About the Judo

Judo, as a Lifestyle.

Judo is a combat sport that results from the synthesis of different schools of jiu-jitsu and other ancient forms of hand-to-hand combat.

Judo develops among those who practice, coordination, speed, flexibility and sense of balance. It is excellent for maintaining muscular fitness and fighting cardiovascular disease. At the psychological level, learning Judo promotes the development of self-confidence and self-discipline.

The sport offers people much more than physical activity or recreational sport; it offers a new lifestyle.

What is judo?

Fans of Judo are in the thousands and even hundreds of thousands and is practiced in over 140 countries. The practice of Judo is also exceptionally cost-friendly.

Judo, sport competition.

Since 1964, Judo has been an Olympic sport. This sport is also on the agenda for the Games of Montreal, Quebec Games, Canada Games, Maccabean Games, Pan-American Games, the Games of the Francophonie and the Commonwealth Games. Championships can be found at many levels; which include provincial, national, hemispheric and international (practiced in 5 continents).

Judo in Canada.

Recreational Judo and Judo competitions are performed all across Canada. It is estimated that in Quebec alone, 10 000 individuals representing all ages practice recreational Judo. Interestingly, Quebec is the one province that produces the most judokas competitors in Canada.

The Kodokan (Kodokan literally means “school for studying the way”) is a dojo founded in 1882 by Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo. Its current president is Mr. Haruki Uemura.

The first students aged 15 to 18 years old, enrolled on June 5, 1882. Dr. Jigoro Kano housed and cared for them like a father. Although money was tight for the young teacher, it was an exciting time. The original dojo had a tatami (training mat) of 20 square meters and the following year it doubled. Two years later Dr. Jigoro Kano built a dojo that featured a tatami of about 80 square meters.

During that era, meetings and competition between various schools of ju jitsu increased. The Kodokan won its first stunning victory in 1886 in a famous tournament held at the police dojo in Tokyo. The young school won many other events thanks to a student of Dr. Jigoro Kano, Shiro Saigo, who joined the Kodokan at the age of 16.

When Dr. Jigoro Kano began travelling around the world, he left his best students in charge of managing the Kodokan.

In 1887, the Butokukai, a national school of martial arts was created by the Japanese government. Under the leadership of Dr. Jigoro Kano this school soon became a rival of the Kodokan. A few years later the Kosen dojo was created by the Tokyo Imperial University. Despite stiff competition, the Kodokan continued to progress with the largest dojo in Japan at 185 square meters.

In 1909 the Kodokan became a public institution and the katas originally established for the Butokukai became part of the program. Shortly thereafter, a women’s section was opened and the Kodokan developed cultural associations and research committees.

In 1934 the Kodokan moved to a new three story building. It had 2000 square meters of tatamis (mats) and was proclaimed to be the “Mecca of judo.” Growing in popularity, in 1958 the Kodokan again moved to a more modern and spacious building located at 1-16-30 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0003.

In addition to its vast training area, it features special rooms reserved for women, children, students, and individuals. The Kodokan also accommodates instructors and visitors.

Learn more about the Kodokan at: www.kodokan.org

During the early days of judo in the 1880s there were only two belt colors; white and black. Indeed, the more judokas practiced judo with the white belt, the belt gradually turned darker, into black.

The belt colors were introduced in England in the mid-1920s. In order of increased skills, the belts are white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and the familiar black. There are also additional grades to evaluate and reward junior judokas (white-yellow, yellow-orange, orange-green, green-blue, blue-brown).

For a belt to be awarded, the student must have attained the knowledge to assess the technical level, their effectiveness in combat, their level of seniority and their moral qualities. The belt colors from white to brown are called kyu. Kyu levels above are named dan (degree): 1st dan to 5th dan, and the belt is black, the 6th, 7th and 8th dan are represented by a belt broadband alternating red and white, the 9th and 10th dan by a red belt. After the red belt, there is a belt that has been achieved only by Jigoro Kano (posthumously); the wide white belt that represents the 11th an 12th.