Seibukan, USA - HANSHI

MEANING OF THE TERM "HANSHI"
The highest teaching title of instructor in many organizations is “hanshi”. "Han" (範) means example, model or pattern. "Shi" (士) means gentleman, samurai or warrior, or scholar.

As the title implies, the person is a perfect model, literally "model-person", a teacher of teachers. Awarding a hanshi involves being in the martial arts (whichever they are) for decades as well as a certain age and maturity. A hanshi also makes significant contributions to the martial arts (they represent) and the principles and concepts of their art pervade every aspect of their life.

MEANING OF THE TERM "MEIJIN"
The word "meijin" means "an excellent person" in a certain field. "Mei" (名) means excellent or artful. "Jin" (人) means person. In the martial arts a meijin is a term used to refer to a truly unique and distinguished master of an art who is considered to have achieved mental, spiritual and physical perfection. The well known martial arts writer and historian Donn Drager notes in "Modern Budo & Bujitsu" that "all genuine meijin of classical disciplines, without exception, studied a wide range of different disciplines, never specializing in one alone, at least before achieving meijin status."

Many organizations have various means by which they judge the criteria for a person to attain teaching positions.

Seibukan is jointly affiliated with the Kodo Butoku Renmei. They have a hanshi grading board called the Hanshi no Iinkai which is recognized and endorsed by Seibukan.