Judo

The martial arts world owes Judo a lot.

It was the first to become what we would recognize as an organised activity.

The founder was Jigoro Kano. He started training in various Jujitsu styles in 1877 at age 17. I don't know if he wanted to hop around, or if it was just circumstance. His first teacher died in 1880, and his second in 1881. His third lasted longer.

Kano established his own dojo in 1882. This young man, aged 22 with only 5 years of martial arts experience, developed and taught what was soon being called Judo.

So what do we owe him if we are not Judo people? Well, he invented the entire belt rank thing. He also invented the whole martial arts uniform thing. His version is the Judogi, or gi for short. Karate copied the Judogi, and later Taekwondo copied the Karategi. Before Kano's gi, people trained in street clothes.

Nowadays training in street clothes wouldn't be all that weird, but back then it was. I've got a book around here somewhere that is a reprint of one from the early 1900s. The gi didn't come along until about 1907, so in all the photos in this book the Judo people are barefoot and wearing old-man dress pants, and sleeveless undershirts.

Kano also come up with the idea of martial arts competition, and was the Judo would be the first martial art accepted by the Olympics.

I'd love to learn a little Judo.