[스포츠박사 기자의 스포츠용어 산책 1241] What does ‘10th Dan’ mean in Judo?

<img alt="A domestic judo competition hosted by the Korean Judo Association. [연합뉴스 자료사진]” class=”thumb_g_article” data-org-src=”https://t1.daumcdn.net/news/202410/20/maniareport/20241020074112777oyza.jpg” data-org-width=”540″ dmcf-mid=”xYyPSZ5r2j” dmcf-mtype=”image” height=”auto” src=”https://img4.daumcdn.net/thumb/R658x0.q70/?fname=https://t1.daumcdn.net/news/202410/20/maniareport/20241020074112777oyza.jpg” width=”658″/>

A domestic judo competition hosted by the Korean Judo Association. [연합뉴스 자료사진]

Shin Do-hwan (1922-2004), a Korean judo legend, was called a ‘10th-dan judo romanticist’ during his lifetime. After his death, the title of his biography published in 2010 also used his nickname. He left a significant mark on modern history as a politician and athlete. He served as a five-term member of the National Assembly, and as an athlete, he served as president of the Korea Judo Association, president of the Judo High School Association, advisor to the Korea Sports Association, and chairman of the Association of Athletes. In 2000, he received the 10th Dan in Judo for his contribution to the development of Judo in Korea.

Seok Jin-kyung (right), who was the first person in Korea to reach the 10th degree in judo.

Seok Jin-kyung (1912-1990) was the first person in Korea to reach the 10th dan level in judo. Mr. Seok, who contributed to the development of judo after liberation as Korea’s first 9th dan judo, was awarded a 10th dan certificate by the Korean Judo Association just before he passed away. Seok Seok-saeng’s nickname was ‘Yuseong (柔聖)’, meaning a saint of Judo.
In Judo, 10th Dan is revered by Judoists as ‘the level of God’. Even in Japan, the home of judo, there are only a few people, such as Mifune and Godani, who reached the 10th dan level during their lifetime. Only those who have reached the level of ‘circle’, which best embodies the softness that is the essence of Judo, are eligible to receive the 10th Dan. (Refer to this corner 1231 ‘Why do we say ‘Yudo’?’)

Originally, the word ‘dan’ was derived from the Chinese character ‘staircase dan (段)’, which was first used in Japan. According to the Chinese dictionary, the epigraph for the character ‘Dan (段)’ depicts a piece of stone sticking out of a rock wall and a club called Su (殳). It represents the cutting of a stone by hitting it with a hammer. The meaning of ‘cutting’ or ‘tempering’ comes from the image of cutting a stone. Later, the meaning of ‘piece’ or ‘fragment’ was derived from the appearance of a piece of stone falling off. Also, the stone carving resembles a staircase, so it came to mean ‘stairs.’ (Refer to this corner, episode 565, ‘Why do we say ‘dan’ in Taekwondo?’)

Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, created a grading system called Dan in 1883. He took an idea from Japanese Baduk and adopted a system called ‘Dan’, which means grade, to distinguish players’ skill levels. At the time, 9th Dan was the highest grade. Also, in 1886, Gano noticed that swimmers wore black ribbons around their waists to show their high level, so he decided to make the belt black. It was in 1907 when Kano introduced the modern white gi that the Judo belt began to look similar to what it has today.

Britain’s Charles Palmer wearing a red belt after being awarded the 10th Dan by the International Judo Federation in 1997.[국제유도연맹 홈페이지 캡처]

In 1952, the International Judo Federation adopted seven different colored belts to be worn around the waist depending on the player’s level. The highest level is the black belt, but it is further subdivided from 1st to 10th. In Japan, 6th to 8th dan are marked with a red and white belt, and 9th to 10th dan are marked with a red belt. In Korea, it was subdivided into 12 categories.

10th Dan in Judo is written as ’10th Dan’ in English. The International Judo Federation awards the 10th Dan to those who have devoted themselves to the development of international judo, and Germany’s Peter Hermann, a bronze medalist at this year’s World Championships, became a 10th Dan.

[김학수 마니아타임즈 기자 / [email protected]]

Article reports and press releases [email protected]