AMAZING! Judo matches

Jigoro Kano had an academic upbringing and, from the age of seven, he studied English, Japanese calligraphy (shodō) and the Four Confucian Texts ( Shisho) under a number of tutors. When he was fourteen, Kano began boarding at an English-medium school, Ikuei-Gijuku in Shiba, Tokyo. The culture of bullying endemic at this school was the catalyst that caused Kano to seek out a Jujutsu( Jūjutsu) dojo ( dōjō, training place) at which to train.

Early attempts to find a jujutsu teacher who was willing to take him on met with little success. With the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, jujutsu had become unfashionable in an increasingly westernised Japan. Many of those who had once taught the art had been forced out of teaching or become so disillusioned with it that they had simply given up. Nakai Uminari, an acquaintance of Kanō’s father and a former soldier, agreed to show him kata, but not to teach him. The caretaker of Jirosaku’s second house, Katagiri Ryuji, also knew jujutsu, but would not teach it as he believed it was no longer of practical use. Another frequent visitor, Imai Genshiro of Kyūshin-ryū school of jujutsu, also refused. Several years passed before he finally found a willing teacher.

In 1877, as a student at the Tokyo-Kaisei school (soon to become part of the newly founded Tokyo Imperial University), Kano learned that many jujutsu teachers had been forced to pursue alternative careers, frequently opening Seikotsu-in ( traditional osteopathy practices). After inquiring at a number of these, Kano was referred to Fukuda Hachinosuke (c.1828–1880), a teacher of the Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū of jujutsu, who had a small nine mat dojo where he taught five students. Fukuda is said to have emphasized technique over formal exercise, sowing the seeds of Kano’s emphasis on randori (randori?, free practice) in judo.

On Fukuda’s death in 1880, Kano, who had become his keenest and most able student in both randori and kata ( kata, pre-arranged forms), was given the densho (scrolls) of the Fukuda dojo. Kano chose to continue his studies at another Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū school, that of Iso Masatomo (c.1820–1881). Iso placed more emphasis on the practice of “kata”, and entrusted randori instruction to assistants, increasingly to Kano. Iso died in June 1881 and Kano went on to study at the dojo of Iikubo Tsunetoshi (1835–1889) of Kitō-ryū. Like Fukuda, Iikubo placed much emphasis on randori, with Kitō-ryū having a greater focus on nage-waza (throwing techniques).

In short, resisting a more powerful opponent will result in your defeat, whilst adjusting to and evading your opponent’s attack will cause him to lose his balance, his power will be reduced, and you will defeat him. This can apply whatever the relative values of power, thus making it possible for weaker opponents to beat significantly stronger ones. This is the theory of ju yoku go o seisu.

Judo was established in 1882 by combining jujitsu, a form of wrestling, with mental discipline. The roots of jujitsu lie in sumo, which has a long, long history; sumo is mentioned in the Nihon shoki (Chronicle of Japan), a document from 720 that describes the history of Japan from the mythical age of the gods until the time of Empress Jito, who reigned from 686 to 697.

Currently some 184 countries and regions are members of the International Judo Federation. The sport is particularly popular in Europe. In fact, many more people in France practice judo than in Japan. Japan is continuing to promote judo in other countries, such as by sending instructors to regions where judo is not so well known–like Africa and Oceania–and donating secondhand judo uniforms.

A judo match begins with a ceremonial bow, after which each player grasps the other by the collar and sleeve of the jacket, or gi. Points are scored when a fighter successfully executes a variety of throws or immobilizes the opponent for varying lengths of time. Penalties can result in the deduction of points and are called, among other reasons, for throwing an opponent by entwining legs; applying joint locks other than to the elbow; using the arm or hand on an opponent’s face; or grabbing the opponent’s trousers.

judo (jōō´dō), sport of Japanese origin that makes use of the principles of jujitsu, a weaponless system of self-defense. Buddhist monks in China, Japan, and Tibet developed jujitsu over a period of 2,000 years as a system of defense that could be used against armed marauders and yet would not be in conflict with their religion. Jigoro Kano, a Japanese jujitsu expert, created judo (1882) by modifying or dropping many holds that were too dangerous to be used in competition. It depends for success upon the skill of using an opponent’s own weight and strength against him, thus enabling a weak or light individual to overcome a physically superior opponent. 

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. Dr. Kano, President of the University of Education, Tokyo, dedicated his life, studied these ancient martial art of Jujutsu and integrated what he considered to be the best of their techniques into what is now the modern sport of Judo.
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From the twelfth to the nineteenth century Japan was ruled by the samurai, a class of professional soldiers. This provided fertile ground for various martial arts to develop. In addition to fighting with swords and bows and arrows, the samurai developed jujitsu to fight enemies at close quarters on the battlefield. Several different styles of jujitsu evolved, and hand-to-hand combat spread as an important form of military training.

Source: World Judo Championships Cadets 2015: Teams – YouTube