If you have rank in Bujinkan, I can tell you what it means:

2:11 PM Write comment

Have you been romote!" Were you con#ratulate! by your fellow stu!ents" How about your frien!s an! family" $an!om stran#ers" It means somethin# very !ifferent to these #rou s% What about the !ay after your romotion" & week later" 'ive months" With time, the romotion means somethin# very !ifferent even to you% I can tell you what your rank means% But first, what !oes it mean for you" It is im ortant to answer that (uestion every time you are romote!% &lso, it is im ortant to know what your teacher thinks it means% If your teacher is !oin# his job, he will fin! a way to communicate that to you% )he Bujinkan is not as systematic, or as !efinitive as other martial arts when it comes to rank% *ou can take two sho!an level stu!ents from !ifferent schools an! com are% Is their rank the same" +sually not% )eachers vary wi!ely in their re(uirements% But !oes it matter" Peo le usually answer *,-. But I woul! say that it shoul!n/t% *ou cannot com are the two% )heir history reclu!es com arisons base! on rank alone% In my own class, I !on/t #ive my stu!ents a lot of information about how I rank% I !on/t tell them what to stu!y or when to re are for #ra!in#% I know what I want them to learn an! what I am lookin# for in them for each rank% But by not s ellin# it out for them it !oes some thin#s which are beneficial to the rocess:

)hey !on/t have tunnel vision to selectively work on what they think is necessary for learnin# our art%

0ut an! !rie! rank re(uirements ins ire that ty e of narrow focus% ,ven thou#h I know what I want to see, they may sur rise me% By not tellin# them what to !o, they can brin# their own talents to the table% )his way I !on/t bo1 them in or try to make them fit a mol!% )hese sur rises kee our art alive% &fter the romotion, since they !on/t know e1actly if they fit the stan!ar!s, they will kee workin# to im rove everythin# instea! of movin# on to the ne1t skill set% &ll of this makes rank just an or#anic art of the trainin# e1 erience instea! of some sort of #ra!uation% In many schools, when eo le #et to a certain level 2often black belt3, they have a sense of #ra!uatin# or 4finishin#4 somethin#% )hen they (uit or fa!e away from trainin#% Most eo le I/ve met in the Bujinkan who have reache! a certain level, sto carin# about rank as a #oal, an! they focus on the )$&I5I56% )hat is what we shoul! strive for% Hatsumi -ensei has sai! this lou!ly an! clearly for years% &n! his rankin# rocess shoul! #et that throu#h to you as well% -o what !oes rank mean" )o me, rank is sim ly a communication between you an! your teacher% 5o one else. It is meanin#less to everyone else% &nybo!y who ju!#es or tries to com are is foolish% &n! most eo le who aren/t in the Bujinkan really !on/t care at all% ,s ecially if they are attackin# you. *ou an! your teacher% $ank is a way for the two of you to lace a value on your trainin# within your own circle% It is your teacher sayin#, 4Here is where you are at, an! where you nee! to #o%4 It is rivate% If you wear it like a ba!#e you !estroy the benefit it has an! turn it into somethin# meanin#less%