| BRITISH AIKIDO |
"No matter your pretence, you are what you are and nothing more.“ - Kenshiro Abbe
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Origins of the Coloured Belt System in the UK By Henry Ellis Kenshiro Abbe Sensei 1915 – 1985 ---- Jigoro Kano Sensei 1860 – 1938 The most popular theory of the origins of the coloured belt system is that it was originated by the father of Judo himself ` Jigoro Kano `. Of all the various theories I have read, I believe that this is probably the the nearer to the true origin that we will ever get. The origins of the coloured belt system are discussed on most martial arts forums from time to time. Whilst there is some serious and honest debate, I am often amazed at some of the wild and stupid replies that many forum contributors add. Some claim, the colours are an ego trip for the student. How can it be an ego trip, if you join a dojo and that is their method of grading, as it still is my own organisation. We are teaching Traditional Aikido, and the coloured belt system is a part of that tradition of UK Aikido. When you join a dojo you either follow their system, be it coloured belts or not, or move on, there is no choice. I first started Judo in 1956 at the ` Abbe School of Budo ` which is the now known as the famous Hut Dojo. The coloured belt system was an integral part of the then grading system, as introduced and recognised by Kenshiro Abbe himself. The following year 1957, I joined the small Aikido group at the Hut Dojo, the gradings were carried out with the same colour system as the Judo, once again with the approval of Kenshiro Abbe Sensei. Aikido had started at the Hut Dojo. Which was the birth place of British Aikido. With the spread of Aikido throughout the UK by the only eight Aikido dan grades in the UK, all based at the Hut Dojo, and as Aikido spread, so followed the coloured belt grading system. Every `single` Aikido dojo in the UK in those early years were graded in this way. If for example a student had come into the dojo and stated that he or she did not like the belt colour system, they would have found the exit faster than they had found the entrance. on yer bike. I had one student who came into my own dojo in Bracknell, after watching for a while, he informed me that he wanted to join the club, he then said “ I want to join, but I am not taking part in the formal bow as it is against my religion “ I informed him that we do not bow in submission, but out of mutual respect to each other. He was adamant that he would not bow under any circumstances. I informed him that I had been teaching for nearly 50 years ( at that time ) and no one comes into my dojo and tells me how they as an individual will participate. I then showed him the door and asked him to leave, he threatened to report me to all those lunatic kinds of PC organisations, I reminded him that there were two ` hell’s` in Ellis. As I stated at the beginning of this article I do not know the true origins of the belt system internationally as there are so many variations, all I know is from my own experiences from the early days of Martial Arts in the UK. The first belt or grade was 6th Kyu = white belt - 5th Kyu = yellow belt - 4th Kyu = orange belt - 3rd Kyu = green belt - 2nd Kyu = blue belt - 1st Kyu = brown belt - 1st dan = black belt. Henry Ellis |
