Belt System
Kodokan Martial Arts Belt System
In martial arts, a student’s progress is marked by a ranking system, measured through regular examinations. Before achieving a black belt, students progress through Kyu grades, which signify their level. The journey usually begins at the 9th Kyu (often represented by a white belt), though each martial art style may have unique colours and starting points for Kyu belts. For instance, a 5th Kyu student in Anshin Ryu Karate wears a red belt, while a 5th Kyu student in Matayoshi Kobudo (MKKI) wears a green belt. Due to these variations, Kyu grade—rather than belt colour—is the best indicator of a student’s rank.
After reaching black belt, students advance through Dan grades (meaning “rank” or “degree”), starting from 1st Dan and moving up to 2nd Dan, 3rd Dan, and beyond. This progression is often represented by stripes or circles on the belt. Higher Dan levels may also earn titles, such as Kaicho (Master of the Dojo), Soke (System Head), and Shihan (usually 5th Dan or higher).
Below, you’ll find the Kodokan Martial Arts belt system and the minimum time requirements for each rank. These intervals are based on students training twice per week; those attending only once weekly should expect to double the time between belt examinations.
Anshin Ryu Karate Belt System
Junior Grades (5 to 10 yrs)
- 9th Mon (Ku Mon) White Belt – novice new student
- 8th Mon (Hachi Mon) Yellow Belt White Stripe – 24 lessons minimum
- 8th Mon (Hachi Mon) Yellow Belt 2 White Stripes – 24 lessons from last grade
- 7th Mon (Nana Mon or Shichi Mon) Orange Belt White Stripe – 24 lessons from the last grade
- 7th Mon (Nana Mon or Shichi Mon) Orange Belt 2 White Stripes – 24 lessons from the last grade
- 6th Mon (Roku Mon) Green Belt White Stripe – 24 lessons from last grade
- 6th Mon (Roku Mon( Green Belt 2 White Stripes – 24 lessons from last grade
- 5th Mon (Go Mon) Red Belt White Stripe – 24 lessons from the last grade
- 5th Mon (Go Mon) Red Belt 2 White Stripes – 24 lessons from last grade
- 4th Mon (Yon Mon) Blue Belt White Stripe – 24 lessons from the last grade
- 4th Mon (Yon Mon) Blue Belt 2 White Stripes – 24 lessons from the last grade
- 3rd Mon (San Mon) Purple Belt White Stripe – 48 lessons from the last grade
- 3rd Mon (San Mpn) Purple Belt 2 White Stripes – 48 lessons from the last grade
- 2nd Mon (Ni Mon) Brown Belt White Stripe – 96 lessons from the last grade
- 2nd Mon (Ni Mon) Brown Belt 2 white Stripes – 96 lessons from the last grade
- 9th Kyu (KU Kyu) White Belt – novice new student
- 8th Kyu (Hachi Kyu) Yellow Belt – 24 lessons minimum
- 8th Kyu (Hachi Kyu) Yellow Belt Black Stripe – 24 lessons from last grade
- 7th Kyu (Nana Kyu or Shichi Kyu) – Orange Belt – 24 lessons from last grade
- 7th Kyu (Nana Kyu or Shichi Kyu) Orange Belt Black Stripe – 24 lessons from last grade
- 6th Kyu (Roku Kyu) Green Belt – 24 lessons from last grade
- 6th Kyu (Roku Kyu) Green Belt Black Stripe – 24 lessons from last grade
- 5th Kyu (Go Kyu) Red Belt – 24 lessons from last grade
- 5th Kyu (Go Kyu) Red Belt Black Stripe – 24 lessons from last grade
- 4th Kyu (Yon Kyu) Blue Belt – 24 lessons from last grade
- 4th Kyu (Yon Kyu) Blue Belt Black Stripe – 24 lessons from last grade
- 3rd Kyu (San Kyu) Purple Belt – 48 lessons from last grade
- 2nd Kyu (Ni Kyu) Brown Belt – 48 lessons from last grade
- 1st Kyu (Ik Kyu) Brown Belt Black Stripe – 48 lessons from last grade
- 1st Dan Junior (Shodan-Ho) Black Belt White Stripe – 96 lessons last grade
- 9th Kyu (KU Kyu) White Belt – novice new student
- 8th Kyu (Hachi Kyu) Yellow Belt – 24 lessons minimum
- 7th Kyu (Nana Kyu or Shichi Kyu) – Orange Belt – 24 lessons from last grade
- 6th Kyu (Roku Kyu) Green Belt – 24 lessons from last grade
- 5th Kyu (Go Kyu) Red Belt – 24 lessons from last grade
- 4th Kyu (Yon Kyu) Blue Belt – 24 lessons from last grade
- 3rd Kyu (San Kyu) Purple Belt – 48 lessons from last grade
- 2nd Kyu (Ni Kyu) Brown Belt – 48 lessons from last grade
- 1st Kyu (Ik Kyu) Brown Belt Black Stripe – 48 lessons from last grade
- 1st Dan (Shodan) Black Belt 1 stripe – 96 lessons from ast grade
- 2nd Dan (Nidan) Black Belt 2 stripes – 192 lessons from the last grade
- 3rd Dan (Sandan) Black Belt 3 stripes – 288 lessons from the last grade
- 4th Dan (Yondan) Black Belt 4 stripes – 384 lessons from the last grade
and so on.
Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan International
- 10th Kyu (Ju Kyu) White Belt – novice new student
- 9th Kyu (Ku Kyu) White Belt Black Stripe – 3 months from the last grade
- 8th Kyu (Hachi Kyu) White Belt 2 Black Stripes – 3 months from the last grade
- 7th Kyu (Nana Kyu or Shichi Kyu) Yellow Belt – 3 months from the last grade
- 6th Kyu (Rok Kyu) Yellow Belt Black Stripe – 3 months from the last grade
- 5th Kyu (Go Kyu) Green Belt – 3 months from the last grade
- 4th Kyu (Yon Kyu) Green Belt Black Stripe – 3 months from the last grade
- 3rd Kyu (San Kyu) Brown Belt – 3 months from the last grade
- 2nd Kyu (Ni Kyu) Brown Belt Black Stripe – 6 months from last grade
- 1st Kyu (Ik Kyu) Brown Belt 2 Black Stripes – 6 months from the last grade
- 1st Dan (Shodan) Black Belt 1 stripe – 6 months from the last grade
- 2nd Dan (Nidan) Black Belt 2 stripes – 2 years from the last grade
- 3rd Dan (Sandan) Black Belt 3 stripes – 3 years from the last grade
