Karate Rank Before Color Belts?
- Thread starter opr1945
- Start date
Same Trick
2nd Black Belt
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.
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.
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.
