Judo or Jūdō is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Kano Jigoro. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an opponent to submit by joint locking or by executing a strangle hold or choke. Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet as well as weapons defences are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (kata) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice.
The philosophy and subsequent pedagogy developed for judo became the model for other modern Japanese martial arts that developed from koryū. The worldwide spread of judo has led to the development of a number of offshoots such as Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Practitioners of judo are called jūdōka.
History and philosophy
Early life of the founder
The early history of judo is inseparable from its founder, Japanese polymath and educator Kanō Jigorō. Kanō was born into a relatively affluent family. His father, Jirosaku, was the second son of the head priest of the Shinto Hiyoshi shrine in Shiga Prefecture. He married Kanō Sadako, daughter of the owner of Kiku-Masamune sake brewing company and was adopted by the family, changing his name to Kanō, and ultimately became an official in the Bakufu government.
Kanō Jigorō had an academic upbringing and, from age seven, he studied English, shodō and the Shisho under a number of tutors. When he was fourteen, Kanō began boarding at an English-medium school, Ikuei-Gijuku in Shiba, Tokyo. The culture of bullying endemic at this school was the catalyst that caused Kanō to seek out a jūjutsu dōjō at which to train.
Early attempts to find a jūjutsu teacher who was willing to take him on met with little success. With the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, jūjutsu had become unfashionable in an increasingly westernised Japan. Many of those who had once taught the art had been forced out of teaching or become so disillusioned with it that they had simply given up. Nakai Umenari, an acquaintance of Kanō's father and a former soldier, agreed to show him kata, but not to teach him. The caretaker of his father's second house, Katagiri Ryuji, also knew jūjutsu, but would not teach it as he believed it was no longer of practical use. Another frequent visitor Kanō's father's house, Imai Genshiro of Kyūshin-ryū school of jūjutsu also refused. It was to be several years later until he finally found a willing teacher.
In 1877, while a student at the Tokyo-Kaisei school (soon to become part of the newly-founded Tokyo Imperial University), Kanō learned that many jūjutsu teachers had been forced to pursue alternative careers, frequently opening Seikotsu-in. After inquiring at a number of these, Kano was referred to Fukuda Hachinosuke (c.1828–c.1879), a teacher of the Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū of jūjutsu, who had a small nine mat dōjō where he taught five students. Fukuda is said to have emphasized technique over formal exercise, sowing the seeds of Kanō's emphasis on randori in jūdō.
On Fukuda's death in August 1879, Kanō, who had become his keenest and most able student in both randori and kata, was given the densho of the Fukuda dōjō. Kanō chose to continue his studies at another Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū school, that of Iso Masatomo (c.1820–1881). Iso placed more emphasis on the practice of kata, and entrusted randori instruction to assistants, increasingly to Kanō. Iso died in June 1881 and Kanō went on to study at the dōjō of Iikubo Tsunetoshi (1835–1889) of Kitō-ryū . Like Fukuda, Iikubo placed much emphasis on randori, with Kitō-ryū having a greater focus on nage-waza.
Founding of Kōdōkan
In February 1882, Kanō founded a school and dōjō at the Eisho-ji, a Buddhist temple in what was then the Shitaya ward of Tokyo. Iikubo attended the dōjō three days a week to help teach and, although two years would pass before the temple would be called by the name Kōdōkan, and Kanō had not yet received his Menkyo in Kitō-ryū, this is now regarded as the Kōdōkan's founding.
The Eisho-ji dōjō was a relatively small affair, comprising a 12 mat training area. Kanō took in resident and non-resident students, the first two being Tomita Tsunejirō and Saigō Shirō.In August, the following year, the pair were granted shodan grades, the first that had been awarded in any martial art.
Jūdō versus Jūjutsu
Central to Kanō's vision for jūdō were the principles of seiryoku zen'yō and jita kyōei. He illustrated the application of seiryoku zen'yō with the concept of jū yoku gō o seisu:In short, resisting a more powerful opponent will result in your defeat, whilst adjusting to and evading your opponent's attack will cause him to lose his balance, his power will be reduced, and you will defeat him. This can apply whatever the relative values of power, thus making it possible for weaker opponents to beat significantly stronger ones. This is the theory of ju yoku go o seisu.
Kanō realised that, while seiryoku zen'yō was initially conceived as a practical concept of jūjitsu, it had a wider philosophical application. This, coupled with the Confucianist-influenced jita kyōei shaped his development of his art from its jūjutsu origins. Kanō rejected techniques that did not conform to these principles and emphasised the importance of efficiency in the execution of techniques. He was convinced that practice of jūjitsu while conforming to these ideals was a route to self-improvement and the betterment of society in general. He was, however, acutely conscious of the public's perception of jūjitsu: At the time a few bujitsu (martial arts) experts still existed but bujitsu was almost abandoned by the nation at large. Even if I wanted to teach jujitsu most people had now stopped thinking about it. So I thought it better to teach under a different name principally because my objectives were much wider than jujitsu. ”
Kanō believed that Jūjutsu was insufficient to describe his art: although Jutsu means "art" or "means", it implies a method consisting of a collection of physical techniques. Accordingly, he changed the second character to dō, meaning way, road or path, which implies a more philosophical context than jutsu and has a common origin with the Chinese concept of tao. Thus Kanō renamed it Jūdō.
Jūdō waza (techniques)
There are three basic categories of waza in jūdō: nage-waza, katame-waza and atemi-waza. Jūdō is most known for nage-waza and katame-waza.
Jūdō practitioners typically devote a portion of each practice session to ukemi, in order that nage-waza can be practiced without sustaining injury. Several distinct types of ukemi exist, including Ushiro ukemi,Yoko ukemi; Mae ukemi; and Zenpo kaiten ukemi.
The person who performs a waza is known as tori and the person to whom it is performed is known as uke.
Nage-waza (throwing techniques)
Nage-waza can be further categorised into tachi-waza, throws that are performed with tori maintaining an upright position, and sutemi-waza, throws in which tori sacrifices his upright position in order to throw uke.
Tachi-waza are further subdivided into te-waza , in which tori predominantly uses his arms to throw uke; koshi-waza throws that predominantly use a lifting motion from the hips; and ashi-waza, throws in which tori predominantly utilises his legs.
Katame-waza (grappling techniques)
Katame-waza is further categorised into osaekomi-waza, in which tori traps and pins uke on his back on the floor; shime-waza, in which tori attempts to force a submission by choking or strangling uke; and kansetsu-waza, in which tori attempts to submit uke by painful manipulation of his joints.
A related concept is that of ne-waza, in which waza are applied from a non-standing position.
Atemi-waza (striking techniques)
Atemi-waza are techniques in which tori disables uke with a strike to a vital point. Atemi-waza are not permitted outside of kata.
Practice
A kind of sparring is practised in judo, known as randori, meaning "free practice". In randori, two adversaries may attack each other with any judo throw or grappling technique. Striking techniques (atemi-waza) such as kicking and punching, along with knife and sword techniques are retained in the kata. This form of pedagogy is usually reserved for higher ranking practitioners (for instance, in the kime-no-kata), but are forbidden in contest, and usually prohibited in randori for reasons of safety. Also for reasons of safety, chokeholds, joint locking, and the sacrifice techniques are subject to age or rank restrictions. For example, in the United States one must be 13 or older to use chokeholds, and 16 or older to use armlocks.
In randori and tournament (shiai) practice, when an opponent successfully executes a chokehold or joint lock, one submits, or "taps out", by tapping the mat or one's opponent at least twice in a manner that clearly indicates the submission. When this occurs the match is over, the tapping player has lost, and the chokehold or joint lock ceases.
Kata (forms)
Kata (形?, Forms) are pre-arranged patterns of techniques and in judo, with the exception of the Seiryoku-Zen'yō Kokumin-Taiiku, they are all practised with a partner. Their purposes include illustrating the basic principles of judo, demonstrating the correct execution of a technique, teaching the philosophical tenets upon which judo is based, allowing for the practice of techniques that are not allowed in competition, and to preserve ancient techniques that are historically important but are no longer used in contemporary judo.
There are ten kata that are recognized by the Kōdōkan today:
Randori-no-kata , comprising two kata,Nage-no-kata ,Katame-no-kata ,Kime-no-kata ,Kōdōkan goshinjutsu ,
Jū-no-kata ,Gō-no-kata ,Itsutsu-no-kata ,Koshiki-no-kata ,Seiryoku Zen'yō Kokumin Taiiku ,Joshi-goshinhō
In addition, there are five kata of Japanese origin that are not officially approved by the Kōdōkan:
Go-no-sen-no-kata kata of counter techniques developed at Waseda University in Tokyo, popularised in the West by Mikonosuke Kawaishi.
Nage-waza-ura-no-kata created by Kyuzo Mifune.
Katame-waza-ura-no-kata created by Kyuzo Mifune.
Nanami-no-kata created by Tokio Hirano.
Kaeshi-no-kata
Randori (free practice)
Judo emphasizes a free-style sparring, called randori, as one of its main forms of training. Part of the combat time is spent sparring standing up, called tachi-waza, and the other part on the ground, called ne-waza. Sparring, even subject to safety rules, is much more alive than only practising techniques on their own, which is what jujutsuka were used to doing. Using full strength develops the practitioner's muscles and cardio-vascular system, and the strategy and reaction time help the practitioner develop mentally. The aim is to learn to use techniques against a resisting opponent. A common saying among judoka is "The best training for judo is judo."
There are several types of sparring exercises, such as ju renshu (both judoka attack in a very gentle way where no resistance is applied); and kakari geiko (only one judoka attacks while the other one relies solely on defensive and evasive techniques, but without the use of sheer strength.
As a sport
The first time judo was seen in the Olympics was at the 1932 Games in Los Angeles, where Kano and about 200 judo students gave a demonstration. Judo became an Olympic sport for men in the 1964 Games in Tokyo. With the persistence of Rena Kanokogi, an American, and many others, judo became an Olympic sport for women as well in 1988. It is often stated that the men's judo event in 1964 was a demonstration event, but according to the International Judo Federation (IJF) and International Olympic Committee, judo was in fact an official sport in the 1964 games. Dutchman Anton Geesink won the first Olympic gold medal in the open division of judo by defeating Akio Kaminaga of Japan. Judo then lost the image of being "Japanese only" and went on to become one of the most widely practised sports in the world. The women's event was a demonstration event in 1988, and became an official medal event 4 years later. Men and women compete separately, although they often train together. Paralympic judo has been a Paralympic sport (for the visually impaired) since 1988; it is also one of the sports at the Special Olympics.
Rules
The traditional rules of judo are intended to avoid injuries to the participants and ensure proper etiquette. Some later additions to the rules were motivated by a desire to make the sport more interesting to observers.
Penalties may be given for being inactive during the match, or for using illegal techniques. Fighting must be stopped if a participant is outside the designated area on the mat (tatami). If the referee and judges need to discuss something during groundwork, the referee will call sono-mama (used in the sense "do not move", literally "as-is") and both fighters must stop in the position they are in. When they are done, the referee says yoshi and the match continues.
All scores and penalties are given by the referee. The judges can make a decision that changes the score or penalty given by the referee.
There are slight differences to IJF rules to accommodate blind judo.
Competition scoring
The object in a judo match is to throw the opponent to the ground on his shoulder; to pin him to the ground principally on his back; or to force him to submit to a choke, strangle or an armlock. Any of these score ippon, immediately winning the match.
Judo has three grades of score: ippon, waza-ari and yuko. An ippon literally means "one point" and wins the match. An ippon is awarded for (a) a throw that lands the opponent largely on their back in a controlled manner with speed and force; (b) for a mat hold of sufficient duration (twenty five seconds); or (c) for opponent submission. A waza-ari is awarded for a throw that does not quite have enough power or control to be considered ippon; or for a hold of twenty seconds. A waza-ari is a half-point, and, if two are scored, they constitute the full point needed for a win.
Yuko is a lower grade of score, and only counts as a tie-breaker; it is not cumulative with other yuko scores. Scoring is lexicographic; a waza-ari beats any number of yuko, but a waza-ari and a yuko beat a waza-ari with no yuko. A fifteen-second hold down scores yuko. If the person who secured the hold down already has a waza-ari, they only need to hold the hold down for twenty seconds to score ippon by way of two waza-ari (waza-ari-awasete-ippon). Throws further lacking the requirements of an ippon or a waza-ari might score a yuko. So-called "skillful takedowns" are also permitted (e.g. the flying arm-bar) but do not score.
(There used to be a fourth score called koka but it was removed in 2009. When the koka was in use, it was a lower score than yuko. Like yuko, koka was purely a tiebreaker. It only counted when competitors had the same amount of waza-ari and yuko. A yuko would beat any number of koka.)
If the scores are identical at the end of the match, the contest is resolved by the Golden Score rule. Golden Score is a sudden death situation where the clock is reset to match-time, and the first contestant to achieve any score wins. If there is no score during this period, then the winner is decided by Hantei, the majority opinion of the referee and the two corner judges.
Representation of scores
Judo scoreboards show the number of waza-ari and yuko scores scored by each player. (A score of koka was also displayed until its use was abandoned in 2009.) Often an ippon is not represented on the scoreboard, because upon award of an ippon the match is immediately terminated. Some computerized scoreboards will briefly indicate that an ippon has been scored.
Scoreboards normally also show the number of penalties imposed on each player, and sometimes the number of medical visits for each. (Only two "medical" attentions are allowed for each competitor during a match—most often for minor bleeds.)
Electronic scoreboards also usually include timers for measuring both competition time and osekomi time.
Changes In Rules
The rules of Judo are always changing for various safety-related reasons. They may also change depending on the age, rank or experience of the Judoka. They may also change depending on the country, club or on the level of competition (i.e. the Olympics versus an international competition versus a national competition).
Penalties
The first penalty is a warning, which is noted on the scoreboard. The second penalty is scored as "yuko" for the opponent. The third penalty is scored as "waza-ari". The fourth penalty is called "hansoku make," and is scored as an "ippon" for the opponent. With a "hansoku make" the match ends permanently. One can also get a direct "hansoku make" for serious rule violations. In this case, the player who got "hansoku make" is disqualified from the tournament.
In mixed martial arts
Safety
Research shows that judo is a particularly safe sport for youths, though adult competitive judo has a higher incidence of injuries compared to non-collision or non-contact ball-sports for example, but similar to other competitive contact sports.
Chokes
Although chokes are potentially lethal techniques, a properly applied choke hold, if released soon enough after submission or unconsciousness, causes no injury. Judo chokes are generally taught to the more experienced Judoka to help ensure the safety of the students. There is ample data demonstrating the safety of applying chokeholds, and training includes emergency care and resuscitation (kappo).
Throws
A properly applied throw performed in a controlled way should protect the opponent from injury. However injuries may result if, for example, the thrower (Tori) lands on the opponent (Uke) as a result of a sloppy or intentionally malicious throw, or if the tori performs a sloppy throw with disregard for uke's joints (e.g., improper Osoto gari or Tai otoshi applied with lateral force to the knee; or sloppy Soto makikomi or "drop" Ippon seoi nage resulting in excessive forces into uke's shoulder). To best prevent throwing injuries, proper throwing techniques should be thoroughly drilled by senseis before entering students into competition—via "fitting-in" drills (Uchi-komi's), prearranged forms , and intense but controlled & supervised free-practice/sparring (Randori).
Jūdōka (practitioner)
A practitioner of jūdō is known as a jūdōka or "jūdō practitioner", though traditionally only those of 4th dan or higher were called jūdōka. The suffix -ka, when added to a noun, means a person with expertise or special knowledge on that subject. Other practitioners below the rank of 4th dan used to be called kenkyu-sei. The modern meaning of jūdōka refers to a jūdō practitioner of any level of expertise.
A jūdō teacher is called sensei . The word sensei comes from sen or saki (before) and sei (life) – i.e. one who has preceded you. In Western dōjō, it is common to call any instructor of dan grade sensei. Traditionally, that title was reserved for instructors of 4th dan and above.
Jūdōgi (uniform)
Jūdō practitioners traditionally wear white uniforms called jūdōgi (柔道着?, judo uniform), sometimes the abbreviated as gi. The jūdōgi was created by Kano in 1907, and similar uniforms were later adopted by many other martial arts. The modern jūdōgi consists of white or blue cotton drawstring pants and a matching white or blue quilted cotton jacket, fastened by an obi (帯?, belt), coloured to indicate rank. The jacket is intended to withstand the stresses of grappling and, as a result, is much thicker than that of a karategi (karate uniform). Jūdōgi are designed to allow an opponent to hold onto it, while karategi are made from slicker material so that an opponent cannot get a grip on the material.
The modern use of the blue jūdōgi was first suggested by Anton Geesink at the 1986 Maastricht IJF DC Meeting. For competition, a blue jūdōgi is worn by one of the two competitors for ease of distinction by judges, referees, and spectators. In Japan, both jūdōka use a white jūdōgi and the traditional red obi (based on the colors of the Japanese flag) is affixed to the belt of one competitor. Outside Japan, a colored obi may also be used for convenience in minor competitions, the blue jūdōgi only being mandatory at the regional or higher levels, depending on organisation. Japanese practitioners and traditionalists tend to look down on the use of blue jūdōgi.
For events organised under the auspices of the International Judo Federation (IJF), jūdōgi have to bear the IJF Official Logo Mark Label. This label demonstrates that the jūdōgi has passed a number of quality control tests to ensure it conforms to construction regulations ensuring it is not too stiff, flexible, rigid or slippery to allow the opponent to grip or to perform techniques.
Organizations
The international governing body for jūdō is the International Judo Federation (IJF), founded in 1951. Members of the IJF include the African Judo Union (AJU), the Pan-American Judo Confederation (PJC), the Judo Union of Asia (JUA), the European Judo Union (EJU) and the Oceania Judo Union (OJU), each comprising of a number of national judo associations. The IJF is responsible for organising international competition and hosts the World Judo Championships and is involved in running the Olympic Judo events.
Numerous non-IJF affiliated organisations exist, often having a more traditional focus than some of the IJF-affiliated organisations, which are sometimes criticised for over-emphasising the competitive side of jūdō.
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