Although most dojos in North America use a system of coloured belts prior to the black belt, in Japan there are only 3 colours: white, brown and black. As one story goes, the belt (or obi) was the one part of the uniform that was not supposed to be washed. In arts of the Way (those ending in "do") uniforms are traditionally white, as are the belts that came with it. Naturally, over time the obi would darken with sweat and dirt, until it was essentially a "black belt".
In Japanese Yoshinkan Dojos, students wear a white belt from 10th kyu through to 4th kyu. In this stage, the beginner is learning many new things. Effort is deliberate and mechanical. Focus is on the placement of hands and feet and how to engage uke. There are a lot of new things to learn at this stage.
From 3rd kyu to 1st kyu, the student wears a brown belt. At this stage they have seen just about everything once, and have a solid, although basic grasp of form for both shite and uke. Although each rank and test has its own complete set of challenges, there is a sense that the brown belt is in preparation for their Shodan test. Things that are known get refined. Effort becomes less mechanical as the Aikidoka begins to understand their connection to uke through feeling and experience.
The test for Shodan can be described as a demonstration that the individual has reached this point. They have all the ingredients that the master spends a lifetime refining. Here we could say that there is a shift from student to apprentice, or if it is a better analogy, from apprenctice to journeyman.
Once Shodan is acheived, the belt can't get any darker. However, those who have experienced these arts understand that this is not the mark of the end. From Shodan onward, there is refinement. A simple enough word, but it points to an on going development. The student not only knows, but has experienced that there are different levels of knowing.
- fine mechanical details
- patience
- the importance of steeping and fementing both knowledge and experience
- manifesting both fluidity and form
- the awareness of how the art is both received and passed on
- manifesting both the compassionate and martial minds
These are some of the major points of practice for me these days. And if I truly have reached the standard for Nidan in Yoshinkan Aikido, I recognize that I feel as far from Sandan now as I felt from Shodan on the day I began to study this art.
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