The Bujinkan D?j? has a series of nine ky? (grades) below the level of shodan, starting with mukyu (”without grade”) and then from kukyu (9 kyu) to ikkyu (1 kyu), with 9 kyu being the lowest rank and 1 kyu being the highest. Just like in other Japanese martial arts, such as karate and judo, unranked (muky?) practitioners wear white belts, and those with ranks of sh?dan and above wear black belts. Ky? level practitioners wear colored belts, though the actual color of the belt varies from place to place. Furthermore, unlike other martial arts, the color has no relation to the actual kyu-level the practitioner holds. In Japan, it was once customary for kyu-level men to wear green belts and women to wear red belts; however, this practice has largely been abandoned. Now, both male and female Bujinkan practitioners wear green belts at most Japanese d?j?. Outside of Japan, some countries still follow the green for men/red for women custom, while others use green for all practitioners.
There were originally 9 dan levels, as with many other martial arts using the ky?/dan system, but this was changed by Hatsumi to 10 and later, 15 dan levels. The grades are divided into three groupings; 1-5 dan Ten (Heaven), 6-10 dan Chi (Earth), 11-15 dan Jin (Man, in the sense of Humanity). The Jin levels are further divided into the five elements of the Godai; chi (earth), sui (water), ka (fire), f? (wind) and k? (void).
The practitioner’s level is displayed by the color of the art’s emblem, called wappen (????), inscribed with the kanji “bu”(?) and “jin” (?). There are four kinds of wappen (9 to 1 ky?, 1 to 4 dan, 5 to 9 dan, and 10 to 15 dan) sometimes augmented with up to four silver or gold stars (called hoshi) above or around the emblem, representing the individual ranks.
At 4 dan (yondan), practitioners submit to a test before the s?ke to establish that they are able to sense the presence of danger and evade it, considered to be a fundamental survival skill. This is called sakki. This is the test for 5 dan. A practitioner with the level of godan or above is entitled to apply for a teaching license (shid?shi menkyo). A shid?shi is entitled to open his own d?j?, and grade students up to the level of 4 dan. A practitioner with the level of between 1 dan to 4 dan may become a licensed “assistant teacher” (shid?shi-ho), if backed by and acting under the supervision of a shid?shi 5th to 9th dan or a person who holds the level of 10 dan (j?dan). In the Bujinkan a person who holds the level of between 10 dan and 15 dan is often referred to as a shihan.
In addition to the ky?/dan system, a few practitioners have earned menkyo kaiden “licenses of complete transmission” in individual schools. These menkyo kaiden essentially establish that the master practitioner has learned all that there is to learn about the particular lineage. Whereas the ky?/dan ranks are often made public, those select practitioners who have earned menkyo kaiden rarely divulge their status, sometimes even being reluctant to recognize their actual dan ranking to outsiders.