History Of Judo

The Kodokan was founded in 1882 by the late Professor Jigaro Kano who himself had established Judo. Judo was derived from Jujitsu which had over 256 names and schools. Jujitsu is an art for either attacking others or defending oneself with nothing but one's own body. Prof. Kano adopted the best techniques from all the Jujitsu schools, got rid of dangerous techniques, and established the new sport of Kodokan Judo based on his own insight and arrangement. It started with only nine disciples and a twelve-mat dojo. Kodokan Judo was recognized in a few years to be excellent since its students overwhelmed the Jujitsu athletes at the Police Bujitsu Contest. This really was the first step for its future rapid progress. Prof. Kano promoted Judo as a physical education program for use nation-wide. Proceeding with the organization of the Kodokan and enacting the regulations of Judo, he became the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee in 1909 and worked for the spread of Judo world-wide. Judo became an official event in the Olympic Games of 1964, backed by Judo fans and sport promoters all over the world. It is now a very popular sport, second only to soccer for number of participants world-wide.