Judo federations have promoted another eleven who are not recognized (at that level of rank) by the Kodokan. On July 28, 2011, the promotion board of USA Judo awarded Keiko Fukuda the rank of 10th "dan", who was the first woman to be promoted to judo's highest level, albeit not a Kodokan-recognized rank. Although "dan" ranks tend to be consistent between national organizations there is more variation in the "kyū" grades, with some countries having more "kyū" grades. Although initially "kyū" grade belt colours were uniformly white, today a variety of colours are used. The first black belts to denote a
Judo in Canada by the National Grading Board. Most of the responsibility for grading, however, is delegated to other organizations. All "kyū" grade promotions are based on examination at the student's club by the club's head instructor or grading board following the Judo Canada grading syllabus. "Shodan" (first "dan") to "hachidan" (eighth "dan") promotions are based on examination by a provincial or territorial grading board, and must be ratified by Judo Canada. "Kudan" (ninth "dan") and "judan" (tenth "dan") promotions are rare honours that are conferred directly by Judo Canada, the International Judo Federation, or the Kodokan. The time between promotions for "kyū"