When I went to Okinawa, I was still unclear about the meaning of menkyo kaiden. I asked Chibana Sensei (Head of the Okinawa Shorin-ryu Karate-do Association) and he gave me the following explanation:In Okinawan karate, the term menjo (diploma) was used, rather than menkyo. A "Shihan no Menjo" (expert teacher/master diploma/certificate) was awarded in place of a menkyo kaiden. A Shihan no Menjo superceded ranking in determining seniority.