AOKK Belt Ranks:

The reason karateka (karate students) originally wore belts in Okinawa was to hold up their pants according to the character Mr. Miyagi in the movie The Karate Kid. A student could spend decades training with a karate master before being allowed to teach the art independently. When the student had achieved a certain level of knowledge, he/she would receive a letter signed by the master thus they had the credentials to begin teaching or start training with another karate master.  We need to ask ourselves why such significance is placed on the belt rank. The student needs to ask him or herself would I still be involved in the martial arts if there were no belt ranking system.  The karateka needs to ask themselves did I earn this or was it just a reward? Did my Sensei use it to motivate me? Mostly the karateka must ask him/herself, am I here to grow in knowledge or am I here because black-belt is my goal. If it is a goal, as soon as they make black-belt their quest is complete and their training will cease. These karateka are the first to point out their rank at a party or any event that it can be used as a means to break the ice or raise their self-importance.

Your instructor should use the belt system as a means of quick recognition of the level of your knowledge. It should be used as motivation. It should enable any black belt in your system to know the level of the student’s competence at a glance. Jigoro Kano invented the belt ranking system for this purpose. He was teaching Judo to large numbers of students, and could not tell how knowledgeable the students were simply by looking at them, so he created a belt system to give him a visual reference of the student’s knowledge level at a glance. It was from these beginnings that belt rank, in the martial arts, became as integral to modern karate as the front kick.

Jigoro Kano created Judo by stripping all the lethal joint locks and strikes from the Ju-jitsu system. His goal was to develop a sport version of Ju-jitsu that could be practiced in schools worldwide. American servicemen, after the Second World War, were attracted to Judo because Kano had different color belts for the level of expertise gained through Judo training. Goal oriented Americans flocked to the Judo schools. Karate instructors were quick to see the marketing advantage Kano had unintentionally created so they adopted his system too.

Originally in Okinawa, the only way to tell which karate student had trained the longest in the system, without watching them perform, was to look at their obi (belt). Traditionally the obi was not washed, so over time it would become discolored by blood and grime. The darker the belt, the longer the student had been training. Legend has it that this was the reason for selecting the black belt to signify advanced students. Today this tradition continues, and the karate student still does not wash his/her belt.

The original Kano system had only four colors: white, green, brown, and black belts. Many karate schools adopted the same colors while some only used brown and black. Later to separate themselves from other schools or as means of goal setting and possibly as a new source of revenue karate schools began selecting various different colors for their rank. There are as many explanations for the colors selected for each system, as there are systems.

Because belt colors are so diverse, the Kyu and Dan system was created to better define the student’s level of training. A green belt in one system may have a greater significance than in another. The word Kyu literally means boy. The word Dan literally translated means man. A 7^th Kyu in all karate systems is considered a novice regardless of the belt color. Below is the AOKK Isshin-Ryu color belt and kyu values.

 Kyu System Mudansha

1. 9^th Kyu White Belt ………………………….……………………,[Kukyu]

2. 8^th Kyu White Belt Yellow White Tips…………………………..[Hachikyu]

3. 7^th Kyu Yellow Belt………………………………………………[Shichikyu]

4. 6^th Kyu Blue Belt…………………………………………………[Rokkyu]

5. 5^th Kyu Green Belt………………………………………………..[Gokyu]

6. 4^th Kyu Purple Belt……………………………………………….[Shikyu]

7. 3^rd Kyu Brown Belt 1 Black Stripe ………………………………[Sankyu]

8. 2^nd Kyu Brown Belt 2 Black Stripes ……………………………..[Nikyu]

9. 1^st Kyu Brown Belt 3 Black Stripes ………………………………[Ikkyu]

Black Belt Ranks Yudansha

1. 1^st Dan, 1^st Degree Black Belt……………………………………[Shodan]

2. 2^nd Dan, 2^nd Degree Black Belt………………………………….[Nidan]

3. 3^rd Dan, 3^rd Degree Black Belt……………………………………[Sandan]

4. 4^th Dan, 4^th Degress Black Belt…………………………………..[Yondan]

5. 5^th Dan, 5^th Degree Black Belt …………………………………..[Godan]

6. 6^th Dan, 6^th Degree Black Belt……………………………………[Rokudan]

7. 7^th Dan, 7^th Degree Black Belt …………………………………..[Sichidan]

8. 8^th Dan, 8^th Degree Black Belt……………………………………[Hachidan]

9. 9^th Dan, Master, 9^th Degree Black Belt…………………………..[Hanshi]

The Sempai grades are 1^st or 2^nd degree black belt. The title Sempai can also be given to brown belts training to become Shodan black belts.  A Sempai according to the Dictionary of Martial Arts is the master-of-arms within the dojo. His/her students are called Kohai. The Sempai is the backbone of the dojo, and is responsible for assisting the Sensei in the training of students. He/she can even fill in for the Sensei, and in many cases teach their own classes unsupervised.

Sensei grades are 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th. Sensei translated means teacher or born before. Sometimes this title is reserved for the chief or creator of a Ryu. Today depending upon the school it may be a title reserved for the head of a dojo. In the AOKK karate system it is a title that simply refers to anyone over the rank of Nidan. A Sensei has served his apprenticeship under his/her instructor and has obtained the rank of third degree black belt. The Sensei is considered capable of training students independently of his/her instructor. The 4^th Dan is eligible to receive the title Renshi. The 5^th Dan is eligible to receive the title of Renshi. The AOKK instructor reaching the 6^th Dan is eligible to receive the title of Kyoshi. The title Kyoshi can be awarded at the rank of 7^th degree too. Shihan grade is 8^th and up. Shihan means great expert. The title of Hanshi is awarded to 9^th. Hanshi wears a solid red belt. The title of O-Sensei is given to revered founders of certain martial arts systems. Shimabuku Sensei will always be referred to as O-Sensei. Many black belts wear only a black belt regardless of their rank. They feel wearing the red and white sets them too far apart from their students and can be pretentious. Remember the color of ones belt does not make you pretentious. Pretense is a choice made by the individual.