In Judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

, improvement and understanding of the art is denoted by a system of ranks split into kyū and dan grades. These are indicated with various systems of coloured belts, with the black belt indicating a practitioner who has attained a certain level of competence.

The Kōdōkan Kyū-Dan ranking system

Kanō's original kyū-dan grading system

Rank	Senior	Junior	Japanese name
Sixth kyu (beginner)	Light blue	Light blue
Fifth kyu Fourth kyu	White	White
Third kyu Second kyu First kyu	Brown	Purple
First dan Second dan Third dan Fourth dan Fifth dan	Black
Sixth dan Seventh dan Eighth dan	Red and White
Ninth dan Tenth dan	Red

are ranked according to skill and knowledge of the art. Their rank is indicated by the colour of belt that they wear. There are two broad categories of rank: those who have attained a level of competency at which they are considered worthy of a and who hold grades and those who are yet to attain that level and who hold grades. Those who hold dan grades are collectively termed (literally "person who has rank") and those with kyū grades are , literally "person with no rank".

This ranking system was introduced by Kanō Jigorō

Kano Jigoro

was the founder of judo. Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical innovations attributed to Kanō include the use of black and white belts, and the introduction of dan ranking to show the...

, the founder of judo, in 1883 and the first dan grades were awarded to his students Saigō Shirō and Tomita Tsunejirō. Since then it has been widely adopted by modern martial arts.

As initially designed, there were six student grades ranked in descending numerical order. Beginners were given the rank of and wore a light blue belt. Once they had passed an elementary level of instruction, they were promoted to , when they would adopt the white belt. This they wore through . The remaining three grades or with purple belts (for juniors).

1st kyū is the last kyu rank before promotion to first degree black belt (shodan

Shodan

, literally meaning "beginning degree," is the lowest black belt rank in Japanese martial arts and the game of Go. The 2nd dan is higher than Shodan, but the 1st dan is called Shodan traditionally and the 1st dan is not called "Ichidan"...

). There are ordinarily 10 dan ranks, which are ranked in ascending numerical order, though in principle there is no limit to the number of dan ranks.

Kōdōkan graded jū-dans

The tenth degree black belt (jūdan) and those above it have no formal requirements. The president of the Kōdōkan, currently Kanō Jigorō's grandson Kanō Yukimitsu, decides on individuals for promotion. Only fifteen individuals have been promoted to this rank by the Kodokan. On January 6, 2006, three individuals were promoted to 10th dan simultaneously: Toshiro Daigo, Ichiro Abe, and Yoshimi Osawa. This is the most ever at the same time, and the first in 22 years. No one has ever been promoted to a rank higher than 10th dan, but:

Kōdōkan graded

Name	Lived	Date of promotion	Name	Lived	Date of promotion
Yamashita Yoshiaki Yamashita Yoshiaki Yamashita Yoshitsugu , was the first person to have been awarded 10th degree red belt rank in Kodokan judo. He was also a pioneer of judo in the United States....	1865–1935	1935	Shoriki Matsutaro	1885–1969	1969
Isogai Hajime	1871–1947	1937	Nakano Shozo	1888–1977	1977
Nagaoka Hidekazu	1876–1952	1937	Kurihara Tamio	1896–1979	1979
Mifune Kyūzō	1883–1965	1945	Kotani Sumiyuki	1903–1991	1984
Iizuka Kunisaburo	1875–1958	1946	Daigo Toshiro	1926-	2006
Samura Kaichiro	1880–1964	1948	Abe Ichiro	1923-	2006
Tabata Shotaro	1884–1950	1948	Osawa Yoshimi	1927-	2006
Okano Kotaro	1885–1967	1967

Non-Kōdōkan graded jū-dans

In August, 2011 Keiko Fukuda was promoted to 10 dan becoming the first woman to reach the distinction. She also holds the distinction of being the highest Kōdōkan graded woman at kyū-dan.

Non-Kōdōkan graded

Name	Lived	Country	Date of promotion	Promoting organisation
Charles Palmer	1930–2001	United Kingdom	1996	IJF International Judo Federation The International Judo Federation was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe plus Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National Federations on all continents...
Anton Geesink Anton Geesink Antonius "Anton" Johannes Geesink was a Dutch 10th-dan judoka from Utrecht. He was a three-time World Judo Champion , Olympic Gold Medalist and won 21 European championships...	1934–2010	Netherlands	1997	IJF
George Kerr	1937-	United Kingdom	2010	IJF
Mikonosuke Kawaishi Mikonosuke Kawaishi was a master of Japanese Judo and Jujutsu, reaching for the life of the 7th Dan, who led the development of Judo in France and much of Europe. The application of belt colors associated with different degrees of learning resulted in a very effective teaching approach for the development of martial...	1899–1969	Japan/France		FFJDA (French Judo Federation)
Philip S. Porter Philip S. Porter Philip S. Porter was a martial artist in the United States.-Biography:Porter began his Martial Arts career as a boxer in 1943 at age 18. He was later a member of the West Point Boxing Team and, in 1950, Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the Western Area of the Air Training Command, USAF...	1925–2011	United States	2005	USMA
Henri Courtine Henri Courtine Henri Courtine is a French judoka. He received a bronze medal at the 1956 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, shared with Anton Geesink, after losing the semi final to winner Shokichi Natsui. He is three times individual European champion , and four times with the French team...	1930 -	France	2007	FFJDA
Jaap Nauwelaerts de Agé	1917-	Netherlands	2008	JBN
Keiko Fukuda Keiko Fukuda is the highest-ranked female judo practitioner in history, holding the rank of 9th dan from the Kodokan and the United States Judo Federation , and 10th dan from USA Judo, and is the last surviving student of Kanō Jigorō, founder of judo...	1913-	Japan/United States	2011	USAJ USA Judo USA Judo is a non-profit organization which represents from all areas of U.S. judo practitioners, including athletes, coaches, referees and others. The organization is managed by a staff of six at the USA Judo National Office which is located at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs,...

Variations in rank structure

Although dan ranks tend to be consistent between national organizations there is more variation in the kyū grades, with some countries having more kyū grades. Although initially kyū grade belt colours were uniformly white, today a variety of colours are used. The first black belts to denote a Dan rank

Dan rank

The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...

 in the 1880s. Initially the wide obi was used; as practitioners trained in kimono

Kimono

The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...

, only white and black obi were used. It was not until the early 1900s, after the introduction of the judogi

Judogi

Judogi is the formal Japanese name for the traditional uniform used for Judo practice and competition. It is actually derived from traditional articles of Japanese clothing. Jigoro Kano derived the original judogi from the kimono and other Japanese garments around the turn of the 20th century, and...

, that an expanded colored belt system of awarding rank was created.

Belt colors

See List of judoka

Judo belt colors in Brazil

White
Blue
Yellow
Orange
Green
Purple
Brown
Black
White and Red
Red

Judo belt colors in Europe, Canada, Australia, etc.

White
Yellow
Orange
Green
Blue
Brown
Black
White and Red
Red

In Japan, the use of belt colors is related to the age of the student. Some clubs will only have black and white, others will include a brown belt for advanced kyū grades and at the elementary school level it is common to see a green belt for intermediate levels.

For dan ranks, the first five are colored black, 6th, 7th, and 8th dan have alternating red and white panels (dandara), and for 9th, 10th and 11th dan the belts are solid red. The final Dan is the twelth dan, this is usually coloured white along with a judoka's first belt, however the highest dan reached in judo remains 10th dan. However, holders of grades above godan (5th dan) will often wear a plain black belt in regular training.

Some countries also use colored tips on belts, to indicate junior age groups. Historically, women's belts had a white stripe along the centre.

Examination requirements vary depending on country, age group and of course the grade being attempted. The examination itself may include competition and kata. The kyū ranks are normally awarded by local instructors (sensei

Sensei

' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...

), but dan ranks are usually awarded only after an exam supervised by independent judges from a national judo association. For a rank to be recognized, it must be registered with the national judo organization or the Kodokan

Kodokan

, or the Kodokan Institute, is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. Literally, kō means "to lecture" or "to spread information," dō means "the way," and kan is "a public building or hall," together translating roughly as "a place for the study or promotion of the way." The Kodokan was...

.

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian belt rankings are normally white, blue, yellow, orange, green, purple, brown and black (6th, 7th, and 8th dan may wear alternating red and white panels, and 9th and 10th dan holders may wear solid red belts). Additionally, a grey belt may be given to very young judoka (under 11 or 13 years old) just before the blue. Sometimes, competitors are organized into two categories depending on grading; the first is from white to green, and the second is purple through black.

Canada

In Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 belt rankings for Seniors are, in ascending order: white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and finally black. Belt rankings for Juniors use white-red, white, white-yellow, yellow, yellow-orange, orange, red- green, green-blue, blue, blue-brown, and brown.

United States

Judo kyū belt colors in the United States

Japanese kyū names	USJF Senior	USJF Junior	USJA Senior	USJA Junior	USJA Junior level names
Jūnikyū				White	Junior 12th Class
Jūichikyū		White		Yellow	Junior 11th Class
Jūkyū		White- yellow		Orange	Junior 10th Class
Kūkyū		Yellow		Orange	Junior 9th Class
Hachikyū		Yellow- orange		Green	Junior 8th Class
Nanakyū or USJA Senior "Beginner"		Orange	White	Green	Junior 7th Class
Rokkyū	White	Orange- green	Yellow	Blue	Junior 6th Class
Gokyū	Green	Green	Orange	Blue	Junior 5th Class
Yonkyū	Blue	Green- blue	Green	Purple	Junior 4th Class
Sankyū	Brown	Blue	Brown	Purple	Junior 3rd Class
Nikyū	Brown	Blue- purple	Brown	Brown	Junior 2nd Class
Ikkyū	Brown	Purple	Brown	Brown	Junior 1st Class

In the US

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 only senior players (adults, usually those age 16 and over) are allowed to earn dan levels, signified by wearing a black belt. The USJF and USJA recognize dan grades awarded by the other organization. Advanced kyū levels can be earned by both seniors and juniors (children under the age of about 16) and are signified by wearing belts of various colours other than black. The order of belt colours can vary from dojo to dojo, depending on the dojo's organizational affiliation.

Seniors

For senior players, both the United States Judo Federation

United States Judo Federation

The United States Judo Federation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting judo in the United States. Its national office is located in Ontario, Oregon. In 2007 it will sanction competitions and tournaments in at least nine different states....

 (USJF)
and ) the United States Judo Association

United States Judo Association

The United States Judo Association is an independent, national amateur sports organization, originally founded in 1954 The USJA is also a Charter Group "A"member of the United States Judo, Inc. which is the National Governing Body...

(USJA)
specify six kyū, as listed in the table. The USJA requires "Beginners" (not a kyū) to wear a white belt until they test for yellow belt. The USJA also recommends wearing a patch specifying the practitioner's level. This is true for both kyū and dan levels.

Juniors

The USJF Juniors ranking system specifies ranks to 11th kyū (jūichikyū). The USJA Juniors ranking system specifies twelve levels of kyū rank, beginning with "Junior 1st Degree" (equivalent to jūnikyū, or 12th kyū) and ending with "Junior 12th Degree" (equivalent to ikkyū). As with the senior practitioners, the USJA recommends that juniors wear a patch specifying their rank.
When a USJA Junior reaches the age of 17, their conversion to Senior rank is:

• Yellow belt converts to 6th kyu (rokyu)
• Orange belt converts to 5th kyu (gokyu)
• Green belt converts to 4th kyu (yonkyu)
• Blue belt or higher converts to 3rd kyu (sankyu)