Masahiko Kimura

Masahiko Kimura (10 September 1917 – 18 April 1993) was a Japanese judoka and professional wrestler. He made history as the first person to win the All-Japan Judo Championships three consecutive times, and he went undefeated in judo matches from 1936 to 1950. In submission grappling, the reverse ude-garami arm lock is commonly called the "Kimura," named after his famous victory over Hélio Gracie, a co-founder of Gracie jiu-jitsu. In Japanese professional wrestling, he is remembered as an early star and for his controversial match with Rikidōzan.

Kimura was born in Kumamoto, Japan, on 10 September 1917. He began training judo at age nine, motivated by a desire to get revenge on his teacher, Mr. Tagawa, a 1st dan black belt who often scolded him. Kimura believed that reaching 2nd dan would allow him to defeat Tagawa. He earned his first black belt after transferring to Chinsei Junior High, where he passed a promotion test by throwing five students from Kumamoto Junior High. For his 3rd dan promotion, he had to take physical and written exams at the Butokukai headquarters in Kyoto. He passed the physical test but cheated on the written one by writing his own name on someone else’s paper, an act he later said filled him with guilt. At age 15, he was promoted to yondan (4th dan) after defeating six opponents, all 3rd and 4th dan, in a row. In 1935, at 18, he became the youngest ever godan (5th dan) by defeating eight consecutive opponents at the Kodokan.

Kimura also engaged in street fights. At Chinsei Junior High, delinquents targeted students skilled in martial arts. In one incident, a judo club member named Iida attacked Kimura with a knife outside school, wounding him in the buttocks. Kimura chased Iida to his home, where Iida’s parents apologized. In another, an infamous street fighter from Kumamoto Commerce Junior High challenged Kimura in Shimogawara park, attacking him with a tantō short sword. Kimura evaded the attack, performed a judo throw, and disarmed him. No other street fighter challenged him afterward.

His success was partly due to a fanatical training regimen managed by his teacher, Tatsukuma Ushijima. After Kimura won eight matches in a tournament but lost his ninth to a judoka named Miyajima, Ushijima slapped him and said: "Shiai is equivalent to a real sword 'Kill or Get Killed' duel between Bushi. To throw the opponent means to kill him. Being thrown means being killed. You killed 8 men, and got killed by the 9th man. Remember, if you devote your life in judo, you can survive only by throwing your opponents or fighting to a draw no matter how many tough opponents you face."

On 11 January 1942, Kimura joined the Amaki Air Defence Unit for World War II. One day, an anonymous 8th dan master of Jukendo visited and issued a general challenge. When no one stepped forward, Kimura reluctantly accepted after his captain urged him. Lacking skill in bayonet combat, he distracted the master by throwing his wooden gun at him, executed a Morote Gari (double leg takedown), mounted him, and won. His victory impressed his superiors so much that the captain ordered him to withdraw his volunteer application for the Solomon Islands, believing the islands would soon be bombed and that Kimura could better serve Japan through judo.

After the war, the GHQ suppressed Japanese martial arts to curb military nationalism. While waiting for a train at Mukomachi station, four US Army Military Police began heckling and physically abusing Japanese people. When Kimura resisted, they surrounded him and led him to Nagaroku Bridge, where they fought. Kimura blocked the first MP’s right punch and kicked him in the groin, threw the second into a river with a Seoi-Nage, headbutted the third, and incapacitated the last by squeezing his testicles. He later said he fought to defend judo’s honor. Fearing retaliation, he kept a low profile. A week later, Captain Shepard invited him to MP headquarters, thanked him for punishing the four MPs—who were known for harassing, threatening, and sexually assaulting Japanese citizens—and asked him to teach judo at the headquarters three times a week. Shepard later earned a 1st degree black belt.

Kimura reportedly lost only four judo matches in his life, all in 1935. He considered quitting after those losses but resumed training through friends’ encouragement. He consistently practiced the leg throw osoto gari against a tree. Daily randori sessions at Tokyo Police and Kodokan dojos caused many opponents to suffer concussions or lose consciousness, and many asked him not to use his osoto gari. At his peak, his training included a thousand push-ups and nine hours of practice daily. He won the All-Japan Judo Championships, an openweight competition, three straight years in 1937, 1938, and 1939. He was promoted to 7th dan at age 30.