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Judo

KODOKAN JUDO

Judo is derived from Jujutsu. It was created by Professor Jigoro Kano who
was born in Japan on October 28, 1860 and who died May 4, 1938 after a
lifetime of promoting Judo. Mastering several styles of jujutsu including
Kito-Ryu and Tenjin-shinyo Ryu in his youth he began to develop his own
system based on modern sports principles. In 1882 he founded the Kodokan
Judo Institute in Tokyo where he began teaching and which still is the
international authority for Judo. The photo below shows Jigoro Kano with a
gathering of jujutsu leaders in 1921.

An early gathering of Judo and Jujutsu leaders — Jigoro Kano is seated third from the right.

The name Judo was chosen because it means the gentle or yielding way. Kano
emphasized the larger educational value of training in attack and defense so that it could be a path or way of life that all people could participate in and benefit from. He eliminated some of the traditional jujutsu techniques and changed training methods so that most of the moves could be done with full force to create a decisive victory without injury. The popularity of Judo increased dramatically after a famous contest hosted by the Tokyo police in 1886 where the Judo team defeated the most well-known jujutsu school of the time. It then became a part of the Japanese physical education system and began its spread around the world.

The growth of Judo in its early years is demonstrated by the growth of the
Kodokan itself:

* 12 mats (May 1882 Eishoji Temple)
* 10 mats (Feb. 1883 Jimocho, Kanda)
* 20 mats (Sept. 1883 Shihan’s house, Kojimachi)
* 40 mats (Spring 1887 Mr. Shinagawa’s house, Kojimachi)
* 60 mats (April 1890 Hongo-ku, Masaga-cho)
* 107 mats (Feb. 1894 Koishikawa-cho, Shimotomisaka-cho)
* 207 mats (Nov. 1897 Koishikawa, Shimotomisaka-cho)
* 314 mats (Jan. 1898 Otsuka Sakashita-cho)
* 514 mats (Dec. 1919 1-chome Kasuga-cho, Bunkyo-ku)
* 986 mats (March 1958 2-chome, Kasuga-cho, Bunko-ku)

Other aspects of Kodokan Judo were introduced over time such as the Kangeiko(winter training) in 1894, the Shochugeiko (summer training) in 1896, and the spring and autumn Red & White Contests which began in 1884. Today the Red and White tournament is the longest running competitive sporting event in the world. The Kodokan Judo Kata, the basic syllabus of techniques(Gokyo-no-waza), the Kodokan Cultural Society, and research components were also added.

In 1928, after attending the Olympic Games of Amsterdam, Jigoro Kano
conceived the idea to get Judo in the Olympic Games. In 1936 in Berlin,
during the 35th session of the International Olympic Committee, the XII
Olympic Games were scheduled for 1940 in Tokyo, where Judo of course would
be added, but the war against China in 1937 forced Japan to withdraw from
the organization of these Games and Judo was included only as a
demonstration. In 1964 men’s Judo competition finally became a part of the
Olympics, the first asian martial art as an official medal sport. In 1992
Judo competition for women was added to the Olympics.

Judo consists primarily of nage-waza (throws), along with katame-waza
(grappling), which includes osaekomi-waza (pins), shime-waza (chokes), and
kansetsu-waza (joint locks). Additional techniques, including atemi-waza
(striking), various joint locks, self defense and weapons are found in the
Judo katas. Judo is generally compared to wrestling, but it retains its
unique combat forms. As a daughter to Jujutsu these techniques are also
often taught in Judo classes. Because the founder was involved in education(President of Tokyo University) Judo training emphasizes mental, moral and character development as much as physical training. Most instructors stress the principles of Judo such as the principle of yielding to overcome greater strength or size, as well as the scientific principles of leverage, balance,efficiency, momentum and control. Seiryoku zenyo (maximum efficiency) and Jita kyoei (mutual welfare and benefit) are the best known of the principles of Judo. Judo is a good choice for most children to learn because it is safe and fun, and because it emphasizes education and proper development of the body, mind, and character.

Judo training has many forms for different interests. Some students train
for competition by sparring and entering the many tournaments that are
available. Other students study the traditional art and forms (kata) of
Judo. Other students train for self-defense, and yet other students practice Judo for fun and recreation. Black belts are expected to learn all aspects of Judo.

Because Judo developed in modern times it is organized like other major
sports with one international governing body for the sport, the
International Judo Federation (IJF). The Kodokan continues to be the
technical authority for the martial art of Judo. Unlike many other martial
arts, Judo competition rules, training methods, and rank systems are
relatively uniform throughout the world.

By Neil Ohlenkamp

http://www.judoinfo.com

This article is owned and copyrighted by Neil Ohlenkamp, in which he has given us permission to use on this site.

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