probably asked before but... what are all the grades or ranks in kendo?

[LPfan483]

what are all the grades or ranks in kendo? i haven't even started yet but i want to and im just wondering.

[Neil Gendzwill]

See here (http://www.kendo-sask.com/swordfaq.htm#_Toc422549491) for a description.

[Hai_hai]

what are all the grades or ranks in kendo? i haven't even started yet but i want to and im just wondering.
6 kyu
5 kyu
4 kyu
3 kyu
2 kyu
1 kyu
1 dan
2 dan
3 dan
4 dan
5 dan
6 dan
7 dan
8 dan

8th dan can usually be completed within a couple of years, give or take a couple of decades.

[Sithlord]

8th dan can usually be completed within a couple of years, give or take a couple of decades.

Couple of years..more like 8 years from 7th to 8th dan.

[Andoru]

Isn't that suppose to be 10 years fron nanadan to hachidan?

[Wout]

6 kyu
5 kyu
4 kyu
3 kyu
2 kyu
1 kyu
1 dan
2 dan
3 dan
4 dan
5 dan
6 dan
7 dan
8 dan

8th dan can usually be completed within a couple of years, give or take a couple of decades.
yeah you're right some ppl are already hachidan before they even start practicing :)

[Yann]

What about the 9th and 10th dan ? Isn't it still reachable ?

[Halcyon]

What about the 9th and 10th dan ? Isn't it still reachable ?
hachi dan is the highest rank one can achieve THROUGH TESTING. the ranks above that are awarded by a committee. so there's a lot of politics involved, from what i've been told. there are a number of exceptional hachidan sensei who will apparently never get a shot at achieving those higher ranks because they're a little bit too outspoken.

[Neil Gendzwill]

hachi dan is the highest rank one can achieve THROUGH TESTING. the ranks above that are awarded by a committee. so there's a lot of politics involved, from what i've been told. there are a number of exceptional hachidan sensei who will apparently never get a shot at achieving those higher ranks because they're a little bit too outspoken.
This is wrong, 9 and 10 dan are simply not awarded anymore. 10 dan hasn't been awarded for decades, 9 dan was scuttled in the last several years.

[shinji-123]

how long does it take to get the lowest rank

[Masahiro]

In the US, most kendo dojo(if not all)will start a student at 6 kyu, some kumdo dojos however will start a beginner at 10th kyu. (so i guess in that sense kendo and kumdo do differ) Usually it can take an individual anywhere from 2 years to 5 years to reach ikkyu or shodan. Some have reached shodan in 3 years, it varies from person to person. Should you find that rank you hold brings you more personal gratification and satisfaction than personal growth, there are some dojos/dojangs that promote you relatively fast. All you have to do is ask the instructor how fast you will get promoted. And do the trial and error method until you find an instructor/sensei that will pass you at the speed that gaurantees you an ever so blissful satisfaction at your achievements

[JSchmidt]

how long does it take to get the lowest rank
Depends..some countries starts at 6kyu which can be achieved within a few months...other starts at 1st kyu, which takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years depending ability and commitment.
Personally, I believe that adults should test for 1st kyu as their first test.

Jakob

[Oyabun]

I just started a couple months ago. Here in Korea, it seems that children have to start at 10th kyu, while adults start at 6th kyu. There is a certain age cutoff, which is either 15 or 18, or somewhere around there. Also, I didn't have to do anything to get to 6th kyu; it seems that I started out with that, so my first promotion will be to 5th kyu, or so I've been told.

[Sithlord]

Isn't that suppose to be 10 years fron nanadan to hachidan?
Andoru...yeah which ever it is it's still many years. By the way have any Westerners achieved Hachidan....i doubt..but never be too sure??

[Andoru]

By the way have any Westerners achieved Hachidan....i doubt..but never be too sure??
By westerners you mean those living outside Japan, then I've read somewhere (on this forum I believe) that there have been one who've tried the hachidan test in Japan and failed. There are hachidans awarded in other countries though (like Taiwan for example) .

[Sithlord]

Yeah basically anyone other than Japanese. So a few taiwanese i see. So no Caucasians

[Soul Blade]

I have been training for a couple of weeks now.
In my dojo, they start you at 7th kyu.
We have introductory courses at my club, so Im not sure if I get to go to 6th kyu after my 6 weeks course or have to wait for a grading to happen..


hmmm, something I can ask my sensei..

[Masahiro]

So no Caucasians

Not to my knowledge. Maybe you could be the first! Good luck,