What grade is your Dojo leader / teacher? (Again)

[kendokamax]

Currently self-taught !

[sirius1906]

Currently self-taught !

awesome! where do i sign up?

[Abramo]

To be fair, you'd have to make separate threads for each area... I mean, I voted for 7-dan, but I also live in Japan, which I imagine would skew the statistics a little.

Well, how reliable is a forum poll anyway? The previous one was answered by an aikidoka with a "8-dan soke" as head of dojo. It means very little even if you disregard such things.

It also means nothing without further comments, like yours saying you're in Japan and voted as such. Numbers and results need explaining. If 100% of people voted "hachidan" we would look for an answer (maybe all voters are from the Keishicho). If we see 80% of people saying their sensei is below 3-dan, we need an answer for that too; nevertheless we would be in the position to say that, as far as the poll is concerned, the level of Kendo development is rather low.

Different facts would call for different explanations, of course. I was only aswering the claim that asking these questions is irrelevant. I think it's quite interesting,

[hl1978]

Same as me for kendo and is me for iaido.

[Fred27]

My daddy is better than all your daddies.

[cesarekim]

My sensei is up for hanshi. May get it this year...

[chidokan]

Unfortunately my sensei has been unable to improve upon his hachidan hanshi grade for many years, and I feel he is really letting the class down by not grading any more. Pure laziness is what I call it...

I am also getting sick of all the damned 7dans in my class trying to get hachidan..... It's doing my head in. Why can't they just be satisfied with having a menkyo kaiden???

One observation is that my students have 'jumped' a grade or so in my dojo, so what was a class of juniors is now a better 'mix'. If Debz hadnt gone off to foreign climes I would have a nicely balanced class (of grades that is, not mental stability)

[Soldier Blue]

I put hachidan because I'm registered with 3 dojos, 2 of which have big men at the captain's table (one of them has 4....and it's not a police dojo!), and the Big O should be one by now anyway.

I'd give Obama an 8th dan. He'd knock you out.

[Timeline]

I wish I had put an 8th Dan and above option on the first poll.

At first thought it would look like there are a few lucky people to have Nanadan and Hachidan Sensei, but then I suppose Kendoka have actively sought out these Dojo rather than been lucky enough to have one locally.

I think the nearest Nanadan Kendoka to me is about 100 miles away, nothing stopping me travelling though.

[chidokan]

for iai you should also add something like menkyo kaiden/kongen no maki as a top grade.

I am quite looking forward to my dojo hosting a couple 7th dans and all our senior instructors in september. Minimum 'qualification' for the class is godan, however I am allowing lower grades the chance to watch and learn.... after all, its not very often you can watch the seniors getting their backsides kicked when its nothing to do with you, is it!

[Timeline]

I wonder why the 6th Dan Sensei figures don't seem to follow the rest, maybe all the 6th Dan Kendoka have 7th and 8th Dan Sensei?

[Satsuma]

is nanadan the highest grade obtainable in iaido? my sensei is also nanadan in iaido

I think the grades in kendo and iaido are the same, for example the sensei my dojo follows is a hachidan hanshi...

also dojo leaders in my dojo are:

nidan in jodo
godan in iaido
and rokudan renshi in kendo (I don't do kendo tho )

btw if you are saying your dojo leader is a nandan or hachidan, does that mean you are all trained directly by them???
If so, then I'm jealous very jealous...