Jigoro Kano
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Dr. Jigorō Kanō (嘉納 治五郎 Kanō Jigorō, 1860 - 1938) is the founder of judo.
Jigorō Kanō was born to a sake brewing family in Kobe, Japan. After entering the Imperial University he learned both Kito-ryu and Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujutsu. These two styles focused on different aspects of classical fighting techniques. In 1882, Kanō founded Kōdōkan Judo and overtime was able to introduce his art to the Japanese school system. His roles in Japan as an educator and the father of modern sports in Japan are almost as famous as his founding of judo.
He was a member of the the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for Japan and lobbied for having the 1940 Olympic Games held in Japan. He hoped that the games would bring countries togeather and avoid war. In 1938, returning from an IOC conference, Kanō died of pneumonia aboard the SS Hikawa Maru. His dream was finally realized in 1964 when the Olympics were held in Tokyo. At that time judo was first introduced to the olympics.
[edit] Controvery over his death
There are allegations that Kanō was murdered by food poisoning rather than dying of pneumonia. Supporters of this hypothesis claim that, since Japan was engaged in war, the government had plans to turn the Kōdōkan into a military academy. This was something that Kanō was outspoken in his opposition. A few weeks after his death, the Kōdōkan indeed became a military academy.
[edit] References
Two articles written by Kanō are hosted at the International Judo Information Site:
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