Quote:
Ian Keane wrote:
Not trying to be contentious, but the fact that he promoted others 10th dan sort of bolsters my argument, which is that, if Saito had a truer grasp of the art as O-sensei taught it, then why didn't O-sensei give him the recognition he extended to Tohei, Suenaka and others? And if rank and licenses really didn't matter to him, why did he bother granting them?
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He handed out ranks for various reasons. In Suenaka's case I believe it's because he needed a teaching credential when he moved to Okinawa. There were other people who received ranks for similar reasons. One person was awarded a 9th dan - Ueshiba just asked him what rank he wanted and the person didn't feel comfortable asking for 10th.
There weren't any ranks at all until 1942 - they started because they were required by the consolidation of all Japanese martial arts by the Japanese government under the Dai-Nihon Butokukai.
First 8th Dan - Kenji Tomiki.
BTW, I'm not arguing that Saito had a better grasp (or a poorer grasp) of anything in particular - just that he was in a position to see where Ueshiba was - with him in Iwama.
As for his rank - maybe he forgot to ask for it
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Best,
Chris