Judo

Judo, meaning "the gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art developed by Jigoro Kano in 1882. The roots of judo can be found in jujutsu, an old Japanese grappling martial art that evolved in feudal Japan. Like in jujutsu, the objective is to throw your opponent on the ground and subdue him by joint locking, choking or performing a grappling hold.

Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, began his martial arts studies when he was 18. The first jujutsu style he studied was Tenjin Shinyo Ryu under Fukuda Hachinosuke. Tenjin Shinyo Ryu is a harmonious style, with faster, more flexible moves of the body. One year later master Hachinosuke passed away. Kano continued his studies in another Tenjin Shinyo Ryu school under Iso Masatomo, who emphasised on kata practice. It was then that Kano became shihan (master) and earned a place as assistant instructor. After Masamoto passed away, Kano practiced another jujutsu style, Kito ryu, under Iikubo Tsunetoshi. Kito ryu places greater importance on free practice and throwing techniques. During that time Kano practiced other styles, such as Sekiguchi-ryu and Seigo-ryu.

In 1880 Kano began to think about the jujutsu techniques he had studied and decided to put the best techniques from jujutsu together in one unified system, aiming at developing the mind, body and character of practitioners. He believed that his system could be competitive when used against more dangerous martial arts. In 1882, taking the best from jujutsu and adding his own techniques, Kano introduced his new martial art - judo. The first school of judo (Kodokan) was created in the Buddhist temple Eisho-ji, with only nine students during the first year. In the beginning jujutsu masters turned against Kano, stating that judo has no practical value. In 1886 the Chief of Tokyo police held a tournament in order to show the best jujutsu style and end all confrontations. The tournament consisted of 15 matches between Judo and Totsuka school of jujutsu. Thirteen of these were won by the judoka and two ended in a draw, thus ending all controversy around the application of judo. Not long after the tournament judo was included in the army and police training, and a couple of years later - in school and university classes.