Rank and rank testing

Jinenkan rank system and uniform

Mudansya

Mudansya (non-dan holding students) in the Jinenkan wear navy blue kendou-gi with Jinenkan insignia, and black (or navy blue) training pants with an obi (belt), the color of which varies according to rank.

• Beginning students, no rank (white belt)
• Sankyu 参級 (green belt)
• Nikyu 弐級 (purple belt)
• Ikkyu 壱級 (brown belt)

Yudansya

Yudansya (dan rank holders, often called “black belt” level in the USA) in the Jinenkan wear navy blue kendou-gi with Jinenkan insignia and navy blue hakama with an obi, the color of which does not signify rank and is a personal choice of the yudansya (and needed to properly wear hakama, especially when also wearing daisho or an iaito for bikenjutsu, or other smaller weapons that one may carry with use of the obi).

• Shodan 初段
• Nidan 弐段
• Sandan 参段 (minimum rank required to become dojocho)
• Yondan 四段
• Godan 五段
• Rokudan 六段
• Nanadan 七段
• Hachidan 八段
• Kudan 九段 (to date this rank has not been awarded to anyone)

Dojocho

Dojocho are the official, licensed teachers of the Jinenkan under Unsui Sensei. They have achieved the rank of sandan (at minimum) and have been entrusted by Unsui Sensei to help guide and manage the organization following his vision and goals. Achieving the rank of sandan (or higher) does not automatically confer a dojocho license; the process and review are separate. Dojocho wear a white edosashi-gi with Jinenkan insignia and blue navy hakama with an obi.

Rank testing

The rank testing process is strict and everyone, regardless of rank or experience in other organizations, must start at the beginning and work their way up. Practitioners progress at their own rate and are neither hurried along through the ranks nor artificially delayed. We are pleased with the slow steady growth of the Jinenkan and our ability to maintain high quality in the instruction we offer our students.

Rank requirements

Sankyu 参級

• Zenpo kaiten
• Sokuho kaiten (sono ichi & sono ni)
• Fudo ken
• Shikan ken
• Omote gyaku
• Ura gyaku

Nikyu 弐級

• Koho kaiten
• Yoko nagare
• Omote shuto
• Ura shuto
• Zenpo geri
• Ganseki nage

Ikkyu 壱級

• Zenpo ukemi
• Tate nagare
• Sokuho geri
• Koho geri (sono ichi & sono ni)
• Kakushi geri
• Oni kudaki
• Muso dori

Shodan 初段

Kihon Happo

• Ichimonji no kata
• Jumonji no kata
• Hicho no kata

A written test on the meaning of each of the above kamae is also administered.