Previously I presented an Example of Association Rules in Okinawa. It describes the exact rules and how Okinawan karate kobudo associations are organized. From it, it can also be seen what distinguishes Okinawan associations from associations in other countries. Over years, karate practitioners around the world have also inquired about the rules for examinations, minimum years of training and age requirements, examination contents, etc. Therefore, to give you a reliable glimpse, I here share a representative example of the examination rules of an Okinawan association, translated from the original. I have shared this translation before with a member, but I believe it is important for everyone to study, understand, and interprete it, as well as for academic purposes.

Official Examination Regulations of the Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Ryukyu Kobudo

Objective

Article 1: The purpose of these regulations is to stipulate the necessary matters regarding title and dan examination for those who train in Ryukyu Kobudo.

Requirements

Article 2: Those who wish to undergo the examination must be members of the Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Ryukyu Kobudo and meet the requirements for the minimum number of training years and the minimum age as specified in separate table 1.

Procedure

Article 3: The procedures for those who wish to undergo the examination shall be as follows.

1. For 1^st kyū and below, you must apply to the branch manager you belong to.
2. For 1^st dan and above, fill in the application form with the signature and seal of the branch manager, and submit it to the General Headquarters along with the examination fee and registration fee as specified in attached table 2. However, in the case of members from Japan outside Okinawa prefecture, and foreign members, up to 4th dan applicants must apply to their respective branch or branch association.
3. All 5^th dan and above must apply to the General Headquarters. However, outside Okinawa Prefecture, applications must be made through the regional headquarters or each country headquarters.

Examination location

Article 4: The examination location shall be as follows.

1. 1^st kyū and below will be handled by each affiliated branch.
2. 1^st dan and above are held at the General Headquarters. However, members in Japan outside of Okinawa Prefecture, and members abroad, can participate in their respective branches or branch associations for 4th dan and below.
3. 5^th dan and above shall be carried out at the General Headquarters.

Fixed date of examination

Article 5: The fixed examination dates are as follows.

1. 1^st kyū and below shall be held every other month, in principle in odd-numbered months.
2. 1^st dan and above are held twice a year in spring and autumn, in principle in May and November.

Examination Items

Article 6: The examination subjects are as follows.

• 4^th kyū: Tsuken Shitahaku no Sai
• 3^rd kyū: Tekkō
• 2^nd kyū: Shūshi no Kon
• 1^st kyū: Bunkai of kata
• 1^st dan: Nunchaku, Sakugawa no Kon (Shō), Tsuken Shitahaku no Sai
• 2^nd dan: Tonfā, Shūshi no Kon (Dai), Chatan Yara no Sai
• 3^rd dan: Tinbē, Sakugawa no Kon (Dai), Hama Higa no Sai
• 4^th dan: Kanegawa no Nichōgama, Yonegawa no Kon, Kojō no Sai
• 5^th dan: Tsuken Sunakake no Kon, Shirotaru no Kon, Tawada no Sai

Examination method

Article 7: The examination method shall be to calculate the average score for each kata in reference to the kyū and dan rank examinations specified in the preceding article by the following method.

1. For the 1st dan, on a scale of 10 points as the perfect score, the examination is passed with 7.0 points or higher, and accepted under reserve from 6.95 to 6.99 points.
2. For 2nd dan and above, on a scale of 10 points as the perfect score, the examination is passed with 7.0 points or higher, and failed below 7.0 points.

Criteria for passing the examination

Article 8: The following are the criteria for passing the examination.

1. For 5th dan and below, and in accordance with the provisions of the preceding article, those who meet the criteria for the minimum number of training years and the minimum age as specified in attached table 4.
2. For Renshi and above, those who meet the criteria for the minimum number of training years and the minimum age as specified in attached table 4 and have mastered all 20 examination items up to 5th Dan as specified in Article 6, and who after careful investigation of personality, education, etc. are recognized by the president as being qualified.
3. Regardless of the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, the president may promote the title and rank of those who are recognized as having achieved particularly outstanding results or if deemed necessary due to special circumstances.

Miscellaneous rules

Article 9: In addition to the provisions up to the preceding article, the detailed enforcement regulations are stipulated as follows.

1. Examination subjects and examination regulations are specified in the attached table 4, and the examination fees and registration fees are specified in the attached table 2.
2. Those who have come to the General Headquarters from remote areas other than the Okinawa district and who have failed to pass the examination may be certified to have passed the examination by the president after completion of a fixed period of training of the items that have failed the examination.

Temporary Measures

Article 10: In addition to the matters stipulated in the preceding article, necessary matters arising from examinations shall be deliberated and decided by the examination committee as necessary.

Revision of the official regulations

Article 11: Revisions to these official regulations shall be decided by a majority of those present at the board meeting.

Supplementary Provisions

1. These regulations shall be implemented from March 10, 1991.

Table 1: The General Headquarters and Sub-organizations of the Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Ryukyu Kobudo

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Table 2: Registration fees (Admission fees and Examination fees)

1st dan	2,000 Yen
2nd dan	3,000 Yen
3rd dan	4,000 Yen
4th dan	6,000 Yen
5th dan	15,000 Yen
6th dan	25,000 Yen
7th dan	35,000 Yen
8th dan	35,000 Yen
9th dan	40,000 Yen
10th dan	45,000 Yen

Table 3: Application fees

Establishment of a new member dōjō	10,000 Yen
Instructor’s license (shidōin menkyo)	10,000 Yen
Teacher’s license (shihan menkyo)	10,000 Yen

Table 4: Examination regulations

Rank	Examination item 1	Examination item 2	Examination item 3
4th kyū	Chikin Shitahaku no Sai
3rd kyū	Tekkō
2nd kyū	Shūshi no Kun (Shō)
1st kyū	Kata Bunkai
1st dan	Nunchaku	Chikin Shitahaku no Sai	Sakugawa no Kun (Shō)
2nd dan	Tunfā	Chatan Yara no Sai	Shūshi no Kun (Dai)
3rd dan	Tinbē	Hama Higa no Sai	Sakugawa no Kun (Dai)
4th dan	Kanegawa no Nichōgama	Kojō no Sai	Yonegawa no Kun
5th dan	Chikin Sunakake no Kun	Tawada no Sai	Shirotaru no Kun
Renshi	–	–	–
Kyōshi	–	–	–
Hanshi	–	–	–

Rank	Number of learned items	Minimum training years	Minimum age
4th kyū		3 month or more	Junior high school students and above
3rd kyū		6 month or more	“
2nd kyū		9 month or more	“
1st kyū		1 year or more	“
1st dan	7	2 years or more	Junior high school graduate or above
2nd dan	10	3 years or more	“
3rd dan	13	5 years or more	20 years old or older
4th dan	16	7 years or more	“
5th dan	20	10 years or more	25 years old or older
Renshi	20	15 years or more	30 years old or older
Kyōshi	20	20 years or more	40 years old or older
Hanshi	20	25 years or more	60 years old or older

© 2023, Andreas Quast. All rights reserved.