The Ranking System of Go Kan Ryu Karate

There are a total of eight different belt colors in the GKR Karate ranking system. There are certain criteria that must be met before one can move on to each successive belt color, but it mainly depends on the amount of experience a person has. The Belt order for GKR Karate is as follows:

10th & 9th Kyu – White
8th Kyu – Yellow
7th Kyu – Orange
6th Kyu – Green
5th Kyu – Blue
4th Kyu – Red
3rd, 2nd, and 1st Kyu – Brown
Shodan Ho, 1st-4th Dan – Black Belt

For those who are confused, the term “kyu” is used in GKR Karate and other martial arts as part of a ranking system that designates a persons skill and experience. The kyu rank is reserved for every level below that of a black belt and the dan system. Shodan Ho means “provisional black belt” (Shodan meaning first degree and Ho meaning provisional, junior, or probational). The Dans then represent the ranking system of the black belts. For more information, visit our page that lists all of the terms used in Go Kan Ryu Karate.

Almost every level in GKR Karate has a certain kata, or pattern, that must be executed (such as a series of punches of kicks) in order to prove that one is worthy of moving on to the next rank. The various kata that have to be performed are as follows:

10th-7th Kyu: None
7th Kyu (ho) – 7th Kyu: Taigyoku Shodan & Ni-Dan
7th Kyu – 6th Kyu: Saifa
6th Kyu – 5th Kyu: Saifa
5th Kyu – 4th Kyu: Bassai-Dai
4th Kyu – 3rd Kyu: Bassai-Dai
3rd Kyu – 2nd Kyu: Seiunchin
2nd Kyu – 1st Kyu: Empi
1st Kyu – Shodan Ho: Sanseru/Sepai
Shodan Ho – 1st Dan: Sepai/Hangetsu
1st Dan – 2nd Dan: Kanku-Dai/Kururunfa
2nd Dan – 3rd Dan: Shisochin/Kanku-sho
3rd Dan – 4th Dan: Seisan/Sochin