Rethinking grading and rank.

Blue sky thinking on how we manage martial arts promotions and validations.

Sometimes the most interesting conversations come out of poking a stick in the bear’s cage.

I have a martial arts friend, someone who goes back years and who is a noted contrarian. He has what I would call a ‘rogue intelligence’ and a very sharp mind; but he is like an uncontrolled explosion, the force of his logic blows in all directions, usually powered by his passion for his subject. Many times I have been caught in the blast zone, but I have learned to weather it. In fact, there have been times when I have deliberately provoked him; this was one such occasion.

It all started quite innocently. The subject of Dan grading, examination and ranks came up. (Which to both of us is a typical structural, hierarchical mechanism found in all karate organisations).

I am fairly sure he was just thinking about his own next potential Dan advancement.

Naively I found myself speculating out loud, “Maybe there’s another alternative”?

This caught his attention.

I then explained that before the whole ‘Dan’, ‘Kyu’ thing came into existence the original method of validation of martial arts rank and status came in a different form…

The Old School certification scheme.

Old school (Koryu) Japanese martial arts traditions over time developed forms of validation through certification scrolls. They realised that their developed and refined systems needed to be passed on and that legitimacy over time was important. The founders and inheritors of these hard-earned methods that had a defined identity (or style) needed to create a form of legitimacy, something more than just a rubber stamp or a nod.

This needed to be bureaucratised, and so they developed systems comprising levels of initiation, acknowledged by formal hand-written scrolls officially produced and presented master to student.

You could say that these ‘levels of initiation’ were proto-Dan grades, and in fact elements of them have remained within Gendai Budo today. For example; many modern unarmed Japanese schools have ranks beyond mere grade, e.g. Shidoin, Renshi, Hanshi etc. These are echoes of the past system.

Although the terminology in the Koryu vary from system to system, it would generally boil down to:

·       Shoden Menkyo (first level initiate certificate/scroll).

·       Chuden Menkyo (middle level initiate certificate/scroll).

·       Joden Menkyo (upper level, senior initiate).

·       Kaiden Menkyo (acknowledgement of full transmission of the system. If you want to call it ‘mastery’ then mastery it is).

There is sometimes a formal element before Shoden, but I won’t go into that here.

The process was often ritualised with the appropriate level of solemnity, a personal thing, presided over by the most senior Sensei. The fact that the scrolls of transmission were lovingly written by hand, accompanied by the official chop or signature made it something special. This wasn’t mass-produced credentialization, this was something deeper.

The scrolls were given a specific kind of authority; more often than not actually listing the individual techniques which the initiate was considered proficient in (imagine that on a modern Dan certificate), this wasn’t a technical description, just the names of the actual skills.

There was no ambiguity in this, proficiency was proficiency, the standards were set, the Sensei knew what he wanted and was close enough to the student to personally evaluate his skills. These Koryu were like families and that point alone is why the ranking system worked.

The Kaiden Menkyo, certificate of full transmission, became a target in itself. Which is where the cynical westerner might spot a flaw in the system, because by setting up an end goal there could be a risk of limiting or capping ambition and aspiration at the highest level. But maybe that is a moot point? Perhaps by being in the rarefied air of Joden or Kaiden Menkyo the clouds part and the vista of what is available to you expands your horizons to infinity? (See my piece on Shu Ha Ri in the premium section of Budo Journeyman).

A speculative comparison between old and new.

This has to be ‘speculative’ because nobody has ever done this before and I am flying by the seat of my pants on this one.

The old Koryu system.

Strengths.

·       Emphasis on the real learning and not learning for the test.

·       If the hierarchy is good, the objectives are clear.

·       The student has a better chance of understanding what proficiency means.

·       The important stuff happens in the Dojo and is inclined to be very hands-on. Example, in Koryu jujutsu the Sensei takes Uke for the student. This goes beyond merely watching the performance it is really feeling what is going on.

·       It reinforces solid relationships in the Dojo, both vertically and horizontally.

·       The formality of the acknowledgement is a personal thing, and the reverence helps to ground the process in its root and tradition. In short, the validation happens in the ritual, it makes it something special.

Weaknesses.

·       This system becomes problematic when the group (Kai) goes beyond a manageable size, and particularly when it goes international. The living examples of what can go wrong are out there for all to see, particularly in the modern martial arts groups.

·       The model is so far off the radar to outsiders; no ‘Dan’ ranks, no visible ‘black belts’. But then again, why should they care what the outsiders think (but that in itself might be an issue; it depends how you see the ultimate aims of the whole project?)

Modern Budo – Dan/Kyu ranking.

Strengths.

·       A manageable and very public examination system. Very rare for things to happen behind closed doors.

·       The stress of the test is a worthy trial of the candidate’s mettle. How they respond under pressure.

·       The validation of a panel of examiners who have to come to a consensus (pass/fail).

·       A prescribed list of techniques; easy to understand at a basic level.

·       Filtration often takes place before the examination itself, i.e. the student’s own Sensei often makes the decision that the student is ready to stand before the panel. So, in a way, you have passed the pre-test test.

·       The certification is often rubber-stamped by a higher or overarching authority (their paperwork, their logo is the very material of the certificate itself).

·       The structure as it is, offers clear rungs up a ladder, with minimal time restrictions set and, if the syllabus is well designed, building blocks that help students really get grips with what they are trying to learn.

·       The general public understands pretty much what it means and how it works (because you wear it round your waist, it’s very obvious, very visible).

Weaknesses.

·       Although it’s a ubiquitous entity, over time the meaning of ‘black belt’ has become degraded, by both the public understanding and the organisations themselves. The standards are so erratic between organisations (I reckon even the general public are aware of this).

·       I wonder sometimes if grades in karate are treated like scout badges, primarily box-ticking, or solely validation for the individual on reaching the next rung on the ladder? Which is fine, but what about ‘legacy’ issues? This is something that Koryu people are keenly aware of. My feeling is that karate people should be of the same mentality, i.e. to feel some form of responsibility for the perpetuation of the tradition and a humble acknowledgement of being part of something bigger than yourself. After all, generations sweated and toiled to be able to lay before the modern martial arts student something of value, a fact that is often ignored.

·       The modern grading or Dan grading has the potential at the higher level to miss so many subtleties and refined achievements. For examiners and candidates there is still a mentality that these examinations are to be looked at as being similar to taking driving tests, as a kind of cold algorithm; this lacks the personal touch and fails to take into consideration mitigating circumstances that affect strengths and weaknesses.

I don’t think my discussion with my friend got into that amount of detail, but he was clearly taken with the idea. There’s nothing wrong with thinking differently, but if you are going to throw over the current system, you’d better be clear about what you are going to replace it with. I don’t think he had got that far in his calculations.

In conclusion.

The two systems do not necessarily have the same sets of priorities. Modern Budo has been built upon an egalitarian philosophy, a ‘welcome all’ mentality. Koryu thinking is more hard-nosed and pragmatic.

In the cold light of day and practical logic the Koryu have to have the thinking that it is the system, the school that comes first, people come second. It’s a very ‘chicken and egg’ thing; without the people the system cannot survive; conversely, the integrity of the system has to be maintained at all costs; hence you have to have the right people in there, not just ‘come one, come all’.

Writer and traditional Koryu practitioner Dave Lowry wrote a very blunt, no-nonsense article called ‘So you want to join the Ryu (I don’t care about you)’. https://shutokukan.org/join-the-ryu/

When it’s put like that, it throws into stark relief the difference between Koryu people and those involved in modern Budo. In modern Budo you enrol like you are signing up for tennis coaching; in Koryu you sign your name in blood (literally in some cases).

My friend and I never did finish our conversation, it ended up as just ‘up in the air’ speculation. Maybe he’ll read this? But I somehow doubt it, he went on to do other things, last I heard it was salsa. Perhaps they have Menkyo Kaiden in Salsa?