Yuko (judo)

Judo

Kyuzo Mifune (left) and Kanō Jigorō (right)
Focus	Grappling
Hardness	Full contact
Country of origin	Japan
Creator	Kanō Jigorō
Famous practitioners	See: List of judoka
Parenthood	Various koryū jujutsu schools, principally Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū and Kitō-ryū
Descendant arts	Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Kosen judo, Sambo
Olympic sport	Since 1964 (men) and 1992 (women)
Official website	International Judo Federation (IJF) The Kodokan

Judo (, jūdō, meaning "gentle way") was created as a physical, mental and moral pedagogy in Japan, in 1882, by Jigoro Kano (嘉納治五郎). It is generally categorized as a modern martial art which later evolved into a combat and Olympic sport. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the objective is to either throw or takedown an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with a pin, or force an opponent to submit with a joint lock or a choke. Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet as well as weapons defenses are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (kata, 形) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice (randori, 乱取り). A judo practitioner is called a judoka.

The philosophy and subsequent pedagogy developed for judo became the model for other modern Japanese martial arts that developed from koryū (古流, traditional schools).

The early history of judo is inseparable from its founder, Japanese polymath and educator Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎, Jigoro Kano, 1860–1938), born Shinnosuke Jigorō (新之助 治五郎, Jigorō Shinnosuke). Kano was born into a relatively affluent family. His father, Jirosaku, was the second son of the head priest of the Shinto Hiyoshi shrine in Shiga Prefecture. He married Sadako Kano, daughter of the owner of Kiku-Masamune sake brewing company and was adopted by the family, changing his name to Kano. He ultimately became an official in the Shogunal government.