Ninjutsu Grading

This page explains the grading system / belts within Ninjutsu

The Ninjutsu grading system is unique in the way grades are displayed. Unlike many other martial arts, it does not solely use the color of a belt, instead it uses a Wappan (patch) and Hoshi (stars) However it should be noted that the following information on the grading system and styles will vary from one form of ninjutsu to another, with modern systems/ version using a more simplistic grading, while traditional forms still carry the elaborate ranking and titles within the art. It can also be commented that the grading philosophy itself will vary from those dojo in the east to those in the west, as commented by one Bujinkan 7th Dan, "the grading in Japan is that you are given a title (rank) and are expected to rise to that level and sustain it, while in western culture it must be earned before the grade is given." this unique grading system will be closely examined and two different forms of ninjutsu (modern and traditional) will show a balanced world view of this diverse and unique form.

Grading from White to Black belt (patch)

There are 9 grades that need to be progressed through to obtain a black belt in Ninjutsu, as follows. These 'beginner' grades (as with other Japanese martial arts styles) are called Kyu's, the following is a typical grading system for bujinkan Ninjutsu (note that in different Bujinkan Dojo's around the world stars may not be used nor the same belt color for that grade, depending on the instructor's own preferences).

As can be seen from the table above, a beginner is given a white belt upon commencing on the Ninjutsu grading system.

Once a student advances to the next grade: 8th Kyu,  a green belt is given to men and red belt belt to women. At this point 1 silver star (hoishi gin) is issued. This star is patched above the Bujinkan badge on the student belt. An example of this, with two silver stars is pictured right. As the student progresses through the ranks, more stars can be sewn onto the logo. As can be seen here, the Wappan patch for the grades between 1st and 9th Kyu is a white character on a red background. The character within the Wappan patch means 'the best martial artist'.

Once the student advances past 4 silver stars, they are then given gold stars (hoshi-kin'iro). The highest Kyu grade in Ninjutsu is 4 gold stars. The Wappan patch is still on a red background with a white character for such grades.

The next advancement past 1st Kyu is Shodan (1st Dan) black belt. Again the silver (hoishi gin) and gold (hoshi-kin'iro) stars are issued to be sewn onto the Wappan patch. It can be seen also here that this stage the Wappan patch changes color to a black character, on a red background. The image below illustrates the color of the Wappan patch and the relevant stars issued at each stage within the Ninjutsu grading beyond 1st Dan black belt.

At 10th Dan black belt, (Shi han) a green character on an orange background is used for the Wappan patch - this illustrates the level of a master instructor. It must be noted here that grades above 10th Dan are extremely rare and only a few people have ever been issued with 14th and 15th Dan.

A unique Wappan patch is worn by the head of Bujinkan (Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi) as shown below.

The ancient art of Ninjutsu has been taken by many modern warriors, to evolve it and add a new expression, or feeling to the art. Ninjutsu is always evolving and growing and there is still many great aspects to learn from these modern interpretations, one example of a modern grading system is from the Okami Sumika Ninjutsu method, which as Soke Michael Robinson describes his ranking system, "There are three levels up to shodan. Genin level 1, chunin level 2, & jonin level 3, then black belt. The terms genin, chunin, jonin are symbolic representations of the historical ninja hierarchy. Each level also has a rank color, grey, red, brown then black belt. These represent various colors of the Wolf. The wolf is a powerful animal that shares many of the characteristics of the ninja such as stealth, predatory nature and protection of the pack/ den or family". Ninjutsu is a dynamic martial art with many expressions within it, some traditional dating back to the 9 schools which form up Bujinkan, while others take these ancient arts and hierarchy (grading)to from the bases of a new modern system, which still respects and upholds the ways of these ancient warriors and masters.