Description of the Belt Ranks:

The beginning student in most martial arts disciplines wears a white belt that, according to tradition, signifies innocence. With the passage of time the belt becomes soiled from handling and use, so the second stage of learning is signified by a brown belt As more time passes the belt becomes darker until it is black- the black belt stage. With even more use the black belt becomes frayed, almost white, signifying that the wearer is returning again to innocence- a Zen characteristic of human perfection. (Hyams, 1979)

The above expresses the traditional significance of the three primary belts - white, brown and black - but what of the other belts - yellow, blue, green and purple? What is their significance in the Phoenix Karatedo Association? The fact that the yellow belt is the brightest of all the belts is no accident. The yellow belt signifies an awakening - an initial immersion into the art of karate. It is the first "color"; whereas the white belt blends with the white of the dogi, the yellow belt provides a contrast with regard to the overall appearance of the wearer - a rather pronounced contrast between innocence of white and the road to Yudansha that lies ahead.

The blue and green belts, although not as bright in color as the yellow belt, represent measurable growth and commitment in many ways, these are the "worker belts." Much of the wearer's time is spent learning, practicing and ultimately perfecting physical technique. These belts also contrast in color with the white of the dogi,but are not as bright in color as the yellow belt indeed, for the wearers' of these belts, the awakening - the initial immersion - has already occurred. Now is the time to learn and practice budo karate.

The purple belt returns surreptitiously to the brightness of the yellow belt Although the yellow belt's brightness ultimately prevails, the purple belt is of deep, pervasive color that well represents the commitment of the karateka. Indeed, the purple belt paves the way for the highly recognized brown belt and is a "proving ground" for the coveted Shodan. It is the point at which the karateka begins to make her/his own personal statement on the art of karate - a statement that continues to change and grow the ranks of the Yudansha.

{contributed by Gary Herwig, Shodan}
Hyams, Joe. (1979). Zen in the Martial Arts. New York: Bantam.

Ranks of the Phoenix Karatedo Association:

KYU (Kohai Rank)

Belt Color	English Class	Japanese Class
White	Eighth	Hachikyu
Yellow	Seventh	Nanakyu
Blue	Sixth	Rokukyu
Green	Fifth	Gokyu
Purple	Fourth	Yonkyu
Brown	Third	Sankyu
Brown	Second	Nikyu
Brown	First	Ikkyu

DAN (Yudansha Rank)

Stripes	Title	English Degree	Japanese Degree
One	Sempai	First	Shodan
Two	Sempai	Second	Nidan
Three	Sensei/Sempai	Third	Sandan
Four	Sensei	Fourth	Yondan
Five	Shihan/Sensei	Fifth	Godan
Six	Shihan	Sixth	Rokudan
Seven	Shihan/Choice	Seventh	Nanadan
Eight	Shihan/Choice	Eighth	Hachidan
Nine	Shihan/Choice	Ninth	Kudan
Ten	Shihan/Choice	Tenth	Judan

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The Belt Ceremony

The presentation of the belts is accompanied by a special ceremony, wherein the yudansha tie the old belts of the kohai in a knot and toss them away, then each member of the yudansha ties the new belt around his/her own waist before passing it to the kohai. This not only reminds the yudansha of the time when they were at that belt rank, but also symbolically passes some of the experience of each black belt on to the kohai. Below are photos of each stage in the belt ceremony. Click on an picture below to see a larger version.

After the kohai untie their old belts, the belts are tossed to a member of the yudansha. The yudansha then tie the belt in a knot using a special technique.	The yudansha then toss the knotted belts aside, emphasizing that the old belt is past. Kohai must watch where their belts go!	The new belts are passed to each member of the yudansha in turn.
Each member of the yudansha ties the belt around his/her waist before it is given to its recipient. Yudansha will sometimes talk about the recipient and the quality of their test.	The kohai finally receives the belt and ties it around his/her waist. Later all belt recipients will shake hands with all attending yudansha and kohai.