Jigoro Kano is the founder of judo, who opened the Kodokan in Tokyo in 1882 and introduced the kyu and dan grades that every belt system has copied. He named the art judo instead of jujutsu.
- Founded: the Kodokan, 1882, in his own words in the 1932 lecture on judoinfo.com.
- Created: the kyu and dan rank system, with the first awards probably in 1883, according to Donn Draeger's lecture on judoinfo.com.
- Title: judoinfo.com gives shihan, a model teacher who sets the standard, with Kano-shihan as the example.
What did Kano say judo is?
The best source is Kano himself. In the 1932 lecture on judoinfo.com, given at the University of Southern California during the Los Angeles Olympics, he explains that in his younger days he studied jujutsu with three eminent masters, and that in 1882 I started a school of my own and called it Kodokan. He named the subject judo instead of jujutsu: ju means gentle or to give way, jutsu an art or practice, and do a way or principle, so judo is the way or principle of gentleness or giving way in order to ultimately gain the victory.
He then widens the idea. The same principle, he says, applies to physical education, to mental and moral education, and to diet, clothing, housing and business, so judo in its fuller sense is a study and method in training of mind and body as in the regulation of life and affairs. The judoinfo.com terms list keeps two of his principles by name: seiryoku zenyo, maximum efficiency, and jita kyoei, mutual prosperity.
What did Jigoro Kano build?
- The Kodokan, which judoinfo.com defines as the judo institute in Tokyo where judo was founded.
- The kyu and dan grades. Donn Draeger's lecture on judoinfo.com says the belt system began with Kano Jigoro of Kodokan, probably in 1883, about a year after he founded the system.
- The idea of the black belt itself: Draeger notes that the classical arts used licences, and that giving kyu and dan grades is one of the marks of a modern art.
- A demonstration at the 1932 Olympics: judoinfo.com records about 200 judo students performing with Kano at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the first time judo was seen at the Games.
Where can you read more about Jigoro Kano?
Kano wrote and lectured at length, and the best way to meet him is in his own words. Our post on the best judo books lists the editions worth owning, including the ones that collect his writings. If you are working through his syllabus, keep notes; our grappling training journals are made for that.
Everything on this page comes from the judoinfo.com pages linked above. We have added nothing to Kano's biography beyond what they say.
Sources
- 1932 lecture on judoinfo.com, JudoInfo
- Donn Draeger's lecture on judoinfo.com, JudoInfo
- Judoinfo.com terms list, JudoInfo
Related terms
Kodokan, Kyu and dan grades, Masahiko Kimura, Gokyo (the 40 Kodokan throws), Dojo.