Judo: A Modification of Traditional Jujutsu
During the Meiji Restoration of 1868, as his country distanced itself from the violent culture of its once-powerful Samurai class, a dedictated student of traditional jujutsu named Jigoro Kano decided to “repackage” traditional jujutsu as a form of physical education that would retain jujutsu’s combative techniques and couple them with an underlying philosophy that reflected Japan’s unique culture.
Judo Principle #1: Maximum Benefit Through Minimum Effort
Kano was a small man, so he adapted his favourite jujutsu techniques to exploit the principles of balance and leverage while minimizing the importance of strength. This formed the first principle of judo philosophy: “maximum benefit through minimum effort”.
Judo Principle #2: Mutual Welfare and Benefit
To fulfill his second principle of “mutual welfare and benefit”, Kano removed dangerous techniques like dislocation throws, atemi waza (pressure point strikes), and twisting leglocks from randori (open practice), but preserved them through kata. The result was a complete combat system that could be practiced relatively safely even at full force.
Jujutsu Becomes Judo
In Japan, the “martial arts” (bujutsu) are the traditional battlefield combat systems (self protection), while the “martial ways” (budo) use those same skills as a path to personal improvement (self perfection). Since Kano’s techniques shared similar principles with traditional jujutsu, he kept the prefix “ju” (roughly translating to “soft”), but changed the “jutsu” suffix to “do” to reflect the slight alteration in philosophy. Essentially, he used the principles of battlefield-oriented jujutsu to create something more “socially acceptable”.
The Kodokan Proves Judo’s Effectiveness
Kano established the Kodokan Judo Institute in 1882 and immediately began testing judo’s effectiveness. Angry that Kano had stepped away from jujutsu’s secretive traditions and had borrowed their techniques, many jujutsu schools were out for his head. So the Kodokan competed in a legendary series of tournaments across Japan, which culminated in their 1886 victory over Hikosuke Totsuka’s jujutsu school.
Kano Takes Judo to the World
With judo firmly established in Japan, Kano set his sights on the world. He spent the rest of his life travelling extensively, spreading the word of judo until his death in 1938. His influence on modern martial arts has been immeasurable:
- Judo was embraced by the Japanese government and integrated into their school system. Nearly every student practices judo.
- Judo was introduced to the Olympics in 1964, became a permanent event in 1972, and remains one of the most popular events.
- Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese judo expert, travelled to Brazil in 1914 and introduced judo to the Gracie family, who adapted the art and went on to flip the entire martial arts world on its ear just under one hundred years later when Royce Gracie used Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to dominate the early years of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
- In 1963 in Salt Lake City, American judo champion Gene LeBell used judo to defeat boxer Milo Savage in the world’s first televised mixed martial arts match.
- While working with him on a film, martial arts icon Bruce Lee was so impressed with Gene LeBell’s judo that he became a student himself and incorporated judo elements into Jeet Kune Do, his own legendary combat system.
- Law enforcement and military academies across the world use judo techniques in their curriculum.
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