Grading standards
Examinations follow the Japan Karate Association Headquarters Kyu/Dan Grading Guideline, effective April 1, 2022: its kihon combinations, its kata at each grade and its kumite forms. The guideline is published to every student in Japanese and English before they test.
Kyu grades 級
Students begin at 9th Kyu. The first examination, for 8th Kyu, requires a minimum of 8 weeks of training. Every later grade has its own minimum time in the previous grade. Minimums are floors, not promises: technique decides, not the calendar.
| Grade | Belt | Minimum time in previous grade | Kata |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th Kyu | starting grade | — | |
| 8th Kyu | 8 weeks | Heian Shodan | |
| 7th Kyu | 3 months | Heian Nidan | |
| 6th Kyu | 4 months | Heian Sandan | |
| 5th Kyu | 4 months | Heian Yondan | |
| 4th Kyu | 4 months | Heian Godan | |
| 3rd Kyu | 6 months | Tekki Shodan | |
| 2nd Kyu | 6 months | Bassai Dai | |
| 1st Kyu | 6 months | Bassai Dai |
Dan grades 段
Dan intervals follow the JKA timeline. The cumulative column shows the earliest a grade can be reached after Shodan if every minimum is met exactly.
| Grade | Minimum time in previous grade | Earliest after Shodan |
|---|---|---|
| Shodan 1st Dan | 1 year | — |
| Nidan 2nd Dan | 1 year | 1 years |
| Sandan 3rd Dan | 2 years | 3 years |
| Yondan 4th Dan | 3 years | 6 years |
| Godan 5th Dan | 4 years | 10 years |
| Rokudan 6th Dan | 6 years | 16 years |
| Shichidan 7th Dan | 7 years | 23 years |
Attendance
A student is invited to examine only after attending at least 80% of classes since the last promotion, not counting absences approved in advance by the instructor.
Examiners
- Kyu examinations are conducted by the President or by an examiner he appoints, of at least Sandan.
- Dan examinations are conducted by a panel chaired by the President.
- A candidate for a Dan grade equal to or higher than the chairing examiner's own rank is examined by an invited external examiner of senior rank, so that no one certifies a rank at or above their own.
- Every examiner has completed a background check and instructor training.
- Where no examiner senior to the candidate is available within the lineage, the peer-examination rule below applies.
Peer examination
Where no examiner senior to the candidate is available within the lineage, the body convenes an examination board in place of a single examiner. This is the position every independent lineage reaches once its founders' generation has passed, and it is met in the open rather than by waiving the examination.
The board has at least two independent Dan grades, each holding rank in a traditional Japanese karate style. The chair holds rank not below the candidate's current grade. Every other member holds at least Nidan. No member trains at or teaches in the candidate's dojo.
The candidate takes no part in the board's deliberation or decision and does not sign as examiner. The examination follows the full published syllabus for the grade, with no modification, on an announced date, before witnesses, and is recorded on video.
The board delivers a written report. The result is entered in the register with the members named, and is published. The certificate states that the grade was examined under this rule.
Certificates and the register
- Each rank is recorded in the register with a certificate number, the date, the examiner and the result.
- The certificate carries the body's seal and the examiner's signature. For Dan grades it also carries the President's signature as President.
- A Record of Rank, listing every grade a student has earned with its certificate number, is issued on request for transfer to another dojo.
- No fee is charged for any examination, certificate or record, and no money is sent to any outside organization.
The full syllabus for every grade, in Japanese and English, is published on the member dojo's grading requirements page.