I'm sure not everyone kept up with the development thread regarding our titles, so I figured I'd make an 'easier to find' reference thread in our forums for inquiring minds.
Our titles are largely based on the classical Japanese menkyo-kaiden system used during Japan's feudal era. This system of licensure predates the modern kyu/dan system of -do schools, but is still used in genuine -jutsu schools today. For further historical background on the menkyo-kaiden system see here.
One example using the menkyo system is known as Jujutsu (or Jujitsu), which means flexible, supple, or gentle art. This highly developed grappling style of fighting, which employs throws, chokes, strikes, and joint manipulations, was originally used by samurai who found themselves either unarmed, or otherwise unable to use their weapons against their armed & armored opponents. This is a familiar scenario for Rubi-Ka martial artists, who often prefer to face their armed & armored adversaries empty handed. Modern jujutsu schools such as this one, continue to use the menkyo system to this day.
Another martial art which uses the menkyo system is known as Jojutsu, which means "stick art", or "art of the four foot stick". The primary weapon used in this fighting style is the jo staff, which is a short, hard wood staff (shorter than a bo) ranging in length from around 3-5 feet long (although the modern jo is fixed at 128 cm; 4.2 feet). It is used for slashing, thrusting or blocking your opponent. After Shintō Musō-ryū (the traditional founding school of jojutsu) was established, the art continued to evolve, eventually incorporating even shorter stick weapons, such as the han-bo and the tanjo, into its forms. These short weapons, which are around 90cm (~3ft) long, are especially effective at trapping an opponents weapon or limb, or pressing a joint lock. Jojutsu weaponry, as well as the uses for those weapons, are very similar to the Shen Sticks which have become so popular among the martial artists of Rubi-Ka.
Still another martial art relevant to Rubi-Ka MA's, which commonly used the menkyo system, is the ancient Japanese art of Kyujutsu (Kyudo), or "way of the bow". In the early days of the Samurai, it was the bow, rather than the sword that served as their primary weapon. Samurai were renowned for the extraodinary accuracy & precision of their archery skills, even while mounted on a horse.
1) Ashigaru - literally means 'light foot'; infantry; this was the very lowest samurai rank in feudal Japan composed of foot soldiers. They were originially peasant farmers. These conscripts, whose strength rested in their large numbers, often had little to no training. Later, their status evolved from being the top of the peasant class, bonge, to the bottom level of the samurai class, buke. Over time, they specialized into being pikemen, archers, and arquebusiers, ie. gunmen."Kyudo, which literally means The Way of the Bow, is considered by many to be the purest of all the martial ways. In the past, the Japanese bow was used for hunting, war, court ceremonies, games, and contests of skill. The original word for Japanese archery was kyujutsu (bow technique) which encompassed the skills and techniques of the warrior archer. Some of the ancient schools, known as ryu, survive today, along with the ancient ceremonies and games, but the days where the Japanese bow was used as a weapon are long past. Modern kyudo is practiced primarily as a method of physical, moral, and spiritual development."
An excellent, in-depth history of the Ashigaru can be found here.
2) Mudansha - means individuals without rank. These are initiates without black belt rank, and depending on the ryu, aren't necessarily considered 'official' students yet; the kyu classes
3) Okuiri - entrance to secrets; oku = secrets; iri = to enter; represents the initiate/inductee rank of a school; license of formal recognition from the instructor that you are accepted as a student, and ready to learn the okuden - the hidden teachings or secret techniques of that school.
4) Mokuroku - catalog [of techniques]; the student is now formally recognized (i.e. catalogued) by their school as being in the official rolls, and as having attained a competent level of proficiency in the techniques of the ryu.
5) Menkyo - license; authorized to teach
6) Kaiden - everything passed; total transmission; the student has learned all that the school has to teach, and is qualified to pass it down. This is not meant to infer that the student has learned all there is to know about martial arts - the student never stops learning and developing their art.
Another good description of the menkyo-kaiden can be found here & here.
7) Dai-Shihan - 1st Shihan; Grandmaster; Great Master Instructor; shi = teacher; han = wise; this title is often used to designate the chief instructors amongst the Kaiden within the dojo, so it isn't always so much a 'higher rank', as it is a designation of respect (although the meaning can vary somewhat from dojo to dojo, as with all the menkyo titles in this list)
8) Shugyosha - a skilled warrior student on his pilgrimage (Musha shugyō), searching to perfect both his fighting skills and his spirit
9) Kengo - translates as 'great sword'; master swordsmen; an exceptionally gifted swordsman, though not quite as legendary as Kensei
10) Kensei - an honorary title given to a warrior of legendary skill in swordsmanship. The literal translation of "kensei" is "sword saint". Thus, the term is considered by some to imply a higher degree of perfection (possibly also encompassing a moral dimension) than the more commonly used kengō or "great sword." -source
The term kensei was also adapted in Okinawa to literally mean "fist saint" or "sacred fists" in honoring one of Okinawa's most notable martial arts masters, Higaonna Kanryō. He is credited with formalizing & founding Naha-Te, which is one of modern Kara-te's (translated "empty hand") direct predecessors. One of Higaonna Kanryō's student's, Chojun Miyagi, who founded the Gōjū-ryū (Japanese for "hard-soft style") style of karate, is also recognized as Kensei."Ken" is the reading for a kanji symbol meaning "fist" and also for a different kanji symbol meaning "sword". "Kensai" is usually translated "sword saint", when applied to Musashi Miyamoto, but "fist saint" for various Okinawan masters." -source; Shotokan's Secret: The Hidden Truth Behind Karate's Fighting Origins; p.57 footnote
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Originally Posted by Kinkstaah
