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SMJodo
5th February 2004, 15:37
I plan on testing at some point this year for Shodan in Shindo Musoryu Jo. We do not have a standard criteria (that I am aware of) for Black Belt ranks, so I was wondering what others felt the necessary skills/kata were to achieve such a rank. I'm trying to access my own position to see if I'm clsoe to being ready. Any thoughts?

R A Sosnowski
5th February 2004, 16:37
Check out the CKF Jodo requirements. (http://www.kendo-canada.com/ckf_jodo.htm)

SMJodo
5th February 2004, 17:50
Thanks for the link - but do the requirements for Shodan (5 kata, free choice) mean any five kata, I wonder? I thought that there would be some requirement as to which kata should be learned/mastered. Interesting.:)

R A Sosnowski
5th February 2004, 18:16
Originally posted by SMJodo

Thanks for the link - but do the requirements for Shodan (5 kata, free choice) mean any five kata, I wonder? ...

As long as "any five" are the "first five," you cannot go wrong. Besides, if you learned them in order, then you would have the most experience with them.

SMJodo
6th February 2004, 01:13
I guess that I'm a little surprised that it's not more involved. I know that there is a certain level of proficiency required, but the first 5 kata shouldn't be too difficult. I think I did as many kata for my first test. I'm pretty sure that my Sensei might tweak it a little. I doubt he'd let me get away with performing the first 5 kata only.

ulvulv
6th February 2004, 22:18
are there really dan-levels in a koryu jodo-group?

R A Sosnowski
6th February 2004, 23:00
Originally posted by ulvulv
are there really dan-levels in a koryu jodo-group?

With so many different Jodo org's out there, I would not be surprised.

I seem to recall the the IJF had dan grades.

ulvulv
6th February 2004, 23:53
Originally posted by R A Sosnowski
Check out the CKF Jodo requirements. (http://www.kendo-canada.com/ckf_jodo.htm)

The requirements in european kendo federation is slightly different. you dont have to do koryu before rokudan, on a godan-grading I saw this summer, kata 8-12 were done.

SMJodo
7th February 2004, 05:01
Regarding Dan grades - It's weird, because there is one student more senior than I (by about 15 yrs.) and I never asked his rank. I know he is a black belt, but I never inquired about his level - I just assumed that it was higher than mine and based my interactions with him on that. I did however, ask him what my rank would be called and he responded that it was Shodan - so I just assumed it was a Dan ranking system. I'll have to get some more info on this.

Brian Owens
7th February 2004, 06:20
Originally posted by SMJodo
...I did however, ask him what my rank would be called and he responded that it was Shodan - so I just assumed it was a Dan ranking system. I'll have to get some more info on this.
Is it possible he said "Shoden"?

In my former ryu, the ranks were Shoden (first level), Chuden (middle level), Okuden (initiation to secrets), and Menkyo Kaiden (certificate of full mastery).

SMJodo
8th February 2004, 04:10
Brian,

You might be right because I only attained three ranks before Shodan/Shoden - so maybe there are only a few higher ranks also. After my first test, my rank was Cho Kyu, then Chu Kyu, and now Jo Kyu. Maybe it is Shoden - I might have assumed that I heard ShodAn instead of ShodEn. I'll let you know what I find out.

Brian Owens
8th February 2004, 10:19
I just read a post on the "Dan ranking vs. Menkyo" thread right here in the Jo Forum that relates to this thread. The gentleman posting is a Shindo Muso Ryu practitioner.

Originally posted by gmlc123
In relation to Jodo. The ZNKR Seiteigata has a Kyu/Dan grading system.

In the case of Shinto Muso Ryu Jodo (Koryu), it's usually an Iemoto system. In which case there are scrolls as follows.

Oku Iri
Sho-mokuroku
Go-mokuroku
Menkyo
Menkyo Kaiden

I notice he said "it's usually an Iemoto system" so I assume some groups within SMR use kyu/dan ranks.

gmlc123
8th February 2004, 10:35
Yes, you picked out the key word.

As far as I'm aware the FEJ, European Jodo Federation is the only SMR organisation to use a Kyu/Dan system. My understanding is that this was introduced prior to Krieger Sensei receiving his Menkyo Kaiden.

One of the guys at JKA is under Krieger Sensei and has Oku Iri, which he received after last IJF seminar in France, so they have both. But the latter is outside the auspices of the FEJ and IJF.

Here's some info from the FEJ site..

http://www.fej.ch/anglais/egrades_p.html


Originally posted by Yagyu Kenshi
I notice he said "it's usually an Iemoto system" so I assume some groups within SMR use kyu/dan ranks.