This is just a short post about a recent big event in my life. Some of you know that I am practicing martial arts for more than 30 years now. Since 2003, I am practicing Nakamura Ryu Battodo, one of the youngest Japanese martial arts, founded by Nakamura Taizaburo sensei in 1953.
Every year, a competition is organized in Yokohama by International Battodo Federation (IBF). After nearly two years of preparation, I managed to go there again, with two of my students and take part in competition and grading. My students got a shodan level (1st DAN) and I received a godan (5th DAN).
This is a small thank you to all my teachers from Serbia and Japan who dedicated their time, patience and efforts to make this happen.
gdare 
Congratulations!
Thanks, Felix!!!
Congrats once again!
What do the levels of Dan mean exactly? (Forgive my stupidity.)
Ok, I will try to explain this without writing a book 😀
In old times (before 1883), there was an old ranking system in Japanese martial arts called Menkyo Kaiden and different martial arts used their own way of ranking and as far as I know, typically it would be divided into three stages: beginner, advanced and master levels. Menkyo Kaiden could be translated as “license of total transmission”.
Then at the end of 19th century, Jigoro Kano, a founder of modern Judo, developed a system with belts, where white belt marks a beginner and black belt a master. However, black belt is further divided into ten levels (DAN means level). So, currently I have a 5th DAN. In a martial art that I am practicing we don’t use belts to mark ranks (like in Karatedo, Judo or Aikido).
If you want to read more about it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menkyo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_(rank)
Thanks for the info.
I notice you are wearing blue. And special significance in that or is it just personal preference?
Just a personal preference. I was practicing Kendo when I was young and ever since I like that kind of “heavy duty” Martial Arts clothing.
🙂
:up:
Congratulations, Darko! And to your students, as well!
Thank you, Jill!
Congratulations!
Thank you 🙂