General Comments:

The 1-dan exam tests skills and attributes that must be maintained and refined at each higher level.

Minimum qualifications for passing are adherence to correct basics from the start of the match, especially kamae, kiai or kakegoe, proper attire, and posture; i.e., foot placement, moving from the hips, and a straight back. All must be cultivated over time in normal practice, not just before the exam as if "cramming" for it. For hits, kiai, shinai, and body must be in sync (ki-ken-tai itchi). Single hits should mainly be big men, kote, and dô with fumikomi. These hits should be straight forward, not from the side. Double hits are appraised highly too; e.g., kote-men, kote-dô. All hits must be delivered with vigor and resolution, showing no fear of being countered, but students should show some degree of responsiveness to the opponent's actions, not just hack at each other's men or kote.

Kakegoe/kiai. This should be loud and come from the lower abdomen below the navel-not from the mouth and throat.

General Comments:

Students must show enhanced basics over those at the 1-dan level; i.e., loud voice (kakegoe/kiai), chûdan no kamae, holding of the shinai, footwork, neat attire, basic hits, etiquette, posture/attitude, sense of distance (maai), plus ki-ken-tai itchi.

Also, students must show a forceful presence that combines offensive and countering techniques (shikake and ôji waza), plus proper timing of hits.

Offensive Techniques (shikake waza). This means taking the initiative to exert menacing pressure (seme) on the opponent's center before going to hit. The basic types of offensive techniques are:

1. debana waza, just before the opponent moves to hit (debana men, debana gote);
2. hiki waza, moving backward (hiki men, hiki kote, hiki dô);
3. harai waza, knocking the opponent's shinai out of the way from above or below to break the kamae and force an opening (harai men, harai gote, harai dô, harai zuki);
4. renzoku waza, double- and triple-hits; e.g., kote-men, kote-dô, kote-men-dô;
5. combined hiki and renzoku waza, e.g., men-tai-atari-hikimen, men-tai-atari-hikigote, men-tai-atari-hikidô.

Countering Techniques (ôji waza). This means parrying the opponent's hit before making a counter-hit. The basic parrying techniques are:

1. nuki waza, to avert the hit with one's body before hitting oneself; e.g., men-nuki-dô or kote-nuki-men;
2. kaeshi waza, to block the opponent's attempted hit with one's shinai and hit immediately; e.g., men-kaeshi-dô or kote-kaeshi-men;
3. suriage waza, "rubbing up" the opponent's attempted hit with one's shinai and hitting immediately; e.g., men-suriage-men, men-suriage-dô.

Forceful presence (hakuryoku, kiryoku). Shoulders and upper body should be relaxed and loose. Spiritual tension should be focused in the lower abdomen below the navel. This quality cannot be "crammed" just before the exam; it has to be cultivated over time in normal practice and must be demonstrated at all levels above 1-dan.

Timing of hits. As with 1-dan, students may not just hack away at each other without rhyme or reason; they must know when to hit and when not to try to hit. The "three times to hit" are: just before the opponent is makes a move to hit, just when his/her movement is frozen, and just after his/her attempted hit has come to a halt.

General comments:

The 3-dan level is far more of a barrier for students than the 2-dan; and many students never achieve it. Up to 2-dan, good basic kendô was tested. At the 3-dan level, those basics must not only be refined; but on top of that, skill in combat with the opponent is stressed too. Each student should begin to set specific goals in mind designed for his/her own kendô at this level and seek instruction accordingly.

Preemptive hits (sen) and reactive hits (go). These concepts go beyond the 2-dan level of simple "timing." The student must show an enhanced grasp of the "three times to hit"; i.e., just before the opponent makes a move to hit, just when his/her movement is frozen, and just after his/her attempted hit has come to a halt. In addition, students must show a grasp of "openings." These derive from the opponent's improper or broken-down kamae, frozen movements, and emotions of surprise, fear, doubt, and hesitation. The student must never fail to seize opportunities to hit after these openings emerge. They must adjust nimbly to the opponent's movements by using "offensive techniques" such as harai waza, renzoku waza, hiki waza, and "over-the-shoulder techniques" (katsugi waza) as well as by using "countering techniques" such as nuki waza, kaeshi waza, and suriage waza. All of these must be more polished and enhanced than at the 2-dan level.

Menacing pressure (seme) to the center before hits. As with 2-dan, students at 3-dan must not just hack at each other repeatedly, without rhyme or reason; they must know when to hit and when not to try to hit. In addition, they must exert menacing pressure (seme) to the center before hits without fear of being countered. Seme is applied tangibly through one's shinai tip and intangibly through one's spiritual force to create the "openings" mentioned above. At this level, the tangible type of seme with the shinai tip is expected.

Thus students must show that they begin to grasp the idea of "hits adhering to proper principle" (riai no uchi). As the proverb goes, "Don't beat the opponent by hitting; beat him/her through menacing pressure before hitting." In sum, don't overpower the opponent by repeated hitting; there should be no muda uchi or multiple, wasted, worthless hits made in the hope that one of these will land. Each hit should count because of prior menacing pressure or seme to force an opening.

Use of various distances (maai). This must be more enhanced than for 2-dan. Students must go beyond a general knowledge of close, far, and one-step-one-hit distances. They must adapt this knowledge to various opponents, since each person differs depending on age, agility, and so on. For example, some people may be able to hit from further out than the normal one-step-one-hit distance whereas others may need move in closer.

Effective hits. If one adheres to the proper basics at the 1-dan and 2-dan level, it might be possible to pass without scoring "effective hits." At the 3-dan level, however, hits must not only adhere to proper basics; they also must actually hit the target tellingly-with proper kiai, using the monouchi or topmost part of the shinai above the nakayui, and with zanshin. That is, hits must also be ippon.

Refined posture/attitude. These are vitally important at all levels, but by the 3-dan level, these must be near-perfect: neat wearing of tenugui, gi, hakama, and bôgu; a straight back, good foot placement, stable lower back and hips, fixation with one's eyes, kamae. These add up to a dignified, respectful mien.

Spiritual force (kihaku). Students must show much more aggressiveness and vigor than at the 2-dan level.

General comments:

These attributes are largely new and represent what is expected at the 4-dan level in addition to refining those listed for the 3-dan and lower ranks.

Dignified mien. This was not much emphasize at the 3-dan level, but is characteristic of persons at 4-dan, which the first of the "higher ranks" (kôdansha) in kendô. However, it must emanate naturally from within oneself as a result of daily practice over years.

Refined posture/attitude. This was stressed at the 3-dan level, but it must be perfected at 4-dan and maintained at all higher levels. Attire, etiquette, and manners must be above criticism. This is the first qualification to be a teacher of children and youths.

Hits adhering to principle (riai no uchi). At 4-dan, student must realize that "principle" involves the "3 neutralizations" (san sappô): to neutralize the opponent's shinai, spiritual power, and techniques" before going to attack. The goal of san sappô is to eliminate muda uchi, or multiple, wasted, worthless hits made in the hope that one of these will land. Instead, at this stage, one never misses a proper opportunity to hit and never tries to hit when there is no opening.

Use of the shinai tip to exert menacing pressure to the center. At this level, students must realize that the killing point of a sword is "3 inches from the tip (kissaki sansun)." The shinai is useless one put all one's energy in its tip to overpower the opponent. From olden times, Japanese have used this metaphor to express how to put energy in the tip: "Sekirei no gotoku" or "Swing the shinai like the riverbank wagtail flicks its tail." Another way to describe this is to swing the shinai somewhat as if it were a fishing rod, so that the power does not remain at the bottom; it instead goes to the tip and emanates outward.

Use of palms and wrists to hit with a light, subtle touch yet a sharp crispness (keimyô no uchi, tenouchi no sae). This is directly related to the last point. In order to put power in one's shinai tip, one must swing with a light, subtle touch yet a sharp crispness (keimyô no uchi, tenouchi no sae). The key is in the palms and wrists. That is where the power should come from, not from the shoulders and upper arms. The higher in rank one goes, the more this te no uchi no sae must be demonstrated.

Qualifications as a teacher. A 4-dan is deemed a teacher or instructor for children and youths who must, of course, have mastered superb technical skills. But it is not enough to be a strong player who wins shiai. In other words, a 4-dan must know the principles needed to hit properly; e.g., timing, how to recognize an opening, the "3 neutralizations" to eliminate wasted and worthless hits, the need to overcome the opponent before going to make a hit, either with ken no seme or menacing force in the tip of one's shinai or with ki no seme or spiritual force. Also required is the development of character to radiate dignity, etiquette, neat and proper attire, respect, courtesy, and manners.

Agility to adjust as needed in response to the opponent's movements and follow-through with guard against possible counter-strikes (zanshin). These are listed here once again because they are extremely important yet often forgotten as students advance to higher ranks. Just hitting the opponent without appropriately reacting to his/her actions is not permissible; e.g., rigidly sticking to a pre-made decision to hit men or kote with no regard to what the opponent does. It is even worse to pull away nonchalantly with one's back to the opponent-even though one may have scored an effective ippon-without showing zanshin with kamae.

General remarks:

The 5-dan exam marks a comprehensive, final polishing of all technical skills and character traits acquired up to and after 4-dan as a result of spiritual training (shugyô). The constituent elements of 5-dan do not differ greatly from those of 4-dan, but their order of importance differs. For 5-dan, the emphasis is:

1. hits adhering to principle (riai no uchi)
2. dignified mien (kihin, kigurai)
3. qualifications as a teacher

Hits adhering to principle (riai no uchi). At 5-dan, all elements inhering in proper kendô principles are displayed naturally in combat situations. The basics are: attacking and countering techniques (shikake, ôji waza), use of the various distances (maai), timing, seizure of the right moment to hit, rejection of improper moments to hit, proper body movement, footwork, zanshin and kiai, shinai and body are in sync (ki-ken-tai itchi). All of these are flawless. Based on these basics, menacing pressure is brought to bear on the opponent's center (seme) in a mental battle to force an opening that is advantageous to oneself in scoring an effective hit. This cannot be done in a haphazard, non-thinking way; one must recognize that one's total spiritual power is concentrated in seme. This level of kendô is an aesthetic work of art, beautiful to look at.

Dignified mien (kihin, kigurai). In Kendô no manabikata (How to learn kendô), Satô Chûzô writes, "There is kendô that shows a high level of dignity and that which shows a low level of dignity." Those who display the former "can differentiate right from wrong and good from evil; they do not insist on always winning, but owing to the conviction that they will not lose, a dignified mien manifests itself naturally when facing the opponent." Moreover, Satô writes, "this dignity cannot be outwardly contrived. If one tries to contrive this dignity in outward form, stiffness results, the body freezes, and openings appear that an opponent can easily exploit.

Qualifications as a teacher. This is the penultimate criterion for a 5-dan-perfection of technical skills combined with mastery of principles in kendô-such that he/she can guide the development of those in lower ranks, and particularly children and youths.