Karate Rank Before Color Belts?

[opr1945105]

If color belt signifying rank came to Karate in the 1920s from Judo, was there ranking before or not? If so was therfe an outward sign of it?

 

[Same Trick52]

It looks as no grading was used in karate before the belt system. As an Okinawan martial art karate didn’t use the Menkyo(license) grading of the traditional Japanese martial arts.

However with the Shimazu clan of satsuma in early 1600’s japanese martial arts was introduced on Okinawa and eventually some of the legendary karate masters gained mekyo ranks in those arts specifically Japanese sword art.

Further interesting, with judos introduction of Dan grades that karate adopted so did also the traditional Japanese sword school of satsuma, the one that some of the old karate master of Okinawa had gotten menkyo grades in.

 

[PhotonGuy7]

If color belt signifying rank came to Karate in the 1920s from Judo, was there ranking before or not? If so was therfe an outward sign of it?

In Judo, the ranking system based on the color of the belt you wore started in the 1880s and at first just consisted of white and black with the more advanced students wearing black belts, there were no other colors. I believe it was in Karate the same way, with just white and black with all the different colors not coming until later on. Before that, Im not aware if Karate did have any ranking system other than that of instructor/student.

 

[punisher733]

Okinawan karate did not have a "grading system". Japanese karate borrowed the grading system from Judo, which borrowed it from the game "go".
Kano incorporated the Dan/Kyu idea from that and "dan rank" wore the blackbelt and "kyu rank" wore the white belt.

The addition of the "colors" started in Paris by a Japanese Karate instructor for western students and it spread from there.

 

[opr1945105]

Interesting. I read somewhere that color belts was adopted by Karate in the 1920's in mainland japan. when it went into schools? Paris? France, I presume?

 

[Same Trick52]

Okinawan karate did not have a "grading system". Japanese karate borrowed the grading system from Judo, which borrowed it from the game "go".
Kano incorporated the Dan/Kyu idea from that and "dan rank" wore the blackbelt and "kyu rank" wore the white belt.

The addition of the "colors" started in Paris by a Japanese Karate instructor for western students and it spread from there.

So Judo adopted the color belts from karate ?

 

[punisher733]

So Judo adopted the color belts from karate ?

The additional colors, "yes". Karate took the kyu/dan and the white/black from Judo.

 

[frank raud55]

The addition of the "colors" started in Paris by a Japanese Karate instructor for western students and it spread from there.

While Minosuke Kawaishi, a judo/ jiu jitsu instructor,is frequently credited with developing the colored belts, recent research shows the belts being used at the Budokwai in London prior to Kawaishi in France.