Black belt (martial arts)

: See Black Belt (disambiguation) for other uses of the term Black Belt

Above the black belt

In the Japanese martial arts, the further subdivisions of black belt ranks are called dan grades where higher numbers means higher rank. While the belt remains black, stripes or other insignia are generally added to denote seniority. The Korean martial arts have adopted the system, and even some Chinese martial arts nowadays have adopted ranking systems with belt color indicating rank.

Related Topics:
Japanese martial arts - Korean martial arts - Chinese martial arts

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One common idea concerning the tradition of belts claims that early martial artists began their training with a white belt, which eventually became stained black from years of sweat, dirt, and blood. However, there is no real evidence for this story, so it must for now be relegated to the status of myth. In fact, given standards of cleanliness common especially in traditional dojo, a student arriving with a bloodied or dirty uniform might not be allowed to train. In some arts and schools there is the (often only half-serious) opinion that the belt should not be washed; by doing that one would "wash away the knowledge" or "wash one's ki away." This might have something to do with the myth.

Related Topics:
Dojo - Ki

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There is no way to compare belts and ranks between styles. In some arts, a black belt is quite easy to obtain while in others ten years of hard work is more of the rule than exception. In most schools the test for black belt is quite rigorous. It is a common belief that belts in budo arts are handed out more loosely in the West than in the motherland Japan, and indeed often a sign of bad schools is an abundance of black belt holders of low quality. However, in Japan rank often comes more or less automatically with time done and the black belt has little to do with the "master" level which westerners often think of when they hear the term "black belt".

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