Kusakura vs Mizuno: Competition Judogi

Kusakura vs Mizuno is a comparison of two Japanese makers of top-level competition judogi, both from Osaka and both on the IJF's list of official judogi suppliers. Here we compare their flagships side by side: the Kusakura JOV Competition Taisho and the Mizuno Yusho TOP, with notes on the Yusho Japan IJF that Mizuno sells in Europe. Then we lay out the rest of each brand's range.

We sell neither brand, and we have not trained in either of these judogi. Everything below comes from Kusakura, Kusakura's authorised seller kusakurashop.com, Mizuno's Japanese and European stores, the IJF's own rules and the sources linked in each section.

All prices and specs were checked on October 13, 2026. Kusakura's authorised shop prices in US dollars, Mizuno Japan in yen and Mizuno Europe in pounds, so check the product page before you buy.

Key insights

1. A full Kusakura JOV costs $344 in a standard size: $230 for the jacket and $114 for the pants. A Mizuno Yusho TOP costs ¥48,400 in Japan: ¥32,450 for the jacket and ¥15,950 for the pants.
2. The Kusakura JOV is made in Japan. Mizuno says the Yusho TOP uses Japanese fabric and is sewn in China.
3. The fabrics differ. The JOV jacket is 70% cotton and 30% polyester, with 100% cotton double-layer pants. The Yusho TOP jacket is 80% cotton and 20% polyester, with 70/30 twill pants.
4. Kusakura expects more shrinkage and builds it in: about 5% on the jacket and 6% on the pants, already included in its size table. Mizuno says the Yusho shrinks about 2%.
5. Kusakura's size table has 132 jacket sizes, and custom sizes cost more. Mizuno Japan sells the Yusho TOP in 28 sizes. The same number fits different bodies: a Kusakura 4 is for 174 to 178 cm, a Mizuno 4 for roughly 178 to 183 cm.

Kusakura vs Mizuno comparison chart

Who makes each gi

Kusakura was founded in 1918 and incorporated in 1939. Its headquarters is in Kashiwara, Osaka, where the company weaves its own fabric and sews each judogi one at a time, on foreign looms and looms over 50 years old. A 2024 Nippon.com feature says Kusakura dressed the Japanese team when judo debuted at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, signed with the Brazilian national team in 2022, and makes its competition gis entirely in-house while outsourcing school gis. Kusakura does not sell online in Japan at the moment. Outside Japan, kusakurashop.com is run by Budo Export Co., an authorised seller that says it is separate from Kusakura itself.

Mizuno was established in 1906 in Osaka as Mizuno Brothers Ltd. by Rihachi Mizuno and his brother Rizo. Mizuno's Japanese store says the company is an official sponsor of the All Japan Judo Federation and an official IJF judogi supplier, and calls the Yusho TOP the top model worn by the Japanese national team. For the 2015 IJF rules, Mizuno moved the upper jacket from 100% cotton to a 20% polyester blend developed with Toyobo.

Fabric and build

Both flagships use a double weave on the upper jacket, which the IJF requires: a double sashiko strong enough to withstand 2200 N. Kusakura's shop says the JOV goes past that, at over 2200 newtons, with a double-layer sashiko upper and a diamond weave below. Mizuno describes the Yusho TOP's double weave as a Japanese fabric with stiffness and body.

Kusakura's shop lists the JOV at about 750 g/m², described as "slightly over 750 g/m²", which sits at the top of the IJF range of 650 to 750 g/m² with its 5% tolerance. It also gives garment weights: about 1.8 kg for a size 5 jacket and 0.7 kg for the pants. Mizuno Japan gives no fabric weight for the Yusho TOP. Mizuno Europe lists its Yusho Japan IJF set at 750 g/m².

The pants are the clearest difference. Kusakura makes the JOV pants in 100% cotton with a double layer. Mizuno makes the Yusho TOP pants in twill, 70% cotton and 30% polyester.

The finishing details differ too. The JOV has a red Kusakura logo with a double gold border on the left sleeve. The Yusho TOP has Mizuno's Runbird mark embroidered in gold and black.

Fit and sizing

Kusakura publishes garment measurements for each size, accurate to 2 cm on the arms and legs and 3 cm on the waist and chest. Its Japan-made size table has 132 jacket sizes: numbered sizes, Y and YY for slimmer bodies, B, L and LL for wider bodies, and F for longer sleeves. If none fits, Kusakura's shop takes custom sizes for $43 more on the jacket and $27 more on the pants.

Mizuno Japan publishes height and weight only, on a chart image, so the Mizuno figures above are our reading of that chart. Mizuno says its size chart is designed to fit once the gi has been washed 5 to 10 times, so a new Yusho can feel long in the sleeves.

Do not order the same number from both brands. A Kusakura 4 is for 174 to 178 cm. On Mizuno's chart, that height is closer to a 3.5. Mizuno Europe adds its own note: its Yusho Japan IJF long jacket is 7 cm longer than the size chart.

Shrinkage and care

Kusakura says the JOV is sanforised, or pre-shrunk, and still expects about 5% shrinkage on the jacket and 6% on the pants. Those numbers are already built into its size table. Kusakura's care page asks for a machine wash at 30°C at most, no bleach, no softener and no tumble dryer. If you want to pre-shrink the gi, it suggests washing it two or three times in hot water, up to 60°C, and warns that blue gis bleed.

Mizuno Japan says the Yusho shrinks about 2% after washing, because it contains cotton, and asks you to avoid chlorine bleach and soaking, and to never leave the gi wet.

IJF rules both gis meet

These come from the IJF judogi manufacturing regulations and the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules (August 2026). Both Kusakura and Mizuno are on the IJF's official supplier list.

Kusakura makes some high-end gis that are not IJF approved. Its shop says the JOA Sensei, a 100% cotton gi at 890 g/m², is approved by the All Japan Judo Federation only, and the JOZ Dojin Master, about 900 g/m², is cut tighter than IJF gis and not designed for competitors.

The full range

Mizuno's Yusho Japan IJF, sold in the UK, is listed as made in Japan with 80/20 pants, while the Yusho TOP in Japan is sewn in China with 70/30 pants. We could not confirm whether they are the same gi.

In the US, neither flagship has a regular US retailer listing that we could find. USA Judo sold IJF-approved Mizuno double weave judogi after an event in August 2026 for $225, against a stated retail price of $269.95. In Europe, the retailer Katsudo listed a Kusakura IJF 750 g in blue at €171 and a Mizuno Yusho Japan 750 g in white at €271.90.

Ordering and returns

Kusakura's shop ships standard sizes in about a week to 10 days, and some extended sizes in 3 to 4 weeks. It accepts returns or exchanges within 7 business days of receipt, unworn, unwashed and in the original packaging, and you pay the shipping. Made-to-order judogi, including made-to-order standard sizes, embroidered items and sale items cannot be returned.

Mizuno Japan will not cancel, return or exchange a judogi once a name has been embroidered, and embroidered orders take about two weeks. Mizuno Europe's returns page gives 20 days from delivery with free returns, while its product pages say 14 days.

For both brands, get the size right before you order, because embroidery and custom sizes end your return options.

Final verdict

If you want a judogi made start to finish in Japan, with garment measurements for every size and 132 sizes to choose from, the Kusakura JOV ($344 for the set) is the one. Order by Kusakura's own table, which already allows for its 5 to 6% shrinkage.

If you want the gi Mizuno makes for the Japanese national team, the Yusho TOP (¥48,400) has an 80% cotton jacket, twill pants and a 2% shrinkage estimate. Size it by Mizuno's height and weight chart, never by your Kusakura number.

For more on the brands that sit below these two in price, read Mizuno vs Adidas: Judo Gi Comparison. Keep your throws in a judo training journal, and when you want something to wear off the mat, our judo gifts are made by people who train.