Shidoin
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
title
, often used in budō
. The word means instructor and is usually used to designate an official intermediate level instructor within an organization. A senior instructor would have the title Shihan
.
Various budō arts and organizations have different requirements for the usage of the title, but in general it corresponds to 4th or 5th Dan. Some organizations also have the more junior title Fuku Shidoin which corresponds to assistant instructor. These titles are often separate from the dan rank
ings and are much more specific than the more general sensei
.
The titles Fuku Shidoin, Shidoin and Shihan roughly correspond to the titles Renshi, Kyoshi and Hanshi, respectively, used by other martial arts organizations.
The Aikikai
adopted this instructor designation system in the 1970s, around the time of the creation of the International Aikido Federation.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
title
Japanese titles
The Japanese language uses a broad array of honorific suffixes for addressing or referring to people, for example -san, as in Daniel-san. These honorifics are gender-neutral , though some are more used for men or women and can be attached to first names as well as...
, often used in budō
Budo
is a Japanese term describing martial arts. In English, it is used almost exclusively in reference to Japanese martial arts.-Etymology:Budō is a compound of the root bu , meaning war or martial; and dō , meaning path or way. Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit mārga...
. The word means instructor and is usually used to designate an official intermediate level instructor within an organization. A senior instructor would have the title Shihan
Shihan
- Title of "Master" is a Japanese Honorific Title, Expert License Certification used in Japanese martial arts for Master Level Instructors. The award of the Expert License Certification is if designated by the qualification by virtue of endorsement by the [A] Association of Chief Instructors or [B]...
.
Various budō arts and organizations have different requirements for the usage of the title, but in general it corresponds to 4th or 5th Dan. Some organizations also have the more junior title Fuku Shidoin which corresponds to assistant instructor. These titles are often separate from the 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...
ings and are much more specific than the more general 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...
.
The titles Fuku Shidoin, Shidoin and Shihan roughly correspond to the titles Renshi, Kyoshi and Hanshi, respectively, used by other martial arts organizations.
The Aikikai
Aikikai
The Aikikai is the original school of Aikido. It is centered on the Aikikai Foundation in Japan, and its figurehead is the Doshu . It is represented globally through the International Aikido Federation....
adopted this instructor designation system in the 1970s, around the time of the creation of the International Aikido Federation.