Kano Jigoro From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Japanese name, the family name is Kano.

Jigoro Kano (嘉納 治五郎 Jigorō Kanō)
Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo.
Born	October 28, 1860(1860-10-28) Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
Died	May 4, 1938 (aged 77) aboard MV Hikawa Maru of pneumonia
Martial art practiced	Judo
Teacher(s)	Fukuda Hachinotsuke; Iso Masatomo; Iikubo Tsunetoshi
Rank	Judo: Founder Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū: Complete license

Kano Jigoro (嘉納 治五郎, Kanō Jigorō^?, 28 October 1860 – 4 May 1938) was the founder of judo. Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical innovations attributed to Kano include the use of black and white belts, and the introduction of dan ranking to show the relative ranking between members of a martial art style. Well-known mottoes attributed to Kano include “Maximum Efficiency with Minimum Effort” and “Mutual Welfare and Benefit.”

In his professional life Kano was an educator. Important postings included serving as director of primary education for the Ministry of Education (文部省, Monbushō^?) from 1898-1901, and as president of Tokyo Higher Normal School from 1901 until 1920.^[1] He played a key role in getting judo and kendo made part of the Japanese public school programs of the 1910s.

Kano was also a pioneer of international sports. Accomplishments included being the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (he served from 1909 until 1938); officially representing Japan at most Olympic Games held between 1912 and 1936; and serving as a leading spokesman for Japan’s bid for the 1940 Olympic Games.

His official honors and decorations included the First Order of Merit and Grand Order of the Rising Sun and the Third Imperial Degree. Kano was inducted into the IJF Hall of Fame on 14 May 1999.^[2]

Content 1 Early years 2 Jujutsu 3 Kodokan judo 3.1 Establishment 3.2 Development 3.3 Ideals 4 Professional life 4.1 Educator 4.2 International Olympics Committee 5 Legacy 6 Published works 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Early years

Kano Jigoro was born to a sake brewing family in the town of Mikage, Japan (now within Higashinada-ku, Kobe). The family sake brands included “Shiroshika”, “Hakutsuru”, and “Kiku-Masamune”. However, Kano’s father—Kano Jirosaku Kireshiba—was an adopted son who did not go into the family business. Instead he worked as a lay priest and as a senior clerk for a shipping line.^[3] Kano’s father was a great believer in the power of education, and he provided Jigoro, his third son, with an excellent education. The boy’s early teachers included the neo-Confucian scholars Yamamoto Chikuun and Akita Shusetsu.^[4] Kano’s mother died when the boy was nine years old, and his father moved the family to Tokyo. The young Kano was enrolled in private schools, and had his own English language tutor. In 1874 he was sent to a private school run by Europeans to improve his English and German skills.^[3]

At the time Kano stood 5 feet 2 inches but weighed only 90 pounds. He wished he were stronger.^[5] One day, Nakai Baisei (a friend of the family who was a member of the shogun‘s guard), mentioned that jujutsu was an excellent form of physical training. He then showed Kano a few techniques by which a smaller man might overcome a larger and stronger opponent. Kano decided he wanted to learn the art despite Nakai’s insistence that such training was out of date and somewhat dangerous. Kano’s father also discouraged him from jujutsu, telling him to pursue a modern sport instead.^[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigoro_Kano