How the Masters got their rank Part 3

In my first two articles, I provided information on how the founders and many first generation students received their rank. Rank in the martial arts stirs a lot of controversy with everyone having an opinion.

In the 1970s there was an attempt by FAJKO to regulate time in grade and minimum age requirements. These requirements were used as the base for other groups. They set age limits of 70 for 10th Dan and 60 for 9th Dan seemingly to limit the number of people to achieve these grades. What I find humorous is that the people who set the “Rules” all received their ranks at much earlier ages. 

The shogo titles are currently accepted as; Hanshi (範士）: (“gentleman, samurai, warrior, or scholar”) 8th dan for more than 2 years, older than 60; Kyoshi　(教士）: (“Master of Masters”) 6th dan and above for minimum 2 years, older than 50; Renshi （錬士）: (“Polished Expert”) 5th dan and above for minimum 1 year, older than 40.

In the USA there are people that take the FAJAKO rank guidelines or the guidelines set forth by Robert Trias and his USKA as the gospel and if you deviate from it you are shunned. You surely couldn’t have earned that rank, you must have bought it, is often the prevailing thought. The people believe this way will often cite tradition. The funny thing is that their tradition didn’t start until the 1970s and is adhered to more for foreigners than anything. 

Many of the founders or masters only had 12 to 15 years of training before they received these high grades. I would venture to say that there are foreign karate-ka who have trained 40, 50, or even 60 years in one art that have not come close to the Okinawans with less time in training or age. I am not advocating anything, I am just putting out information. 

Let us look at a few additional Okinawan or Japanese promotions: 

Gogen Yamaguchi was promoted to 10th Dan in 1951 at age 42. 

Phillip Koeppel was promoted to 7th Dan in 1964 at the age of 26 

Glenn Keeney was promoted to 9th Dan in 1997 at the age of 51 and then 10th Dan in 2010 at the age of 68

Roy Hobbs was promoted to 10th Dan in 2000 at the age of 50  

Brian Hobbson was promoted to 9th Dan in 2014 at the age of 44 

Luis Morales was promoted to 10th Dan in 2018 at the age of 64 

Anthony Willis was promoted to 9th Dan in 2018 at the age of 51 

In Okinawa and Japan, it seems that they do not necessarily follow the time or age requirements for themselves. There are several Okinawans, that achieve higher grades sooner than the age requirement allows. There are also Okinawans that will, promote foreign students to higher grades sooner than the age limit. Many of the Okinawan organizations seem to place 9th Dan around 50ish and 10th Dan around 60ish. Several organizations have even adopted a flat 3 year time in grade to move from one yudansha grade to the next. The International Uechi groups have established a time in grade that allows shodan at 16 years old and Judan at 64 years old. 

My question are this; Are these promotions any less valid having come from Okinawan teachers some before the established time in grade requirements, but several long after? What makes a person think that one grade is more valid than another?