMS6c_w-ZgU
I also suggested to viewer to check out this web page for more info about the Menkyo system.
Thanks,
Mong
I think the world needs both for Aikido to flourish; dojos with systematic ranks, and those that are more traditional. Schools that go out of business for being too traditional in western society are a dime a dozen, and therefore fail to sustain the art. That is not to say they are ‘wrong’ by any stretch! It’s just that strictly in terms of business, sometimes it is not viable to run a ‘hardcore’ school. Many people quit martial arts as a whole because it gets too tough for them to make any progression, for a variety of reasons such as age, health, or commitment.
It is argued that schools which charge obnoxious fees for testing, focus too much on rank, etc. are ultimately damaging the art. I can’t comment on it because I see a lot of people making assessments about this who are doing so based on their ‘home’ school, or some sort of ideal rather than a physical space. What I can say is that for some schools, the testing fees are a way to keep monthly dues kept to a minimum which will fluctuate wildly between schools depending on the space being used. Obviously there are a variety of other factors that go into it, but that’s just one example. So things are not always as they appear.
Hakama wearing is a bit different as our dogi is thought or more as a ‘jacket and pants’ kind of outerwear, rather than as underwear. It also makes it slightly easier to see the footwork of the instructor. Rank may also be adopted as a means of safety. Sometimes with the ‘extended’ kyu system there is much more focus on fundamentals, drills, and ukemi. This also tends to help empower great students who start off timid or shy about beginning a martial art. Imagine if koshi nage was the first thing you saw, and had never trained before! Many people fear injuries or have not been physically active for much of their lives. It’s not so simple as to say, “Oh, that’s just your ego getting in the way. You can do this if you just put the time in!” To not have something in place to empower them, is to lose otherwise amazing students and instructors who may one day open their own schools and help spread this beautiful art!
I’m not saying that this way is better or worse, just offering one other viewpoint. I absolutely love training at more traditional schools, and I see a lot of value for Aikido as a whole for schools that take the time to hand-hold their more timid beginners. I think the ranking system is — and I say this slightly begrudgingly as I’m sure many of you do — a reflection of how global society has changed or is different from a more single-focused society, where Aikido originated.
Anyway, just a thought!
Re: “There’s really only one point of control these days that an organization, dojo or instructor has over their students, and that is the dispensing of rank. Controlling who gets rank and when is the one and only control mechanism over their students outside of the will of the students themselves….Most large organizations (and even many small ones) survive in some large part off of the testing and promotion fees proffered by their members, which can run into the thousands of dollars for some promotions.”
There is nothing that fundamentally keeps an organization from exerting political control, enforcing a pecking order, and making bread off of testing fees if they call their ranks okuiri/mokuroku/shomokuroku/gomokuroku/menkyo/menkyo kaiden rather than 10th-1st kyu and 1st-10th dan. It won’t be quite as effective, perhaps- fewer transitions to charge for- but it can still serve all the same problematic purposes.
That’s quite true – and problems arise in the certificate system too, of course. OTOH, my experience is that it’s slightly more resistant to abuse.
I brought up the certificate system mainly in response to the common assumption that ranks are a necessary evil, I’m not proposing a return to that system either.
As far as I’m concerned, we could get along fine without either system – but it might not be commercially feasible. OTOH, that might be a good thing, although we’d be looking at much smaller numbers of practitioners (which is not necessarily bad).
Best,
Chris
An excellent and thoughtful article. This reflects some of my own (mixed) views on the grading system. You also highlight some details on the history of gradings of which I was previously unaware. Many thanks!
Belts = graven images/the finger pointing at the moon/the map, not the terrain…
We wouldn’t have the 2nd Commandment if we didn’t worship graven images.