Dan (rank) is by far the most recognizable symbol to the general public. The highest dan ranks are sometimes reserved for the founder or leaders of a style and only high-ranking students can be promoted to them. For example, only five living people hold a tenth dan in judo and only about thirty-five worldwide have been promoted to the rank since its inception; of those 10th dan promotions only fifteen were conferred by the Kodokan, all of them to Japanese judoka. This has led to upper level ranks becoming extinct in some arts. In other styles, the dan ranks are not the
Judo in Canada judo are that judoka with visual impairments take hold of their opponent before the start of the match, and the mat has different textures to indicate zones and the competition area. Judo for the visually impaired has a long history in Canada and, according to a newspaper article published in 1952, Ottawa was the home of the only judo club for the blind in the world at the time. In most circumstances, however, visually impaired and sighted judoka belong to the same clubs and practice together. Canada was first represented in international competition by brothers Pier Morten and Eddie Morten