At the Belgrade Kendo Trophy Event, held October 14-15 in Serbia, Bilkent kendo instructor Zafer Demirtaş attained the fourth-dan rank after undergoing an examination of his mastery of the skills of kendo.
A modern Japanese martial art in which competitors use bamboo swords and protective armor, kendo employs the kyu and dan system to measure technical achievement. There are six kyu grades, and, in practice, eight dan grades above them. Achieving fourth-dan ranking is a significant accomplishment.