Shodan (rank)
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This article is about the term of rank used in Japanese martial arts and the game of Go. For other uses, see Shodan (disambiguation).
| Shodan (rank) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese name | |||||||
| Kanji: | 初段 | ||||||
| Hiragana: | しょだん | ||||||
| |||||||
Shodan (初段), literally meaning "beginning degree," is the lowest black belt rank in Japanese martial arts[1] and the game of Go. The 2nd dan is higher than Shodan, but the 1st dan is called Shodan traditionally and not "Ichidan". This is because the character 初 (sho, alternative pronunciation: hatsu) also means first, new or beginning in Japanese.
Also frequently referred to as "first dan", it is a part of the kyū/dan ranking system common to modern Japanese martial arts. The term may be used to describe both the rank a person holds, as well as the person (i.e., it is proper to say that a person holds the rank of shodan, and it is also appropriate to say, "I am a shodan in 'x' martial art").
See also
References
- ↑ SportsDefinitions.com: Shodan definition (judo) Retrieved on 28 February 2010
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