Question about Dan ranks

avatarrules123 · White Belt

In an effort to not be disrespectful to any teacher/Sensei I encounter while learning karate, I'm wondering if 2nd Dan, 3rd Dan, etc. ranks are shown on the belt/Gi of the one who has attained such status. I know there is a certificate to go along with the rank, but many people I know who do karate are very private about the fact they do karate at all. Is the same true with Dan ranks? Is their status/rank likewise private and usually kept hidden? Because I don't want to be at a dojo one day, see a blackbelt who I am unaware is 5th Dan, and poasibly be disrespectful by calling them "Senpai" or something.

Thank you for your help!

sensei8 · KF Sensei

All ranks, and not just for Dan ranks, are subjective only to that style and/or dojo and/or CI [Chief Instructor] and/or Governing Body; Ranks are pretty much valid within those parameters, one way or another, and not valid anywhere else.

MAD Mike · Yellow Belt

I am careful about eye contact.
There are many BJJ Masters whom I have battled, and generally they don't bow- they just look away.
Sometimes they will look upward if they perceive one to be of a higher Art.

Just saying- be careful...
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sensei8 · KF Sensei

avatarrules123 · White Belt

sensei8 · KF Sensei

Fat Cobra · Green Belt

Wow! A lot of these responses are surprising to me.

In Ryukyu Kempo, we do not wear stripes on our black belt to indicate Dan rank. In fact, we usually don't wear a traditional black belt per say. All Yudansha wear a modified version of black hakama pants, so their is a belt built into the pants to tie it. We wear a black Gi jacket (or just a t-shirt). If we are in a formal ceremony, we will wear our white Gi jacket, which has your rank sewn in on the left chest side of the jacket.

That being said, it is expected that you learn the ranks and titles of the Yudansha and address them as such. However, you can look them in the eye and talk to them as normal human beings. We are not super formal that way.
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Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

In Okinawan styles it is usually very simple in that everyone shodan and above will wear the exact same plain black belt. The belt may or may not have embroidery on either end with the style/dojo name and the wearer’s name.

Unless the dojo has the traditional wooden name and grade tags, there would e no way for a new person to know except asking. In that case it should be done at the appropriate time and not in the middle of training. Either before starting or at the end is the best time for such questions. In some styles and dojo, the assistant instructor/s and those who have a godan and above might wear belts with different combinations of black, white and red. A solid red belt means a ninth or tenth dan, someone who is the most senior in the karate system they teach and the headmaster of a particular lineage as it was awarded by the founder. Usually this person will be over 60 years old with several decades of training behind them.

They maybe called Hanshi as their teaching title, but in common conversation they will be called sensei....by everyone. One simply cannot make a mistake if all due respect and courtesy is applied to anyone who has been there longer.

Be kind, and respect everyone and appreciate whatever help or attention to be had. Everyone had to start somewhere and at the bottom. Sensei is the instructor leading at the front and centre by example everybody else is your peer or your senior. All of them will help you get where you must go if you allow them your time and pay them back by doing your best to take in what they give.

aurik · KF Sempai

As others have said, this is highly dependent upon the style, the organization, and the school. I've belonged to three different Okinawan/Japanese schools so far, and they've each had three different conventions for addressing black belt ranks:

In my first school, 1st-4th degree black belts wore plain black belts, 5th-8th degrees wore red/white belts, and 9th/10th degrees wore red belts. (We had one 10th degree visit for a seminar once). We referred to the 1st-4th degrees by "sensei <first name>", the 5th-8th degrees by "shihan <last name>", and the 10th degree was our head of style, who we called "soke".

In my second school, all black belt ranks wore a plain black belt except for formal occasions (test boards, seminars, etc), when the masters would wear red/white or red belts based upon rank. We referred to our CI as simply "Sensei", and all other black belts were "Mister <last name>".

In my current school (uechi ryu), 1st-5th degree black belts were a plain black belt, 6th degrees wear a belt with one gold stripe on each side, 7th/8th degrees wear two gold stripes, and 9th/10th degrees wear three stripes. Our CI is referred to as "Sensei", while we call the other black belts by their given names. To a certain degree things are informal, but we're always expect to show respect to everyone in the dojo, regardless of rank. Periodically we'll have high ranked (9th/10th degree) visitors, and we'll refer to them as "Master" so and so, or just "Sensei".

As a general rule, if you go into a school and act in a respectful manner everyone there, especially those senior to you and the black belts, then you shouldn't have any issues, and you'll pick up on their conventions soon enough.
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My Journey (So Far)
Shuri-Ryu 1996-1997 - Gokyu
Judo 1996-1997 - Yonkyu
Uechi-Ryu 2018-Present - Nidan
ABS Bladesmith 2021-Present - Apprentice

sensei8 · KF Sensei

aurik wrote:

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