is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), Paralympic sport (since 1988) and Commonwealth Games sport (since 1990). Judo is the most prominent form of Samurai throws and self-defense competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo").『日本大百科全書』の最初の定義文（Encyclopedia Nipponica, first phrases, definition of Judo.）「心身を鍛錬することにより、その力をもっとも有効に使用する道であると同時に、人間形成の道である。」 Judo was created in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō () as an eclectic martial art, distinguishing itself from its predecessors (primarily Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujutsu and Kitō-ryū jujutsu) due to an emphasis on "randori" (, lit. 'free sparring') instead of alongside its removal of striking and weapon training elements. Judo rose to prominence for its dominance over established jujutsu schools in tournaments hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁武術大会, Keishicho Bujutsu Taikai), resulting in its adoption as the department's primary martial art. A judo practitioner is called a , and the judo uniform is called .
The objective of competitive judo is to throw an opponent forcefully onto their backs, immobilize them with a pin, or force an opponent to submit with a joint lock or a choke. While strikes and use of weapons are included in some pre-arranged forms (kata), they are not frequently trained and are illegal in judo competition or free practice. Judo's international governing body is the International Judo Federation, and competitors compete in the international IJF professional circuit.
Judo's philosophy revolves around two primary principles: and . The philosophy and subsequent pedagogy developed for judo became the model for other modern Japanese martial arts that developed from Ko-ryū. Judo has also spawned a number of derivative martial arts around the world, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Krav Maga, sambo, and ARB. Judo also influenced the formation of other combat styles such as close-quarters combat (CQC), mixed martial arts (MMA), shoot wrestling, and other styles of submission wrestling.
History and philosophy
Early life of its founder
The early history of judo is inseparable from its founder, Japanese polymath and educator , born . Kano was born into a relatively affluent family. His father, Jirosaku, was the second son of the head priest of the Shinto Hiyoshi shrine in Shiga Prefecture. He married Sadako Kano, daughter of the owner of Kiku-Masamune sake brewing company and was adopted by the family, changing his name to Kano. He ultimately became an official in the Shogunate government.Kano (2008) pp. 46–47
Jigoro Kano had an academic upbringing and, from the age of seven, he studied English, and the under a number of tutors.Kano (2008) p. 1; Hoare (2009) p. 43 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 at which to train.
Early attempts to find a jujutsu teacher who was willing to take him on met with little success. Jujutsu had become unfashionable in an increasingly westernized 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 Umenari, 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 Kyushin-ryū school of jujutsu, also refused.Kano (2008) p. 2 Several years passed before he finally found a willing teacher.
In 1877, as a student at the University of Tokyo, Kano learned that many jujutsu teachers had been forced to pursue alternative careers, frequently opening .Hoare (2009) p. 44 After inquiring at a number of these, Kano was referred to Fukuda Hachinosuke (–1880),Fukuda (2004) p. 145 a teacher of the Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū of jujutsu, who had a small nine mat dōjō where he taught five students.Kano (2008) pp. 3–4; Hoare (2009) pp. 45–47; Fukuda (2004) pp. 145–152. Keiko Fukuda 9th Dan (born 1913) is the granddaughter of Fukuda Hachinosuke, and is the last surviving direct student of Kano: Fukuda is said to have emphasized technique over formal exercise, sowing the seeds of Kano's emphasis on in judo.
On Fukuda's death in 1880, Kano, who had become his keenest and most able student in both randori and kata, was given the of the Fukuda dōjō.Kano (2008) p. 6; Hoare (2009) p. 47 Kano chose to continue his studies at another Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū school, that of Iso Masatomo (–1881). Iso placed more emphasis on the practice of "kata", and entrusted randori instruction to assistants, increasingly to Kano.Kano (2008), pp. 9–10 Iso died in June 1881 and Kano went on to study at the dōjō of Iikubo Tsunetoshi (1835–1889) of .Kano (2008), p. 11 Like Fukuda, Iikubo placed much emphasis on randori, with Kitō-ryū having a greater focus on .Kano (2005), p. 23
Founding of the Kodokan
In February 1882, Kano founded a school and dōjō at the , a Buddhist temple in what was then the Shitaya ward of Tokyo (now the Higashi Ueno district of Taitō ward).Hoare (2009) pp. 52–53. For location of Eisho-ji temple, see: Iikubo, Kano's Kitō-ryū instructor, attended the dōjō three days a week to help teach and, although two years would pass before the temple would be called by the name , and Kano had not yet received his in Kitō-ryū, this is now regarded as the Kodokan founding.
The Eisho-ji dōjō was originally shoin. It was a relatively small affair, consisting of a 12 joJo is the Japanese unit of area. (214 sq ft) training area. Kano took in resident and non-resident students, the first two being Tomita Tsunejirō and Shiro Saigo.Kano (2008) p. 20 In August, the following year, the pair were granted grades, the first that had been awarded in any martial art.Lowry (2006) p. 49
Judo versus jujutsu
Central to Kano's vision for judo were the principles of and . He illustrated the application of seiryoku zen'yō with the concept of :
Kano realised that seiryoku zen'yō, initially conceived as a jujutsu concept, had a wider philosophical application. Coupled with the Neo-Confucianist-influenced jita kyōei, the wider application shaped the development of judo from a to a . Kano rejected techniques that did not conform to these principles and emphasized the importance of efficiency in the execution of techniques. He was convinced that practice of jujutsu while conforming to these ideals was a route to self-improvement and the betterment of society in general.For Kano's opinions on the wider applicability of jita kyōei to life see for example, Kano (2008) p. 107 He was, however, acutely conscious of the Japanese public's negative perception of jujutsu:
Kano believed that "jūjutsu was insufficient to describe his art: although means "art" or "means", it implies a method consisting of a collection of physical techniques. Accordingly, he changed the second character to , meaning "way", "road" or "path", which implies a more philosophical context than jutsu and shares its conceptual origin with Chinese tao, also its etymological cognate written using the same character. Thus Kano renamed it ."Judo" had been used before then, as in the case of a jujutsu school that called itself , but its use was rare.
Kano also spoke in 1927 about the need of integrate striking into the judo ruleset, as striking had been a fundamental part of most jujutsu schools. However, this change was never implemented due to its difficulty.Kenji Tomiki, On Modern Jujutsu
Judo waza (techniques)
There are three basic categories of in judo: , and .Daigo (2005) p. 8 Judo is mostly known for nage-waza and katame-waza, because striking techniques of any kind are restricted in the competitive judo.Numerous texts exist that describe the waza of judo in detail. Daigo (2005); Inokuma and Sato (1987); Kano (1994); Mifune (2004); and Ohlenkamp (2006) are some of the better examples
Judo practitioners typically devote a portion of each practice session to , in order that nage-waza can be practiced without significant risk of injury. Several distinct types of ukemi exist, including ; ; ; and Kano (1994) pp. 45–54
The person who performs a waza is known as and the person to whom it is performed is known as .Ishikawa and Draeger (1999) p. 179
Nage-waza (throwing techniques) Nage-waza include all techniques in which tori attempts to throw or trip uke, usually with the aim of placing uke on their back. Each technique has three distinct stages:
: the opponent becoming off balanced;Kano (1994) pp. 42–43; Mifune (2004) pp. 41–43 : turning in and fitting into the throw;Kano (1994) p. 44; Mifune (2004) p. 44 : execution and completion of the throw.
Nage-waza are typically drilled by the use of , repeated turning-in, taking the throw up to the point of kake.Takahashi (2005) pp. 39–43
Traditionally, nage-waza are further categorised into , throws that are performed with tori maintaining an upright position, and , throws in which tori sacrifices his upright position in order to throw uke.Daigo (2005) p. 10
Tachi-waza are further subdivided into , in which tori predominantly uses their arms to throw uke; throws that predominantly use a lifting motion from the hips; and , throws in which tori predominantly utilises their legs.
throwing techniques standing techniques hand techniques hip techniques foot and leg techniques sacrifice techniques rear sacrifice techniques side sacrifice techniques
Katame-waza (grappling techniques) Katame-waza is further categorised into , in which tori traps and pins uke on their back on the floor; , in which tori attempts to force a submission by choking or strangling uke; and , in which tori attempts to submit uke by painful manipulation of their joints.For full coverage of katame waza techniques extant in current judo competition rules, see Adams (1991), Kashiwazaki (1992) and Kashiwazaki (1997)
A related concept is that of , in which waza are applied from a non-standing position.
In competitive judo, Kansetsu-waza is currently limited to elbow joint manipulation.Adams (1991) Manipulation and locking of other joints can be found in various kata, such as Katame-no-kata and Kodokan goshin jutsu.Otaki & Draeger (1983) pp. 398–405; Kano (1982) pp. 192–203
grappling techniques holding or pinning techniques strangulation techniques Joint techniques (locks)
Atemi-waza (striking techniques) Atemi-waza are techniques in which tori disables uke with a strike to a vital point. Atemi-waza are not permitted outside of kata.Daigo (2005) p. 9; Harrison (1952) pp. 162–168
Pedagogy
Randori (free practice) Judo pedagogy emphasizes . This term covers a variety of forms of practice, and the intensity at which it is carried out varies depending on intent and the level of expertise of the participants. At one extreme, is a compliant style of randori, known as , in which neither participant offers resistance to their partner's attempts to throw. A related concept is that of , in which an experienced judoka allows himself to be thrown by his less-experienced partner.Ishikawa and Draeger (1999) p. 84 At the opposite extreme from yakusoku geiko is the hard style of randori that seeks to emulate the style of judo seen in competition. While hard randori is the cornerstone of judo, over-emphasis of the competitive aspect is seen as undesirable by traditionalists if the intent of the randori is to "win" rather than to learn.Kano (1994) p. 142; Ishikawa and Draeger (1999) p. 84
Kata (forms)