The sempai/kohai system?

Question

do you understand how this honored system works.

Answer 1

Yes but I think you already know don't you? So what in particular did you want to know in more detail or is your style not the same and not use them?

Beyond them being titles for Under Black Belts with Seniority that teach and assist the Sensei's we even have Ottogani.  A Kohai is just a student no matter their rank so we are all Kohei in a sense all our lives, but the Sempai title is usually given to an upper belt but under black.

I took this from Wiki -Sempai or Senpai is roughly equivalent to the western concept of "mentor", while kōhai are roughly equivalent to "acolytes" More than simple seniority, senpai implies a relationship with reciprocal obligations, somewhat similar to a mentoring relationship. A kōhai is expected to respect and obey their senpai, and the senpai in turn must guide, protect, and teach their kōhai as best they can. Senpai/kōhai relationships generally last for as long as the two people concerned stay in contact, even if the original context in which the senpai was senior is no longer relevant."

So just as I was saying. I personally feel we are all students for life myself.

I am sure you know some of this so not sure if your testing some or not lol.  I can get far more detailed than this of course for you if necessary, just say so.

Edit: To add your own words, "SEMPAI IS TO IMPORTANT A POSISTION TO WASTE ON KYU RANKS."  Remeber that? =]] I did. I agree too.

@Aaron "Also knowing sempai/kohai to be used outside of Martial Arts." I could not agree more here!!

Answer 2

I agree with everybody on here, and believe the same way. With an emphasis on what Sensei stated. Also knowing sempai/kohai to be used outside of Martial Arts.

Answer 3

To a degree I do, but never having really studied it in depth, or been to Japan, it is very hard for me to have more then a surface idea.

I understand that a Sempai is the same as a mentor, and the kohai is very much like an apprentice. I know that it is not entirly age based, that experience can make somebody younger the Sempai of someone older.

The kohai is espected to obey the sempai, and do what he is told, and the sempai has an obligation to teach and mentor the kohai as best he can, not necessarily through harsh means, but more leading by example. I see this in many schools where a higher ranked belt demands respect from all those under him, even though he does nothing to earn it.

That belt should have the respect due his degree, however anything beyond that, call it personel respect, needs to be earned through his conduct and the way he carries himself. To many Americans do not know the difference, so I would refuse to call someone a sempai, unless they earned it.

Answer 4

I would like to add something...

The sempai/kohai system is an aspect of Japanese culture. It is found in everyday life here. It is used from the moment they enter kindergartens and continues all the way thru their working lives...

It IS NOT restricted to the martial arts.

Whatever form we use in our dojos will not be the same as what is done here in Japan.

I would suggest taking the good parts only and using them to help you set up a supportive and positive atmosphere at your dojo.

Answer 5

Either term was never used in any of the dojo I trained in. I was always under the impression that Sempai was used only to describe students of Black belt rank that had been awarded the title and that it is rare to have more than one Sempai in a dojo.

I looked up both terms in the Budo Jiten by Fredrick Lovret. He uses the spelling senpai. The description only says ones senior. It says (see: Kohai) Kohai is defined as: One's Junior. (NOTE: Although Senpai is a proper form of address, Kohai should never be used as a title.)

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

To me, in my own experience in actual training and teaching...

1.) Sensei:  whoever is the most senior on the mat is sensei.  Rank doesn't matter, its about seniority.

There have been times where the most senior didn't know much at all, but they knew more than everyone else so for that class, they were Sensei - they in fact had 'gone before' the other students even though it wasn't that far.

2.) Sempei: Sempei are senior students.  They are more advanced that you are - nothing more.  They are to be respected, but not more than that.  They can teach you things but without knowing, you might also teach them.

They are sources of information for Sensei cannot say directly.  They can be more up front and honest like and aunt or uncle can moreso than a mother or father can - Sempei don't have the same obligations as Sensei does just like and aunt or uncle doesn't have the same obligations and a mother or father does.

3.) Kohei: These are like children or nieces or nephews.  You can be twenty and have sixty year olds as your kohei.  Its not about age, its about experience IN THE ART.  If you have 10 years experience at age thirty, a sixty year old with a month of experience should call you Sempei and they should think of themself Kohei.... in the context of that particular art or study.

In the same regard, if the same two people are outside the dojo, I would hope the thirty year old would think of the sixty year old as Sempei - its a totally different context afterall.

Sempei/Kohei has nothing to do with age and everything to do with experience.  Notice how skill is not in the mix....  Skill matters, but experience is what defines this relationship.

Answer 7

I don't think he is asking us to tell him how it works as much as picking our brain to see if we really understand it ourselves.

I personally don't put too much thought on it, as I adhere to the simple explanation of Sempai/Kohai relationships.

I use it to decide the place the student takes when he comes in for the first time.

That can change very quickly.

I have one student who is outdoing all the others and he will soon be sempai to the others, although he came later.

For me it is determined by the ability of the student to grasp the teaching and advance.

The problem with me is that at the YMCA, the cycles are 7 weeks and many parents think that the classes end after the cycle.

They think it's just that YMCA trying to make them come back to get more of their money. I am not involved in the recruitment or promotion of the program, which is the reason it is failing and I am considering resigning.

It is impossible to implement the Sempai/Kohai system in my class but I see great future Masters among my students that I cannot really teach properly... among them a 5 y/o who has surpassed his big brother! - So how does Sempai/Kohai apply here? Simple! The 5 y/o is going to be called Sempai by all those who came before him.

You cannot teach a kata in 7 weeks when the student comes in one day of the week, at most. For the past month, I have not seen any of the kids and just a couple of adults for that class.

I surpassed some of my Sempai back in the day.