Dan (rank)

Dan rank (段位, dan'i) is a Japanese, Korean and Chinese mark of level, used in several cultural activities of Chinese and Japanese origin. In gendai budō, holders of dan ranks often wear a black belt. (However, in certain martial arts such as iaidō, kendo, or jōdō, no external signifier of rank is worn.) Dan ranks are also given in arts such as the logical board games Renju and Go, the art of flower arrangement (ikebana), and tea ceremony.

The character 段 (Chin. pron.: duàn, Jap.: dan) means step or degree. The term is used in Chinese, Korean and Japanese martial arts such as wushu, taekwondo, karate, aikido, judo, jujutsu, and the Japanese sword arts. It is commonly applied to Japanese martial arts as a means of differentiating experience levels. It has been adopted by martial arts of many different origins as the de-facto method of organizing rank. There are other methods of assessing rank in Japanese martial systems, of particular note is the older, more obscure menkyo system.

History

Dan ranks are commonly recognized as first having been applied to martial arts by Kano Jigoro, the founder of judo. Kano started the modern rank system when he awarded shodan (the lowest dan rank) to two of his senior students (Shiro Saigo and Tsunejiro Tomita) in 1883. Even then, there was no external differentiation between yūdansha (black belt ranks) and mudansha (those who had not yet attained a grade). Kano began the custom of having his yūdansha wear black obi (belts) in 1886. These obi were not the belts karateka and jūdōka wear today — Kano had not invented the jūdōgi (judo uniform) yet, and his students were still practicing in kimono. They wore the wide obi still worn with formal kimono. In 1907, Kano introduced the modern jūdōgi and its modern obi, with white and black belt ranks.

Still it wasn't Dr. Kano who really invented the kyu/dan system. When Jigoro Kano developed judo he didn't have to look far to come up with the ranking system. He simply borrowed the system in use at the Japanese public schools where belts were used by different athletic departments, most notably for ranking swimmers. And in the 17th century Dosaku (1645–1702) a grand master of the board game Go introduced the kyu/dan system as a method of handicapping the game.

Modern usage in Japan

In modern times, a dan-ranked practitioner of a style is usually recognized as a martial artist who has surpassed the kyū, or basic, ranks. It is common in most styles that the dan ranked person is eligible to wear a black belt and can sometimes become a licensed instructor in their art. In many styles, however, achieving a dan rank means that while one is no longer considered a beginner, one is not yet necessarily an expert.

The total number of dan ranks is style-specific (1st through 5th and 1st through 10th are common in Japanese arts, 1st through 9th are common in Korean arts). The lower dan grades can normally be attained through a grading examination or sometimes through competition. The higher dan grades, however, require years of experience and contribution to the relevant martial art. This may be through instruction or research and publication. These grades can only be awarded by a higher-graded representative of the principal dojo or sometimes by a steering committee. There is no set achievement level that is universal. An important point to note about ranking systems is that they are specific to the school or style, thus the ranks achieved do not necessarily translate across martial arts styles. In fact, dan ranks do not necessarily indicate one wears a black-belt. Some styles do not use a black belt to indicate advanced rank, though this is by far the most common and recognizeable symbol by the general public.

The highest dan ranks are sometimes reserved for the founder or leaders of a style and other high ranking students can only be promoted by them. This has led to upper level ranks becoming extinct in some arts. For example, in judo there are only three living tenth-level dans in the world and only fifteen have been promoted to the rank since its inception. In other styles the dan ranks are not the highest level that might be attained, with instructor certification and judge/judgement authorization being understood as higher-level or more sophisticated.

List of common ranks in Japanese

Many martial art styles have between one and ten dan ranks. The most common way of writing them is, ascending order:

1. shodan (初段:しょだん): first degree black belt
2. nidan (二段:にだん): second degree black belt
3. sandan (三段:さんだん): third degree black belt
4. yodan (四段:よだん): fourth degree black belt
5. godan (五段:ごだん): fifth degree black belt
6. rokudan (六段:ろくだん): sixth degree black belt
7. nanadan (七段:ななだん): seventh degree black belt (also, shichidan)
8. hachidan (八段:はちだん): eighth degree black belt
9. kudan (九段:くだん): ninth degree black belt
10. jūdan (十段:じゅうだん): tenth degree black belt

In certain styles, shodan implies that all the basics of the style have been mastered. At sandan the student is deemed capable of teaching independently as a teacher or instructor, often called sensei. At Godan, the budōka may receive certification as a master level practitioner (shihan). Generally, the lower dan ranks are validated on the basis of knowledge and physical skill. The higher the dan rank, the more leadership ability, teaching experience, and service to the style play a role in promotion. For example, in British judo, to gain promotion from 1st to 5th Dan, judo players must demonstrate theoretical technique and competitive skill in graded competitions. Promotions from 6th to 10th Dan are awarded for services to the sport of judo.

Although the dan system is distinctly Japanese, it has been adopted by many other martial arts styles. The dan system and the well-known symbol of a black-belt have been absorbed into common usage to represent a person with above-average or highly-trained skills in a particular discipline.

Modern usage in China

Since 1998 the Chinese Wushu Association together with the National Sport Commission and the Chinese Wushu Research Institute has established a graduation system based on the following nine Duan levels:

• 1. to 3. Dan (blue eagle symbol), so-called basic duans for students with some years of experience.
• 4. to 6. Dan (silver tiger symbol), middle-level duans for wushu students who are able to teach and have approximately 10 years wushu experience. Starting from 5th Duan there has to be proof of a scientific work in Wushu Research, i.e. publications.
• 7. to 9. Dan (golden dragon symbol), is only awarded to very experienced masters with excellent reputation in Wushu. The person awarded such an Duan is allowed to officially call himself "Grand Master".

For international standardization the Chinese Wushu Association has decided to use the Japanese word Dan instead of the Chinese Duan.

This graduation system is not totally new in Chinese wushu. In older days there have been graduations as mentioned in the Chinese Wushu-Encyclopedia (Zhongguo Wushu baike quanshu) or later at the Emperor's court.

Modern usage in Korea

Korean martial arts lacked a grading system up until the Japanese occupation (1905–1945) during which a variety of Japanse martial arts were introduced in the Korean school system, most notably judo and kendo. After the occupation newly immersing martial arts like taekwondo and hapkido continued using the dan (단) and guep (급) ranks. The dan rank system is also used by baduk players. Nowadays also the Korea Taekkyon Association issues dan ranks to taekkyon practitioners.

Someone who has received a dan rank is called a yudanja (유단자).

In some Korean schools, most notably in WTF taekwondo, there is also a poom (품) system in place. Practitioners who have not reached the age of 15 yet, can not test for a dan rank. For them there is a system of four poom grades. After they reach the age of 15 their poom-grade is changed to the corresponding dan-grade, although some organisations require the practitioner to take an additional exam. In WTF taekwondo one can test for poom-grades until the age of 18. Usually the belt worn by poom holders is a bi-color red and black belt.

List of common ranks in Korean

When numbering the dan ranks, Sino-Korean numbers are used. Common names for the dan ranks are thus:

1. Il dan (일단): first degree black belt (also known as cho dan (초단 hanja: 初段))
2. Ee dan (이단): second degree black belt
3. Sam dan (삼단): third degree black belt
4. Sa dan (사단): fourth degree black belt
5. O dan (오단): fifth degree black belt
6. Yuk dan (육단): sixth degree black belt
7. Chil dan (칠단): seventh degree black belt
8. Pal dan (팔단): eight degree black belt
9. Gu dan (구단): ninth degree black belt

Usually the dan ranks do not go past ninth dan, although on some occasions in some organizations a tenth dan (십단) as been issued.

See also

• Kyū