A karate practitioner, when competing or practicing, wears a loose uniform known as a gi. One of the components of a gi is a heavy belt, tied at the waist with a special knot. In addition to its ceremonial purpose as part of the uniform, the belt also identifies the rank of the wearer, be it student or master. Though different schools may use slightly different color rankings, the belt system is similar throughout the world of karate.
Mythology
According to legend, the belt of a true master of martial arts would spontaneously change color to reflect its wearer’s expertise. Later interpretations of this myth suggest that unwashed belts would naturally darken over time, leaving long-time practitioners of karate with dark brown or even black belts. In any case, by the early 20th century, martial artists were using colored belts to signify their rank.
History
The colored belt system may have begun in the judo tradition, where white, brown and black belts were used to identify students of varying levels of skill. When martial arts were introduced to America, the grading systems became finer, producing more ranks and more colors. In most systems, these colors became darker as the student progressed, as the same belt would be dyed and re-dyed with each new rank attained. Modern schools present students with a new belt at each rank.
Kyu Belts
The Kyu ranks signify a student and are numbered in descending order, with the highest Kyu represented by a white belt. A common progression would then move to orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and red as the student grows in knowledge and skill, although not every school uses every color. In some schools, the colors are said to symbolize different aspects of the student’s path; in others, they are simply abstract representations of rank. Once a student graduates from the First Kyu level, she receives a black belt.
Black Belt
The black belt is only awarded to students who have shown full proficiency in their martial art. While in American belt systems it is considered a high rank, traditionally the black belt simply signified that a student had been fully trained in karate and was suitable to study under a true master. Once a practitioner has attained a black belt, he then begins to progress through the Dan ranks.
Dan Ranks
The first Dan rank is called Shodan and indicates a fully trained martial artist. From there, Dan rankings are numbered in ascending order, with most traditions going up to Tenth Dan. While Kyu ranks can be achieved through study and practice, Dan ranks can only be earned either through competition against other black belts or through significant contributions to the martial art.
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