Time in Grade Requirements in Karate

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"Time in Grade" is an American military concept added to karate by those military students and is not and was not a part of Okinawan Martial Art until the Japanese Dan-i belt system arrived in Judo and adopted by Funakoshi Sensei. There is not definitive evidence that the dan-i system had any kind of time in grade requirements. The influences of the American military tho work heavily on the rank time in grade model along with some services requiring actual job defined tests, etc.

No where else have I experienced time in grade than as a Marine on active duty where one’s time in grade along with time in service would contribute hugely toward promotions in rank. The Marines were a dominant force of reckoning in Okinawa mid to late 1950’s. Stories have been told of how certain military students would impose certain ideas on Sensei and those Sensei readily adopted them if for no other reason than a means to keep military special services contracts on the table. One Sensei I am knowledgable of actually flourished under military contracts after WWII ended. 

It wasn’t all that late after the 1950’s that both “Time in Grade and Time in Service” became the defacto means to award rank in karate using the dan-i system as a model. Add in the requirements to learn the basics and kata, a certain amount of kata per rank level, and - Whalla! - you have a money making rank and test system for martial arts. 

TIG/TIS models actually detract and diminishs traditional karate practice. Even so, the Okinawan Sensei adopted the practice simply because it worked as to the commercial needs of the community. Now, in our modern karate world, folks travel at great cost and over long distances to get the “Authentic Okinawan Approval” for rank (often after a short seminar like visit rank and awards are handed out). 

Other aspects of the system as a detriment to the spirit and traditions of karate, if there is such a thing, we can perceive how tying criteria like TIG/TIS tends to give a student a perception and perspective that, “Doing the minimum” will mean black belt, etc.

As to time and service requirements, they are pretty much arbitrary as to dojo and governing org with money as the driving force, if you can get away with it and for higher fees it will be so.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the then fledgling yet rapidly growing sport industry.

TIG and TIS (service actually being time spent in the dojo, practicing and training, between each level or grade to qualify for the next level) are not actually meant to be a part of a classical and traditional way in the study. It should not be forgotten that before Judo and Funakoshi, with friends, adopted and introduced the dan-i system it was not a part of Okinawan Karate or Te/Ti. In the effort to gain the Japanese approval and to have their unique system of empty or open hand defense accepted as a martial art they had to adopt and make these distinctly Japanese models a part of their systems and styles.

In truth, Ti is a civil fighting system with contests much like the modern sports of today and it was also a civil form of defensive fighting in its times. As to martial history and connectivity Ti is not martial. One Koryu Sensei stated about karate:

“Don’t assume that we are talking about one culture being better than another. Don’t believe that this mentality, of completely destroying an opponent, means that Japanese martial arts are the ‘real thing’ any more so than any other martial or combat art. Different arts address the differences in cultures and countries, circumstances and histories. There is no point in making comparisons.”  - Dave Lowry, “A Perfect Strike in the Japanese Arts (Black Belt Magazine)”

“Karate is not a martial art, as we have discussed before. It was not practiced by a martial class. It was not created to kill instantly, to devastate. It had different goals and a different approach. When it was introduced to mainland Japan, it’s early pioneers there worked tirelessly to make it respectable and accepted, and that meant making it ‘Japanese.’ That is how we got ideas like ikken hisatsu, or ‘killing with a single strike,’ which were not a traditional part of Okinawan karate.” - Dave Lowry, “A Perfect Strike in the Japanese Arts (Black Belt Magazine)” 

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