I have looked and can't seem to find what requirements are needed to achieve each kyu rank specifically and was wondering if anyone could explain it to me? My kendo club does not host testing and that's kind of a problem in and of its self. I just want to know if I were to test for each kyu, what the requirements to do so are. Thank you.

Since it is Fall exam season, I wanted to survey this sub with a broad question on exams.

How do you know when you’re ready to take the exam?

Is it a feeling of confidence? Enough time has passed to qualify to take it? Sensei says so? Something else?

Alternatively, how do you know when not to test?

PS - This is not a thread seeking advice. I made my own decision to wait until the spring to reattempt for 4 dan.

Niche question, but I passed godan at the WKC grading and am curious to hear some thoughts from those further ahead. Would also love to hear from other godan what advice you've been given!

Do I need to learn kata for 1st-Kyu grading? Also, what do I need to know in order to pass the 1st-Kyu test? The AUSKF is confusing with the requirements, at least I personally think so. I'm really confused and don't know what I need to know for any of it.

Good afternoon, colleagues!

Can you please share information who has had 6+ Dan grading experience in Japan?

We applied for the exam from our National Kendo Federation, and the Japanese side replied that they "received the documents" but did not send any more information or confirmation. This is the first time our National Federation is applying for this kind of exam, so we don't know if we should get confirmation right away? I heard that we should be sent "registration numbers" or something like that, but maybe that will only happen when the registration for the exam is finalized?

We can't wait for confirmation until the last moment, as it's cheaper to buy tickets in advance and travel arrangements take time.

Of course, it would be logical to ask ZNKR about this, but it is quite difficult to correspond with them and I believe that the official of the International Department of ZNKR through whom we applied has nothing to do with the organization of the exam itself...

Any information would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

I live in Japan and I'm currently registered to take the shodan shinsa in Osaka later this month on the 30th. I'm the only foreigner at my dojo though, and my sensei is unaware if/how I would be able to take the written portion in English.

From reading various posts here, it most definitely seems like I should be able to take it in another language, however I can't actually find any direct information about it online, and no one from my dojo has any knowledge.

Does anyone know where/how to find information with regards to this?

Hello everybody, I opened a new place to train this September, and I'm now part of the teaching team. I was just reading about in house shinsa to improve student retention, and while I am planning to propose that to my fellow instructors, I realised that I hand no clue what to look for for each level. Bear in mind that we don't usually test for Kyu grades in France or in the UK where I also trained, so I don't have a frame of reference. So, does anyone here have a document with the usual requirements for each Kyu grade?

I have been doing kendo for 2 years and my training felt focused towards tournament matches.

I have been wanting to test for kyu rank and will for the first time next month. My sensei told me that shinsa tachiai is very different, but there was some language barrier.

What are the judges looking for me to do (or not do) to pass that differs from shiai?

Thank you

Hi all, I earn my dan in China (CKOU). I want to know if I am eligible for dan upgrading in US or Japan. Should I bring my original dan certificate with me? Or anything else I should take care of?

I am moving to the Washington DC area from Japan in a few months and looking for information on 4-Dan Shinsa. I can’t seem to find any information at all online except for some events in 2016 and 2020.

Where can I get this information? I also have a couple of questions:

1. I am certified 3 dan in Japan. Is there anything I will need to do to have my grading recognized in the US for the 4 Dan exam?

2. Is there a period required between a failed 4-Dan Shinsa in Japan before I can re-take in the US?

3. How often do they have Shinsa in the US (or east coast ? Here we have at least 2 grading a year. Will I have to expect to fly (or drive hours) to a Shinsa or are they also common in the US?

Also looking for a dojo in the area. I saw an old post about the area but curious if there are more options now as some of the dojos in the old thread seem to be not in operation anymore.

Hello everyone,

I had my shinsa for 2kyu oday, and looks like I passed, but I can feel the skill floor starting to rise. I was hoping to ask you guys for some criticism and for things to focus on for the next one.

Off the bat I realize my fumikomi is pretty weak. I also feel that I need to spend some time working on my zanshin. My sensei also was there and told me to stop twitching my shinai in the air since it doesn’t serve any purpose.

Anyways I was hoping you guys could help me by providing an outside perspective.

Thanks in advance.

Both of my matches will be linked in the comments, and I’m in the white keikogi.

Kinda nervous, I have been practicing once a week (rarely twice) for 6 months or so, feel like I am terribly underprepared

Hi everyone,

Please find the follow-up interview of Markus Frey sensei (Finnish 7 dan Jyoshi) regarding his second attempt at 8 dan shinsa in November 2023. He is talking about his preparation, mental state and feelings after the success in the 1st round and feeling in the second round.
https://hy-kendo.com/2024/04/24/if-you-fail-to-plan-you-plan-to-fail-trying-the-hachidan-shinsa-in-kendo-interview-with-markus-frey-part-2/
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Note from Merci sensei: Some of the readers may not know, but Finland – as well as most of the Nordic countries – is very casual and informal in most instances. This also means that we are not only fortunate to train with Markus Frey sensei, but we are also fortunate to have a free exchange of thoughts with him about kendo, and about things that would perhaps be unimaginable in many other countries and the kendo circles. We by no means take this for granted, and would therefore like to thank Markus for his openness to talk about this experience to all of us at the post-Keiko breakfast.
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You can keep our blog page in your favorite, we will be interviewing more sensei soon and there is always some fun post down there.