The Story of 10th Dan in Aikido

The peak of any art in Budo, receiving the 10th Dan is the equivalent of entering Budo heaven, where only the gods of martial arts are allowed to float. Let’s see together what is the story of 10th Dan in Aikido.
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The highest-ranking living sensei in Aikikai is currently 9th Dan Hiroshi Tada Shihan, one of the very few remaining post-war students of the founder of Aikido Morihei Ueshiba. The highest grade in Aikido, however, is 10th Dan (Ju-dan). Number Ten, according to Paolo Corallini, has a high symbolic significance:
“The ideogram that expresses this number is a cross 十 (Ju), formed by the union of vertical and horizontal lines, which cross symmetrically to indicate the balance between Heaven and Earth. This number gives to those who own it the sense of the righteous and just human being, the one who, now purified, makes a bridge between Heaven and Earth (pontifex), between the Divine and the human“.
Is that it? Let’s do a little bit of fact-checking.
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[@carlosbonefontphd2591]

Interesting content on the topic. Thank you 🙏

[@BoyG10]

O'Sensei insisted Tohei a 10th because of his mastery of ki and techniques and being the chief promoter of the art across the continents particularly Hawaii and US.

[@Goshin65]

O-sensei was right: rank means very little.... but boy do we make a big deal out of nothing, don't we.

[@Teeman44]

It’s interesting that Yamada Sensei mentions that Hikitsuchi Sensei’s ability was below Saito Sensei and Tohei Sensei… Many students who spent time with Hikitsuchi Sensei swears that he was one of the best in the world… I’m sure Tohei Sensei and Saito Sensei’s students would say the same though…

[@healingworksyesjohnn]

Perhaps students are fans and not high enough experts and thus be qualified to properly judge otherwise they would be students or ever put down a teacher they love but the curriculum may be what is fantastic and survives even lower levels of expertise

[@LagrangePoint901]

Politics in the martial arts is rampant and pervasive. Masters are literally a dime a dozen. Those who claim to be masters usually are not nearly proficient in what they say they are. A true master is usually humble enough to not say that he is.

[@fredricclack7137]

Seidokan Aikido 6th ☯️🥋

[@sherman4970]

The way they hand out Dan grades nowadays, I’m not surprised that there aren’t thousands of Tenth Dans out there!!!!

[@igorponomarew4548]

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[@Durante_di_Alighiero]

That's reserved for the Japanese only.

[@nicolasartheau822]

O Sensei did not care about ranks!

[@jasonwestwood7092]

MINORU MOCHIZUKI.

[@fredricclack7137]

Belt holds 👆👖😊☯️

[@moudugenou3492]

à 9'21 çà devient grave,il faut faire quelque chose çà dérape!

[@JustMe-vz3wd]

The whole grade system is a modern invention to motivate students to continue training. It is a competetive system, a pat on the back, and is contrary to the budo spirit. Morihei himself and all the great masters never had any kyuu or dan, only later. Dans were given away not based on real skills but to incompetent aikidokas to make them look like a true master, so they could be send to teach overseas for example. OSensei made regularly fun of dan grades (it was new to him) and jokingly gave away dan grades like chocolate cookies to little kids. (interviews with students of Morihei who did understood he was joking and not accepted it.) Thats why Kisshomaru and the Aikikai do not recognize certain dan grades including the tendan grade of Hikitsuchi (a great master by the way...) Nowadays everybody is a Shihan LMAO everybody is a puffed up showboat thinking that any dan actually has value and make them better than lesser ranked aikidokas!

[@Durante_di_Alighiero]

"Dans were given away not based on real skills but to incompetent aikidokas to make them look like a true master, so they could be send to teach overseas for example" - This is just plain stupid. Sure Ueshiba didn't care about the Dan/Kyu grading system but in reality all of the people who went overseas were highly skilled people.

[@kirkneff2247]

Get a robot that can say “don” (soft “a”) a level of black belt grading, instead of “Dan” (hard “a”), a common male first name.

[@towag]

Stuffed dogi's me thinks!! 😂

[@nicolasartheau822]

Mach ado about nothing. ... O’Sensei did’nt care much about ranks and obviously liked to joke with those who gave them to much importance. The tenth dan of Koichi Tohei is an exception occured for spiritual reasons we have no means nor right to évaluate.

[@velly027]

Don't use ai voices

[@igorponomarew4548]

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[@igorponomarew4548]

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