Kanō Jigorō
Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎, 10 December 1860 – 4 May 1938) was a Japanese educator, athlete, and the founder of judo. Along with ju-jutsu, judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical innovations attributed to Kanō include the use of black and white belts, and the introduction of dan ranking to show the relative ranking among members of a martial art style. Well-known mottoes attributed to Kanō include "maximum efficiency minimal effort" (精力善用, seiryoku zen'yō) and "mutual welfare and benefit" (自他共栄, jita kyōei).
| Kanō Jigorō | |
|---|---|
Kanō Jigorō | |
| Born | 28 October 1860 (in lunar calendar, Man'en 1st year) Mikage, Ubara-gun, Settsu Province, Edo Japan (present-day Hyogo Prefecture, Japan) |
| Died | 4 May 1938 (aged 77) Pacific Ocean (aboard Hikawa Maru) |
| Native name | 嘉納 治五郎 |
| Style | Judo, Jūjutsu |
| Teacher(s) | Fukuda Hachinotsuke; Iso Masatomo; Iikubo Tsunetoshi |
| Rank | Kōdōkan jūdō: Shihan (founder) Kitō-ryū: Menkyo Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū: Unverified |
| Occupation |
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| University | University of Tokyo |
| Notable students | Mitsuyo Maeda Tomita Tsunejirō Fukuda Keiko Mifune Kyūzō Kotani Sumiyuki Mochizuki Minoru Saigō Shirō Yokoyama Sakujirō Yamashita Yoshitsugu Mikinosuke Kawaishi Vasili Oshchepkov Gunji Koizumi |
In his professional life, Kanō was an educator. Important postings included serving as director of primary education for the Ministry of Education (文部省, Monbushō) from 1898 to 1901, and as president of Tokyo Higher Normal School from 1900 until 1920. He played a key role in making judo and kendo part of the Japanese public school programs of the 1910s.
Kanō 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. Kanō was inducted as the first member of the International Judo Federation (IJF) Hall of Fame on 14 May 1999.