List of judoka

This is a list of highly notable judoka (judo practitioners).

Founder

Highest grades

Only fifteen people have been promoted to 10th dan by the Kōdōkan. Twelve were promoted between 1935 and 1984. The other three were promoted together on 8 January 2006, and they are the only living 10th dan-holders recognized by the Kōdōkan.

Other judoka have been promoted to 10th dan by the IJF, though not recognised by the Kōdōkan, which recognises no grades other than its own. Some national (country) associations, continental unions and independent (often multi-style) bodies have also promoted judoka to 10th dan.

Judo

Judo (柔道, jūdō, meaning "gentle way") is a modern martial art, combat and Olympic sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano (嘉納治五郎). Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the objective is to either throw or takedown an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with a pin, or force an opponent to submit with a joint lock or a choke. Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet as well as weapons defenses are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (kata, 形) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice (randori, 乱取り). A judo practitioner is called a judoka.

The philosophy and subsequent pedagogy developed for judo became the model for other modern Japanese martial arts that developed from koryū (古流^?, traditional schools) . The worldwide spread of judo has led to the development of a number of offshoots such as Sambo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

History and philosophy

Early life of the founder

The early history of judo is inseparable from its founder, Japanese polymath and educator Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎^?, Jigoro Kano, 1860–1938) , born Kanō Shinnosuke (嘉納 新之助^?, Shinnosuke Kano) . Kano 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 Sadako Kano, daughter of the owner of Kiku-Masamune sake brewing company and was adopted by the family, changing his name to Kano, and ultimately became an official in the Shogunal government.