The history of Judo is the story of a noble discipline, now practiced all over the globe and capable of binding people of every nation. Its origin is linked to the founding of the Kodokan, the headquarters of the world judo community, by Jigoro Kano in 1882.
The history of Judo: the origins of the discipline
According to UNESCO, Judo is the best sport for children and young people between 4 and 21 years old, as it promotes a complete physical education. Judo is something that goes beyond simple martial arts. It involves the mind, philosophy, moral rules: all to create an educational method.
The founder: Kano Jigoro
The origin of Judo is closely linked to the historical context of that period.
In 1853 Japan, after years of isolation, was forced to open its borders to foreigners, following the fall of the shogunato Tokugawa, the last Japanese federal government. There were several changes, including the abolition of the samurai class. The westernization of the country led to a rejection of traditions, including the elimination of the warrior culture, also conditioned by the development of firearms.
One of the endangered arts was that of Jujutsu, martial art that was used to physically annihilate the opponent. This discipline was undertaken by Kano Jigoro, who as a young man started practicing Jujutsu as a way to strengthen his fragile body. His merit was to maintain the positive sides of Jujutsu, combining them with new aspects more useful to the new modernity.
Kano formulated that the essence of Judo lay in “Maximum efficient use of energy”, a concept that he considered both a cornerstone of martial arts and a useful principle in many aspects of life. The practical application of this principle would have contributed to human and social development, including an attitude of mutual prosperity towards others, but also towards oneself. The purpose of this new discipline lay in a series of principles to be implemented in order to reach a perfection of oneself.
In 1882 he decided to build the Kodokan, or School to follow the “Way”, where over the years he would have developed and improved the principles of Judo. In the same year he decided to accept a job as a teacher at the Peer School, where he gave birth at the first Judo course. Kono was later also recognized as the founder of Japanese physical educationIn the space of a few years, this new discipline involved more than 1500 students.
The subsequent diffusion
During the twentieth century, Judo also spread outside Japan, where in the meantime the first competitions began to be held. In Europe we began to talk about this new sport around 1915, but only after the end of the First World War did we have the first real testimonies. Two important figures were Gunji Koizumi e Mikonosuke Kawaishi, two students of Kano who in 1920 spread Judo in France and England.
In Italy, despite some testimonies at the beginning of the century, we start talking about it in the mid-10s. Prominent figure was that of Carlo Oletti, a sailor who conducted judo courses for the Army in 1920. Until 1924, judo in Italy will remain confined to the military. Subsequently the Italian Federation of Japanese Wrestling was founded, incorporated in 1931 into the Italian Heavy Athletics Federation.
Judo at the Olympics
In 1934 Judo reached the peak of its diffusion, thanks to the construction of the Suidobashi, a building that became in a short time the “Mecca” of judoki from all over the world. A few years later, in 1938, an elder Kano attended the twelfth General Meeting of the International Olympic Committee, representing Japan. His participation was so appreciated that it was decided to organize the Olympics in Tokyo, an event that never happened due to the world conflict. That was the last feat of Kuno’s life, who died in May 1938.
The Second World War, which saw Japan heavily involved, reduced the spread of Judo. However, a slow recovery took place in the 1950s. In 1956 the first world championships were held in Tokyo. In 1964 Judo became for the first time Olympic sport during the Tokyo Games. As with any fighting competition, four medals were awarded. If it was a Japanese success in the light, middle and heavyweight categories, in the Open category (without weight limits) it was the Dutch Anton Geesink (world champion in 1961) to win the gold medal, to the amazement of the home crowd.
Judo was initially only open to male athletes. The first crack occurred in the 1988 Olympics, where, as a demonstration, women were also made to fight. Final admission came four years later, at the 1992 Barcelona Games. In Athens 2004, Judo became the third most popular sport at the Olympics, with 98 nations represented.
For Italy, the first Olympic gold came in 1980, in Moscow, thanks to the great performance of Ezio Gamba in the light weight category. To see a blue triumph, we had to wait until Beijing 2008, where the first place was earned by Giulia Quintavalle, always in the light weight category. The judo for the Italian selection also provides for a small record. Indeed the Olympic gold of Fabio Basile, in Rio de Janeiro 2016 in judo category 66 kg, it was the 200th gold medal obtained by Italy at the Olympics.
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The history of Judo: the principles and foundations
Judo is based on three principles. The first it is that of agility, non-resistance and adaptation. The second deals with come make the best use of mental and physical forces. The third, very dear to Kano, refers mutual and harmonious understanding with oneself and with others. In addition to these principles, in Judo there are some fundamentals at the base of the discipline:
- The Sensei. It literally means “the one who lived before” and refers to the master, the teacher.
- Il Dojo. It is the place where Judo is practiced. It is not intended simply as a gym, but as the space “where to find the way”.
- The purpose: to make the opponent fall, immobilizing him back to the ground, but without hurting him.
- Respect. It is an essential foundation in judo. It is based on respect for the other, for the teacher, for fellow students and for the referee.
- Il Judogi. It is the uniform with which Judo is practiced and consists of: wide trousers, jacket and belt. A peculiarity is that absolutely nothing must be worn under the uniform.
- The Tatami. It is the flooring where the discipline is carried out. It must always be clean and sanitized to ensure the health of the athletes.
- The greeting. It has a dual function: it means both the beginning of the activity, but it is also a form of thanks. Before saying goodbye it is mandatory that the athlete is correctly in his seat and with the belt fastened in the right way.
- And builds. They are used to evaluate the technical level, the effectiveness during a fight, the degree of seniority and the respect of moral rules.
- The colors of the belt. The progressive order of the belt is white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and the famous black belt that from the sixth dan becomes white-red and for the ninth and tenth completely red.
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