JUDO The Japanese Art

Let's take a close look at Aikido, Judo, Karate and Jujitsu; the different forms of martial arts typically associated with Japan. It is difficult to make direct comparisons between martial arts. There are just too many different forms of martial arts to list, and many have only slight variations in strategy or tactics. Even the same style may sometimes vary between schools.

To start, most experts tend to divide the Eastern "unarmed" martial arts into two categories: 'hard' arts, where the major emphasis is on striking (punching & kicking); and 'soft' arts, which place greater emphasis on grappling (throws and holds). Karate is an example of what would be considered a hard art, as are most non-Japanese arts such as tae kwon do and kung fu.

The Japanese martial arts of Aikido, Judo, and Jujitsu are usually classified as soft arts, and are unique in the fact that they are the only well-known Eastern martial arts that fit that category. However, close examination will show that among all the different forms of martial arts, there is no such thing as a purely 'hard' or 'soft' art, and most modern martial arts now borrow techniques from each other.

Judo is without question the world’s most popular combative sport. It is practiced in almost every nation on earth. The sport we know as Judo was 'founded' approximately 1882, and was developed by Japanese educator Jigoro Kano (1860-1938).


Kano first started pursuing jujitsu, at the age of 17, when he gained a referral to study under Hachinosuke Fukuda, a master of the Tenjin-Shinyo ryu (school) of jujitsu. Little more than a year after Kano joined Fukuda's school, Fukuda took ill and died. Kano then became a student in another Tenjin-Shinyo jujitsu school, that of Masatomo Iso.

[Side Note: Ryu is the Japanese word for a school, style, or method of training in martial arts.]

Iso was impressed by Kano's dedication and Kano became assistant instructor to Iso at the age of 21. Iso, too, took ill, and Kano, feeling that he still had much to learn, took up another style, becoming a student of Tsunetoshi Iikubo of Kito ryu jujitsu. Kito ryu emphasized throwing techniques to a much greater degree than Tenjin-Shinyo ryu, which fascinated Kano, and his interest grew further.

Soon, Kano was devising new techniques by combining what he had learned from both styles. His thoughts were already on doing more than combining the canons of Kito and Tenjin-Shinyo ryu. With all the different forms of martial arts, Kano saw jujitsu as a disconnected bag of tricks, and as an educator, believed it needed a systematic approach to learning. Full of new ideas, in part as a result of his experience in education, Kano had in mind a major reformation of jujitsu, with techniques based on sound scientific principles.

Kano explains, "This led me to look for an underlying principle in jujitsu, one that applied when one hit an opponent, as well as when one threw him."

He found this principle in the notion of "maximum efficiency". His idea was to focus on development of the body, mind, and character of young men in addition to development of martial prowess. Jujitsu techniques which relied solely on superior strength were discarded or adapted in favor of those which involved redirecting the opponent's force, off balancing the opponent, or making use of superior leverage.