Is there a difference between “Shodan” and “Black Belt”?
A. The first black belt “rank” is Shodan, which means literally, the “lowest rank”. From this it should be obvious that one can only be “ranked” by those who are themselves ranked higher. In Kenpo, the Yudansha (those who hold a Dan rank) who are senior and higher ranked are the only ones who can give a Shodan rank. The “Dan” rank is like that of the military. Only the military can give rank to its members; so likewise, only the Dans of Kenpo can award Shodan or higher Dan ranks, and a person who is of a Dan rank cannot award a rank higher than the rank they themselves hold. There is no actual “rank” of “black belt”. There are only Dan ranks. The belt color itself is meaningless without an associated Dan ranking system.
