The History of Judo
Taken from Matsumoto, D. (1996) An Introduction to Kodokan Judo: History and Philosophy. Tokyo: Hon-no-Tomosha.The Takeuchi - style of jujitsu, under Hisamori Takeuchi, is the oldest known form of jujitsu. This particular school specialized in immobilizing the aggressor. Around 1598 other styles became popular among the samurai warriors. About 1650 in the Wakayama Prefecture, Jushin Sekiguchi taught what became known as yawara, and developed the principles of break falls (ukemi). Free-fighting (randori) was introduced in the 17th century. During this time jujitsu was still the identified primarily as a battlefield art.
The Edo period (1604-1867) was a peaceful time; however, following the adage "living in peace, but remembering war," the practice of jujitsu continued to spread. The study of classic literature (kokugaku) began to play a large role in society, and this carried over into the training halls (dojos). Consequently these dojos were not only places to refine the physical skills needed to be a good martial arts artist, but they taught mental and spiritual aspects as well. Even though each school had a separate physical regimen, they all followed the ethical code of the samurai warrior, Bushido. This manifested itself in the master-servant relationship between a teacher and his students.
By the end of the Edo period over 160 jujitsu schools thrived, including the Kito-style (which started in 1795). The Kito-style and kyushin-style were known for, and specialized in free-fighting (randori). The Yoshin-style and Tenjin Shinyo-style were known for their joint bending techniques (kansetsu-waza), striking techniques (atemi-waza) and forms prearranged (kata).
Professor Jigoro Kano was born in the City of Kobe on October 28th, 1860 and in his youth had a superlative record. Compared to his peers he had a weak body and he was small. He always wished to make his body healthy and become a strong person.
In 1870, his mother died, a young ten year old and his father, who became an officer of the Meiji Government, Jigoro Kano arrived in Tokyo from Hyogo Prefecture to continue his education. Kano studied jujitsu under Masatomo Iso and Hachinosuke Fukuda of the Shinyo-style dojo; where he learned kata (forms) and randori (free-fighting). Later, receiving guidance from Tsunetoshi Ihikubo of the Kito-style school, he learned joint manipulations, striking, and grappling. Kano also studied the teaching scrolls of various other styles to further his knowledge and understanding of the arts. Combining these styles, Kano selected only the best and most effective techniques, while eliminating the dangerous and potentially harmful ones; he formed his own art which he dubbed "Judo". In 1882 he accepted a teaching position at the Peers School (Gakushuin).
Professor Kano, at the age of 15, entered the foreign language school, and in 1877, he entered Tokyo Teikoku (Imperial) university. Professor Kano's ability in foreign languages was exceptional and in the transformation years wrote in English instead of his native Japanese. At the University, Professor Kano studied subjects such as political science, economics, moral education, and aesthetics, and during this time, he began to hold strongly the values of education - learning from others, and then teaching others.
Professor Kano was an exceptional and brilliant educator at various levels of school and university. It is, in fact, these roots that allowed Judo to have the close ties with education that it has today. He considered education to be based on three components - the education of knowledge, morality, and physical education. The education of knowledge involves the improvement of one's knowledge; the education of morality involves the fostering of one's moral awareness; and physical education involves the training of one's body.
Professor Kano in naming his art Judo, came to the conclusion that the ultimate purpose of the practice and training of Judo should be different from that of Jujitsu, although the techniques of Judo bore some resemblance to the original techniques of Jujitsu.
Professor Kano's Judo held as its goal the training of body and spirit, going beyond the 'winning-losing' or contest philosophy of Jujitsu, while recognizing the importance of training for contests.
In 1882, Professor Kano at 22 years of age established the Kodokan in Tokyo, with 9 students and an area of 22 meters (12 1/2 tatamis). At the Kodokan, there was not only the practice of actual, physical techniques, but also lectures on such topics as physiology, psychology, moral philosophy, all of which comprised Kano's Judo. He found Judo something very spectacular, and decided to dedicate his life to the spread of Judo as its teacher.
While gaining popularity, Judo had a strong opposition from the classical jujitsu schools. The strongest of the opposition was the Totsuka-style jujitsu school. During this time the Tokyo Metropolitan Police was in search of a martial art to teach its cadets during their police training. By 1886 the stage was set for a contest between Kodokan Judo and tosuka jujitsu. Two fifteen-man teams were assembled, one from each school. The outcome was decisive; Kodokan Judo won 13 out of the 15 matches, with the other two ending in draws. Judo had proven itself not only to the police, but the entire martial arts world.
In the early years there were a number of exceptionally strong Judoka, and the Four Guardians of Kodokan were Mr. Shiro Saigo, Mr. Tsunejiro Tomita, Mr. Yoshitsugu Yamashita, and Mr. Sakujiro Yokoyama.
The Kodokan grew to 107 tatamis in 1893, to 207 tatamis in 1906, to 510 tatamis in 1934 and in 1984 as a tribute to the 100th year of the Kodokan, the new International Judo Centre was built.
In this way, Kodokan Judo, which started with only 9 members, has developed into an International Sport, with a total of over 176 IJF member countries around the World.
In studying Jujitsu, Professor Kano added new techniques and various devices, and gradually systematized the techniques of Judo. Even after establishing the Kodokan, he continued to study the techniques with his students, and by the year 1887, the techniques of Kodokan Judo had reached the stage of completion. The development of new techniques itself showed Professor Kano's abilities as an educator and continuous learner.
Judo techniques can be grossly classified into three categories - throwing techniques, grappling techniques, and striking techniques. In 1885 the throwing techniques were categorized and known as Go Kyou No Waza. After long practice the grappling techniques also enjoyed considerable development. The striking techniques are dangerous techniques involving striking and kicking, and because of that was mainly practiced in the form of Kata. The reservation of the practice of these techniques in Kata only, reflected Professor Kano's wish to keep the main practice of Judo safe. This signalled the difference in the goals and overall philosophy of Kodokan Judo as opposed to Jujitsu.
Kata is a method of studying the techniques of Judo via prearranged orders and methods. Randori (free practice) is a method of studying Judo via actual offense and defense applied during free movements with an opponent. Professor Kano considered both methods as important to the practice and study of Judo. Many of the most skillful Judoists in randori were also proficient in Kata. In Judo, the practice of Kata is likened to the study of grammar in language, while randori is likened to free flowing conversation. The six Katas are; Nage-no Kata, Katame-no Kata, Kime-no Kata, Ju-no Kata, Koshiki-no Kata, and Itsutsu-no Kata
From the period of Jujitsu, it was said that the fundamental principle of matches was "not going against the strength of one's opponent, but rather to beat them by using their strength". This was called the principle of gentleness (yawara no ri), and is the same fundamental principle of Judo. However, Professor Kano did not limit the goals of Judo to contests. This was because he emphasized the training of one's spirit in combination with concrete physical training. Therefore, it was necessary to accept a new principle that would accommodate the mental and spiritual aspects as well.
There, he began to use a phrase, "the most effective use of one's spiritual and physical strength" (Seiryoku Zenyou) as an expression that exemplified both the mental and physical aspects of Judo. This became the new principle of Judo.
In Professor Kano's mind, Judo and education were one and the same. This was because both could be used to foster the development of people. He considered the goals of Judo to revolve around three aspects: physical education, contests, and ethics. In other words, through the practice of Judo, one would complete one's development through the training of body and mind, and would become a person that contributes to society and the World (Jita Kyouei).
Professor Kano said, because Japan has always learned about various things from the rest of the World, Japan should teach the rest of the World something. He saw Judo as something that Japan could give back to the World and recognized Japan's obligations and commitments as a part of the global society. He tried to foster the same philosophy on the part of individuals within society. In Japan, he invited university professors and ambassadors from abroad whenever he had a chance, and worked hard to introduce Judo through lectures or actual demonstrations. Professor Kano tried during his trips abroad to spread Judo in many countries of Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and to open the door for "Judo of the World".
The first All Japan Judo Championship was held in 1930 with no weight, age or rank restrictions contribute to its unrivaled reputation. This Championship continued until 1941 and was disrupted by the Second World War and was revived in 1948. The All Japan Judo Championships continues every year for the top Judo players in Japan, like Mr. Yasuhiro Yamashita, who won the Championships nine consecutive times.
In 1934 his plans to form the International Judo Federation were close to becoming a reality. Those plans were interrupted with his death in 1938. In 1951 the International Judo Federation (IJF) was formed and Japan became a member in 1952 with Mr. Risei Kano becoming the President. The IJF has 176 member countries and it is consistently ranked as one of the most popular sports activities, not only as a sport, but also as a discipline.
Five years after the formation of the International Judo Federation, the first World Judo Championships was held in 1956 in Tokyo, Japan with 31 contestants and 21 countries. The winner of the Championships was Mr. Shokichi Natsui. The Second World Judo Championships was also held in Tokyo, Japan in 1958 with Mr. Yasuji Sone the winner. The Third World Judo Championships was held in Paris, in 1961 with 57 contestants and 25 countries. At this World Championship Mr. Anton Geesink defeated Mr. Yasuji Sone to become the winner. From the Fourth Championships, the event included weight divisions, and came to be held every two years. The 1995 World Judo Champions for men and women saw 625 contestants from 100 different countries competing.
The decision to make Judo an official Olympic event came in 1960 at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in Rome, 26 years after Professor Kano's death. In the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Judo had 74 contestants from 27 countries participating. Competition was held in four weight divisions: lightweight, middleweight, heavyweight, and open weight. Japanese Judoist won 3 out of the 4 divisions with Mr. Anton Geesink defeating Mr. Akio Kaminaga in the open division.
The first All Japan Women's Judo Championships was held in 1978. The first World Women's World Judo Championships was held in New York, USA in 1980 with 27 countries competing. From 1987 in Essen, Germany, the World Judo Championships included both men and women in the Championships. Women's Judo was accepted formally as an Olympic event at the 25th Olympiad in Barcelona, Spain in 1992.
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