The Beginnings of Kodokan Judo,1882-1938

By Paul McMichael Nurse, Ph.D.

It is sad to think about but the first Asian fighting system to
gain worldwide acceptance has been -- for the most part -relegated by much of the public and many of its practitioners
to the category of a mere sport, a form of jacketed wrestling of
no real value as a combative art and little worth beyond that of
a recreational activity.
This art, discipline, sport, recreation -- and for many, a way of
life -- is, of course, Kodokan Judo, a modern budo (a generic
term referring to modern martial arts) form founded by the
Japanese educator Jigoro Kano over 100 years ago as a means
of instilling physical and moral education in Meiji-era
Japanese youth. Since those first fledgling days in the late-nineteenth century, judo (the way
of flexibility) has grown to become one of the most popular activities on earth. Over
8,000,000 people in Japan practice it regularly, with another 3,000,000 followers worldwide.
Judo's debut as a sport in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games has further cemented its status as a
truly international endeavor.
Gratifying as these figures are, it is nevertheless well to remember that judo's success as a
sport lies outside its founder's original intentions, and that shiai, or tournament contest, was in
many ways the least important of Kano's objectives. Thus it is perhaps well to pause and reexamine the origins of Kodokan Judo, for by returning to the source of the art we may
rediscover what is in great danger of being lost.
Jigoro Kano was born October 28, 1860, the third son of a well-to-do merchant family in
Kobe, in Hyogo Prefecture. As a youngster Kano was highly
intelligent but sickly and physically underdeveloped, and thus a
favorite target of school bullies. To strengthen his physique and deal
with the bullying he began an intensive program of physical exercise,
participating in gymnastics, baseball, rowing and hiking. Within two
years his health had markedly improved - so much so that at the age
of seventeen he began the study of Tenshin Shinyo ryu jujutsu (a
modern offshoot of the Edo Period Yoshin ryu, or tradition) under
Hachinosuke Fukuda. As a jujutsu system the Tenshin Shinyo ryu
was noted for its striking techniques (ate-waza) and katame-waza
(grappling techniques).
Fukoda's death a few years later, as well as that of his successor,
Masatomo Iso, prompted Kano to transfer to the Kito ryu under
Tsunetoshi Iikubo. Unlike the Tenshin Shinyo ryu, the Kito ryu
emphasized nage-waza, or throwing techniques, and laid stress on
abstract symbolism in addition to the physical aspects of the art.
Kano's exceptionally tattered uwagi (training jackets) used during
this period, are today among the Kodokan's most treasured artifacts - mute testaments to the vigor with which the young man approached

his jujutsu training. Although he had many injuries, Kano persevered with characteristic
determination and eventually gained some proficiency in both systems.
At this time jujutsu (the art of limberness) had something of a bad reputation within a Japan
which was rapidly modernizing to compete with an industrialized West. The loss of status
among disenfranchised bushi (samurai) forced many former members of the warrior class to
teach their arts to any and all who could pay for lessons. A number of these were rough types
looking to prey on the weak and helpless, and thus jujutsu gained an undeserved reputation as
a practice of the lower sorts of society.
Kano, however, knew firsthand the benefits jujutsu practice had provided him and what social
gains might be had by correct training in combative arts. Disturbed by public opinion
regarding jujutsu, as well as by what he considered dangerous practices within jujutsu itself,
he resolved to do something about it. To this end he undertook an intensive examination of
the unarmed systems he had actively studied, as well as an academic study of many others,
especially the unarmed combat methods of classical bujutsu (ancient martial traditions) such
as the Sekiguchi ryu and Seigo ryu. He came to the conclusion that not only did jujutsu have a
bad reputation within Meiji society, but the study of jujutsu itself was often dangerous to the
participants since it contained many kicks, strikes, joint locks and pain-holds which often
resulted in injury and the occasional death. Nevertheless, Kano believed that with changes,
training in jujutsu-style techniques could prove advantageous in the physical and moral
development of people of high character, especially Japan's youth who would comprise the
next generation.
At the same time that he was developing his notions of a reformed jujutsu, Kano was a
student at the Tokyo Imperial University, studying literature, politics and political economy.
He graduated in 1881 and the following year became an instructor at the prestigious
Gakushuin, or Peers School, in Tokyo, a school for children of the nobility. Kano continued
his lifelong involvement with academic education, earning a doctorate and eventually
becoming Headmaster of the Tokyo Teachers' Training School. The same year that Kano
became an instructor at the Gakushuin, he was ready to begin teaching his brand of jujutsu.
He decided to call his system Kodokan Judo, "the place for studying the way of flexibility,"
deliberately employing the already-extant word judo because he wished to differentiate his
system from the bad odor surrounding jujutsu. Starting with just nine students on a twelve
tatami mat area at the Buddhist Eishoji Temple in the Shitaya area of Tokyo, the formal date
of the founding of the first Kodokan was June 1882.
During these early days all judo practitioners (judoka) were required to place a seal of blood
on an open register and declare five oaths:
1) Upon admittance to Kodokan, I shall not discontinue my judo study without good reason.
2) I shall not bring dishonor to the dojo.
3) I shall not tell or demonstrate the secrets I have learned to anyone without authorization.
4) I shall not teach judo without authorization.
5) First as a student, and later as an instructor, I will always obey the dojo rules.
Sometime the following year (1883) Kano initiated a kyu/dan (ungraded/graded) ranking
system within Kodokan based on the concept of colored belts worn by participants. For the

first three grades students wore a white belt or sash, while for the next three grades he wore
brown. All these kyu levels were considered mudansha (literally unranked; mu coming from
the Japanese word for "nothing") before the student became yudansha (holder of rank) -- a socalled "black belt," although only the first five yudansha ranks (dans) actually wear a black
belt. Six, seven, and eighth dans wear a sectioned red-and-white belt, while ninth and tenth
grades wear a solid red belt. It might be noted that (the only exception to normal ranking) Dr.
Kano was awarded a posthumous twelfth dan consisting of a novice's white belt, but twice the
width of average ones -- an indication that one of judo's main concerns and themes is
circularity.
Kano's kyu/dan and belt system, as well as adoption of standard uniforms (which evolved
over time) initially gave judo recognition. They were later adopted by other budo forms, such
as kendo, aikido, karate-do, as well as many other systems from around the world.
Unfortunately, the ranking and belt system has become fragmentized with addition of other
colored belts and even stripes on colored belts to the point that meaning has been lost.
In terms of technique, however, Kano was not so much a great inventor or originator of a
fighting form as he was a great synthesizer, a figure who masterfully took various aspects of
other systems and blended them into a new whole. Perhaps his greatest innovation were the
teaching of ukemi, or "breakfalling," before a new student begins the study of technique. This
ensures that when a novice is thrown, he or she has already learned how to land safely and
efficiently on the mats without danger. This was a significant departure from many of the
jujutsu systems Kano had examined previously, where students were thrown -- sometimes
having their limbs deliberately wrenched in the bargain -- and had to land as best they could.
Certain techniques such as dojime (leg-scissoring around the abdominal region with the
thighs), which Kano deemed too dangerous, were also removed from the Kodokan
curriculum. Also matches were begun by opponents stepping forward and grasping each
others judogi (training suit) in a prescribed manner before commencing free practice
(randori). However, some of what Kano excised from the general Kodokan syllabus were kept
for the study of certain kata (prearranged forms), or as special study for higher grades.
Kano's precepts for judo are contained in two founding principles he developed during his
career: Seiryoku Zenyo, the "Principle of Efficient Use of Energy," and Jita Kyoei, or the
"Principle of Mutual Welfare." A Kodokan disciple was enjoined to strive to attain the best
manner of his physical and mental energy in both judo and everyday life, as well as to have a
sincere consideration for others. Stress was placed on education and moral development rather
than the concentration on pure technique lying at the heart of most jujutsu systems. To this
end only those applicants with impeccable characters were permitted to join Kodokan; in its
original structure it was emphatically not developed to be taught indiscriminately to everyone.
For the first few years of its existence Kano's system fought something of a rear-guard action
against the decaying jujutsu systems. Many are the tales in Kodokan lore of how Kano's
students had to defend themselves and their art from disciples of other, more established budo
schools who challenged the upstart Kodakan. In particular, a hot rivalry developed between
Kano's school and jujutsu master Hikosuke Totsuke and his resurgent Yoshin ryu.
A crucial test came in 1886. The Tokyo Police Department Board, casting about for a system
of unarmed combat with which to train their forces, sponsored a tournament between these
two leading ryu to decide which to adopt. Failure against the Yoshin ryu could conceivably
sound the death-knell for Kano's judo. Fifteen men were selected to represent each side. The
result was a brilliant triumph for the Kodokan. Led by judo legends Sakujiro Yokoyama and

Shiro Saigo, Kano's group won all but one of the matches and that was deemed a draw (some
sources indicate that thirteen matches were won and two were draws). With this victory judo's
reputation as an efficient system of unarmed combat was assured and the art became officially
sanctioned by the Japanese government.
Judo's popularity grew so rapidly that by the early twentieth century many jujutsu systems,
fearful of falling into abeyance, merged with the Kodokan -- as much for the preservation of
their techniques as an acknowledgment of Kodokan's ascendancy. Their inclusion injected a
number of new waza into the Kodokan system, which continued to develop until July 1906
when Kano and a gathering of jujutsu masters met at the Butokuden (Martial Virtues Hall) in
Kyoto to formulate modern kata and finalize the judo syllabus. Within a relatively short time
judo, along with kendo (the art of fencing with mock swords), became popular activities at
Japanese universities, inducing the Japanese Ministry of Education to include both arts as
required parts of the school syllabus (1911), a position they retain to this day.
At the same time, not all jujutsu ryu accepted Kodokan's supremacy and strived to keep judo
(by now the word had gained general acceptance as a virtual synonym for jujutsu) more of a
combative art. In Kansai Prefecture a movement developed, especially centered in the
Butokuden and supported by the Dai Nippon Butokukai (All Japan Martial Virtues Society,
founded in 1895), toward retaining some of the techniques that Kano had discarded in the
formation of his system. A number of techniques, particularly of the pain-hold variety rejected
as too dangerous for Kodokan students, were retained, as well as a distinct emphasis on
katame- waza (grappling techniques on the ground) as opposed to the emphasis on nage-waza
within the Kodokan system. It should be stressed that this Kansai brand of judo (one
occasionally reads of it described as "Budokan Judo," but this is an inadequate translation)
was not considered a distinctly separate system or tradition of judo, but was viewed more as a
stylistic rival of Kodokan -- a "country cousin," so to speak, of the Kanto variety (Kanto is the
prefecture where Tokyo, and the Kodokan, resides). Evidence of this may be seen in the fact
that Kansai yudansha ranks issued by the Butokukai up to and including nidan (second-grade)
were accepted without question on application to the Kodokan in Tokyo, but those students
wishing recognition from Kodokan regarding higher ranks had to undergo rigorous scrutiny
by Kodokan authorities to ensure that their technical proficiency was sufficient. By 1907 the
movement had a significant following in colleges and technical schools, but did not survive
the end of the Second World War.
Technically, judo's "Golden Age" may be said to have been the period between World War I
and World War II.. During this time the art reached a state of technical excellence it has not
approached since. Although contest participation was considered part of judo training, the
activity's ne plus ultra was considered to be seishin tanren, or "spirit-forging" Here the
practice of judo was the vehicle by which students advanced themselves spiritually through
rigorous physical discipline.
Kano never intended his system to become merely a sporting contest, but it was perhaps
inevitable that as judo became ever more popular with the public at large, shiai would
likewise take on popular dimensions. During the 1920s the most prestigious tournament was
the Emperor's Cup, open to all judoka who were subjects of the Japanese Empire. The first
"All-Japan" Championships were inaugurated in 1930 and lasted until the outbreak of the
Pacific War. As with today's All-Japans there were no weight categories; contestants were
divided into Young Men's (under thirty years of age) and Senior or Master's division above
thirty. Elimination was of the simplest form: one loss and the contestant was out. Thus the
eventual champion was always undefeated. Contestants were required to win by two full

points, either by double ippon (one full point, gained by a clean throw) or the equivalent
cumulative half-points (wazari). The current method of decision by fractured points would
have been anathema to these old-time practitioners, who put their hearts and souls into
defeating their opponents by the best possible technique -- the judo equivalent of a boxing
knockout.
Kano's ardent desire to gain worldwide acceptance for his system resulted in his undertaking a
number of foreign journeys to promote judo at the international level. During one of these
sojourns, in London in 1933, Dr. Kano spoke of his desire for a world judo federation and the
dissemination of Kodokan Judo teachings throughout the world as a means of aiding in
achievement of world peace. Already he had become Japan's first representative on the
International Olympic Committee (1909), as well as the first president of the newly formed
Japanese Amateur Sports Association (1911).
But the warlords of Europe and Asia were in the ascendancy during this period, and Kano's
dream of a Tokyo Olympic Games in 1940 wherein his beloved judo would be a
demonstration sport was never realized. Returning from an International Olympic Association
conference in Cairo in the spring of 1938, Kano fell ill with pneumonia aboard the ship
Hikawa Maru. On May 4, 1938, at age seventy-eight, he died at sea between Vancouver and
Yokohama. It is perhaps as well that he did not live to see the defeat of Japan in 1945 and the
subsequent prohibition of judo and a number of other combative arts during the period of
Allied occupation (1945-52).
The great educator's dream of an international judo movement was merely deferred, however,
not dead. In 1952 the International Judo Federation (LIF) was formed from the European Judo
Union (IJU) to promote and regulate judo throughout the world; by the Kodokan's centenary
(100 year's ) celebrations in 1982 it had more than seventy member nations. The first World
Championships were held in Tokyo in 1956, followed by a repeat hosting in Tokyo in 1958
and then Paris in 1961, where the Dutch giant Anton Geesink became the first non-Japanese
world champion. At long last judo made its debut in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics to a
tremendous reception. Except for the 1968 Games in Mexico City, it has been a featured sport
of every Olympics since.
Truthfully, however, judo's internationalization as a competitive sport is something of a mixed
blessing. Certainly Dr. Kano's vision of an international judo organization has come to be
realized, but at the cost of many of his educational aims. Classical Kodokan Judo is a system
of physical training leading to improved individuals; originally, training was to be evenly
divided between kata, randori, and shiai, with supplemental lectures on judo principles and
other matters for students' edification. Contests were considered only a part of training, and
decidedly were not the primary objective. Whatever their reasons for studying judo, today's
practitioners could benefit from keeping their founder's ideals in mind.

About The Author:

Paul McMichael Nurse has a Ph.D. in History from the University of Toronto and a researcher and
writer on judo and other martial arts. His articles have appeared in Kick Illustrated and Black Belt
Magazine. He is also a member of the International Hoplology Society (the academic study of
combative systems) and has been a student of judo, he says, "sporadically," since 1969.