HAPTER
2
ROOTS OF
JUDO
t his chapter gives a general history of judo from its origins
of Kodokan judo, to its development as a philosophical
doctrine, to the current standing of judo competition in the
United States and at the international level.
ORIGINS OF JUDO
The history of modern judo begins with the great martial-arts
master, Jigoro Kano. Born the third son of Jirosaku Mareshiba
Kano and his wife Sadako on October 28,1860, Jigoro Kano grew
up in a changing Japan. The Meiji Restoration began in 1868, and
Japan raced to become a nation that could match the power of any
Western country.
Kano was educated in Tokyo at the private schools of Seitatsu
Shojuku and Ikuei Gijuku. At the latter school he studied English
and German. His education took him to the Tokyo School of
Foreign Languages, Kaisei School, and eventually to the Tokyo
11
12 JUDO TECHNIQUES & T A C T I C S
Imperial University, from which he graduated in 1881, majoring
in literature, politics, and political economy.
Kano was first introduced to jujutsu when, at age 18, he
enrolled in the Tenshin Shinyo Ryu jujutsu dojo of Hachinosuke
Fukuda. During this time more than 700 different systems of
jujitsu existed and over the next few years Kano studied as many
different forms as he could. He saw that by combining the best
techniques of various schools into one system, he could create a
physical education system that would embody mental and physi-
cal skill. He also believed these techniques could he practiced as
a competitive sport.
In 1882 at age 22, Kano opened the first Kodokan judo dojo,
teaching at the Eishoji Buddhist temple. He decided to use the
term judo rather than the wordjujutsu for philosophical reasons,
emphasizing the doctrine of gentleness as a way of living rather
than only the principle of yielding as afightingconcept. Too many
jujutsu practitioners at the time had bad reputations and lived the
lives of ruffians. Jigoro Kano wanted to make his art appealing to
people of all walks of life and create a situation in which the art
would have a profound infiuence on his students, making them
genuinely gentle people. Thus he emphasized the concept ofjudo,
living a "gentle way."
Thus in its beginnings, the Kodokan was a school of Kito Ryu
jujutsu, with an emphasis on the philosophical meaning of ju. In
the sense of physical skills, ju can refer to jdelding, that is, giving
way to an attacker's force in order to use it against the attacker or
dissipate it so that it cannot cause hurt. Kano discovered that a
throw was only as successful as the breaking of the balance of the
opponent. The effectiveness of the throw was thus dependent on
taking the person off balance. The practitioner accomplished this
through the process of jdelding, the application of ju. From a
philosophical point of view, ju refers to heing gentle and fiexible
in thought. Thus liano was hoping to teach his students to be
hetter people hy heing gentle individuals. The principle ofju was
thus defined as "push when pulled and pull when pushed."
At this point Kano had a small body of students who trained
hard and sought to huild and develop the system for their master.
As the years passed, the reputation of the Kodokan grew. Kano
created a method of randori (sparring) that excluded striking and
dangerous techniques and allowed "friendly" competition with
ROOTS OF J U D O 13
other jujutsu schools. Generally, the great throwing skills of the
Kodokan, based on those of the Kito Rjoi and further developed by
the research of Kano himself, were sufficient to defeat all comers.
Another of the greatest judo students at the Kodokan was Shiro
Saigo, who was a trained exponent of oshikiuchi, a style of the
Takeda family that would eventually be called Daito Ryu
Aikijujutsu. Saigo faced many opponents of the Kodokan, beating
them handily with his knowledge and advanced Kodokan training.
An event in 1886 helped strengthen the reputation of the
Kodokan. Although free exchange had occurred between the
Kodokan and some jujutsu schools, other schools were extremely
jealous of the growth of the new school. Some of these schools
formed an organization with the idea of resisting the growth of the
Kodokan.
A competition was held to determine the superior art. Each
dojo was allowed 15 competitors. Kano's students won 13 of the
matches, with the other 2 being draws. This event launched the
Kodokan as a preeminent school of martial arts in Japan.
Kano himself attained the degree of the 12th dan and is the only
judoka to ever have received this level. A high-ranking judoka
once said that randori with the master, Jigoro Kano, was like
fighting an empty jacket.
Kano's life from that time on was one of travel, work in the field
of education, and teaching Kodokan judo. In 1909 Kano became
the first Japanese member of the International Ol5mipic Commit-
tee. In 1922 he was elected to the House of Peers, and in 1928 he
attended the Ol5Tnpic Games in Amsterdam as a member of the
International OljTnpic Committee.
Kano believed in the "way of gentleness" and mastered it as a
principle of both life and martial arts. He loved life and believed
that people should strive constantly to improve themselves, an
idea he tried to encourage through his judo teachings.
Jigoro Kano also believed in education. Whether it was school-
ing in martial arts, in liberal arts, or in higher education, Kano
encouraged everyone to develop a zeal for life and a joy in progress.
He lived his life with the idea that a person could make a difference
not only during his or her lifetime but also in the generations to
come.
Kano believed that a virtuous person could make the world a
better place. He proved that idea by doing so himself. More than
14 JUDO TECHNIQUES & TACTICS
60 years after his death on May 4,1938, Kano continues to exert
a positive influence on judo practitioners and all martial artists.
Kano, who could be called the gentle master, lived his life follow-
ing his judo, his "way of gentleness."
THE DEVELOPMENT OF JUDO AS A
PHILOSOPHICAL. DOCTRINE
Jigoro Kano was both an educator and a philosopher. He did not
advocate a specific religious philosophy, however, because he
wanted to teach a way of life that anyone who practiced his
martial art could accept. Thus his philosophy was that of judo, a
philosophy that he believed people of any country and any faith
could abide by.
When Jigoro Kano began the study ofjujutsu, he saw in it more
than just a method offighting.First, he realized that if his country
were to prosper, the people needed to be physically fit. Jujutsu
training could accomplish that goal.
Next, he realized that the people needed to develop themselves
mentally, not only by accumulating knowledge but also by devel-
oping a strength and creativity of mind that would allow them to
adapt to a changing world.
Finally, he saw a need for moral development. The Japanese,
who tended toward ritualistic beliefs and the performance of
sacraments but did not necessarily concern themselves with
moral rectitude, needed a unified method of moral development.
During this time of transformation in Japan, some people, espe-
cially the young, found in the loss of cultural stability a void into
which they sank without a source of moral guidance. Bands of
roving soshi, delinquents, preyed on the weak. Kano hoped that
his judo would be capable of either changing them or giving
innocent people the skill to deal with them. Either way, Kano
hoped to fill the void left by the dissolution of the feudal era and
the uncertainty of the Meiji Restoration.
Kano hoped to fill the emptiness by introducing judo, not as a
fighting art or martial sport but as a way of life. The first goal of
judo was to give each practitioner a gentle outlook on life. Al-
though judo training could release the energy and stress of youth
and life in a positive manner, it could also develop calmness that
ROOTS OF J U D O 15
permitted a judoka to remain composed and peaceful in everyday
life. A person can perform better in any life situation if he or she
can remain tranquil.
These three ideas of Kodokan judo—rentai ho, shobu ho, and
shushin ho—are the foundation on which individual cultivation is
based. By practicing these three methods, one learns the two main
principles of Kodokan judo.
Beginning with rentai ho, Kano wanted judo to train the entire
body. He felt that most sports neglected the muscles not necessary
to the specific activity. Judo methodically trained all the muscles
of the human body. Nage no kata, the form of throwing, was
developed to practice throws on both sides, thus balancing the
improvement of the muscles. Randori allowed free training of the
movements of the body and developed the mind as well
The practice of both kata and randori was intended to be based
on the principle ofseiryoku zenyo, which is maximum, efficient use
of power. This was the concept of ju—reliance not on sheer
physical strength but on efficient use of what strength one had.
Shobu ho, the use of judo as a sport, was for limited use. Kano
originally thought that the sport form would bring young people
into the practice of the martial arts. The idea was for people to
practice randori to develop certain skills, both mental and physi-
cal. Young people could then periodically test their mettle in
friendly competition. To keep the event on a friendly basis, lethal
techniques and those that would cause serious injury were not
permitted. To promote safety, students were instructed to surren-
der to the throw or capitulate to the choke or joint lock.
The emphasis in shiai, competitive matches, was on good
technique, rhythm, timing, and the other elements of movement
as well as the development of the concept of ju through the
perfection of the principle of seiryoku zenyo.
Kano was concerned that competition would become too impor-
tant, so he continually emphasized that shiai was designed to bring
young people into the art. In contrast, people of all ages could practice
kata, an activity that could last a lifetime. Kano's desire was for
Kodokan judo to create an interest in the martial arts. As a person
aged, he or she would continue to practice the ancient martial arts
that Kano was preserving in the Kodokan Kobudo Kenkyu ICai.
Finally, there was shushin ho, which was judo as an ethical and
moral discipline based on the principle of jita kyoei, or mutual
16 JUDO T E C H N I Q U E S & TACTICS
prosperity and cooperation. To Kano, judo was a true way of life.
To live with the genuine principle of ju was to live a life that
brought benefit not only to oneself but also to others.
Kano's judo was a way of training in the dojo so that everyone
benefited. Each student was expected to care about the other
students. The goal of training together was for each person to
benefitfi-omthe knowledge and skill of the others. The spontane-
ity and creativity developed during randori practice were in-
tended to be applicable in everyday life.
Kodokan judo skills and development produced a strong, confi-
dent, focused, aware, and decisive person—a person who would
benefit society by living with good manners and moral standards.
The judoka as a member of society would be fiexible, yet firmly
grounded. In essence, judo creates a person who contributes to
society.
This, then, is Kodokan judo as created by Jigoro Kano. More
than just another physical activity, it emphasizes moral and
spiritual training as well as physical training. The ultimate goal
of judo is to perfect the individual so he or she can be valuable to
society.
JUDO IN THE UNITED STATES AND
AROUND THE WORLD
The United States had its first introduction to judo in the late
1800s. Beginning in 1889, Kano traveled abroad to Europe and
the United States eight times to teach judo. Several of Kano's
students devoted their lives to developing judo in foreign coun-
tries.
In 1904 Yoshiaki Yamashita, one of Kano's students, traveled
to the United States and taught judo to President Theodore
Roosevelt at a personal dojo in the White House. Yamashita
continued to teach in the United States until 1907, when he
returned to the Kodokan in Japan.
During the 1930s judo was taught at several colleges in Califor-
nia. In 1932 Kano lectured on judo at the University of Southern
California. In that same year four American associations were
formed and later became recognized by the Kodokan as represen-
tatives of American judo.
ROOTS OF JUDO n
In 1962 the International Judo Federation was formed and
became the governing body for judo internationally. In the United
States, United States Judo Inc. became the governing body for
judo along with the member organizations USJA (United States
Judo Association) and USJF (United States Judo Federation).
Judo was first introduced into the Olympics in 1964 when they
were held in Tokyo, Japan. In that year there were 74 participants
from 27 different countries. By 1992 the competition had grown to
437 participants from 93 countries. In 1992 judo for women was
added to the Olympics as an official medal sport.
About 7,000 people in the United States are currently members
of the national organization USA Judo, and about 20,000 people
are a member of one of the three national organizations of judo
(United States Judo Inc., USJA, USJF). Judo is practiced by
millions of men, women, and children all over the world.
Since its origin, judo has changed and grown as a discipline. Today
it appeals to a wide variety of people. In the next chapter you'll
learn more about the language and customs ofjudo as you become
part of the growing judo community.
