Dedicated to the promotion of Kendo in the United States

shogo

A title which indicates one's level of achievement as a kendoist. In kendo, there are three levels of sho-go: ren-shi, kyo-shi, and han-shi. These titles are awarded to persons who have been at the sixth dan, seventh dan, or eighth dan, respectively, for the requisite number of years and who satisfy the given qualification standards. Dan-i indicate one's technical level (mental elements included), while sho-go signify, in addition to technical proficiency, the level of one's achievement with respect to one's leadership and judgement as a kendoist. The title han-shi is conferred on persons at the absolute highest level of authority as kendoists.

The following is an excerpt of the comments given by S. Inoue, Hanshi, 9 Dan of the All Japan Kendo Federation at the AUSKF Kodansha Shinsa Seminar held on December 11, 1998 explaining dan and shogo.

The entire text of this seminar can be found in the KENDO America reference section.

29. In old days in Japan, a person was promoted from Sho-dan to 5-dan in order, and then the person was promoted to Renshi, Kyoshi and finally to Hanshi. That system changed in 1957 for various reasons and a different system, Dan from Sho-dan to 10-dan system, was adopted.
30. Because the Shogo alone remained in spite of this change, we have experienced various confusions.
31. That means as the clear definition of Shogo and Dan was not shown, the order of ranking became ambiguous. For example, which is the higher rank, Kyoshi 6-dan or Renshi 7-dan?
32. Based on the priority to Shogo, we should say the Kyoshi 6-dan is the higher ranking. But all of you might not be entirely satisfied with this explanation.
33. Moreover, nobody would agree that a Kendoist who is just good at striking is a person who is respected as a man of character.
34. Aiming at resolving this contradiction, AJKF decided to revise the rules. In the new rules, Dan represents technical ability including some spiritual factors" and Shogo represents "degree of Perfection as a Kendoist including not only what Dan represents but also leadership and view".

As you can see by these comments there is a difference of opinion on the ranking system.

Currently there are no 10 dan in kendo. It is doubtful there will ever be another. Even the attainment of 9 dan now seems remotely possible. Only 1 percent of applicants pass the 8 dan test.

Promotional Examination

To attain rank in Kendo there is a promotional examination. For ranks of 6 Kyu to 2 Kyu the process differs from federation to federation. It may be awarded at the dojo level depending on the regional federation. Other federations formally test for these grades before a promotional board and some have age restrictions for children. For 1 Kyu and above there is a examination before a promotional board.

Generally for the examination up to 7 Dan the examinees will first perform two short keiko (sparring) sessions in front of the examination board. The examinees are normally grouped by age if the pool is large enough. If the examinee passes the keiko sucessfully then they will perform the kata. The written test may be completed before or during the test. This process again varies in each federation.

The International Kendo Federation has established a set of regulations for promotional examination specifing the requirements for each rank. These regulations are then adopted by IKF member federations. Some federations set additional requirements as necessary to meet their standards to promote the growth and quality of Kendo.

IKF Regulations for Promotional Examination

For the complete text of the regulations click here.

IKF Regulations for Examiners for Promotional Examination