AUSKF New Rank Certificate (Menjo) Request Instructions

June 2024 (Updated) 

AUSKF Promotions and Examinations

This document describes the procedure and tips of requesting new rank certificates (menjo) to AUSKF.

Steps

1. Regional federation officer prepares the menjo request form and sheet.

   1. Obtain the official "AUSKF Menjo Request Form" and "AUSKF Menjo Request Sheet":

      • AUSKF Menjo Request Form (docx)

      • AUSKF Menjo Request Sheet (xlsx)

   2. Enter the following information into the Menjo Request Form, and save the file.

      • Requested date

      • Type of art (Select Kendo, Iaido or Jodo and delete irrelevant ones)

      • Member Federation name

      • Examination date and location

      • Judging Ranks, for example, Kyu – 1 Dan, or 2 – 3 Dan

      • Examiner’s name, AUSKF ID # and Rank in each panel, as listed in the AUSKF database; membership must be valid for the membership year in which the examination was held.

      • Member Federation Contact Person Information (recipient of the printed certificates)

   3. Enter the certificate recipient information into the Menjo Request Sheet, and save the file. Note that each row should contain the following information, and their name and AUSKF ID number must exactly match with the AUSKF database. Also, membership must be valid for the membership year in which the examination was held.

      • Examination date (Year, Month, Day)

      • Last name and First name

      • New rank and Kyu/Dan

      • Art (Kendo, Iaido or Jodo)

      • Shogo (AUSKF high-rank Shinsa only)

      • Age

      • Youth or adult (17 yrs & under, 18 yrs & over)

      • Fee

      • AUSKF ID number

      • Federation name

      • Dojo name

   4. Email the electronic files to the AUSKF Vice-President of Promotions and Examinations (VP of P&E). 

The payment can be electronically made to Treasurer@auskf.org via Zelle (recommended). Alternatively, send one check to a suggested mailing address via USPS or other courier service (optional). Contact VP of Promotion for the mailing address. The submission of the request and payment is expected to be done within a month after conducting the promotion exam.

2. Once the payment is confirmed, AUSKF starts the verification process. Following items are checked and any outstanding issues will be reported to the requested regional federation.

   2. • Format of the Menjo Request Form and Sheet

      • Rank (Examiners)

      • Name (Certificate recipients)

      • AUSKF ID number (Examiners and certificate recipients)

      • Membership status (Examiners and certificate recipients)

      • Minimum age for Dan (Certificate recipients)

   3. Once “all” issues are completely resolved, the certificates will be printed all together and the ranks will be updated in the database. Pending issues will block moving forward.

   4. A notification will be emailed to the regional federation officer when the certificates are shipped.

Note: 

AUSKF is not responsible for correcting errors, such as incorrect ranks, on the printed certificates if they are originated by the requested regional federation. The requested regional federation must pay $50.00 to AUSKF for replacing each incorrect certificate. Also, if the shipped package is undeliverable due to an incorrect address provided by the regional federation officer or an improper receiving arrangement, a re-shipping cost must be covered by the federation.

The Do’s and Don'ts of the Menjo Request Form

Do’s

• • • Download the Menjo Request Form (docx) in Microsoft Word (.docx) format. The file should not be saved in any other formats.

    • Provide examiners information for each judging panel if there are more than one. You can create tables for additional panels in the same file.

    • Ensure each examiner’s information is correct and valid. Invalid membership or rank of any examiner may make the examination invalid.

      • • AUSKF ID number

        • Membership status of the membership year in which the examination was held

        • Rank

    • Provide the correct address for the Member Federation Contact Person Information. Printed certificates will be shipped to this address.

Don’ts

• • • Save the Form in the PDF format or any others other than Microsoft Word (doc) format.

The Do’s and Don'ts of the Menjo Request Sheet

Do’s

• Download the Menjo Request sheet (xlsx) in Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format. The file should not be saved in any other formats.

• Ensure the following information are correct and valid:

Last name and first name error:

Below are some examples of incorrect names in the Menjo Request sheet. The last and first name in the database is "Doe, John" (no middle name).

Example of Incorrect information provided and its reason:

• Doe, Johnny (First name doesn’t match)

• Doe, John Jack (First name doesn’t match)

• John, Doe (Last and first names are reversed)

• DOE, JOHN (Name is spelled in large cap)

• doe, john (The first letter of the name is not capitalized)

• Doe , John (The last name has a tailing space)

Note: If a recipient wants to have his/her middle name to be printed along with the first name, the middle name must be listed in the database, as a part of the first name or as a middle name.

New rank and Kyu/Dan error:

Below are some examples of incorrect rank and Kyu/Dan in the Menjo Request sheet and its reason:

• K (“Kyu” is shortened to one letter)

• KYU (It is spelled in large cap)

AUSKF ID number error:

Below are a few examples of incorrect AUSKF ID numbers in the Menjo Request sheet. The number in the database is 12345 and its reason:

• 12354 (The ID number doesn’t match)

• 012345 (Leading zero is added)

Membership status as of the promotion examination:

Important: 

Only members who are in good standing of the membership year in which the examination is held should be allowed to take the examination. Certificates may not be issued to invalid (unpaid) members. Also, the corresponding new ranks will not be added to the database.
 

Note: 

Membership drive for the new membership year usually occurs in March. Before and during the period members may not be able to register or pay membership fees for the previous year.

Certificate fees (see Test and Exam Fees).

• Ensure the correct total amount of the certificate fees.

• (Optional) Delete sample lines. It’s fine to leave it there.

Don’ts

• Alter the Menjo Request Sheet. Any of following changes should be refrained:

  • • Adding, inserting, moving or hiding column(s)

    • Inserting row(s) above the headers

    • Hiding row(s)

    • Renaming the headers

    • Renaming the sheet

    • Adding notes

    • Adding a sheet (all menjo recipients should be listed in one sheet)

• Introduce additional Excel formulas. Sum calculation for the total fees is already in the sheet and only acceptable.