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History of the Grading system
Dr Mike Callan President, International Association of Judo Researchers
Overview • Early dan systems & Menkyo kaiden
• Kodokan Shitenno
• Totsuka Yoshin ryu match
• Kodokan standards
• Women’s grades
• Budokwai promotions & Yudanshakai
• British Judo Association
• Obligations
• Grades today
Go 囲碁
Go 囲碁
• Ancient Chinese board game
• 4th century BC
• Had a 9 stage ranking system
• Spread to Japan by 1600
• Use of a dan system first appeared in the early Tokugawa period. • 30 kyu grades
• 1 – 7 amateur dan grades
• 1 – 9 professional dan grades
Other Bugei
• Most martial arts use a Menkyo system
• Often split into separate schools (ryū)
• Inka – permission
• Menkyo – licence
• Menkyo kaiden – license of total transmission
• They have learnt everything
• Successor to the school leader
• Received the scrolls of the school secrets (densho)
• Densho of the Kito-ryu ju-jitsu
• Tsukuba University
• December 2013
Jigoro Kano
Judo dan system • Dan system introduced from 1883
• Tomita & Saigo were graded to 1st dan
• Two of the Kōdōkan Shiten'nō" (講道館四天王) (Kōdōkan Four Emperors)
• Kano had chosen to use the term judo rather tha Kano-ryu ju-jitsu
• He chose to base his ranking system on the Go system rather than the menkyo system used in other ju-jitsu ryu.
Tsunejiro Tomita - First Shōdan • Kano’s first student. His name appears in the first
line of the enrolment book of the Kōdōkan.
• Started judo as the first live-in student of the Kodokan in 1882 (aged 17)
• Awarded 1st dan in 1883
• 5 years younger than Kano, and his main training partner
• His son wrote the novel Sanshiro Sugata based on Saigō Shirō
Saigō Shirō
• Joined Kodokan in 1882, the 2nd student
• With Tsunejiro Tomita became first judoka to be awarded Shōdan
• Harai-goshi developed because Saigo could slip around the uki-goshi of Kano.
• Left Kodokan in 1890. Book of Sanshiro Sugata is based on him. First movie by Kurosawa
Saigō Shirō
In the years 1885 and 1886, the first foreigners joined the Kami Niban-cho dojo to learn judo. Among them were two American brothers named Eastlake. The elder, weighing some 100 kilograms, was an English language teacher, and the younger, of much slighter build, was a trading house employee.
Though Shiro Saigo was far shorter and lighter than the elder Eastlake, Saigo was able to throw the hefty American with considerable ease. Because word quickly spread of his mastery over the big foreigners, Saigo became something of a celebrity.
Non-judo people in particular were most impressed at the spectacle of such a small man so easily throwing a much bigger opponent, so much so that Saigo's exploits induced many others to take up training in judo. Thus, thanks to the prowess of our superstar, the number of applicants for Kodokan membership suddenly surged.
Black Belts
• Black belts worn with white judogi from 1886.
• Most famously at the Keishicho match in 1886.
• The Kodokan was challenged by the Totsuya Yoshin ryu.
• Match took place at the Keishicho, Tokyo Police dojo.
Challenge by the Totsuka Yoshin ryu
• The final match, Saigo and a much larger and more experienced jujutsu master who later became head of Yoshin-ryu jujutsu.
• 2 different styles.
• Saigo lagged the overpowered and thrown up in the air, but he always came down on his feet in a controlled manner.
• Saigo's movements to that of an agile cat.
• At 10 minutes Saigo counterattacked, but couldn't end the match.
• At 15 minutes Saigo perfectly executed his trademark Yama Arashi, which ended the match with such force that his opponent retired with a concussion.
• This match firmly established Judo as superior to jujutsu, and Judo was subsequently adopted as the official training style for the Tokyo police academy.
Challenge by the Totsuka Yoshin ryu
• During the early founding period the Kodokan was challenged by many jujitsu school and individual jujitsu masters, these challenges would have demanded rules of some sort.
• Kano said that ‘the rules were decided by the circumstances at the time. If it was a real fight (shinken shobu) the outcome might be death’.
• Obviously one cannot go into a challenge without knowing whether rules apply or not.
• No doubt Kano imposed his randori rules on any jujitsu challengers, by force of his character and personal prestige.
• Possibly as the outsiders were challenging the Kodokan, the Kodokan had the right to decide the ‘rules’ in much the same way that someone challenged to a duel in medieval Europe had the right to chose his weapons.
First High grades
• Yamashita Yoshiaki • 19th member of Kodokan
• Achieved shodan in 3 months.
• First person to achieve 10th Dan.
• Yokoyama Sakujiro • Aged 22 when joined Kodokan
• Awarded 7th Dan aged 40, highest grade at that time.
• Considered the most formidable of all judo experts of his time
• Nickname of Demon Yokoyama
Current Kodokan Judan
• Ichiro Abe
• Yoshimi Ozawa
• Toshiro Daigo
Kyu 級 & Dan 段 • Kyu grades known as mudansha
• Dan grades known as yudansha
• System largely developed between 1883 - 1931
Kyu grades
• Hosshin-sha: New students, wore a light blue belt
• Mu-dansha: 5th Kyu & 4th Kyu wore a white belt
• Mu-dansha: 3rd, 2nd & 1st Kyu. Adults wore a brown belt, youths wore a purple belt.
Dan grades
• Yudansha: 1st dan and above
• Prior to 1932 all wore black belt.
• After 1932: 1st – 5th dan wore black
6th – 9th dan wore red & white
10th dan wore red
• Women my wear a red belt at 8th dan. (Matsumoto.1996)
Promotion possibilities in Kodokan
• Tsukinami shiai
• A monthly contest at the Kodokan, used as a promotion event.
• Kouhaku shiai
• Red & white contest held in June and October
• Students split into two groups (red & white), winner stays out
Kodokan standards • Basic points of promotion standards
1. Technical Level of Judo
2. Character as a Person
3. Understanding of Judo
4. Application to your Life
5. Achievements in Judo
6. “rank advancement should signify not only technical proficiency, but your level of advancement in issues of morality and character development, and contributions to society, community and the greater world around you.”
Kodokan Women’s section (Joshibu)
• 1926 women’s division was established in Kaiun-zaka dojo.
• 1932 Katsuko Kosaki was promoted to 1st dan in Osaka BTK.
• Jan 1933 Katsuko Kosaki became the first woman dan-holder in KDK.
• Jan 1934 Ayako Akutagawa and Yasuko Morioka were promoted to 1st dan, Masako Noritomi promoted to 2nd dan with first dan skipped.
• The dan-kyu system for the women was introduced.
Sarah Mayer
• 21 May 1935
• The Daily News, Perth, WA
• First British woman to achieve black belt in Japan
• Grading from 3 – 6 March
• Kime-no-kata
• Nage-no-kata
• Katame-no-kata
Gunji Koizumi • Judoka arriving in the UK since 1890s • Some ju-jitsu schools such as Golden Square in Piccadilly • Koizumi arrived in Prestatyn, May 1906 • Taught Ju-Jitsu briefly in Liverpool before moving to London in August
1906. • Taught Ju-Jitsu in London to save for final leg of trip to America. • This was the last time he taught professionally, after this he was strictly an
amateur • Returned to London 1910 • Late 1917 he took a lease on 15 Lower Grovesnor Place, behind
Buckingham Palace • The Budokwai opened on 26 January 1918.
Budokwai
• 1st dan grade G. Tanabe in 1920
• H. Shepherd in 1926
Jigoro Kano visit 1920
• In 1920 Jigoro Kano visited the Budokwai, on his way to the 1920 Olympic Games as Head of the Japanese Delegation
• Budokwai committed to judo
• Aida stayed as a teacher
9th Annual Budokwai Display
• 7 January 1926
• Attended by His Imperial Highness, Prince Chichibu
• Held at the Stadium Club, Holborn
• H.E. Baron Hayashi , Chairman of Budokwai pesented kyu grades of various colours to club members.
• First mention of coloured belts in the Budokwai archives.
Budokwai Committee Minutes June 1927
• 5th kyu – white belt • 4th kyu – yellow belt • 3rd kyu – green belt • 2nd kyu – blue belt • 1st kyu – brown belt • 1st dan – black belt
• Certificates • Kyu grade – 5 shillings • Dan grade – 7 shillings
Budokwai Promotion list 4 January 1930
• 3rd dans – E.J. Harrison, G. Koizumi
• 1st dans – 7 people including M. Kaye
• 1st kyus – 12 people including M. Otani
• 2nd kyus – 16 people
• 3rd kyus – 17 people
• 4th kyus – 12 people
• 5th kyus – 6 people
• 6th kyus – 7 people
Kano in London
• Saturday, July 21st 1934, Kano convened a meeting to form a Kodokan Yudanshakai (a black belt association) of Great Britain.
• Present were: Kano Jigoro, Nagaoka Shuichi, Koizumi Gunji, Tani Yukio, Otani Masutaro, Marcus Kaye, Harold and Norman Hyde, Harold Tricker, and Miss Woolhouse.
BDK to dan grade
• 1920 – 1954
• Marcus Kaye 1930
• Matsutaro Otani 1931
• Miss Eva Anderson 1932
• Trevor Leggett 1935
• Budokwai were still awarding dan grades to 1954.
• British Judo Association was founded 1948.
BDK membership cards
Sir Eduardo Paolozzi
• Scottish judoka
• Budokwai member
• Sculptor
• “Newton, after William Blake”
• Outside British Library
First Grading Syllabus
• Budokwai Grading cards made in 1948
• Koizumi insisted that all dan grades do Nage-no-kata
• Grading panel established, 6 persons incl. Koizumi & Leggett
Budokwai Committee Feb 1945
• Mr Koizumi suggested that in order to organise and regularise judo movements in this country, a national body should be formed, such as an association or federation of judo clubs.
• After some discussion the meeting nominated Messrs. Duff and Koizumi to serve as a sub-committee to study means and ways of forming such an organisation.
Committee Room A, Imperial College
• Saturday 24 July 1948
• 9 people present, 7 clubs represented
• A constitution was agreed, one vote per club
• An amateur body with an elected committee
• British Judo Association was created
• John Barnes, Chairman, Hylton Green, Secretary, Stanley Bissell, Treasurer
• Finances started with a loan of £5 from Koizumi
Obligations
• As you advance in judo and increase in rank
• Signifies a higher level of attainment of the overall goals of judo
• Signifies that your obligations to judo and to the community, have increased
• Judo instruction is only one way to repay obligations. Those with high judo rank should always find appropriate ways of contributing back to their communities and to society as a whole.
Shin-Gi-Tai (mind, skill, body) The three components of the grade are:
1. "Tai" (the body) that one could materialize in the assessment of the individual by the results in competition.
2. "Gi" (the survey, work) that is valued by the student's technical knowledge.
3. "Shin" (the mind), the most difficult to value, that materializes by the engagement towards the others and the judo, the radiance, the example.
In the beginning of a judoka's life, until 3rd dan the "Taï" aspect is very important, then the "Gi" aspect until 5th dan and finally the "Shin".
The three components must always be present, but it is their value that varies according to the progress in the grade. It is to note that the "Tai" value is compulsory to progress in the grades.
Indeed one cannot have an education system based on the practice without making compulsory the result in the practice.
• (IJF Dan ranks and grades)
Today
• British Judo Association
• Promotion within the Mon and Kyu grades is based on technical ability, knowledge and understanding, together with Japanese terminology and supplementary knowledge.
• There is no contest requirement but it is expected that the judoka follows a recommended randori and contest program…
Today
• International Judo Federation
• The student awarded the black belt has developed some degree of proficiency in the various techniques of judo. In particular, he or she will have developed one or several tokui waza, and will have demonstrated its effectiveness in competition against same rank opponents.
• More importantly, this student will have shown enough maturity, commitment, and fortitude to be a serious student of judo, having internalized some of the values and ethics of the educational system of judo.
Ready to begin – Hajime!
“While the general public often believes that wearing a black belt means that one is an expert, in reality the awarding of the 1st degree black belt in judo signifies instead that the student is now truly ready to begin learning judo.” (IJF 2015)
References • Hoare, S. (2009). A history of judo. Yamagi Books, London.
• Bowen, R. (2011). 100 years of judo in Great Britain, reclaiming of its true spirit. IndePenPress, Brighton.
• Bennett, A. (2009). Jigoro Kano and the Kodokan, An Innovative Response to Modernization, Kodokan Institute.
• Matsumoto, D. (1996). An Introduction to Kodokan-Judo History and Philosophy. Hon-No-Tomosha, Tokyo.
• Mizoguchi, N. (2011). The history of Dan system for female Judo. International Judo Research Symposium, Paris.
• Kano, J. (2005). Mind over muscle: Writings from the founder of judo. Kodansha International.
• Stevens, J. (2013). The way of judo, a portrait of Jigoro Kano and his students. Shambhala, London.
• Draeger, D. (1976). Ranking Systems in Modern Japanese Martial Arts: Modern vs. Classical. http://judoinfo.com/ranks.htm Accessed 27 May 2015.
Thank you
Questions?