1. The idea of a grading system
The core idea behind a grading system is that it is used as a measure for people’s ability and position of their progress. From a practical view it can be used to group people in seminars and competitions but aside from that it gives people goals, a sense of achievement and it can help to motivate them to push just a bit harder at times.
It is like a stairway in which if you have the ability to climb up you will get onto the next step and get to experience things that were meant to be experienced on that step.
Going through the way of budo while using these steps we distinguish different type of grades.
Most common are the “Kyu” grades and the “Dan” grades.
One would not be surprised to find that the word “Dan” could be translated as “Step” or “Phase”.
2. What does it mean to have a kyu or dan grade?
When someone successfully completes an exam for a certain grade, that specific grade has a meaning of accomplishment attached to it.
People will look at the grade a certain way and also to the person who has achieved to pass the grade.
It has been said that people at kyu level are considered initiates of the discipline and that the first dan grade (Shodan) is achieved when the practitioner is no longer a beginner and has learned the basics.
When looking for meaning of the grade we should look into the definition of the way of advancement in the martial arts.
In the budo charter by the Japanese budo association (Nippon Budokan) Self-development seems to be a key value.
Article 1 of the budo charter states:
“Through physical and mental training in the Japanese martial ways, budo exponents seek to build their character, enhance their sense of judgement, and become disciplined individuals capable of making contributions to society at large.”(1).
People grow in budo by practicing hard and in a sense mature in the ways of budo.
We can state that the way of the martial arts is a way of not only advancing in a technical level but also of becoming a better person by training in the virtues of budo
(Integrity, Respect, Heroic Courage, Honor, Compassion, Honesty and Sincerity, Duty and Loyalty).
When we combine this knowledge, we can come to the conclusion that the person having a first dan grade should not only have learned the basics of the technical side of the budo but has also learned the basics of the virtues of budo.
It is no surprise that people with a dan-grade are often seen as people who have accomplished something significant.
3. The issues
Issue 1: Cultural upbringing
Outside Japan most people have an upbringing which is very different than those who were raised in Japan.
This means that certain elements which are considered normal for the average Japanese person are not automatically part of the knowledge and behavior of someone who was not raised in Japan.
I believe that some parts of the basics of Japanese martial arts come from Japanese culture and therefor would be initially lacking in the average non-Japanese martial-artist.
This would mean that outside Japan more time needs to be spent on basics to get the appropriate knowledge and habits.
Issue 2: Grades as a status symbol
Not all budo are the same and the application of the ranking system seems to vary a lot.
And as a budo organization you encounter many different kinds of people.
They go up the stairway of progress as the organization facilitates to its members.
But now and then there are people among them that tend to just focus on getting the grade and are seeing the grade itself as a status symbol.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon that with this the focus on the actual way/path to the grade is lost.
Some people collect dan grades as a hobby and only use it as a way to make them feel better about themselves. Their goal is to collect the grades as fast as possible and make the exams their only goal.
This in contrast to a path of long time continuous hard training with dedication to the art in which the path itself is key and the continuity of the art is respected.
Issue 3: The connection between grades and politics
The importance of having people go through a path of strict kyu grades is amplified in organizations which are relatively new or not well established yet. Grades are often associated with political power. In young organizations the top of the grades is easily reached and this can lead to a long term of political leadership.
Having the right people lead is crucial for the quality of the budo.
4. Responsibility
When reaching the first dan, the dan holder should act as an example to those that follow him.
If the dan holder has not followed the path, how can he be expected to guide or even grade others on it?
It is the responsibility of the organizations that facilitate the training in the martial arts and provide the practitioner with the exams to make sure people grade towards the dan grades in such a way that they have earned it and are worth the step to the first dan grade.
This is where the kyu grades come in.
To make the relation between the grade and the path clearly visible, it helps to build a system in which a grade means what is expected from it.
5. What are the long-term benefits for the organization?
Since grades often coincide with political power (as mentioned above).
It is important for the long term that the people in charge are the people that have the experience and knowledge to be able to lead by example.
They must be the people with the drive to keep improving their organization and themselves.
Ideally for these people the budo is a passion and wish to strive to have their students walk the path of budo the best way possible.
For best understanding this, they must have experienced themselves the hardships they will expect from their students.
People come and people go. The bulk of people who come and train in our dojo’s do not stay for a really long time.
By making sure that the path to the higher levels is that of some meaning and people get to those levels are indeed the people that have worked for it and deserved to get there and are there for the long run.
This will work as form of a filter on who will become tomorrow’s leaders.
6. What benefit is there for the examiners?
An exam is usually something that takes a small amount of time compared to the time to get to the point of being able to do the exam.
This gives the examiner very little time to evaluate if someone indeed has fully learned all the basics for the first dan exam.
During the exam there are certain things that are highlighted because simply not everything can be looked at with the same extend.
When the examiner knows that the candidate has passed all kyu exams prior to the dan exam he/she can be assured that all necessary points have been covered throughout the exams that the candidate has passed before.
7. Personal benefits
In the old days people learned the martial arts that are now budo as a way to make a living, because it was expected or simply to survive. These things are no longer the reason why most people join in these martial arts.
It is no longer a “jitsu” but now is a “do”. The personal growth or development has become the actual main goal. The goal is growth through long-term experience.
The metaphor of the path going up the mountain comes to mind.
The path of budo is a path formed by all those that started walking up the mountain before you. This path was made by blood, sweat, tears, etiquette and respect.
By walking the same path, following the etiquette and having the respect for all that your budo stands for you will get the most out of the experience.
There will always be people who think that taking the fast-track cableway up the mountain on the other side will get them to the same level on the mountain.
For sure they will get the same grade and they might even get pretty much the same technique to a certain level.
But they will never get the same experience of having really worked for it and having had the same growth as a person with the values of budo.
Also, it less likely they will get far on the higher grades having missed the essential attention for the basics.
People will not always understand the personal benefits in the beginning.
But in the end, they will be thankful for having done it the right way.
8. Starting with lower Kyu grades
In Japan there is a grading system in which the grades are quite clear. With sensei and examiners having grades up to Hanshi they have a system with a very qualified top and a very clear path towards it. The dan grades which are considered high outside Japan are often considered as “junior” grades in Japan.
When a country or federation only has teachers with grades up to Yondan and when the bulk of people in the federation are “beginners” (in the sense that most of them have practiced less than 5 years in Naginata) you need a system to determine a hierarchy and a recognizable advancement path which starts much lower in the grading sequence.
This prevents the federation of becoming top-heavy and will create a long-term system in which the top people will not lose touch with the meaning of the lowest ranks. This because the steps would be visible throughout the organization.
In the Netherlands, we start the Naginata grades at 6th kyu in which we include a theoretical exam with the main theme being the dojo etiquette and the safety rules of the dojo.
By providing grading opportunity every 6 months and being strict in what is expected of the grade, a group of people comes into existence in which a clear line of advancement can be recognized.
During the exams people can be compared to each other since the way up is visible in their ability.
The people doing their exam for the 6th kyu grade can look up the stairway and see the others on the higher steps and what will be expected of them on their way to the first dan.
9. Negatives
Of course, all ways have multiple sides to them.
Even a strict kyu grade system with good quality control has a downside to it.
In the west the individual sense of achievement and recognition is much greater than that in Japan. Many people need to feel they are going somewhere and need to be told that they are making progress on regular bases. Often, they search unconsciously look for a way to get a feeling of importance.
Some negatives:
- Being very strict and having people fail their grades when they do not make the cut will make certain people stop practicing.
- Within those that do not stop it could potentially create discontent if the advancement steps are not made very clear.
- It could even lead to people leaving the path of budo and creating their own way to get what they want out of it.
This all could be damaging to the federation of the budo. It wants to exist thus it needs people to actually practice the budo.
The negatives of not having a strict grading system could also have led to long term damage to the integrity of the federation which then also threatens its existence.
10. Conclusion
Often organizations believe that they need to use exams as a tool to please their members and keep them happy with a sense of accomplishment. Maybe this contributes to the number of people being larger. But certainly, this mindset will devaluate the budo side of the martial art. It will lead to the martial art being more sport like and loss of the true essence.
Having strict exams before Shodan may not always be popular and failing an exam can lead to certain negative emotions. But it will certainly contribute to building character, an enhanced sense of achievement and a Shodan grade that may be worthy of the black belt image, allowing the person that passed the exam to truly be an example to those following in his or her path.
Even if an organization with relatively low-level leadership would switch to strict unskippable kyu exams every 6 months, starting at 6th kyu or lower, in a few years it would create steps visible in level which would then in its turn create a new raised quality of the exams and the grades past. This would then secure that the next generation will do better which potentially raises the level even more.
If we want our martial art to withstand the test of time and maintain being a budo action is needed. We need to be serious about the lower grades so that the higher grades of the future will have the quality needed to keep our martial arts alive.
Sources:http://www.nipponbudokan.or.jp/shinkoujigyou/budochater.html