10th Dan Question

[Jeff604]

Hi,

Does any of you know how many people were granted the 10th dan degree in Shotokan karate (JKA) ? I made some online research and found a few names, but no complete listing :

- Gichin Funakoshi (posthumously, 19??)

- Masatoshi Nakayama (?, 19??)

- Hidetaka Nishiyama (?, ??)

- Taiji Kase (posthumously, 200?)

- Hirokazu Kanazawa (during his lifetime, 2002)

- ...

I'd like to fill in the blanks and complete the list. Any clue ? online "knowledge vaults" ? A comprehensive handbook of karate to recommend on that matter ?

Thanks !

J.

[vertigo]

Unless I am mistaken (someone please correct me if I am), I think that Nishiyama is still currently a 9th Dan, not 10th?

[gheinisch]

If I remember correctly at one time a 5th dan is the highest that could be achieved but as the style splintered (Shotokai) from Funakoshi (JKA) 10th dans were granted. Sometime in the 70's many of the splinter groups were brought back together under WUKO and some of the 5th dans in the JKA were granted higher ranks based on thier technical knowledge to bring the desparity of the dan rankings closer together. I believe some assoc. still only use the 5th dan as the highest achievable rank as for as technical knowledge goes. I my be wrong on some of this so please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Jeff604]

If I remember correctly at one time a 5th dan is the highest that could be achieved but as the style splintered (Shotokai) from Funakoshi (JKA) 10th dans were granted. Sometime in the 70's many of the splinter groups were brought back together under WUKO and some of the 5th dans in the JKA were granted higher ranks based on thier technical knowledge to bring the desparity of the dan rankings closer together. I believe some assoc. still only use the 5th dan as the highest achievable rank as for as technical knowledge goes. I my be wrong on some of this so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Everything's quite right.

To be a little more specific, Funakoshi set a 5 dan system, still in use in Shotokai and SKA (Shotokan Karate of America) for instance. Around 1965, under the pressure of the FAJKO (Federation of All Japan Karate Organizations) which wanted to standardize all the Japanese martial arts rank systems, the JKA had to adopt the 10 dan system.

I'm still looking for my comprehensive listing though.

[gheinisch]

OK, I was able to find some info out on the names you listed. I hope this will answer some of your questions that you had. Let me know if you want some of the links where I found the info. If I can find them again that is.

Masatoshi Nakayama

"Masatoshi Nakayama Sensei passed away on April 15th, 1987 at the age of 74. He held the grade of 10th Dan."

Hidetaka Nishiyama

"On November 1, 2003, Master Vincent Cruz and the Yudansha of the International San Ten Karate Association formally recognized Master Hidetaka Nishiyama as Judan, the tenth and highest rank in traditional karate."

Taiji Kase

"Taiji Kase sadly passed away on 24th November 2004. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest teachers of Shotokan karate. His immense power and charisma was a sight to behold combined with a stamina that men three times younger would find difficult to comprehend."

I found nothing saying Kase was promoted to 10th dan in my researching. 9th dan is the highest rank I could find that he had achieved.

Hirokazu Kanazawa

"In April 2000, while attending the 7th S.K.I.F. World Championships in Bali, Shihan Hirokazu Kanazawa was promoted to the grade of 10th Dan. He is currently the only living Shotokan Master to hold the grade of 10th Dan."

[vertigo]

Hidetaka Nishiyama

"On November 1, 2003, Master Vincent Cruz and the Yudansha of the International San Ten Karate Association formally recognized Master Hidetaka Nishiyama as Judan, the tenth and highest rank in traditional karate."

Ok... thanks for correcting my earlier post

[gheinisch]

No problem. From what I read he didn't feel like he deserved the title but felt he should accept it considering the work that Master Cruz and the Yudansha had put into the presentation. A very humble man.

[Jeff604]

I hope this will answer some of your questions that you had.

Indeed it did, thank you very much for your input !

I found nothing saying Kase was promoted to 10th dan in my researching.

The same for me. Though there are many websites refering to him as a 10th dan. One example : http://www.shoto-kan.com/r/masters.php

But as an old Japanese saying goes, "if you believe everything you read, you'd better not read at all."

[pers]

I agree with what you said about Taiji Kase sensei ,I had the honour of training under this great sensei for just one session back in the 80s in crystal palace in London and he was a true master ,master Kase like master Enoeda were never bothered with their dan grades after master Nakayama passed away ,they were at such a high athourity and hold respect among karate world that never felt the need ,both ranked as 8th dan JKA although master kase was senior and a direct student of master funakoshi . master kanazawa is in the same par as them but he left JKA in the 70s and his grade is from his own association but he is also a great master of shotokan and a great example of how shotokan can help you be so healthy and young in your senior years .

[pers]

."

Taiji Kase

"Taiji Kase sadly passed away on 24th November 2004. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest teachers of Shotokan karate. His immense power and charisma was a sight to behold combined with a stamina that men three times younger would find difficult to comprehend."

quote]

I agree ! not only three times younger but three times bigger than him too ! I remember seeing master kase for the first time when he took our grades for a lesson while on a karate course at crystal palace in London 1987, i remeber thinking to myself how could master kase win against bigger and younger guys ,and in no time when the class started ,I qiuckly found out ! not only me but the huge guy who master kase blocked and it was like he was electrecuted by the way lost his coordination and balance,looking back it was a great lesson about how shotokan basics done correctly can increase the quality of ones movement and fighting ability!the way he moved with his particular body type which he looked like a small sumo wrestler rather than a karateka was mesmerising, he moved like a tiger ! really don't know what to describe it as ! you had to see it to believe it !