Contents
How to read this chart
- Each table is for one organisation only: do not carry a column from one org across to another;
- The JKA counts kyu by rank and notes that colours "may vary slightly from school to school", so there is no fixed colour map on the JKA side;
- An empty cell is not an oversight: it is data that is not published or out of reach (per-grade kihon not transcribed for the JKA, per-kyu kata delegated to the club at the FFK, dan syllabus CSDGE-gated). A cell is never filled in by guesswork;
- Shotokan spelling only: Heian (never Pinan), Kanku (never Kūshankū), Bassai (never Passai), Empi (never Wanshu), Gankaku (never Chintō).
JKA: the full syllabus, grade by grade
Transcribed from the JKA Kyu/Dan Grading Guideline (effective 1 April 2017). Kata and kumite (sparring) are verbatim; the kihon (fundamentals) examined at each grade was not transcribed line by line.
| Grade | Kata | Kumite | ido-geiko (moving basics) / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th kyu | (in-place kihon) | - | Entry grade: in-place kihon only, no kata or kumite required |
| 9th kyu | (none) | - | ido-geiko introduced: oi-zuki advancing in zenkutsu-dachi |
| 8th kyu | Taikyoku Shodan | Gohon kumite (five-step sparring), jodan & chudan, oi-zuki | First kumite rung |
| 7th kyu | Heian Shodan | Gohon kumite | |
| 6th kyu | Heian Nidan | Kihon-ippon kumite (basic one-step sparring) | Ladder advances to one-step |
| 5th kyu | Heian Sandan | Kihon-ippon kumite | ido: age-uke stepping back + gyaku-zuki |
| 4th kyu | Heian Yondan | Kihon-ippon kumite | |
| 3rd kyu | Heian Godan | Kihon-ippon kumite | |
| 2nd kyu | Tekki Shodan | Jiyu-ippon kumite (semi-free one-step sparring) | ido: kiba-dachi, yoko-empi / yoko-uraken-uchi |
| 1st kyu | Bassai Dai / Kanku Dai / Empi / Jion (choice) | Jiyu-ippon kumite | Sentei kata (prescribed, candidate's choice) |
| 1st Dan (Shodan) | Bassai Dai / Kanku Dai / Empi / Jion (choice) | Jiyu-ippon kumite | |
| 2nd Dan | free choice (tokui, favourite kata) | Jiyu kumite (free sparring) | Free sparring first examined here |
| 3rd Dan | free choice | Jiyu kumite | |
| 4th Dan | examiner-specified (Heian Shodan → Tekki Nidan) + favourite kata | Jiyu kumite | |
| 5th Dan | examiner-specified (Heian Shodan → Tekki Sandan) + favourite | Jiyu kumite | |
| 6th–7th Dan | Bassai Dai / Kanku Dai / Empi / Jion (examiner) + favourite + written report | Jiyu kumite | |
| 8th–10th Dan | - | - | Awarded on recommendation of the Shihankai (no performance exam) |
Per-grade kihon: the JKA structures an examined kihon at every rung, but the exact list was not transcribed from the 2017 guideline (cell "not transcribed"). JKA note: from 2nd to 7th Dan, a candidate aged 60 and over may substitute jiyu-ippon for jiyu kumite.
DKV: the three tiers + dan
German federation (DKV), Prüfungsordnung Shotokan from January 2023 (editorial revisions 20.03.2024, 09.12.2025). Three pillars run through every grade: Kihon, Partnertraining (partner work) / Kumite, Kata. The program is described by tier; the exact per-kyu kata assignment was not transcribed (a coarse cell).
| Tier / grade | Colour | Form & kumite | Kata | Minimums |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unterstufe (9th–7th kyu) | weiss → gelb → orange (per the DKV chart) | Grundform (basic form); Partnertraining / pre-arranged kumite basics | Heian series introduced (per-kyu assignment not transcribed) | 3 months between exams (5 months for under-14s) |
| Mittelstufe (6th–4th kyu) | green / blue (5th kyu commonly blue, per the DKV chart) | Feinform (refined form): Hüfteinsatz (hip use), Kime; Bunkai (application) introduced; Kihon-ippon kumite | Heian series + Tekki Shodan approaching the Oberstufe (assignment not transcribed) | 3 months (5 months for under-14s) |
| Oberstufe (3rd–1st kyu) | braun (1st kyu braun) | complex combinations; Jiyu-ippon and Jiyu-kumite | advanced kata toward dan (Tekki, sentei kata) (assignment not transcribed) | 3 months between exams |
| 1st Dan (Shodan) | schwarz (black) | Kihon at dan standard; Jiyu-kumite | dan kata per the DKV program (exact list not transcribed) | 1 year (dan waiting = the dan number in years); min age 16 |
| 2nd Dan (Nidan) | schwarz | Jiyu-kumite | dan kata (exact list not transcribed) | 2 years; min age 20 |
SKIF: the published intervals
Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation (Kanazawa lineage). Nine colour kyu to Shodan. SKIF mainly publishes minimum training intervals; the per-kyu kihon/kata/kumite tables vary by national branch and were not transcribed from the GHQ master.
| Grade | Published interval | Kata / kumite | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyu (9 colour kyu to Shodan) | below 3rd kyu: ~3 months (at twice-weekly training); 3rd → 2nd kyu: min 3 / normal 6 months; 1st kyu → Shodan: min 6 / normal 12 months | Heian series across the kyu; Tekki Shodan at brown-belt level; Bassai Dai / Kanku Dai / Jion / Enpi as optional or dan kata (parallels the JKA line); per-kyu assignment varies by branch (not transcribed) | colour per kyu varies by national branch |
| 1st Dan (Shodan) | min 6 / normal 12 months from 1st kyu | dan kata parallel the JKA line (sentei kata: Bassai Dai / Kanku Dai / Jion / Enpi); exact requirement not transcribed | dan gradings conducted by the Soke/Kancho or nominated GHQ instructors, registered at SKIF-GHQ |
| 2nd Dan (Nidan) | 2 years from Shodan | not transcribed | min age 16; higher-dan waiting = the dan number in years |
FFKDA / CSDGE: colours + state dan
In France there are two distinct floors. The colour belts (kyu) are awarded by the club instructor up to brown; their per-kyu content is delegated to the club/style organisation and not centrally published. The dan (from Shodan) is a state diploma issued by the CSDGE (Commission Spécialisée des Dans et Grades Équivalents) and recognised by the French state.
| Floor | Structure / colour | Content | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyu (colour belt, club-awarded) | white → yellow → orange → green → blue → brown → (black); bicolour intermediates for children. The expanded §6 scheme counts 9 kyu (white 9th → brown 1st): a delta of counting, not of colour | kihon, kata (typically the Heian series) and kumite per kyu delegated to the club / style organisation (not centrally published) | delegated to the instructor up to brown; licence + medical certificate required each season |
| Dan (from Shodan): state diploma via CSDGE | black | dan UVs: Kihon; Kata (candidate announces and performs 2 kata); Bunkai (≥ 3 sequences); Kihon-ippon kumité; Jiyu-ippon kumité / Randori. The mix depends on the grade | two pathways: voie traditionnelle and voie compétition (the latter requires 5 official-competition appearances). Exact per-dan kata list CSDGE-gated (not transcribed) |
A French Shotokan club usually holds a dual affiliation: the FFKDA for licence, insurance and the state dan, and a style organisation for the technical curriculum.
Common questions
Does this chart apply to my dojo?
Is the WKF kata list used for grading?
Why are some cells empty?
Sources
JKA: Kyu/Dan Grading Guideline, effective 1 April 2017, jka.or.jp (kata and kumite per grade, 10th kyu to 10th Dan, transcribed; the 60+ substitution; Shihankai recommendation at the highest dan). DKV: Prüfungsordnung Shotokan 9. Kyu bis 8. Dan, from January 2023 (editorial rev. 20.03.2024, 09.12.2025), karate.de (three tiers Unterstufe/Mittelstufe/Oberstufe, min ages Shodan 16 / Nidan 20, Kampfrichter certificate, waiting times). SKIF: grading syllabus and dan registration, skifworld.com, skif.com.hk and national branches (published training intervals; GHQ registration). FFKDA: "Passer un grade", ffkarate.fr, and CSDGE Partie Technique (dan-exam UV structure; state dan; traditionnelle and compétition pathways; full syllabus CSDGE-gated). Paak Shotokan corpus, file 09 + the data file shotokan-grading-syllabus.json. The "not transcribed" and "CSDGE-gated" cells are source findings, never filled-in values. Content verified September 2026.