, literally meaning "beginning degree", is the lowest
black belt rank in
Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts.
The usage ...
[SportsDefinitions.com: Shodan definition (judo)](_blank)
Retrieved on 28 February 2010 and the game of
Go. The 2nd
dan is higher than ''Shodan'', but the 1st dan is called ''Shodan'' traditionally and not "''Ichidan''". This is because the character 初 (''sho'', alternative pronunciation: ''hatsu'') also means first, new or beginning in
Japanese.
Also frequently referred to as "first dan", it is a part of the ''
kyū
is a Japanese language, Japanese term used in modern martial arts as well as in Japanese tea ceremony, tea ceremony, ikebana, flower arranging, Go (game), Go, shogi, academic tests and other similar activities to designate various grades, leve ...
''/''dan'' ranking system common to
modern Japanese martial arts. The term may be used to describe both the rank a person holds, as well as the person (i.e., it is proper to say that a person holds the rank of shodan, and it is also appropriate to say, "I ''am'' a shodan in 'x' martial art").
References
{{reflist, 2
Titles and rank in Japanese martial arts