What does the word “Shodan” (first degree black belt) really mean?

 

Shodan (first degree black belt) is not the end point of martial arts study!

All martial arts practitioners soon learn (if they didn’t already know) that a first degree black belt (Shodan 初段) is NOT the ultimate goal of training as per popular belief.  It’s really just the beginning of your study.

People often compare Shodan to passing your driving test. In other words, you’ve mastered the basics – and now you’re ready to actually learn to drive . . .

Sho 初 means first, new, beginning; and dan 段 means step: so the basic meaning of Shodan is first step. But something that practitioners often ask, is why do we use the word Shodan, instead of Ichidan (1-dan), given that the next ranks are Nidan (2-dan), Sandan (3-dan), Yondan (4-dan) and so on . . . ?

After all, the word Shodan isn’t used across all contexts in Japanese. It’s mainly associated with Japanese strategic board games such as Go and Shogi; and the martial arts. These days, it’s also used in cultural arts such as flower arrangement (ikebana); calligraphy (shodō); and tea ceremony (sadō).

Let’s have a closer look at the kanji which comprise this word . . .　

 

初 Sho

The left half of this kanji is⻂which means clothing. The right hand side is katana 刀 which means sword or knife.

When you make clothes, the first thing you do is cut the material out. Therefore, this kanji means begin.

My Sensei recently explained that this is particularly relevant to the martial arts, as it reminds us of the importance of shapes. When making clothes, the first thing you have to do is cut out the correct shapes, to then work with. And when learning Karate also, the foundation is learning to make the correct shapes (hence the importance of kata 型).

 

段 Dan

The right hand side of 段 is ⽎. This represents a hand holding aloft a curved spear (see image below). 

⽎ therefore means lance, weapon, shaft; or it can also mean (as it does in this case) action or movement.

The left hand side of 段 shows something hanging or spilling from the top to the bottom (see images).

Bringing together these two parts gives 段 a meaning of stones smoothly falling from the top to the bottom.

段 therefore means: gradually; staircase; pause; juncture; way of doing something; ability; skill; grade – and rank in a martial arts context.

 

 

The meaning of 初段 Shodan

So Shodan 初段 means: the first senior rank achieved in things like Go, Shogi and the martial arts. 

But now that you understand the kanji some more, you might also read the word in the profound sense that my Sensei shared; a basic ability to make the correct shapes with your body, so that you can now start to study your art in earnest. To reach Shodan is to complete your basic preparation for the task in hand (i.e. cutting out the cloth shapes correctly, before you pick up a needle). 

Aikidoka “Nick” gives a picturesque interpretation of the word on the AikiWeb forum: (I’m not certain if this has any authority, or if it’s just his own creative take):

The kanji for dan literally means “carve steps up the cliff”. “Sho” in shodan means “first” […] So put two and two together and you have for shodan:

“The first step up a cliff”.

On a related note, Iain Abernethy reads 初段 (beginning + step) as representing completion of the first stage of your training.

So achieving “shodan” would mean we have taken the first step. A beginner is yet to take that step, so it would be inaccurate to say that “black belt is just the beginning” (that would be white belt) … but we could say that “black belt just means that the first significant step has been taken” or “black belt means the very first stage of the process has been completed”

And Dave Lowry interprets 初段 as denoting completion of the first leg of a long journey up a mountain; a moment to pause and take stock before moving on

An entirely new vista has opened up for [the person who reaches Shodan]. What had been his destination has been revealed as a pass through the mountains, one that gives way to another broad view waiting to be explored […] And so, pausing when he is awarded his dan, the bugeisha […] may stop to glance back down the cliff he has just scaled. But he must be prepared to turn his gaze from the heights he has so recently gained; he must prepare his ascent of the peak he suddenly finds before him.

– Sword and Brush: The spirit of the martial arts (Shambala, 1995) p36

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Related posts:

• The kanji for Rei
• Six Japanese words for training 
• 16 kanji for weapons
• The kanji for Aikido

 

• Why martial arts study is like scaling a magic mountain