Gradings
Kendo – Iaido – Jodo
Any candidates wishing to grade overseas, please see this notice.
Kendo
Applicants Eligibility for Kendo
| Grade |
Minimum Delay |
Minimum Age |
| 1st Kyu |
about 50 hours |
12 years |
| 1st Dan |
3 Months or more after 1st Kyu |
14 years |
| 2nd Dan |
1 year or more after 1st Dan |
|
| 3rd Dan |
2 years or more after 2nd Dan |
|
| 4th Dan |
3 years or more after 3rd Dan |
|
| 5th Dan |
4 years or more after 4th Dan |
|
| 6th Dan |
5 years or more after 5th Dan |
|
| 7th Dan |
6 years or more after 6th Dan |
|
| 8th Dan |
10 years after 7th Dan |
46 years |
Examination Criteria
Kendo grading requirements follow the EKF guidelines and are summarised in the table below:
| Written Paper |
Ikkyu, 1st-5th dan |
| Ji-geiko |
Ikkyu, All dan grades |
| Kirikaeshi |
Ikkyu, 1st-3rd dan |
| Kata |
Ikkyu |
Tachi – ipponme to sanbonme (1-3) |
|
1st dan |
Tachi – ipponme to gohonme (1-5) |
|
2nd dan |
Tachi – ipponme to nanahonme (1-7) |
|
3rd dan and above |
All 10 kendo kata |
| Shinpan seminar |
1 seminar a year after passing nidan |
Grading questions for kendo
Examiners Qualifications
| Dan Examined |
Examiner Number |
Criteria |
| 1st Kyu |
3 @ 3rd Dan & above |
Consent of min. 2 Examiners |
| 1st Dan |
5 @ 4th Dan & above |
Consent of min. 3 Examiners |
| 2nd Dan |
5 @ 5th Dan & above |
Consent of min. 3 Examiners |
| 3rd Dan |
5 @ 5th Dan & above |
Consent of min. 3 Examiners |
| 4th Dan |
6 @ 6th Dan & above |
Consent of min. 4 Examiners |
| 5th Dan |
6 @ 7th Dan & above |
Consent of min. 4 Examiners |
| 6th Dan |
6 @ 7th Dan & above |
Consent of min. 4 Examiners |
| 7th Dan |
6 @ 7th Dan & above |
Consent of min. 4 Examiners |
Grading Fees
| Grade |
Application |
Registration |
| 1st Kyu |
£10 |
£20 |
| 1st Dan |
£15 |
£20 |
| 2nd Dan |
£20 |
£35 |
| 3rd Dan |
£25 |
£45 |
| 4th Dan |
£30 |
£55 |
| 5th Dan |
£35 |
£65 |
| 6th Dan |
£40 |
£75 |
| 7th Dan |
£45 |
£85 |
Kendo Grading application form
Iaido
Examination Criteria
| Grade being taken |
Graded on |
| 1st Kyu |
5 Kata from Seitei Iaido free choice |
| 1st Dan |
5 Kata from Seitei Iaido free choice and paper |
| 2nd Dan |
5 Kata Shiite waza and paper |
| 3rd Dan |
5 Kata Shiite waza and paper |
| 4th Dan |
2 free choice Koryu 3 compulsory Seitei Iaido and paper or 1 free choice Koryu 4 compulsory Seitei Iaido and paper |
| 5th Dan |
2 free choice Koryu 3 compulsory Seitei Iaido and paper |
| 6th Dan |
2 Free choice Koryu 3 Compulsory Seitei Iaido and paper |
| 7th dan |
2 free choice Koryu 3 Compulsory Seitei Iaido and paper |
| 8th Dan |
7 Compulsory Seitei Iaido then if passed 7 free choice Koryu and thesis |
Grading questions for Iaido
Passing Criteria
| Grade |
Examiners Grade |
Votes Needed to Pass |
| 1st Kyu |
4th Dan and over |
2/3 or 3/5 |
| 1st Dan |
5th Dan and over |
3/5 |
| 2nd Dan |
5th Dan and over |
3/5 |
| 3rd Dan |
5th Dan and over |
3/5 |
| 4th Dan |
6th Dan and over |
5/7 |
| 5th Dan |
7th dan and over |
5/7 |
| 6th Dan |
7th Dan and over |
5/7 |
| 7th Dan |
8th Dan and over |
5/7 or 7/9 |
| 8th Dan |
8th Dan and over |
5/7 first exam 10/14 second exam |
Grading Fees
As for Kendo
Jodo
Examination Criteria
| Grade being taken |
Graded on |
| 1st Kyu |
1 to 5 |
| 1st Dan |
1 to 5 and paper |
| 2nd Dan |
Seitei 2 to 6 and paper |
| 3rd Dan |
Seitei 5 to 9 and paper |
| 4th Dan |
One koryu 8 9 10 11 and paper |
| 5th Dan |
Two koryu 10 11 12 and paper |
| 6th Dan |
Three koryu 10 11 12 and paper |
Grading questions for Jodo
Passing Criteria
As for Iaido
Grading Fees
As for Kendo
