What is the belt system in Aikido Martial Arts?

Question

Is the belt system like Karate?...what is the highest level you can achieve with learning Aikido?

Answer 1

The answerer previous is correct. Different school, different belt structure, but typically they are much fewer ranks and the "black belt" status is represented by the Hakama (big flowing pants worn over the Gi).

Answer 2

In a studio i was in at UCRiverside it was white belt all the way to black. Then there are some that follow the judo belt or white green brown blk.

Answer 3

It depends on the school that you belong to, but there are kyu and dan grades.

Here are some examples of the different aikido ranks:

Answer 4

Different schools have different colors for their Kyu rank, but generally Aikido (like most Japanese martial arts) follows the Judo belt system more or less

Answer 5

I believe the status of black belt is represented by the hakama in Aikido. Does it matter? A belt, no matter what color, is only good for holding your pants up.

Answer 6

There are a few different belt systems.

Some have colors for various ranks before blackbelt and others have white belts (mudansha) and blackbelts (yudansha) only.

Generally, there are 6 kyu ranks followed by the dan ranks.  The Hombu dojo in Japan has used this setup since its inception.

When you are testing for Kyu rank, your instructor will generally be qualified to test you.  However, as you move into the dan ranks, you may have to be tested by someone else higher in the organization.  You can only test people up to about 4 ranks under your own in my experience.  My Senseis are 6th dan and are thus permitted to test and give rank on Hombu dojo's behalf up to 2nd dan.

Kyu ranks are generally only officially recognized within your own organization such as AFF, ASU, or what have you.  Once you reach dan rank, the certification comes from Japan and your name is officially on Doshu's records.

As far as hakama, there isn't really a connection to rank at all.

For the wartime students, there were materials shortages so only blackbelts wore hakama.  Students on O'Sensei at that time pretty much continued the tradition they learned with - no hakama for mudansha, or even not until 3rd dan.  In some cases, women are required to wear one the first time they step on the mat - kind of sexist if you ask me, but whatever.

For post war students, O'Sensei considered the hakama a basic part of the uniform and would not allow his students to train without them regardless of their rank.  For students who trained with O'Sensei after the war, their schools have similar traditions.

The hakama doesn't really tell you much then.

The highest rank achivable is 10th dan.  It has been handed out ouly a few times and is (in the martial arts in general) either for the founder of a style, the grandmaster or a posthumous award.  Doshu (the head of Aikido, O'Sensei's grandson) has no rank - Doshu is above the rank system.

O'Sensei never had any rank at all in Aikido - he was the founder.  He never had a kyu or dan rank as far as I know - his training employed the Menkyo Kaiden system - license rather than rank and there were only a few of them.