The art that is currently practiced all over the world under the simple name ‘Judo’ should actually be called Kodokan Judo. Ju means “gentle” in Japanese, Do means “the way, the path one walks, the philosophy of life”. Judo roughly translates to: “The gentle way”.

Professor Kano founder of the Kodokan was born in 1860.

Jigoro Kano was a young man with a weak constitution.
However, he was too proud to leave it at that. He had to put up with a lot from his stronger colleagues. He wanted to become stronger at all costs.
He decided to learn Ju-Jutsu (under the encouragement of his professor, the German Baelz) when he heard it said that it was a method by which a weak man could overcome a man of gigantic strength but, due to the social conditions already described above, almost all ju-jutsu masters chose another profession. So it was difficult to find a decent teacher.

Finally he met Teinosuke Yagi who taught him the basics of ju-jutsu.
Later he studied under Hachinosuke Fukuda and Masatorno Iso of the Tenshi-Shinuô-Ryû and with Tsunotoshi Likubo of the Kitô-Ryû.

Thus he was initiated into the secrets of two schools. In 1882 he founded his own school called KODOKAN. However, instead of ju-jutsu, he started teaching his own method: judo. He was then 23 years old and a professor at the faculty of GAKUSHUIN (school of nobles). However, his characteristic zeal and inexhaustible energy had not yet been satisfied. He continued to investigate the secrets of the schools and did not forget to improve his own method. He spared no effort when visiting other masters and studying old Densho. Ultimately, he enjoyed a fame that had no comparison in the field of judo.

In the first period after the foundation of the Kodokan in 1888, there was its DOJO (“Do” or way, path; “Jo” or the stick that is planted along a young tree to support it in its growth; so Dojo is therefore the place where someone is supported when following the road) consists of only 12 tatamis (mats) so 4×6 m. The number of students in the first year was only 9.

The Kodokan currently has a room of 500 tatamis (30mx30m) and the number of students who received their training there, men, women, young people and the elderly, without distinction of race and nationality, is in the millions.

General info:

Demeer Lieve
ldemeer@live.be
Telefoon +32(0)496.59.15.23