Shozo Kato Aces Samurai Test

Shozo Kato, 54, a photographer by day and kendo sensei at Midtown Manhattan's Shidogakuin by night, has recently become only the third person outside of Japan to achieve the eighth dan in kendo -- the highest rank in Japanese fencing.

On average, about 1 percent of test takers pass the test, which has given the exam the reputation of the hardest test in Japan. Kato passed the exam on his second try. Some people try for decades to pass, for which one is only eligible if one has had a seventh dan for 10 years and is at least 46 years old.

Via: Asylum