[citation needed] Although it is most commonly thought to be used for classical martial arts and ways, it can also be used for other arts such as painting (sumi-e), tea ceremony (chadō), flower arranging (Ikebana) or calligraphy (shodō).
Different martial art ko-ryū use different license; one outline is:[2] Menkyo kaiden (免許皆伝), (めんきょかいでん) is a Japanese term meaning "license of total transmission."
Advancement of license is not determined by years spent learning, but how well one masters the discipline.
However, the transition from menkyo to kaiden require usually at least thirty years' experience.
A holder of menkyo kaiden is often, but not always, the de facto successor to the sōke of the koryū.