Why Belt Systems Exist: A Look at Rank Beyond the Dojo

Many students think that belts exist out of ancient tradition. However, their history is much more recent and very practical. 

Before the Belt System

Classical koryu bujutsu, practiced before 1868, never used colored belts or dan ranks. 

These traditions issued menkyo, teaching licenses that typically involved only three to five levels. 

A System Built for a New Era

The kyu/dan system came later, created by Kano Jigoro, founder of judo, in the late 1800s. Kano himself came from a merchant family, and the ranking system he built reflected that shift, with martial arts becoming available to a much broader population than the old warrior class alone.

Solving a New Kind of Problem

As more schools, styles, and disciplines developed, groups needed a way to rank students consistently, even across very different martial arts traditions.

Martial arts industry associations play that role for members. They provide one recognized structure instead of asking each style to maintain its own separate system.

What an Association Can and Can't Certify

Associations can grant rank within their own organization, but not within a specific ryu. Only the current headmaster of that tradition holds that authority.

What martial arts industry associations provide instead is a standardized rank within their own division, reflecting a member's years of training, technical proficiency, and knowledge of their specific art.

A Practical System, Not Just a Symbolic One

Belt and rank systems exist because martial arts outgrew the small, closed circles they started in. A shared structure made it possible to recognize skill consistently, across schools, styles, and countries.

Continue Exploring Traditional Budo

Curious how Shudokan Martial Arts Association, a globally recognized martial arts industry association, structures rank across its jujutsu division and other traditions?

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The Surprising History Behind Martial Arts Belt Systems

Most students assume the belt system stretches back centuries. However, it’s fairly new. 

Traditional koryu bujutsu, the classical martial arts practiced before the end of the samurai era in 1868, never used a kyu/dan belt system. Instead, these systems relied on menkyo (“teaching licenses”), similar to collegiate-level degrees. 

Where the Belt System Actually Came From

Today’s kyu/dan system originated with Kano Jigoro, the founder of judo, following the abolition of the samurai class in the late 1800s. Kano had a merchant background, and his ranking system reflected a new, more accessible era for martial arts training. 

Why So Many Levels?

• Kyu/dan system can include as many as ten kyu and ten dan levels. 
• Menkyo’s licensing model has only three to five steps, similar to a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree.

As martial arts spread beyond a single ryu and single instructors, menkyo licensing didn’t provide a way to track and communicate incremental progress across a much wider, more varied group of students.

Why Organizations Rely on Kyu/Dan

Martial arts industry associations adopted a consistent, well-understood ranking structure across a broad and varied membership by moving from menkyo to kyu/dan. 

An Important Distinction

A martial arts industry association can certify rank within its own organization, but not within a specific ryu. That authority belongs solely to the current head of that tradition. What an association can offer instead is a documented, standardized rank based on a member's training, technical skill, and knowledge of their specific art.

Rank as a Practical Tool

Belt systems solved a coordination problem that emerged once martial arts moved beyond a single teacher and a single system. Today, they're used to recognize rank across martial arts, communicating at a glance roughly what a student has learned and how long they've trained. 

Learn More About Traditional Budo

Curious how Shudokan Martial Arts Association, a globally recognized martial arts industry association, structures rank across its jujutsu division and other traditions?

Read our latest article, or contact SMAA with questions.