NOVENO DAN | KUDAN – Chishiki Judo

INTRODUCTION AND MEANING

He noveno and judo, also called The beeis one of the danes highest in judo. Being ninth dan you will be able to wear a red belt in its entirety, the white lines that we found in the sixth, seventh and eighth dan belts disappear. The judo red belt was reserved only for the 10th dan, it was not until 1943 that the 9th dan was allowed to wear the full red belt.

The beeas it is known in Japanese, means “ninth step. the word to means “ninth” and And It means “grade”, “rank” or “step”.

It is very difficult to find judokas who have the ninth dan red belt. Here in Spain we are lucky to have some of them, although we have never achieved a tenth dan in our country. This degree represents a dedication to the understanding and dissemination of judo at an extraordinary level.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

In Europe, the ninth dan belt is awarded by the International Judo Federation.

According to the IJF (International Judo Federation) there are different categories as a judoka, as we have seen in the previous danes (6-7-8). We have four categories, A, B, C and D. In the case of the sixth and seventh dan, they could be obtained with any of the four categories, for the eighth dan it was necessary to be category A or B, but in this case you can only opt for the ninth dan if you are from category A, which represents the maxim within the International Judo Federation.

To obtain this degree, you will have to meet one of the following requirements:

• Podium at the Olympic Games or Senior World Championships.
• Be a referee of the IJF.
• Being a Continental officer in the IJF.
• National coach of athletes who have won medals in the Olympic Games or Senior World Championships.

Once you are clear if you meet these requirements to qualify for the ninth dan, you have to meet a minimum age and a certain amount of time since you obtained the eighth dan:

CRITERIA

The ninth dan has criteria that represent the values ​​of judo, since when you reach this dan you will be a reference for future generations.

The fundamental criteria to be able to receive the ninth dan according to the IJF are the following:

• Have been continually involved in judo activities such as competitions, teaching, coaching, training, refereeing or administration.
• Have actively practiced judo.
• Have a perfect personality, recognized for its charisma, luminosity and ethics.
• Have a perfect career.
• Have been gradually promoted from first to eighth dan without passing several And at the same time.
• Get a prize in any national tournament.
• Be recommended by both the National Federation and the Continental Union.

Although considering all the requirements and criteria, as high grades are very exceptional, the IJF Grades and “Dan” Commission reserves the right to propose the validation of particular grades that do not fully comply with the usual criteria. These nominations will be validated by the IJF EC.

METHOD OF OBTAINING

The only way to obtain it is to request it or have it proposed to you due to your career as a judoka. There is no exam for this dan.

According to the IJF, the procedure is as follows. All applications for degree validation must be sent by national federations to the General Secretariat of the Continental Union. The director of the Continental Degrees and “Dan” Commission will verify the information. He will then propose the validation of this degree to the President of the Continental Union. The duly completed and validated document will be sent to the Secretary General of the IJF.

NINTH SPANISH DANES

We present a list of Spanish judokas who have achieved the ninth dan of judo. To date, to my knowledge, only 18 Spanish judokas have achieved this great achievement.

1. José Navarro of Palencia – First Spanish ninth dan. Obtained on 11/19/2005
2. Young Lee Joo – 2006 – At 72 years old.
3. Victor Manuel Gaspar Corina – 2008 – At 66 years old.
4. Shu Taira – 2009 – At 67 years old.
5. Amado Ramos Pérez – 2009 – At 77 years old.
6. Francésc Talens Coral – 2011 – At 82 years old.
7. Toshiyasu Uzawa Okamoto – 2012 – At 76 years old.
8. Emilio Serna Díes – 2012 – At 87 years old.
9. Francisco Valcárcel Robles – 2014.
10. Macario García Jiménez – 2016 – At 70 years old.
11. José Tent Vercher – 2016 – At 74 years old.
12. Rafael Ortega Fernandez – 2016 – At 70 years old.
13. Vicente Zarza Juan – 2017 – At 69 years old.
14. Gerardo Poncela Ruiz de Azua – 2017 – At 71 years old.
15. Antonio Coruña Melián – 2018 – At 69 years old.
16. Salvador Gomez Blanch – 2020.
17. Sacramento Moyano Luque – First and only Spanish woman to obtain the ninth dan. 12/18/2021 – At 69 years old.
18. Carlos Sotillo Martínez – 2023 – At 61 years old.