Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. Today’s topic is one of the most famous Japanese traditional arts: Judo 柔道. Many of you have seen judo on TV, and some of you have practiced judo, I believe.

Judo 柔道 is one of the most well-known traditional Japanese sports. Jigoro Kano 嘉納治五郎 who founded the Kodokan 講道館 in 1882, developed judo from a traditoinal martial art. The word judo literally means “the way of softness of gentleness,” meaning that even small wrestlers can take advantage of their oppoinent’s force and weight in order to overwhelm them. The purpose of judo is not just to defeat the opponent but to train one’s body and mind.
The major techniques of judo are throwing, grappling, groundwork and joint locks. These were developed to turn an opponent’s force to one’s own advantage rather than just matching strength with strength. In a judo match, two athletes try to win by using various techniques in a 9 square meter area (about 50 tatami mats). Judo has been included in the Olympic Games competition since 1964 for men and 1992 for women.
It was the first Japanese sports introduced overseas, and as of 2007, there were 199 countries and regions belonging to the I.J.F. (Interenational Judo Federation).

March 14th News, from NILS Japanese language school.