The word rank in this context refers to a system of hierarchies in martial arts based on various criteria such as physical fitness, mastery of curriculum, success in competition, length of time of study, and contributions to the system.
Traditions differ as to the reasons for awarding rank and the ways in which rank is bestowed. Although in contemporary martial arts rank is commonly associated with the belt systems of the Asian arts, the practice of ranking practitioners of martial arts is not uniquely Asian. In 1540, Henry VIII of England granted letters of patent that formally enfranchised the English Masters of Defence (who previously had plied their trade without benefit of licensing) and at least tacitly gave the royal stamp of approval to a four-tiered hierarchy based on the model of the medieval university: scholar, free scholar, provost, and master. The Masters of Defence then fixed requirements for testing for rank, length of time required for apprenticeship at each rank, and other criteria deemed necessary for formally establishing the hierarchy.
Until the twentieth century, many Asian martial arts recognized only two tiers of rank: master and student. Occasionally, the designation of senior student could be extended as well. This system continues in some arts. The traditional systems of China (e.g., taijiquan [tai chi ch'uan], baguazhang [pa kua ch'uan]) have not formalized ranking further than this. The many conservative bugei (Japanese; warrior arts)—those arts designated by the suffix jutsu (skills), such as kenjutsu—of Japan have maintained the traditional means of ranking members (generally unique to the individual system) of each ryuba (style) into the contemporary period.
Kano Jigoro, in establishing judo in the late nineteenth century, developed for students of his art a ranking system by means of the awarding of colored belts worn with practice uniforms. This tradition had a profound impact on the martial arts world, first via adoption of the system by the budo (martial ways) of Japan and then internationally, as both indige nous fighting systems and eclectic martial arts of other cultures followed suit. In Kano’s system and others based on it (e.g., karate, taekwondo), distinctions are made between lower levels (kyu [class] in Japanese systems—e.g., nikyu, meaning “second class”), who wear colored belts (e.g., brown) to signify rank, and upper levels (dan [grade]— e.g., shodan, meaning “first grade”), who wear black belts. In the kyus 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, sankyu (third class) is lower in rank than nikyu (second class), for example. The grades (signified by a black belt) denote rank through ascending order from shodan (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.
Taekwondo students wear colored belts to indicate their rank within the system, Darjeeling, India.
Most contemporary styles that have followed the Japanese lead in indicating rank by color do so by means of the method put forth by Kano, 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 cordao (cord), a rope made of braided cords. The cordao 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 Kano’s method, not only in Japanese budo, but also by non-Asian systems and contemporary eclectic systems such as capoeira, savate, American Freestyle karate, and Russian sambo. Many martial arts systems remain, however, that have not converted from traditional student-teacher organizational frameworks.
