Judo - general background

History:

Professor Jiguro Kano, the founder of Judo, graduated from the Imperial University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1881. He attended several Ju-jitsu schools, seeking to develop a system of physical exercise. He adopted the best principles of each ju-jitsu system and called it Judo. Literally translated, it means "gentle way". Kano's interpretation, however, was “maximum efficiency”.

It is worth bearing in mind that Kano did not create Judo to be a public competition sport, and he felt strongly that it was a personal art to train the body and the mind. He insisted that its mastery required and appreciation of the inherent philosophy that supports all aspects of Judo. With this in mind, it is interesting to know the oath that all Judo students at the Kodukan dojo (the name given by Kano to his dojo) must make on admission: “Once I have entered the Kodukan dojo, I will not end my study without reasonable cause; I will not dishonour the dojo; unless I am given permission, I will not disclose the secrets that I have been taught; unless I am given permission, I will not teach Judo; pupil first, teacher second, I will always follow the rules of the dojo.”

Competition:

Judo today is one of the most wide-spread martial arts in the world, with reputedly more than 8 million students. Practitioners are referred to as judoka and competitions (Shiai) are conducted under the supervision of a referee and a judge. Contests and training take place in the judojo (hall). Free-style combat in Judo is known as randori; the submitting opponent is known as the uke, and the winning partner is referred to as the tori in Judo.

More than just a sport:

Judo is not purely about physical skill. Its aim is to teach good attitude and behaviour and to instill a sense of decorum in its judoka: best summed up in 2 terms used to describe the mental attitude expected from a judoka: hontai, demonstrating the state of permanent alertness and bonno, demonstrating a disciplined mind, serene and calm, controlling the body and being able to react to any situation.