ranking..

[bullet08]

so far from what i have seen.. rank doesn't really matter all that much in kendo. what counts is the skill level. then.. what keeps people testing?

pete

[kendokamax]

it's like what matters is having a job not a diploma.....? but still good to have a diploma

[neko kenshi]

Plus for being in the right categories at Taikais.

[Banza Joe]

I would have thought the answer was obvious. Its a test of ones kendo. Nothing to do with if you can hit someone else more than they hit you in shiai, surely.
Higher grading involves more kata. How do you test yourself on this unless at a grading? Sure, you practice kendo kata in class, but your sensei cannot correct you 100% and everyone else in your dojo all the time, so you test yourself in front of a high ranking very experienced panel who are soley looking at your kata, your spirit, zanshin, posture etc.
I'm still new to kendo, and have fenced with quite a few talented shinai kendokas. But when it comes to kata they have been disappointing to train with.
eg. i was at a seminar and trained kata with someone who'd been doing kendo 12 years, he only knew up to sanbonnme (??) after 12 years!? his shinai kendo may be great (i didn't actually see it), but the core essence of his kendo imho was sadly lacking. Having studied aikido and iaido i know more about the sword than i do the shinai, and i put a lot of importance on kata, when others just want to fence (don't get me wrong, i love shinai kendo equally). This makes for an unbalanced kendoka (again imho), therefore i believe grading is very important to test the balance of ones kendo on an overal scale.
And, as already mentioned, you need a certain grade to teach, or be categorised etc etc in taikai.
I believe gradings are very important to the art, but am not rushing into any soon myself.

[joekc6nlx]

I'd like to add to Banza Joe's reply that, imho, kata involves using the proper form, breath control, footwork, etc., that you just don't get from shinai kendo. I have read where many kendoists in Japan would never fight, but were very proficient with kata, and could tell what an opponent was going to do, sometimes before the opponent knew what they were going to do. I'm not saying that doing strictly kata will make you the perfect kendoist, but if you do not study and practice kata, you never quite get as close as you could.

When going up for promotion, if you haven't practiced kata between the time you've made nidan and are going up for sandan, it will show. Same for going even higher.

Do them right, do them often, and learn each time you do them.

[Banza Joe]

I'd like to add to Banza Joe's reply that, imho, kata involves using the proper form, breath control, footwork, etc., that you just don't get from shinai kendo. I have read where many kendoists in Japan would never fight, but were very proficient with kata, and could tell what an opponent was going to do, sometimes before the opponent knew what they were going to do. I'm not saying that doing strictly kata will make you the perfect kendoist, but if you do not study and practice kata, you never quite get as close as you could.

When going up for promotion, if you haven't practiced kata between the time you've made nidan and are going up for sandan, it will show. Same for going even higher.

Do them right, do them often, and learn each time you do them.

Nicely put m8

[LarsCW]

When I still practised karate I loved doing kata. Just move into that world of the kata, controll your breathing, your imiginairy opponents and strive for perfection.