Judo was developed by Kano Jigoro    (surname first) from his study of Ju-jitsu.   He obtained different skills and insights from his study of different schools or ryu.
 

First use of the term “Judo”

Terada Kan’emon was the fifth headmaster of the Kito-ryu, not only narrowed the syllabus of kito-ryu to mainly aesthetic forms but also coined the term “ran” freedom in training and used the term “ran o toru”  (take freedom) ie move around freely when applying the techniques.   When he retired from that position in the second half of the 17th century, he founded the Jikishin-ryu, which only studied empty-hand techniques and stressed the mental aspect.   He decided the word “Judo” best described his system.
 

Birth of Jigoro Kano

Jigoro Kano was born in 1860 in the seaside town of Mikage in Hyogo prefecture of Kobe.   The family were reasonably well off brewers, and his father held an official position as a port officer in the town.   Jigoro was eventually sent off to Tokyo to go to school.
 

Kano’s Teachers

Kano's first contact with ju-jutsu was when a friend of his father's, a former soldier named Nakai, demonstrated some kata at their house.   This whetted his interest, and he discovered that the caretaker of his father's Tokyo residence, Karagiri Ryuji, knew ju-jutsu and asked him for instruction.   Katagiri showed him some techniques, but refused to give him continuing, regular instruction.   Eventually he found a bonsetter named Yagi Heinosuke, who had a teaching licence from the founder of Tenjin Shinyo ryu,  Iso Mataemon.   Unfortunately Yagi also refused to instruct Kano, but he did introduce him to Fukuda Hachinosuke.

In 1877 Kano enrolled in the Tenjin Shin’yo ryu under Fukuda Hachinosuke (the grandfather of Miss Keiko Fukuda, recently promoted to 9th Dan).   After Fukuda’s death, Kano inherited his shool and later he received instruction from Iso Masatomo   (the Tenjin Shinyo ryu founder’s son) .   Following Iso Masatomo’s death, Kano joined the Kito ryu under Iikubo Tsunetoshi.

He was also able to make a study of the scrolls of Sekiguchi ryu,  Seigo ryu, Sumo and western wrestling .
 

Establishment of Kodokan

Jigoro Kano established his first dojo – the Nippon den Kodokan in 1882 at the Eishoji temple grounds.   It was only 12 tatami and had 9 students.

Police tournaments

In 1886 and 1888 the Tokyo Metropolitan Police supervised tournaments to determine the most suitable style for police training.   The major matches were between Kodokan and Totsuka-ha Yoshin–ryu.  In these two tournaments the Kodokan scored decisive victories – the scores being recorded as 9 wins and a draw in the first and 2 or 3 draws in the second with the Kodokan winning the remainder of the 15 bouts.

This established the Kodokan as a major school.
 

Technical aspects: Kyu Gokyo

In 1895 the first gokyo-no-waza was formulated.   It had 42 techniques in 5 uneven groups, and formed the basis of the Kodokan’s throwing syllabus.
 

Judo in the West

Probably one of the first mentions of Judo in Western popular literature occurs in the famous story of Sherlock Holmes – “The Return” by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle.    Sherlock Holmes says that his skill in “bartitsu” allowed him to defeat Professor Moriarty.   At the time the story was written a certain Barton Wright had returned from studying in Japan and set up a self-defence school in London, calling what he taught bartitsu    (Barton’s Ju-jitsu).   This Barton Wright brought to London several judo/ju-jitsu experts to teach in his school and from there they toured Europe.

Thus, when judo came to the West in the early 1900s, it was still often known as ju-jitsu, and was a part of the mysterious east.   Many of the books available in the West were of variable quality and reflected the ryu and level of training of their authors.   Being Japanese did not guarantee infallibility in Judo or Ju-jitsu.

Samples of this early ju-jitsu/judo can be seen in books published at the time.

Hiza-guruma is a well known throw, being the second technique of the gokyo-no-waza. The first example comes from the "Complete Kano Ju-jitsu (Judo)" by Hancock and Higashi, and is described as a "smart kick to the knee with the side of the foot" You can also see the type of jacket used at the time. The tights with leather knee patches appear to have been adopted from western wrestling at the time.

More in line with modern techniques is that demonstrated by Sadu Kaza Uyenishi, in his book "The Textbook of Ju-jutsu as practiced in Japan", wherein he comments " Judo ...    (as Ju-jutsu proper is often styled)".   Not only was there a general description and a large photograph, but there was a detailed description illustrated by the frames of a movie film.   Again, here, you can see the type of clothing worn.   The short sleeved jacket and trunks, which would have allowed the rough tatami omote of the time    (ryukyu rush matting) to abrade the legs and especially the knees.

A very similar version is demonstrated by Yukio Tani from a book by 'Apollo'    (Wm Bankier) - "Ju-jitsu: What it really is".   Slightly longer shorts are worn here, but notice that Tani is wearing socks with suspenders!

Some of the techniques pictured in these early books may look a little strange to those of us who have studied modern Judo, such as this example from Higashi.

While others look very modern. Also from Higashi.

Back in Japan -  Ne-waza defeat

In 1900 the Fusen ryu had a tournament against the Kodokan.   The result of this was the opposite of the 1886/1888 tournaments, with the Kodokan being defeated by the grappling/groundwork skills of the Fusen ryu.

Kano took note of this and was able to get the Fusen ryu and later the then Jikishin ryu to join the Kodokan teaching staff and expand the grappling/groundwork syllabus of the Kodokan judo to a level where the Kodokan could hold its own in groundwork.

Kano, however, always insisted that there should be a balance between throwing and groundwork, insisting that for the best development of judo students throwing should be studied first and given precedence in contests.

The Kosen    (College) judo tournaments which reached a height of popularity by 1920 did not entirely follow Kodokan rules and were often decided by groundwork, and this has resulted in branch of Judo known as Kosen judo which specialises in groundwork.
 

A Brazilian branch    (BJJ)

In the early part of the 1900s the Kodokan sent a mission to the USA.   The leader was Tomita, one of Kano’s original students, but now getting older.   The young gun sent to do the fighting was Mitsuyo Maeda.   During the visit he was unwell and let Tomita attend a demonstration on his own, where he was defeated by a wrestler.   Losing face, Maeda left the Kodokan and travelled around the world on the professional fight circuit as Count Koma    (presumably because of his strangles).   In 1915 he ended up in Brazil where he taught a Carlos Gracie judo and jujitsu, particularly the Kosen judo.   Carlos and his sons all had very large families and they founded a style of fighting in provincial Brazil which is now called Brazilian or Gracie ju-jitsu.   The style has become popular in the US after members of the Gracie family won many mixed martial art tournaments with strangles.

This branch has concentrated mostly on groundwork, and developed those skills to a high degree.
 

Technical aspects: Shin Gokyo

Over 1920 to 25, the Gokyo was re-examined and reformulated into the 5 sets of 8 throws we know today, in the process deleting 8 throws and introducing 6 new ones.

The Gokyo stands today as a puzzle for judo students to work on and try to understand, and while working on it, improve your judo.
 

Australia

The Kodokan records the first demonstration of judo in Australia as occurring in Melbourne in 1897.   The domonstration was conducted by Yuasa Takejiro, a naval officer, who had been a student of Jigoro Kano at the Kano private school where he had learned judo directly from Kano.   There is also exist reports that Nango Jiro also gave a demonstration of judo in Melbourne, while a second lieutenant aboard the Japanese Navy Cruiser Battleship Hiei, between 1900 and 1903.   The first recorded ju-jitsu demonstration in Australia was performed by Mr Cecil Elliott and Mr T Young    (ably assisted by a young lady who later married Elliott) in Sydney in 1906.   He obtained his 1st Dan in ju-jitsu at Yokohama in 1904, and commenced teaching the martial art in Sydney in 1905.   He brought two Japanese - Mr Fushishima and Mr Okura - to Sydney to assist him with the ju-jitsu classes.   Later, Elliott moved to Atherton in Queensland, where he started ju-jitsu and judo classes in his back yard.   Mr Elliott passed away in 1963.

Dr A Ross, an Australian Army Medical Officer, was an early pioneer of Judo in Australia; starting teaching in Brisbane in 1927 and founding the Brisbane Judo Club in 1928.

Dr Ross wrote the first book about judo in Australia in 1949.
 

Judo Federation of Australia    (JFA)

The inaugural meeting of the Judo Federation of Australia was held in Sydney in 1952.   Queensland was represented by Messrs V G Allen and Cliff Duncan; NSW was represented by Mr Ernest Chambers; Victoria was represented by Mr Ivan Zavetchanos; Western Australia was represented by Mr Andy Fleming; and South Australia was represented by Mr Moss Hollis.   This meeting elected Mr Allen as the President and Mr Duncan as the Secretary.
 

Death of Kano

Jigoro Kano supported all sports in Japan    (he founded the first baseball club) and was selected to attend an Olympic conference in Cairo.   Returning to Japan in 1938 aboard the Hikawa Maru, he succumbed to pneumonia and died.   Even this event is not without interest as there were rumours that he had been assassinated by the political parties of Japan who favoured war, which he strenuously opposed.
 

His place as head of the Kodokan was taken by his nephew Jiro Nango (responsible for arranging the development of the Joshi Judo Goshinho) followed by his second son Risei Kano and then by his grandson Yukimitsu Kano.  

The current president is Haruki Uemura.

A Russian branch - Sambo

The story begins in 1907 when Vasily Oshchepov studied judo while at school in Tokyo.   He returned to Vladivostok in 1914, attained his Nidan in 1917 and the first Russion judo club was founded in 1918.   In 1927 the Red Army used Oshchopov and a jujitsu practitioner, Victor Spiridinov, to set up a hand-to-hand combat system.   They developed special teaching methods and adapted wrestling techniques from the 15 or so regional styles.   On 16 November 1938 the government proclaimed that these methods were Sambo, a "purely Russian" fighting style.
 

Post-war re-establishment

Following the occupation of Japan, the practice of all Martial Arts was banned.    The Kodokan re-invented itself as a purely sporting organisation and Judo was able to be continued.   This, of course changed the face of Judo, which was said to have reached its peak as a fighting style in the 1940’s.
 

IJF

The European Judo Union was the main driver in the foundation of the International Judo Federation in 1951 which led to the first, true World Championships in 1956.   There were no weight divisions and the medallists were: 1 Natsui, Japan; 2 Yoshimitsu, Japan; =3 Geesink, Netherlands;  Courtine, France.
 

Olympics

Judo was first introduced into the Olympics in 1964, but only as a men’s event, with 3 weight divisions and an open.   The 4 medallists were: Nakatani, Japan; Okano, Japan; Inokuma, Japan; and Geesink, Netherlands.   Ted Boronovskis of Australia won a bronze medal in the open division.
 

Women’s World Championship

The first Women’s World championships was held in New York, in 1980, with 7 weight divisions and an open.   Japan was still against competition for women and did not send a team.
 

Women’s Olympic debut

Rusty Kanakogi of New York was a strong advocate of women’s competition and put strong pressure on the US Olympic Committee to get women into the Olympics.   She planned to bring a discrimination suit against the Olympic bodies if the Olympic Games were to be held in the US.   The result of much international pressure was that Women’s Judo was included in the 1988 Games in Seoul, Korea as a so-called "demonstration" event, ie the competitors were picked from the worlds best.

Australian, Suzanne   (Sue) Williams won the u56k division and team member, Julie Reardon, in the u48k division, was =3^rd.
 

Technical aspects: Habukareta-waza

In 1982, the Kodokan recognised that other countries were developing Judo and making a study of old techniques for competition.   Thus they officially re-recognised the 8 techniques which had been deleted from the kyu Gokyo-no-waza, calling them the retained techniques and virtually adding another kyo.
 

Technical aspects: Shinmeisho-waza

By 1997, in consultation with the IJF the Kodokan had added another 19 throws, the newly recognised techniques.   This was more of a naming and categorising exercise, as the throws themselves were not new, just the fact of recognition as part of the Kodokan syllabus.
 

Technical aspects: Kinshi-waza

For the first time the official syllabus contains techniques which are banned in contest such as: daki-age, kani-basami and kawazu-gake.
 

Kata tournaments

The first IJF Kata World Cup was held in Paris in 2008 and the first full Kata World Championship in 2009.   Only 5 kata are contested, but they represent the full range of Judo techniques: throws, locks, strangles and blows.
 

A reminder from Judo history

The next two techniques, both demonstrated by Uyenishi, one from his own book and one from Apollo's book, should remind us that Judo has a far wider range of techniques than is used in modern competition.