Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

Taekwondo students
wear colored belts
to indicate their
rank within the
system, Darjeeling,
India. (Earl &
Nazima Kowali/
Corbis)
446 Rank
nous fighting systems and eclectic martial
arts of other cultures followed suit.
In Kanô’s system and others based on it
(e.g., karate, taekwondo), distinctions
are made between lower levels (kyû
[class] in Japanese systems—e.g., nikyû,
meaning “second class”), who wear colored
belts (e.g., green, brown) to signify
rank, and upper levels (dan [grade]—
e.g., shôdan, meaning “first grade”),
who wear black belts. In the kyûs there
is considerable variation in belt color
from system to system, as well as varying
interpretations of the symbolic
meanings of the various belt colors. In
the Japanese model and systems derived
from it, progress is denoted by descending
order through the classes (signified
by white or colored belts). Therefore,
sankyû (third class) is lower in rank
than nikyû (second class), for example.
The grades (signified by a black belt)
denote rank through ascending order
from shôdan (first grade) to nidan (second
grade) and so forth. It is common
to promote through the first ranks of the black belt level on the basis of
proficiency in the art; fifth grade is often regarded as the apex for promotion
on technical skills. Thereafter, however, promotions in grade are based
on contributions to the art. Commonly, the highest grades of an art are bestowed
on a teacher by students in recognition of self-mastery, creation or
development of the system, or similar unique contributions.
Most contemporary styles that have followed the Japanese lead in indicating
rank by color do so by means of the method put forth by Kanô,
by the color of a flat cloth belt worn looped around the waist on the outside
of the practitioner’s jacket. There are exceptions, however. In the Regional
system of Brazilian capoeira developed by Manoel dos Reis
Machado in the 1930s, rank is displayed by the cordão (cord), a rope made
of braided cords. The cordão is worn through the belt loops on the uniform.
In contemporary French savate, rank is indicated by a colored band
or patch worn on the gloves used for sparring.
The latter decades of the twentieth century saw the increasing adoption
of systems derived from Kanô’s method, not only in Japanese budô,