Rank in Judo are ranked in ascending numerical order. The ninth ("kudan") and tenth degree black belt ("jūdan") and, theoretically, those higher, have no formal requirements. Only 15 individuals have been promoted to the rank of Kōdōkan 10th dan. On January 6, 2006, three individuals were promoted to this rank simultaneously: Daigo Toshirō, Ichirō Abe, and Ōsawa Yoshimi. This is the most ever at the same time, and the first in 22 years. No one has ever been promoted to a rank higher than 10th "dan", but in theory the Judo rank system is not limited to 10 degrees of black belt. The
British Judo Council is more rigidly adhered to than is often the case in more sport-oriented clubs and organisations. The BJC stress the importance of kata, a view that is not shared by some other large organisational bodies in the UK. British Judo Council The British Judo Council (BJC) is a membership organisation and a governing body for Judo in the United Kingdom. In 1955 Kenshiro Abbe, then a 7th dan Japanese judoka and the highest ranked judoka outside Japan, was invited to Britain on a two year contract to teach Judo at the London Judo Society, a Judo School in South London.