Judo
During the Japanese middle ages two aristocratic war lords were fighting against each other. The warriors were primarily on horseback, who had to be able to fight on the ground as well. When exercising the ground techniques, techniques for throwing the opponent to the ground and the work on ground were sophisticated. In this time single techniques were quoted for the first time, however no ground techniques (Katame Waza) in general. Only the term of Yawara was bequeathed. Yawara contained all fighting techniques, more or less Sumo was meant, that at this time was identical to Jiu-Jitsu, which developed to a precursor of Judo.
With the introduction of the gun in the 16th century into the art of war the techniques of fighting changed considerably. The armors became lighter, a fact that enabled faster attack and defence techniques and opened the floor to new techniques with swords and other smaller weapons. At this time peaceful periods were quite rare, constant new wars und social unrests were a challenge for the warriors and made a constant awareness for fighting necessary. Experienced warriors (Bushi), the Samurai, specialized in single martial arts and became real champions for techniques i.e. with a long or a short sword, the lance or unarmed fighting. Single motion sequences were systematized in so called Katas, fights against imaginary opponents. In the second half of the 16th century Jiu-Jitsu became independant. Jigoro Kano the founder of modern Judo characterized Jiu-Jitsu as a technique for attacks and defenses with or without weapons against one or more opponents with or without weapons.
During the peacetime from 1603 till 1868, called Tokugawa-or Edo-era, it was forbidden for warriors to wear their swords at the court of the emperor. Up to this time often two swords. As a result of this proscription warriors and civil servants on a lower level who needed weapons, for instance jailors, were obliged to train themselves in weaponless self-defence techniques. The hoi palloi were never allowed to have weapons so that they were only forced to perfect their knowledge. Through this Jiu-Jitsu became an utterly effective system of combat.
In the 18th century 100 schools existed in Japan, half
of them are still known today. In the year 1868 in Japan
a fundamental political change took place: the Meji-restauration.
The hitherto existing feudalism of the knights came to an
end and the power in the country switched to the emperor
and the government. By becoming insignificant the martial
arts of the knights lost importance.
Modernes Judo
In the time between 1876 and 1905 the German physician Prof.Dr.Erwin Bälz gave lectures at the university of Tokyo. There he saw demonstrations of the teacher of Jiu-Jitsu Totsuka, who already was 70 years at this time, that elated him in a way that he recommended these exercises warmly to his students as a means to achieve physical fitness. One of the students was the small Jigoro Kano, who suffered from the tyranny of his fellow-students. His pride however forbid him to surrender to the harassment. He learned Jiu-Jitsu from one of the few masters who still were living at this time and training various styles of self-defence (Tenjin-Shinyo-Ryu and School of Kito). In the age of 23 he founded in Tokyo in the year 1882 his own school, the Kodokan (School for learning the way). Kano introduced two basic principles that put the paedagogical aspect of Judo in the first line: Seiryoku Zenyo (the best use of physical and mental power) as well as Jita Kyoei (well-being for all through mutual helping and understanding). The style that he was teaching, he called Judo. Concerning the history of Judo Kano can be cited as follows:
"When I learned Jiu-Jitsu, I considered it not only as interesting but as being extremely effective for the formation of body and soul. Therefor I got the idea to propagate it. For this objective however it was necessary to up-date the old Jiu-Jitsu in a certain way, because Jiu-Jitsu has not been developed as a means for physical fitness and moral education. But what was primarily invented for combat, step by step became new features. Every method of combat of each old school of Jiu-Jitsu had its advantages and disadvantages. By learning this I chose to select only the advantages of each school and rebuild them in a new way. I incorporated as many advantages as I could get and added my own inventions. The objective was not to combat but to strengthen the body, to educate the soul and to study the fighting. Therefor a fixed a special method and a special principle. This is Kodokan-Judo."
Jigoro Kano who created out of Budo, the
entirety of Japanese martial arts, a sport with high
values, gained international recognition for his
achievements. After being the first president of National
Olympic Committees -NOC- of Japan, he became a member of
the International Olympic Committee -IOC-. Kano was often
travelling to western country and doing this way he
helped making Judo more known in the world. In
1964 Judo became an olympic discipline for the
first time.