Florida Judo Ki no Fuda's Judo History Column

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Last Update: November 19, 2004

[Website Editor's note: This article ran in the paper newsletter Volume 1, Number 4 dated August/September 1989.]

Almost all Judoka who have trained more than a few months know that Dr. Jigoro Kano was the founder of Judo and that his first school of Judo, the Kodokan, came into existence in 1882. But how many Judoka know the story of the first Judo shiai (tournament)?

By profession, Dr. Kano was an educator. He rose to become the Director of the Bureau of Primary and Secondary Education in Japan, and later served 24 years as the Principal of the Tokyo Higher Normal College. By teaching Judo to the future teachers of Japan, Judo quickly became part of the school physical fitness program. In this way, many Japanese school children received Judo training. Judo was almost immediately recognized as a national exercise.

Through the early years following 1882, interest in Jujitsu declined as the popularity of Judo grew. The strongest among the old Jujitsu schools at the time of the founding of Judo was the Hikosuke Totsuke Ryu. Soon, a strong and often hostile rivalry developed between the Kodokan and the Totsuke Ryu. Dr. Kano's influence in spreading Judo in no way proved that Judo was a valid art. Jujitsuka felt that history had proven their techniques were valid. To settle the controversy, a great tournament was arranged by the Tokyo Police Department Board in 1886. This tournament was important since defeat for the Kodokan would have been a critical blow to the development of Judo.

Each school selected 15 men. The Kodokan won thirteen matches and there were two draws. This, at least at that time, established the supremacy of Kodokan Judo in both theory and practice. Unfortunately, detailed records of this contest were destroyed during World War II, along with most of the Kodokan records.

Another significant outcome of that contest was the creation of the first set of contest rules. These 12 articles were developed by many of the higher ranked Yudansha (black belt students) from the Kodokan to govern Judo tournaments. These rules underwent frequent revisions until 1975 when the International Judo Federation (IJF) rules were first published. All Judo contest are conducted in accordance with the current IJF rules.