KODOKAN JUDO
by Neil Ohlenkamp
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.
"The world is changing and Ju Jutsu has to change too. I dont
think its practical to limit ourselves to one particular style. I
no longer see any point in keeping the techniques of each Ju Jutsu
school a secret. It would be better to experiment with a whole
range of techniques and select the ones you want to use, changing
them if necessary. Id like to take the best techniques from the
Yoshin style and the best techniques from a lot of other styles and
combine them all to create the ultimate form of Ju Jutsu. Last year
after we performed for President Grant, Master Fukuda spoke of
bringing Ju Jutsu to the rest of the world. To do that, we cant
rely on just one particular style we need a combination of the
best techniques from all the major schools of Ju Jutsu. Thats what
Id like to teach to the rest of the world." -- Jigoro Kano,
1880
