Kanō Jigorō

Kanō Jigorō (10 December 1860 – 4 May 1938) was a Japanese educator, politician, and martial artist who created judo. This discipline became one of the first Japanese martial arts known internationally and the first to appear as an official Olympic event—men’s judo debuted in 1964, women’s in 1992—and it also became a Commonwealth Games sport in 1990. Kanō is credited with introducing the black-and-white belt system and the dan ranking structure to indicate skill levels in martial arts. Two well-known sayings he promoted are “maximum efficiency, minimal effort” (seiryoku zen'yō) and “mutual welfare and benefit” (jita kyōei).

In his career, Kanō worked as an educator and promoted many sports in Japan, including swimming, athletics, weightlifting, and other physical education activities. Some consider him the originator of modern strength training in Japan. He also assisted Gichin Funakoshi and other masters in introducing and systematizing karate in the country. A high-ranking member of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, he helped make judo and kendo part of Japanese public school programs. His cousin Kenji Kanō, who founded one of Japan’s first Western boxing clubs, was influenced by him as well.

Kanō held several important posts: director of primary education for the Ministry of Education from 1898 to 1901, and president of Tokyo Higher Normal School from 1900 to 1920. He also founded Nada Middle High School in Kobe. He became the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), serving from 1909 to 1938, and officially represented Japan at most Olympic Games between 1912 and 1936. He was a leading spokesman for Japan’s bid to host the 1940 Olympics. His honors included the First Order of Merit, the Grand Order of the Rising Sun, and the Third Imperial Degree. On 14 May 1999, he became the first inductee into the International Judo Federation Hall of Fame.

**Early years**

Kanō Jigorō was born into a sake-brewing family in Mikage (now part of Higashinada-ku, Kobe). The family’s sake brands included Hakushika, Hakutsuru, and Kiku-Masamune. His father, Kanō Jirōsaku (born Mareshiba Jirōsaku), was an adopted son who did not join the family business; instead, he worked as a lay priest and a senior clerk for a shipping line. A strong believer in modern education, he gave his third son, Jigorō, an excellent schooling. Early teachers included neo-Confucian scholars Yamamoto Chikuun and Akita Shusetsu. Kanō’s mother died when he was nine, after which his father moved the family to Tokyo. There, Kanō attended private schools and had his own English tutor. In 1874, he was sent to the European-run Ikuei Academy to improve his English and German. He became fluent in English, kept his diary in that language, and wrote it in an elegant style.

As an adolescent, Kanō stood 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) and weighed only 41 kg (90 lb). At Ikuei, he was frequently bullied because of his small size and intellectual nature—other students sometimes dragged him out of school buildings to beat him up. He wished to become stronger to defend himself. One day, a family friend named Nakai Baisei, a former shōgun’s guard, mentioned that jūjutsu was an excellent form of physical training and showed Kanō techniques by which a smaller man could overcome a larger, stronger opponent. Seeing its potential for self-defense, Kanō decided to learn the art, despite Nakai’s warning that such training was outdated and dangerous. By the time Kanō moved to Kaisei Academy, the bullying had stopped, but his interest in jūjutsu had not. His father initially discouraged him, unaware of the bullying, but after seeing Kanō’s deep interest, he allowed him to train on condition that he strive to master it.

**Jūjutsu**

Kanō entered Tokyo Imperial University in 1877 and earned a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy in 1882. During his university years, he searched for jūjutsu teachers. He first looked for bonesetters (seifukushi), assuming that doctors who knew the martial art would be better instructors. This led him to Yagi Teinosuke, a student of Emon Isomata in the Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū school. Yagi referred Kanō to Fukuda Hachinosuke, a bonesetter who taught Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū in a 10-mat room next to his practice. This school combined two older styles: Yōshin-ryū and Shin no Shindō-ryū.

Fukuda’s training method involved students repeatedly taking falls for the teacher or senior students until they grasped the mechanics of a technique. He emphasized applied technique over ritual forms. Beginners received a short description of a technique and then engaged in free practice (randori) to learn through experience. Only after gaining some proficiency did students learn traditional forms (kata). This approach was difficult because there were no special mats for falling—only standard straw tatami laid over wooden floors.

Kanō struggled to defeat Fukushima Kanekichi, a senior student. He tried unfamiliar techniques, first from sumo taught by a former practitioner named Uchiyama Kisoemon. When that failed, he studied further and attempted a “fireman’s carry” move he had learned from a book.