Judo In Canada
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The Japanese martial art and combat sport
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
has been practised in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
for over a century. The first long-term judo
dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...
in Canada, Tai Iku Dojo, was established by a Japanese immigrant named Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
in 1924. Sasaki and his students opened several branch schools in
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
and even trained
RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
officers until 1942, when
Japanese Canadians are Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of British Columbia, which hosts the largest Japanese community in the country with the majority of them living ...
were expelled from the Pacific coast and either
interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
or forced to move elsewhere in Canada due to fears that they were a threat to the country after Japan entered the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. When the war was over, the government gave interned Japanese Canadians two options: resettle in Canada outside of British Columbia or
emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to Japan. The majority moved to other provinces, and Japanese Canadian resettlement is the main way that judo was introduced to the
Prairies Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, and
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. The pattern is different in
Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
and
Northern Canada Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...
, where judo was typically introduced 5–10 years later and migrants from
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
played a more significant role. The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association, now known as
Judo Canada Judo Canada, formerly known as The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association, is the non-profit national governing body of the Japanese martial art and combat sport Judo in Canada, and a federation of Judo associations in each of the ten provinces ...
, was established in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
in 1956 and recognized by the
International Judo Federation The International Judo Federation (IJF) was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe and Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National ...
as Canada's official governing body in 1958, and by 1960 there were more than 4,000 judoka in Canada, most of whom were not Japanese Canadian. Interest in judo also grew among the general public after Doug Rogers unexpectedly won silver at the
1964 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this hon ...
, and former Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada The prime mini ...
's practice of judo became a prominent part of his public persona in the late 1960s. Today there are about 400 judo clubs and approximately 25,000 judoka in Canada, and it is most popular in Quebec where there are around 120 clubs and 10,000 judoka. While most Canadian judo clubs focus on
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and
recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...
, Canada has fielded competitors in international competition since the 1950s, and its athletes have won seven medals at the
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
and twelve at the
World Judo Championships The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year (except the years when the Olympics take place) by the International Judo ...
. Canada's most successful competitor is
Nicolas Gill Nicolas Gill (born 24 April 1972 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian judoka who competed at four consecutive Olympic Games. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, receiving a bronze in the middleweight (86 kg) division at his inaugural Olympia ...
, who won medals at two Olympic Games and three World Championships, and is now the
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of Judo Canada after coaching the national team from 2009 to 2016.
Antoine Valois-Fortier Antoine Valois-Fortier (born 13 March 1990) is a Canadian retired judoka who won the bronze medal in the −81 kg category at the 2012 Olympics, becoming the first Canadian to win a medal in Olympic judo in twelve years and the fifth to w ...
's bronze at the
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
—Canada's first Olympic medal since Gill's silver in
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
—led to increased
federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
funding that significantly improved Judo Canada's training capacity, including a new training centre in Montreal where the organization is now based. Since then
Christa Deguchi Christa Deguchi ( 出口 クリスタ ''Deguchi Christa,'' born 29 October 1995) is a Canadian judoka. Switch to representing Canada In 2017, Deguchi switched to representing Canada from where she was born, Japan. Deguchi's dad is from Canada ...
and
Jessica Klimkait Jessica Klimkait (born 31 December 1996) is a Canadian Judoka who competes in the women's 57 kg category. In 2021 she became Canada's second judo world champion, defeating Momo Tamaoki of Japan in the women's lightfoot (57 kg) final a ...
have won the World Judo Championships, Klimkait and
Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (born 26 June 1994) is a Canadian judoka who competes in the women's 63 kg category. Beauchemin-Pinard won a bronze medal in the 63 kg weight class at the 2020 Summer Olympics, making her the second Canadian ...
became the first Canadian women in history to win Olympic medals in judo at the
2020 Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
, and Priscilla Gagné became both the first Canadian woman in history to win a medal and the first Canadian to win silver in Paralympic judo at the
2020 Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralympic ...
.


History

Judo is a Japanese
martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
and
combat sport A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the oppon ...
founded by Jigoro Kano (1860 – 1938) in 1882. It was introduced to Canada by Japanese migrants in the early twentieth century, first in
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
and then in the
Prairies Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, and
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
as
Japanese Canadians are Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of British Columbia, which hosts the largest Japanese community in the country with the majority of them living ...
who had been expelled from the Pacific coast during the Second World War resettled in other provinces. The pattern is different in
Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
and
Northern Canada Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...
, where judo was typically introduced 5–10 years later and migrants from
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
played a more significant role.


Beginnings in British Columbia

Before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
(1939 – 1945) most people from Japan or of Japanese
ancestry An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...
in Canada (23,149 according to the 1941
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
) lived in British Columbia. About a quarter of that population lived in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, and the majority of the Vancouver residents lived in the neighbourhood known as '
Japantown is a common name for Japanese communities in cities and towns outside Japan. Alternatively, a Japantown may be called J-town, Little Tokyo or , the first two being common names for Japantown, San Francisco, Japantown, San Jose and Little To ...
' or 'Little Tokyo', which was made up of about six blocks centred on Powell Street and bordered by Alexander, Jackson, Cordova, and Main. It was a distinct Japanese area with its own stores, banks, and theatres until all people of Japanese ancestry living within 100 miles (161 km) of the Pacific coast were expelled, their property was confiscated, and the majority were
interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
in 1942 (see ' World War II and Japanese internment' below). The area is now part of the
Downtown Eastside The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is a neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, the DTES is the site of a complex set of social issues including disproportionately high levels of drug use, homeles ...
. There were several public '
jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...
' exhibitions and matches in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
beginning in 1906, which may have included or actually been judo since it was often referred to as 'Kano jujutsu' at the time. Judo may also have been practised privately in Vancouver as early as 1910, and Sataro Fujita reportedly taught judo in the city around 1914.
Shinzo Takagaki Shinzo Takagaki (1893–1977) was a pioneer in judo. Takagaki brought judo to Australia in 1928, and Africa in 1931, and was considered to be an authority in judo. He is considered to be the father of judo in Asia as he taught in India, Burma, ...
, a
Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ( ...
''yondan'' (fourth ''
dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...
'') who promoted judo in many countries, reportedly moved to the United States with the intent of becoming a professional
wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...
. He was admitted to Canada to study at the
University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
in 1924, but never attended classes and instead competed in wrestling matches, taught judo, and also issued the first ''shodan'' (first ''dan'') certificate in Canada to Kametaro Akiyama in 1925. Fujita and Takagaki did not settle in Canada, however, and neither established a long-term school.


Tai Iku Dojo

Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki emigrated from Japan to Vancouver in 1922 at the age of 19 and worked as a
shop assistant A retail clerk, also known as a salesclerk, shop clerk, retail associate or (in the United Kingdom) shop assistant or customer service assistant, is a service role in a retail business. A retail clerk obtains or receives merchandise, totals bil ...
to study business. In 1923 he began attending local judo-versus-wrestling matches and was extremely disappointed to discover that they were fixed and badly misrepresented judo (it is unclear whether Takagaki was involved in any of the matches in question). Sasaki was ''nidan'' (second ''dan'') and had been a judo instructor at
Yonago is a Cities of Japan, city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan and making up part of the boundary of Nakaumi, Lake Nakaumi. It is adjacent to Shimane Prefecture and across the lake from its capital of Matsue. It is the p ...
High School in Japan, so he held a meeting with Vancouver's Japanese community to gauge their interest in establishing a non-profit
dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...
that adhered to judo's two fundamental principles: ''seiryoku zen'yō'' (精力善用, 'maximum efficiency, minimum effort' in
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
) and ''jita kyōei'' (自他共栄, 'mutual welfare and benefit'). After a year of planning, meetings, and fundraising, Sasaki opened Tai Iku Dojo (体育道場, 'physical education training hall') in 1924. It was difficult to secure an appropriate location and the first practices were held in the living room of Kanzo Ui, one of the dojo's sponsors, at 500 Alexander Street in Vancouver. A few months later it was relocated to a larger location in the 500 block of Powell Street (the dojo appears to have had more than one address on Powell Street over the years, and was recorded as 403 Powell in 1932). Over the next several years new branches of Tai Iku Dojo were established in
Steveston Steveston, founded in the 1880s, is a neighbourhood of Richmond in Metro Vancouver. On the southwest tip of Lulu Island, the village is a historic port and salmon canning centre at the mouth of the South Arm of the Fraser River. The early 1900s st ...
(where Tomoaki Doi and Takeshi Yamamoto had already started a club but asked for Sasaki's help),
Kitsilano Kitsilano () is a neighbourhood located in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kitsilano is named after Squamish chief August Jack Khatsahlano, and the neighbourhood is located in Vancouver's West Side along the south shore of Engli ...
, Fairview, Haney,
Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
,
Woodfibre Woodfibre, originally Britannia West, was a pulp mill and at one time a small company town, on the west side of upper Howe Sound near Squamish, British Columbia. The mill closed in March 2006. History In 1912, a mill opened at the site where Mill ...
,
Chemainus Chemainus is a community within the municipality of North Cowichan in the Chemainus Valley on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Founded as an unincorporated logging town in 1858, Chemainus is now famous ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Duncan Duncan may refer to: People * Duncan (given name), various people * Duncan (surname), various people * Clan Duncan * Justice Duncan (disambiguation) Places * Duncan Creek (disambiguation) * Duncan River (disambiguation) * Duncan Lake (d ...
,
Whonnock Whonnock is a rural, naturally treed, and hilly community on the north side of the Fraser River in the eastern part of the City of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately 56 kilometres east of Downtown Vancouver on the Loughee ...
,
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, and Vernon. Sasaki or his assistants helped with the instruction at all of the clubs.


RCMP training

For nearly a decade all of the judoka at Tai Iku Dojo's various branches were
ethnically An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
Japanese. In 1932, however, the commissioner of the Vancouver
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
(RCMP) detachment attended a judo tournament and was so impressed that he replaced his officer's
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
and wrestling training with judo. Sasaki saw this as an important opportunity to promote judo throughout Canada and taught the initial cohort of eleven RCMP officers personally at the detachment gymnasium at 33rd Avenue & Heather Street, on the site now known as the Heather Street Lands. This helped generate more interest in judo, and people from outside the Japanese-Canadian community began participating in tournaments in 1933. In 1936 all eleven officers in the first cohort were promoted to ''shodan'', and in 1937 a six-man team of RCMP judoka placed second in a tournament. RCMP judo training ceased in 1941 after Japan entered the Second World War (see ' World War II and Japanese internment' below).


Jigoro Kano's visits to Canada

Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo who was also an accomplished professional
educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
and a member of Japan's House of Peers, visited Canada three times. During the first visit in 1932, when Kano was on his way back to Japan from the
1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, he honoured Tai Iku Dojo by renaming it Kidokan (気道館, 'place of intrinsic energy' in Japanese), and all other dojos in British Columbia became branches of Kidokan. The second visit was in 1936, during which he asked Sasaki to accompany him to
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
to make a presentation to the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC) and participate in a subsequent judo demonstration tour in Germany, France, England, the United States, and Canada (Sasaki had to return to Vancouver after a month in Berlin to attend to his business and judo obligations). Kano's last visit to Canada was in 1938, on his way home from meetings with the IOC in
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
. He died of
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
later that year on the ''
Hikawa Maru is a Japanese ocean liner that Yokohama Dock Company built for '' Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha'' ("NYK Line"). She was launched on 30 September 1929 and made her maiden voyage from Kobe to Seattle on 13 May 1930. She is permanently berthed as ...
'', mid-voyage from Vancouver to
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
.


World War II and Japanese internment

Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941 began the war between the
Japanese Empire The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
and the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
, including Canada. This sparked fears of a Japanese invasion on the Pacific coast in a context of already long-standing anti-Asian
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
(Japantown was targeted during the 1907 anti-Asian riots in Vancouver, and most Japanese Canadians did not have the
right to vote Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
until 1949, for example). On 25 February 1942 the
federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
invoked the ''
War Measures Act The ''War Measures Act'' (french: Loi sur les mesures de guerre; 5 George V, Chap. 2) was a statute of the Parliament of Canada that provided for the declaration of war, invasion, or insurrection, and the types of emergency measures that could t ...
'' to order the removal of all Japanese Canadians residing within 100 miles (160 km) of the
Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...
, even though about 77% of them were
British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...
s (
Canadian citizenship Canadian nationality law details the conditions in which a person is a national of Canada. With few exceptions, almost all individuals born in the country are automatically citizens at birth. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in Ca ...
was not instituted until 1946) and 61% were Canada-born ''
nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation, ...
''. 21,000 Japanese Canadians (over 90% of the Japanese-Canadian population) were expelled from their homes, and their
property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, r ...
and personal possessions were confiscated by the
Custodian of Enemy Property The Custodian of Enemy Property is an institution that handles property claims created by war. In wartime, civilian property may be left behind or taken by the occupying state. In ancient times, such property was considered war loot, and the le ...
. 700 men labelled as 'troublemakers' were sent to
Prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
Camp 101 in Angler, Ontario near
Neys Provincial Park Neys Provincial Park is a natural environment-class provincial park on the north shore of Lake Superior, just west of Marathon, Ontario, Canada. This park includes the historic Coldwell Peninsula and the surrounding island system (added as part ...
, 2,150 single men were sent to road labour camps, 3,500 people signed contracts to work on
sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...
farms outside British Columbia to avoid internment, and 3,000 were permitted to settle away from the coast at their own expense. The remaining 12,000 were relocated to government internment camps in the
BC interior , settlement_type = Region of British Columbia , image_skyline = , nickname = "The Interior" , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivi ...
or elsewhere in Canada. Judo played an important role in the life of many internees, and there were well-attended dojos at three camps: Tashme Internment Camp near
Hope, British Columbia Hope is a district municipality at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Hope is at the eastern end of both the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland region, and is at the southern end ...
, Popoff Internment Camp in the
Slocan Valley The Slocan Valley is a valley in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. Geographical boundaries The Slocan Valley is about long, but its width is undefined. The Valhalla Range provides the steep western boundary and the Sloca ...
, British Columbia, and the Prisoner of War (POW) camp in Angler. Tashme, where Sasaki was head instructor, was the largest of the BC internment camps and many judoka were held there, reportedly at Sasaki's request and out of respect for his work with the RCMP. The head instructor at Popoff was Genichiro Nakahara, and Masato Ishibashi at the POW camp. Training was held on improvised
tatami A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatamis are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 m by 1.8 m depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are the floor used for traini ...
made from straw and canvas, with frequency ranging from twice a week at Tashme to daily at the POW camp. According to Robert Okazaki's diary from his time in the POW camp, "Despite food rationing, Mr. Masato Ishibashi and his judo students are excelling at their sport. Their training is awfully tough and their
Kakegoe ''Kakegoe'' () usually refers to shouts and calls used in performances of traditional Japanese music, Kabuki theatre, and in martial arts such as kendo. Kabuki In the kabuki theatre, the term is used to refer to melodramatic calls from an audien ...
(sounds of hard practice) reverberates through the camp". When the war ended in 1945 the government gave interned Japanese Canadians two options: resettlement outside of British Columbia or 'voluntary
repatriation Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...
' to Japan (despite the fact that most Japanese Canadians had been born in Canada). The majority agreed to move elsewhere in Canada, but approximately 10,000 refused to move and the government issued an order to
deport Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
them. 4,000 people were deported to Japan before the policy was abandoned due to public opposition. Japanese Canadians were prevented from returning to the exclusion zone until 1949. By then most of them had established themselves in other places, and there was nothing to go back to anyway because the Custodian of Enemy Property had sold all of their property and belongings. In 1988, after more than 40 years of lobbying by activists, the Canadian government issued a formal apology to Japanese Canadians for their internment and partially compensated those who were still alive for their confiscated property.


Spread to other parts of Canada

Japanese Canadian expulsion and internment was pivotal in the development of Canadian judo because it forced judoka to settle in other parts of the country. About a third returned to the Pacific coast after 1949, but most found new homes in other provinces, and by 1951 39.6% lived in
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, 33.1% in
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, 21.8% in the
Prairies Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
, 5.2% in
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, 0.2% in
Northern Canada Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...
, and 0.1% in
Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
. Dojos opened in the Prairies, Ontario, and Quebec in the mid-to-late 1940s and in British Columbia in the early-to-mid 1950s, and the centre of Canadian judo shifted from
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
to
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, where a significant number of judoka had settled after the war. The pattern is different in Atlantic Canada and Northern Canada where there were very few Japanese Canadians, judo was typically introduced 5–10 years later, and migrants from
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
played a more significant role. Many early dojos were housed at the local branch of the
YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
, which also provided short-term accommodation, assisted with finding employment, and coordinated social programs for resettled Japanese Canadians. Clubs at
military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
s,
RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
barracks, and
universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
were also common.


Alberta

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
's first judo club was founded in 1943 in
Raymond, Alberta Raymond is a town in southern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the County of Warner No. 5. It is south of Lethbridge at the junction of Alberta Highway 52, Highway 52 and Alberta Highway 845, Highway 845. Raymond is known for its annual rode ...
by Yoshio Katsuta and Yoshio Senda, both of whom moved from BC to Alberta to avoid being interned. Katsuta was born in Japan and had received his ''yondan'' (fourth ''dan'') from the
Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ( ...
before immigrating to
Ocean Falls Ocean Falls is a community on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Formerly a large company town owned by Crown Zellerbach, it is accessible only via boat or seaplane, and is home for a few dozen full-time residents, with the seasonal ...
in 1937, and Senda was born in
Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
and had earned his ''shodan'' (first ''dan'') under Eichi "John" Hashizume and Yoshitaka Mori a few years before moving to Alberta. There were about 30 mostly Japanese Canadian students at the Raymond club, and practices were held in the reception room of the
Raymond Buddhist Church The Raymond Buddhist Church is a building in Raymond, Alberta, Canada that has been a schoolhouse, a Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist temple, and a meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Until it closed in 2006, it w ...
. A year later, Hashizume (Senda's instructor in Mission) and a Mr. Kuramoto opened a dojo in
Picture Butte Picture Butte is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located north of the city of Lethbridge. It claims the title of "Livestock Feeding Capital of Canada." History Picture Butte received its name from a prominence southeast of town. By ...
. After the war, more than 300 displaced Japanese Canadians decided to stay in southern Alberta, and Senda established the Kyodokan Judo Club at the original
Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...
YMCA building at 4th Avenue and 10th Street South in 1952.


Manitoba

Glen and George Pridmore, two brothers and police officers from the St. James area of
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
, started a nominal judo club at the Central YMCA in 1937, but they reportedly taught a mix of
jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...
and other
unarmed combat Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...
techniques and called it 'judo' because it was a popular term at the time. The club appears to have closed at some point and then reopened in 1947. Tomatsu "Tom" Mitani, who was born in Japan and moved from British Columbia to
Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
to avoid internment in 1942, visited the Pridmore's club in 1948 and assigned two of his ''ikkyū (''first ''
kyū is a Japanese term used in modern martial arts as well as in tea ceremony, flower arranging, Go, shogi, academic tests and other similar activities to designate various grades, levels or degrees of proficiency or experience. In Mandarin Chin ...
'' / brown belt) students to assist them (it is unclear if Mitani had been teaching judo during the six years since he had arrived in Winnipeg, but the fact he had students suggests that he was). Glen Pridmore left Winnipeg in 1949, and by 1950 Mitani had taken over the YMCA club and established branches with the help of Ron Fulton, Jack Kelly, and Jimmy Iwabuchi at Carpiquet Barracks, the RCAF base, and the
RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
barracks on Portage Avenue. The branches lasted about a year, and in 1951 Mitani moved the YMCA club to the RCMP barracks. Bob Demby started another, short-lived judo club at the YMCA, which was followed by a self-defence class organised by Ron Fulton that slowly became a judo club over the years. In 1952 Mitani established The Manitoba Judo Institute with the help of Harold Shimane and Noboru Shimizu, on the seventh floor of the McIntyre Block on Main Street. There was a club at the RCAF base again as early as 1956, organized by Flying Officer Vinsel and
Leading Aircraftman Leading aircraftman (LAC) or leading aircraftwoman (LACW) is a junior rank in some air forces. It sits between aircraftman and senior aircraftman, and has a NATO rank code of OR-2. The rank badge is a horizontal two-bladed propeller. The ra ...
Delasalle, and supported by Mitani (it may have operated sporadically or had different incarnations, as a 1960 article reports that it was founded by
Masao Takahashi Masao Takahashi (June 24, 1929 – February 14, 2020) was a Canadian judoka, author, coach, and founder of the Takahashi School of Martial Arts (Est. 1969) in Ottawa, Ontario. He was involved in judo for more than 70 years, and was ranked ''hachi ...
in 1958). The first club outside of Winnipeg was established at the
Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name * Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...
YMCA in 1953 by Harold Starn, a former British
special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
soldier who received his judo training from Japanese prisoners he guarded in
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
during the war.


Ontario

The first judo club in Ontario was established at Prisoner of War Camp 101 in Angler, following Japanese internment in 1942. After the war, multiple dojos opened in Toronto from 1946 to 1947: Frank Mukai's club at the West End YMCA at 931 College Street, Atsumu Kamino's at the Church of All Nations at 423 Queen Street West, and Minoru "Frank" Hatashita's in a friend's garage. All three men were interned at Tashme, but left for Ontario by 1944 through a provision of the
War Measures Act The ''War Measures Act'' (french: Loi sur les mesures de guerre; 5 George V, Chap. 2) was a statute of the Parliament of Canada that provided for the declaration of war, invasion, or insurrection, and the types of emergency measures that could t ...
that allowed Japanese Canadians to move elsewhere in Canada if they could find employment. Kamino had started the
Kitsilano Kitsilano () is a neighbourhood located in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kitsilano is named after Squamish chief August Jack Khatsahlano, and the neighbourhood is located in Vancouver's West Side along the south shore of Engli ...
branch of Kidokan (Tai Iku Dojo until it was renamed by Kano in 1932), and his Toronto dojo was called the Kidokwan Judo Institute after its Vancouver predecessor. The Hatashita Judo Club had several locations after it was established, including the basement of a restaurant on Carleton Street and a storefront at 131 Queen Street East. Dojos were also established outside of Toronto, such as Masatoshi Umetsu's Seikeikan Judo Club in
Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...
, founded in 1946, and often in small towns such as
Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the peri ...
, where Hiroshi "Rush" Mitani opened a club in 1952.
Masao Takahashi Masao Takahashi (June 24, 1929 – February 14, 2020) was a Canadian judoka, author, coach, and founder of the Takahashi School of Martial Arts (Est. 1969) in Ottawa, Ontario. He was involved in judo for more than 70 years, and was ranked ''hachi ...
, who had been a student of Kamino in Kitsilano and Katsuta in Raymond, organised a judo club at
RCAF Station Rockcliffe The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environme ...
in 1950, and did the same at several other RCAF bases when he was restationed.


Quebec

Hideo "Harold" Tokairin and Yutaka "Fred" Okimura moved from British Columbia to
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
after the war and started the YMCA Judo Club in 1946. Okimura also established the
McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
Judo Club at the request of the Department of Athletics in 1950, making it the first organized university judo club in Canada. In 1952 Kametaro Akiyama, Okimura, and Tokairin opened the Seidokwan Academy of Judo on Rachel Street in a recreation centre un by the local
Catholic parish In the Catholic Church, a parish ( la, parochia) is a stable community of the faithful within a particular church, whose pastoral care has been entrusted to a parish priest (Latin: ''parochus''), under the authority of the diocesan bishop. It is t ...
. It was the first long-term community dojo in Montreal, was sponsored by many of the city's Japanese Canadians, and provided most of the instructors for the McGill club. Seidokwan changed locations several times over the years, but did not close its doors permanently until 2019.
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
judoka Marc Scala operated several dojos in Montreal in the early 1950s; the one located at 1423 Drummond Street went by the names "Canadian Academy of Judo" in 1953 and "North American Academy of Judo" in 1954, and was likely associated with the Downtown YMCA, which is directly adjacent to this address. Outside of Montreal,
Bernard Gauthier Bernard Gauthier (22 September 1924 – 23 November 2018) was a French road racing cyclist, who was professional from 1947 to 1961. He won the Bordeaux–Paris road race on four occasions. Major results ;1947 :Circuit Lyonnais :Tour de Franc ...
began teaching judo and jujitsu in
Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...
and the surrounding area in the late 1940s, and established the Kano Judo Club in
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
in or around 1947. He also taught judo across the
river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in
Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
at the YMCA, the
University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
, and
Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...
.


New Brunswick

Judo was first introduced to
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
in 1955 by two ''sankyu'' (third ''kyū'', green belt) German immigrants, Heinz Wazel and George Taenzer, who moved to Saint John and began practicing judo at the local YMCA. This attracted the attention of some of the other YMCA members, including Carl "Dutchie" Schell, and a small group referred to as both the Saint John Judo Club and the YMCA Judo Club was formed in January 1956. Wazel and Taenzer, who had been taught by Peter Neufeld in Germany, served as the instructors. At the Club's request, Frank Hatashita sent Vern Fagan to Saint John to instruct for almost a month in March 1956, and its members began making trips to Toronto to learn more at Hatashita's dojo. The Club also received guest instruction from
Jon Bluming Johannes Cornelius Bluming (6 February 1933 – 17 December 2018) was a Dutch martial artist, instructor and actor. Known as a pioneer in variety of martial arts, Bluming held 9th dan in Judo, 10th dan in Karate and 10th dan in Hapkido. He was a ...
, a
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
martial artist who was teaching judo in
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
in 1958, and another dojo was established in
Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...
by
RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
Sergeant Melrose around the same time. In 1959 Schell, Harry Thomas, John Crawford, Ken Meating, and Doug Kearns left the YMCA Judo Club amicably to establish the Judo Shimpokai (named by
Gunji Koizumi , known affectionately by colleagues as G.K., was a Japanese master of judo who introduced this martial art to the United Kingdom,E.J. Harrison, the club's honorary president) at 15 Sydney Street, Saint John.


Yukon

It is difficult to determine when judo was first introduced to
Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
, but it was taught to members of the Forest Girl Guards and Junior Forest Wardens as part of their
physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...
in 1950, and courses were offered at the Whitehorse Gymnasium in 1953. The first dedicated judo club was the Keno Hill Judo Club in Elsa, founded in 1960 by Laurie Wayman, who had earned his ''nidan'' (second ''dan'') at the
Budokwai in London is the oldest Japanese martial arts club in Europe.Budokwai: The history ...
in
London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
, and received financial support from the Budokwai to purchase mats. It is likely that Wayman was an employee of United Keno Hill Mines Ltd., given that many club members were employees and Wayman's successor as instructor, Fred Thode, was a Project Engineer for the company. The club had 100 members at its peak.


Return to British Columbia

The Japanese-Canadian exclusion zone remained in effect until 1949 and judo did not return to the Pacific coast until two years later. Outside of the exclusion zone, the Vernon Judo Club was established with a police permit in 1944 by Yoshitaka Mori, who had been Hashizume's assistant in Mission (in a 1986 recollection,
Shigetaka Sasaki Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki (20 March 1903 – 26 February 1993) was a Japanese and Canadian judoka who founded the first judo club in Canada and is considered the 'Father of Canadian Judo'. After establishing the Tai Iku Dojo in Vancouver in 1924, S ...
wrote that in or around 1929 Mori went to Vernon as the head judo instructor for the Vernon Farmer's Association). This makes it the longest continuously operating judo club in Canada. Sasaki moved to
Ashcroft Ashcroft may refer to: Places * Ashcroft, British Columbia, a village in Canada **Ashcroft House in Bagpath, Gloucestershire, England—eponym of the Canadian village * Ashcroft, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia * Ashcroft, Colorado, ...
in 1946 and opened a dojo there in 1948. The first dojo to reopen on the coast was the Vancouver Judo Club in 1951, in the old Ukrainian Hall at 600 East Cordova Street. The
Steveston Steveston, founded in the 1880s, is a neighbourhood of Richmond in Metro Vancouver. On the southwest tip of Lulu Island, the village is a historic port and salmon canning centre at the mouth of the South Arm of the Fraser River. The early 1900s st ...
Judo Club reopened two years later in 1953, organized by Yonekazu "Frank" Sakai and Tomoaki "Tom" Doi with co-founders and instructors Seiichi Hamanishi, Takeo Kawasaki, Kunji Kuramoto, Yukio Mizuguchi, Kanezo Tokai, and Soichi Uyeyama, who were all local fishermen. After moving three times in three years, a major fundraising campaign led to the construction of a community centre in Steveston that opened in 1957, where the dojo remained until moving to the new Steveston Martial Arts Centre in 1971.


Other provinces and territories

The spread of judo to other Canadian provinces and territories is less well-documented. In
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
, where Japanese Canadians introduced judo in the mid-to-late 1940s, it followed a similar pattern to Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. The
Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians ...
Judo Club was established around 1945 by Dave Pyle and Joe Guild, who had learned judo from two Japanese men interned at
RCAF Station Moose Jaw Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw , also known as 15 Wing Moose Jaw, is a Canadian Forces base located south of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is home to RCAF Pilot trainin ...
during the war. The first dojo in
Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
was established at the YMCA by
RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
officer Gene Traynor in 1953, in the original YMCA building at the corner of 20th Street & Spadina Crescent. The pattern was different in
Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
and
Northern Canada Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...
, where migrants from
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
played a more significant role. In
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
, Dutch martial artist
Jon Bluming Johannes Cornelius Bluming (6 February 1933 – 17 December 2018) was a Dutch martial artist, instructor and actor. Known as a pioneer in variety of martial arts, Bluming held 9th dan in Judo, 10th dan in Karate and 10th dan in Hapkido. He was a ...
taught judo at the YMCA and
Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
in Halifax for about a year before moving to Tokyo in 1959. Perry Teale opened a dojo at the
Stadacona Stadacona was a 16th-century St. Lawrence Iroquoian village not far from where Quebec City was founded in 1608. History French explorer and navigator Jacques Cartier, while travelling and charting the Saint Lawrence River, reached the villag ...
naval base in 1960, after earning his black belt under Frank Hatashita during visits to Toronto. There were judo clubs at
RCAF Station Summerside Canadian Forces Base Summerside (CFB Summerside) was an air force base located in St. Eleanors, Prince Edward Island, Canada, now part of the city of Summerside. RCAF Station Summerside World War II The airfield was constructed by the Royal Ca ...
and the University in
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
by the 1960s, but the dates of their establishment and people responsible are unclear.
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
's fist dojo appears to be the
Memorial University Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...
Judo Club, founded by Yves LeGal in 1968. In the
Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
(NWT) the first dojo appears to be the
Yellowknife Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...
Judo Club, founded by Kurt Roder in 1968. He was assisted and possibly succeeded by Louis Tetteroo, who coached teams at the 1972 and 1974 Artic Winter Games. Judo
Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...
is a program and club at Aqsarniit Middle School in
Iqaluit Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its t ...
that focuses on at-risk youth and was founded by Mario Des Forges in 2001.


Overseas military bases

There was at least one club at an overseas Canadian military base as early as the 1950s, the Kubokwai Judo Club at the Royal Canadian Air Force base at Baden-Baden, Germany. Richard "Tug" Wilson was the instructor in the late 1950s (he returned to Canada and was a member of the Winnipeg RCAF Judo Club by 1961), followed by
Masao Takahashi Masao Takahashi (June 24, 1929 – February 14, 2020) was a Canadian judoka, author, coach, and founder of the Takahashi School of Martial Arts (Est. 1969) in Ottawa, Ontario. He was involved in judo for more than 70 years, and was ranked ''hachi ...
in the early 1960s.


Organization

Before the war,
Shigetaka Sasaki Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki (20 March 1903 – 26 February 1993) was a Japanese and Canadian judoka who founded the first judo club in Canada and is considered the 'Father of Canadian Judo'. After establishing the Tai Iku Dojo in Vancouver in 1924, S ...
's Tai Iku Dojo / Kidokan was the ''
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' governing body of judo in Canada since nearly every dojo in the country was one of its branches. Circumstances were different after the war, and in 1946 Atsumu Kamino established the Canada Judo Yudanshakai (black belt association) in Toronto to help organize the administration of judo, including grading. Three years later, however,
Bernard Gauthier Bernard Gauthier (22 September 1924 – 23 November 2018) was a French road racing cyclist, who was professional from 1947 to 1961. He won the Bordeaux–Paris road race on four occasions. Major results ;1947 :Circuit Lyonnais :Tour de Franc ...
of
Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadia ...
created the Canadian Judo Federation and had it
charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
ed as Canada's official judo organization, which was recognized by the
International Judo Federation The International Judo Federation (IJF) was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe and Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National ...
(IJF) in 1952. Gauthier was not associated with the Japanese Canadians who had established judo in Canada or the
Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ( ...
, and had instead learned judo through a Mr. Shimizu from the Japanese Embassy in Ottawa,
Mikinosuke Kawaishi was a Japanese master of jujutsu and judo who achieved the rank of 7th Dan. He led the development of Judo in France, with Shozo Awazu, and much of Europe and is credited with introducing the colored belt system for differentiating early grades. ...
's books, and lessons from Marc Scala, one of Kawaishi's students who had moved from
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
to Montreal in 1950. There was some cooperation between the two organizations, but the Yudanshakai decided to reorganize in 1956 when Gauthier alone represented Canada at the first
World Judo Championships The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year (except the years when the Olympics take place) by the International Judo ...
in Tokyo. The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association (CKBBA) was chartered in 1956, with Sasaki as its president; its name used '
Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ( ...
' instead of 'Judo' to differentiate it from Gauthier's organization and give it authority. In 1958, reportedly after the IJF was unable to contact Gauthier and the CKBBA provided last-minute representation at that year's World Judo Championships, the CKBBA was granted membership in the IJF and replaced the Canadian Judo Federation as the sole official governing body of judo in Canada. Nevertheless, when the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
announced in 1960 that judo would be included in the
1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...
in Tokyo, Gauthier lobbied the
Canadian Olympic Association The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ( ...
(COA) to allow his organization to select the judoka who would represent Canada at the Games. The COA held a hearing to determine which organization should have jurisdiction, and decided in favour of the CKBBA because it had members across the country and Gauthier's Federation was essentially limited to
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. The CKBBA has remained the official governing body of judo in Canada since that decision, and legally adopted its long-standing common name
Judo Canada Judo Canada, formerly known as The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association, is the non-profit national governing body of the Japanese martial art and combat sport Judo in Canada, and a federation of Judo associations in each of the ten provinces ...
in 2011. Provincial associations were also established in every province by the end of the 1960s, in 1973 in the Northwest Territories, 1974 in Yukon, and 2001 in Nunavut, two years after it was separated from the NWT.


Growth and public interest

By the 1950s judo was growing across the country and more people began to take an interest. New competitions and clubs attracted both spectators and participants, and by 1960 there were more than 4,000 judoka in Canada, most of whom were not Japanese Canadian.
Bernard Gauthier Bernard Gauthier (22 September 1924 – 23 November 2018) was a French road racing cyclist, who was professional from 1947 to 1961. He won the Bordeaux–Paris road race on four occasions. Major results ;1947 :Circuit Lyonnais :Tour de Franc ...
's Canadian Judo Federation (CJF) sponsored its first Canadian Championships in 1952, held in Ottawa and won by
Masao Takahashi Masao Takahashi (June 24, 1929 – February 14, 2020) was a Canadian judoka, author, coach, and founder of the Takahashi School of Martial Arts (Est. 1969) in Ottawa, Ontario. He was involved in judo for more than 70 years, and was ranked ''hachi ...
, who was awarded a trophy donated by the Japanese
embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
. The CJF organised at least one other national championship in Toronto, but most of the larger tournaments were regional rather than national until the Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association (CKBBA) held its first Canadian Championships in
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
in 1959. There were 15 competitors who qualified through three regional selection tournaments, no
weight class Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Altern ...
es, about 1,500 spectators, and one winner: Manfred Matt of Vancouver, who also won the second Canadian Championships and represented Canada at the
World Judo Championships The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year (except the years when the Olympics take place) by the International Judo ...
in 1961. The number or judo clubs in Canada increased significantly during the 1950s and 60s, especially in
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
in large part due to the efforts of Frank Hatashita and Raymond Damblant, who both played a role similar to
Shigetaka Sasaki Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki (20 March 1903 – 26 February 1993) was a Japanese and Canadian judoka who founded the first judo club in Canada and is considered the 'Father of Canadian Judo'. After establishing the Tai Iku Dojo in Vancouver in 1924, S ...
in the pre-war period. Hatashita, who first learned judo in British Columbia and later trained with Sasaki and Kamino at Tashme internment camp, moved to Toronto and turned judo into his full-time business after the war, making him the first
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
judoka in Canada.
Nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
d "Canada's Mr. Judo", he promoted judo outside of the Japanese Canadian community by putting on public demonstrations and clinics, writing articles for newspapers, publishing the monthly ''Judo News Bulletin'' (which was renamed ''Canadian Judo News'', then ''Judo World''), and even appeared in a 1955 episode of the CBC television show ''
Tabloid Tabloid may refer to: * Tabloid journalism, a type of journalism * Tabloid (newspaper format), a newspaper with compact page size ** Chinese tabloid * Tabloid (paper size), a North American paper size * Sopwith Tabloid, a biplane aircraft * ''Ta ...
'' meant to introduce
Japanese culture The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Historical overview The ance ...
to Canadians. Hatashita also played a major organizational role, sponsoring close to 100 judo clubs across Ontario, and serving as President of the CKBBA and Pan American Judo Union and Vice President of the International Judo Federation. Damblant was Hatashita's counterpart in Quebec. He moved from France to Montreal in 1959 to help promote judo in the province on behalf of the
French Judo Federation French Judo Federation (, is the sports association that aims to promote the practice of Judo in France, Judo and related disciplines composed of jujitsu, kendo, iaïdo, sport chanbara, Jōdō, naginata, Kyūdō, sumo and taïso. Created on Dece ...
. Damblant began travelling around Quebec's regions to provide instruction and help organize local judo associations, and he consolidated the provincial administration of judo by reorganizing the Quebec Kodokan Judo Black Belt Association in 1966 and serving as its first President. When Damblant first arrived in Quebec there were only 10 dojos, and he is credited with spearheading the infrastructure that led to about 120 clubs and 10,000 judoka in Quebec today.


Women in judo

Judo was initially restricted to men due to
patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...
gender role A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...
s and mistaken ideas about the physical differences between the sexes. Some women were taught judo as early as the 1890s, but the
Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ( ...
did not allow women to train regularly until 1923, and even then they were restricted to ''
kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...
'' and ''
randori is a term used in Japanese martial arts to describe free-style practice (sparring). The term denotes an exercise in 取り ''tori'', applying technique to a random ( 乱 ''ran'') succession of ''uke'' attacks. The actual connotation of ''rando ...
'' and forbidden from competition. Canada followed the Kodokan's lead until the 1970s, when judo associations in Europe and North America began organizing women's tournaments. The first Women's Canadian Judo Championships were held in Montreal in 1976. The first Women's
World Judo Championships The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year (except the years when the Olympics take place) by the International Judo ...
were held in New York in 1980, and men and women have competed separately at the same World Judo Championships events since 1987. Women's judo was a
demonstration sport A demonstration sport, or exhibition sport, is a sport which is played to promote it, rather than as part of standard medal competition. This occurs commonly during the Olympic Games, but may also occur at other sporting events. Demonstration spor ...
at the
1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
, where Sandra Greaves became Canada's first female competitor and
Tina Takahashi Tina Takahashi is a judoka, coach, and author who won Canada's first ever gold medal in international Judo at the World University Games in 1984, and was Canada's first women's Olympic Judo coach in 1988, coaching Canada's first women's Judo O ...
its first female coach at the Olympics, and it has been a full-fledged Olympic sport since the
Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
in 1992 (see '
List of Canadian judoka This is a list of prominent Canadian judoka, including members of the Judo Canada Hall of Fame, lifetime members of Judo Canada, ''kōdansha'' (high ''dan''-holders), all participants in the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Judo Championships, a ...
' for the names of everyone who has represented Canada at the World Judo Championships and the Olympics, and '
Competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...
' for medal results). While participation in competition was delayed, women had been able to practice judo in Canada since Sasaki opened Tai Iku Dojo in 1924, though it was uncommon before the war. A 1960 article in
Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...
magazine titled "Judo Tightening Grip on Canada" reports that "scores" of women had taken up judo by that time. The first woman to be promoted to ''shodan'' (first ''dan'', black belt) was Elaine McCossan at the Hatashita Judo Club in Toronto in 1959. As of 2021, thousands of Canadian women have earned a black belt, about 10 are ''kōdansha'' (sixth ''dan'' or higher), and the highest-ranked women are Gisèle Gravel of
Saguenay, Quebec Saguenay ( , , ) is a city in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City by overland route. It is about upriver and northwest of Tadoussac, located at the confluence with the St. ...
and June Takahashi of
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, both ''shichidan'' (seventh ''dan'', red and white belt).


1964 Olympics

Jigoro Kano was the first
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
member of the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC). He had reservations about adding judo to the Olympics because of the Games' focus on
sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
and encouragement of
nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
, but he did not object to it and in 1937 the IOC decided that judo would be a
demonstration sport A demonstration sport, or exhibition sport, is a sport which is played to promote it, rather than as part of standard medal competition. This occurs commonly during the Olympic Games, but may also occur at other sporting events. Demonstration spor ...
at the 1940 Olympics in Tokyo. Those Games were cancelled due to the war, however, and judo did not make its Olympic debut until 24 years later at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. This was the first time an Asian sport had been included in the Games and it generated significant interest in judo worldwide. Coupled with the Kodokan's long-term efforts to spread judo around the world, judo became the first Asian martial art to gain a worldwide following.Brousse, Michel and Matsumoto, David. ''Judo in the U.S.: A Century of Dedication''. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2005, p. 110. Some countries put significant effort into readying their judo competitors for the 1964 Olympics, but Canada was not one of them. In fact, the
Canadian Olympic Association The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ( ...
(CAO) did not plan to send any judoka to Japan until Frank Hatashita, who was President of the Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association at the time, led a publicity campaign to add Doug Rogers to the Olympic team. Rogers, who was born in
Truro, Nova Scotia Truro (Mi'kmaq: ''Wagobagitik''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Truru'') is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's mouth at ...
, had begun studying judo in Montreal and moved to Tokyo in 1960 at the age of 19 to train full-time at the
Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ( ...
. The CAO agreed to let him compete in the Olympics with Hatashita as his coach because Rogers was already based in Japan, but resisted paying for him to return there from Canada after he competed in 1964 Canadian Championships ahead of the Olympics, providing just a one-way ticket in the end. Rogers won the silver medal in the heavyweight category: it made him famous in Japan, sparked "a boom in the sport in his native land", and for a time he was almost a household name in Canada. The
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
even sent a crew to Japan to produce a short film titled ''Judoka'' (1965), which
documents A document is a writing, written, drawing, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of nonfiction, non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', w ...
Rogers' post-Olympics life and intense training under the famous
Masahiko Kimura was a Japanese judoka and professional wrestler who is widely considered one of the greatest judoka of all time.Jim Chen, Theodore ChenThe Man Who Defeated Helio Gracie.July 3, 2003. He won the All-Japan Judo Championships three times in a row ...
.


Organizational development

In its early years the Canadian Kodokan Blackbelt Association (CKBBA) was entirely dependent on membership fees and donations. In the early 1960s, 80% of its funding was based on dues from 986 members: 309 ''yudansha'' (black belts), and 677 ''mudansha'' (non-black belts). Frank Hatashita became President of the CKBBA in 1961 and held the position until 1978, overseeing major organizational changes including recognition and funding from
Sport Canada Sport Canada is a branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage that develops federal sport policy in Canada, provides funding programs in support of sport, and administers special projects related to sport. Its mission "to enhance opportunities ...
, more domestic competitions and greater participation in international tournaments, and the establishment of a national office in
Vanier, Ontario Vanier, formerly Eastview, is a neighbourhood in the Rideau-Vanier Ward of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's east end. Historically francophone and working class, the neighbourhood was a separate city until being amalgamated into Ottawa in 2001. It no lon ...
with a paid professional staff.


International competition

Since Doug Rogers' success at the 1964 Olympics, Canada has sent at least five and as many as fourteen judoka to every World Judo Championships and Summer Olympics, except for
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...
when judo was not included in the Olympics, and 1980 when Canada boycotted the Moscow Olympics in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan (see '
List of Canadian judoka This is a list of prominent Canadian judoka, including members of the Judo Canada Hall of Fame, lifetime members of Judo Canada, ''kōdansha'' (high ''dan''-holders), all participants in the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Judo Championships, a ...
' for the names of everyone who has represented Canada at the World Judo Championships and the Olympics, and '
Competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...
' for medal results). Rogers won bronze at the
1965 World Judo Championships The 1965 World Judo Championships were the 4th edition of the Men's World Judo Championships, and were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 14–17, 1965. Medal overview Men Medal table References External links results on judoin ...
, and some of his Canadian contemporaries won medals at other international tournaments—especially the
Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
—but no other Canadian made it to the
podium A podium (plural podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek ''πόδι'' (foot). In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used ...
at the highest level again until Kevin Doherty and
Phil Takahashi Philip Masato Takahashi (June 12, 1957 – June 15, 2020) was a judoka from Canada, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics (1984 and 1988). He twice won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games during his car ...
from
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
won bronze in their respective weight categories at the 1981 World Judo Championships, and Mark Berger from
Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
won bronze at the 1984 Olympics.Canada's most competitively successful judoka is
Nicolas Gill Nicolas Gill (born 24 April 1972 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian judoka who competed at four consecutive Olympic Games. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, receiving a bronze in the middleweight (86 kg) division at his inaugural Olympia ...
, who won bronze at the
1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
, silver at the
2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
, and bronze at three World Championships. Gill was coached by Hiroshi Nakamura, whose Shidokan Judo Club in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
served as the National Training Centre until 2014. Canada has also hosted a variety of major international judo tournaments, including the Pan American Games (
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
,
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
, and
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
), the Pan American Judo Championships (1992,
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
,
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, and
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
), the 1996 World University Judo Championships, the 2000
Commonwealth Judo Championships The Commonwealth Judo Championships are an international judo competition, open to countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. Inaugurated in 1986, the Championships are held on a biennial basis, and are recognised by the Commonwealth Games Federatio ...
, and the
2001 Jeux de la Francophonie The 2001 Jeux de la Francophonie, also known as ''IVes Jeux de la Francophonie'', (French language, French for ''Francophone Games'') were held in Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec, Canada from July 14–24, 2001. Events Sports Cultural Me ...
''.'' The two highest-level tournaments hosted in Canada are the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and the
1993 World Judo Championships The 1993 World Judo Championships were the 18th edition of the World Judo Championships, and were held in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Canada from September 30 to October 3, 1993. Medal overview Men Women Medal table References

{{R ...
in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
. The Olympic judo tournament was held at the
Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics c ...
Velodrome (now the Biodome), which was considered a poor venue choice because the spectators were at least 60 metres (197 feet) away from the mats on the other side of the cycling track.


Judo for people with disabilities

Judo is also practiced by people with
disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...
, most commonly
visual impairment Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment ...
. While judo for the visually impaired is often referred to as 'blind judo', it includes athletes with three different levels of visual impairment (ranging from blind to partially sighted), all of whom may compete against one another so long as they are in the same weight category. It became a
Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
sport in 1988 for men and 2004 for women, and the only differences from Olympic judo are that competitors take hold of their opponent before the start of the match and the mat has different textures to indicate zones and the competition area. Judo for the visually impaired has a long history in Canada. It is unclear when visually impaired judoka first began training in Canada, but
Bernard Gauthier Bernard Gauthier (22 September 1924 – 23 November 2018) was a French road racing cyclist, who was professional from 1947 to 1961. He won the Bordeaux–Paris road race on four occasions. Major results ;1947 :Circuit Lyonnais :Tour de Franc ...
established the
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
YMCA Blind Men's Judo Club sometime in or before 1952, when he claimed that it was the only judo club for the blind in the world. Dedicated clubs are rare, however, and in most cases visually impaired and non-impaired judoka belong to the same clubs and practice together. People with other disabilities also practice judo, and
Judo Canada Judo Canada, formerly known as The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association, is the non-profit national governing body of the Japanese martial art and combat sport Judo in Canada, and a federation of Judo associations in each of the ten provinces ...
has established guidelines for including judoka who are
deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...
, have
special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...
, or have
intellectual disabilities Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signific ...
. Sometimes this takes the form of dedicated clubs, such as the now-closed Jita Kyoei Judo Club at the Community Head Injury Resource Services in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, which catered to people with
Acquired brain injury Acquired brain injury (ABI) is brain damage caused by events after birth, rather than as part of a genetic or congenital disorder such as fetal alcohol syndrome, perinatal illness or perinatal hypoxia. ABI can result in cognitive, physical, ...
. Canada was first represented in international competition for the visually impaired by brothers Pier Morten and
Eddie Morten Eddie Morten (born 29 May 1962), also spelled 'Eddy', is a Canadian Paralympics, Paralympic athlete who won bronze in the 5 km Racewalking, Walk in 1980, gold in the -65 kg category in Wrestling in 1984, and bronze in Judo in the -71&nbs ...
at the European Open Blind Judo Championships in 1987, and both brothers won bronze in their weight categories the following year at the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul. Pier, who is the first deafblind person in the world to earn a
black belt Black Belt may refer to: Martial arts * Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of expertise in martial arts * ''Black Belt'' (magazine), a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals Places * Black B ...
in judo, also won bronze at the Paralympics in 1992 and 2000, making him Canada's most competitively successful disabled judoka (see '
List of Canadian judoka This is a list of prominent Canadian judoka, including members of the Judo Canada Hall of Fame, lifetime members of Judo Canada, ''kōdansha'' (high ''dan''-holders), all participants in the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Judo Championships, a ...
' for the names of everyone who has represented Canada at the Paralympics, and '
Competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...
' for medal results). Some disabled Canadian judoka compete in the non-disabled domestic and international circuits. David Miller, for example, is legally blind in one eye and won the Canadian National Championships in the +95 kg category and represented Canada in the open weight category at the
World Judo Championships The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year (except the years when the Olympics take place) by the International Judo ...
in 1995.


Present day

Today there are about 400 judo clubs and approximately 25,000 judoka in Canada, and it is most popular in Quebec where there are around 120 clubs and 10,000 judoka. That popularity is partly driven by the success of
Nicolas Gill Nicolas Gill (born 24 April 1972 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian judoka who competed at four consecutive Olympic Games. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, receiving a bronze in the middleweight (86 kg) division at his inaugural Olympia ...
, who still receives attention in Canada's
French-language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...
press more than 15 years after his retirement from competition, and
Antoine Valois-Fortier Antoine Valois-Fortier (born 13 March 1990) is a Canadian retired judoka who won the bronze medal in the −81 kg category at the 2012 Olympics, becoming the first Canadian to win a medal in Olympic judo in twelve years and the fifth to w ...
's bronze at the
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, which began a new era in high-level Canadian judo. Valois-Fortier's bronze at the
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
was Canada's first Olympic medal in judo since Gill's silver in
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
and led to increased funding from
Sport Canada Sport Canada is a branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage that develops federal sport policy in Canada, provides funding programs in support of sport, and administers special projects related to sport. Its mission "to enhance opportunities ...
and other funding agencies that significantly improved
Judo Canada Judo Canada, formerly known as The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association, is the non-profit national governing body of the Japanese martial art and combat sport Judo in Canada, and a federation of Judo associations in each of the ten provinces ...
's training capacity. According to Own the Podium, the organization that plans and coordinates most high-level Amateur sports, amateur sport investment in Canada, its four-year funding recommendations for Olympic judo increased from $1,870,000 for Judo at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London 2012 to $3,109,830 for Judo at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and $5,169,500 for Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tokyo 2020 (in a five-year period due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and from nothing to $125,000 for the
2020 Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralympic ...
. This has led to major changes. In 2014, Judo Canada moved its National Training Centre from Shidokan Judo Club to the Quebec National Institute of Sport at Montreal's Olympic Stadium (Montreal), Olympic Stadium, where the national office was also moved after Gill became CEO of Judo Canada in 2016. The new training facilities have twice the mat space of the previous centre, a weight and conditioning room with new equipment, and sport science specialists on staff. Gill, who coached the national team from 2009 to 2016, said that "the equipment is of better quality and the space is much better. There's no possible comparison. In the current sports system, it's a step in the right direction. The athletes were visibly excited about their new training facilities". Two other Regional Training Centres have also been established at Kyodokan Judo Club in Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta and the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in Scarborough, Toronto, Scarborough, Ontario. While Valois-Fortier did not place again in the 2016 or the 2020 Olympics, he won silver at the 2014 World Judo Championships and bronze in 2015 World Judo Championships, 2015 and 2019 World Judo Championships, 2019, making him Canada's second-most competitively successful judoka at the highest levels after Gill. Other Canadians have also had recent success at the highest levels.
Christa Deguchi Christa Deguchi ( 出口 クリスタ ''Deguchi Christa,'' born 29 October 1995) is a Canadian judoka. Switch to representing Canada In 2017, Deguchi switched to representing Canada from where she was born, Japan. Deguchi's dad is from Canada ...
, who was born and resides in Japan but has Canadian citizenship Jus sanguinis, through her father, joined the Canadian team in 2017 and won bronze in 2018 World Judo Championships, 2018 and gold in 2019 World Judo Championships, 2019 at the World Judo Championships, making her the first Canadian World Champion. Priscilla Gagné won bronze at the 2018 IBSA World Judo Championships and silver at the 2019 IBSA World Games, eight Canadians won medals at the Junior (under 21) or Cadet (under 18) World Judo Championships, and
Jessica Klimkait Jessica Klimkait (born 31 December 1996) is a Canadian Judoka who competes in the women's 57 kg category. In 2021 she became Canada's second judo world champion, defeating Momo Tamaoki of Japan in the women's lightfoot (57 kg) final a ...
won gold at the 2021 World Judo Championships in the -57 kg category, the same as her domestic Rivalry, rival Deguchi. At the Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics, 2020 Tokyo Olympics Jessica Klimkait and
Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (born 26 June 1994) is a Canadian judoka who competes in the women's 63 kg category. Beauchemin-Pinard won a bronze medal in the 63 kg weight class at the 2020 Summer Olympics, making her the second Canadian ...
became the first Canadian women in to win Olympic medals in judo, and Arthur Margelidon and Shady El Nahas both placed fifth in their weight categories after losing bronze medal matches (judo has two bronze medals in every category due to repechage). These results make it Canada's most successful Olympic judo tournament in history. At the
2020 Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralympic ...
, Priscilla Gagné became both the first Canadian woman in to win a medal and the first Canadian to win silver in Paralympic judo.


Ranking

Judo uses a hierarchical ranking system divided into ''
kyū is a Japanese term used in modern martial arts as well as in tea ceremony, flower arranging, Go, shogi, academic tests and other similar activities to designate various grades, levels or degrees of proficiency or experience. In Mandarin Chin ...
'' and ''dan (rank), dan'' grades adapted from the ranking system for the traditional board game Go (game), Go. ''Kyū'' grades are for people ranked below black belt (martial arts), black belt (''mudansha'', or 'ones without ''dan''), and ''dan'' grades are for those who have a black belt (''yūdansha'', or 'ones with ''dan''). A person's rank is represented by a number, and the names of each grade are a combination of the name of the Japanese numerals, number in Japanese and the appropriate suffix (''kyū'' or ''dan''). For ''kyū'' grades, this number goes down with each promotion, from sixth ''kyū'' (''rokkyū'') to first ''kyū'' (''ikkyū''). For ''dan'' grades, the number goes up with each promotion, from first ''dan'' (''shodan (rank), shodan'') to tenth ''dan'' (''jūdan''). Grades are also differentiated by belt colour. Jigoro Kano originally adopted white and black belts in 1886 to mark the distinction between ''kyū'' and ''dan'' grades, and red and white and solid red belts were later introduced to distinguish ''yūdansha'' who are sixth ''dan'' and higher (''kōdansha'', or 'ones with high ''dan''). Coloured belts for ''kyū'' grades were first introduced by
Mikinosuke Kawaishi was a Japanese master of jujutsu and judo who achieved the rank of 7th Dan. He led the development of Judo in France, with Shozo Awazu, and much of Europe and is credited with introducing the colored belt system for differentiating early grades. ...
in France in 1935 because he felt that European students would progress more quickly if they received visible recognition of their achievements. In Canada there are six ''kyū'' grades for seniors (people 16 years of age or older), eleven ''kyū'' grades for juniors (people under the age of 16), and ten ''dan'' grades that are restricted to seniors. Both senior and junior students begin as white belts (''rokkyū'', sixth ''kyū'') and progress with promotion through yellow, orange, green, and blue to brown belt (''ikkyū'', first ''kyū''). Half-grades for juniors are represented by belts that combine the colours of the previous grade and the next grade (a white and yellow belt, for example, represents a half-grade between ''rokkyū'' and ''gokyū'', which the grading syllabus calls "6th+ ''kyū''"). The first five ''dan'' grades (''shodan'' to ''godan'') are represented by a black belt. Judoka ranked sixth to eighth ''dan'' may wear a red and white belt, and those ranked ninth or tenth ''dan'' may wear a solid red belt, but this is not required and the black belt remains the standard for all ''dan'' grades. In the past women's belts would include a white stripe in the centre of the length of the belt to differentiate them from men, but this is much less common now.


Grading and promotion

Promotions are regulated by
Judo Canada Judo Canada, formerly known as The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association, is the non-profit national governing body of the Japanese martial art and combat sport Judo in Canada, and a federation of Judo associations in each of the ten provinces ...
using guidelines set by the National Grading Board, but most of the responsibility for grading is delegated to other organizations. All ''kyū'' grade promotions are based on examination at the student's club by its technical director or grading board following the Judo Canada grading syllabus. ''Shodan'' (first ''dan'') to ''hachidan'' (eighth ''dan'') promotions in the 'technical stream' are based on examination by a regional grading board and must be ratified by Judo Canada; 'competitive stream' judoka can be promoted through success in tournaments. ''Kudan'' (ninth ''dan'') and ''jūdan'' (tenth ''dan'') promotions are rare honours that are conferred directly by Judo Canada, the
International Judo Federation The International Judo Federation (IJF) was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe and Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National ...
, or the Kodokan.


''Kyū grades''

The time between promotions for ''kyū'' grades varies, and is based on a combination of technical skill, physical fitness, age, regular class attendance, frequency of classes per week, student–teacher ratio, facilities and equipment, and the disposition of the student. Students must be at least 6 years old to be promoted and at least 15 years old to be eligible to test for black belt. Each ''kyū'' promotion requires a test of proficiency in a specific set of techniques. The foundation of the syllabus is Kano's revised ''List of Kodokan judo techniques, Gokyo no Waza'' ('five sets of techniques') from 1920, which covers judo's 40 fundamental throw (grappling), throws. There are now 67 official throws, however, and Judo Canada's syllabus does not directly match each stage of the ''Gokyo'' (which is divided into five sets that correspond with the five graded ''kyū''). Some throws are now associated with different grades than indicated in the ''Gokyo'', the 27 throws that were added in 1982 and 1997 have been incorporated into the curriculum at various stages, and each ''kyū'' also requires proficiency in certain Grappling hold#Pinning hold, hold-downs, arm-locks, chokehold, strangles and chokes (the last three are restricted to seniors).Students are also expected to remain proficient in all techniques associated with their previous grades and learn judo's history and standard Japanese terms.


''Dan'' grades

The requirements for ''dan'' promotion are more demanding. As of 2021, to test for ''shodan'' (first ''dan,'' black belt) the applicant must be at least 15 years old, have been an ''ikkyū'' (first ''kyū'', brown belt) for at least one year, have been active in judo with a paid association membership for at least three years, and have 100 points. Points can be earned through competition, technical activities such as attending an instructional clinic or assisting with club development, volunteering at judo events, and consistent class attendance on a yearly basis, depending on whether the person has chosen the 'competitive' or 'technical' promotion stream. Candidates in the competitive stream can be promoted without formal grading based on success in tournaments. Technical stream candidates complete an examination that includes: (1) demonstration of eight throws, three hold downs, three strangles or chokes, and three arm-locks, all chosen by the examiners at the time of the examination; (2) demonstration of the ability to successfully apply such techniques at full force and speed against a resisting opponent in ''
randori is a term used in Japanese martial arts to describe free-style practice (sparring). The term denotes an exercise in 取り ''tori'', applying technique to a random ( 乱 ''ran'') succession of ''uke'' attacks. The actual connotation of ''rando ...
'' (free practice); and (3) demonstration of the first three sets of the ''Nage-no-kata'' as ''tori (martial arts), tori'' (the person executing the throws). Second to tenth ''dan'' have similar but progressively higher requirements, with the necessary minimum age, time in current grade, number of points, and the number and type of techniques to be demonstrated increasing with each grade. Junior national-level and senior international-level competitors may also be promoted by ''batsugun'' (outstanding performance in designated competitions).


High-ranking Canadians

Only fifteen people have been promoted to ''jūdan'' (tenth ''dan'', red belt) by the Kodokan, and there are eight ''jūdan'' not recognised by the Kodokan who were promoted by the International Judo Federation. None of them are Canadian, but Canada does have a group of about 150 ''kōdansha'' ranked sixth ''dan'' or higher, all of whom have devoted much of their lives to Canadian judo. The late Yoshio Senda became Canada's first ''kudan'' (ninth ''dan'', red belt) in 2007, and since then four more Canadians have been promoted to ''kudan'' by Judo Canada: Yeiji Inouye (2011), Raymond Damblant (2012), Hiroshi Nakamura (2012), and Mamoru Oye (2021). As of 2021, sixteen Canadians are ranked ''hachidan'' (eighth ''dan'', red and white belt), thirty-seven are ranked ''shichidan'' (seventh ''dan'', red and white belt), and about 90 are ranked ''rokudan'' (sixth ''dan'', red and white belt). Tony Walby became the first Visual impairment, visually impaired Canadian judoka to be promoted to ''rokudan'' in 2021. The names of the ninth and eighth ''dan'' holders are listed in the tables to the right; a dagger (typography), typographic dagger () follows the names of those who are deceased. A registry of approximately 5000 black belts from 1946–1997 is included in the first edition Glynn Leyshon's book ''Judoka: a History of Judo in Canada,'' and a list of all Canadians ranked ''rokudan'' or higher as of 2019 is included in the second edition.


Competition


Olympics

Canadians have won seven Olympic medals in judo since it was added to the Judo at the Summer Olympics, Summer games in 1964. Doug Rogers won silver in the +80 kg category in 1964, Mark Berger won bronze in the +95 kg category in 1984,
Nicolas Gill Nicolas Gill (born 24 April 1972 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian judoka who competed at four consecutive Olympic Games. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, receiving a bronze in the middleweight (86 kg) division at his inaugural Olympia ...
won bronze in the 86 kg category in 1992 and silver in the 100 kg category in 2000,
Antoine Valois-Fortier Antoine Valois-Fortier (born 13 March 1990) is a Canadian retired judoka who won the bronze medal in the −81 kg category at the 2012 Olympics, becoming the first Canadian to win a medal in Olympic judo in twelve years and the fifth to w ...
won bronze in the -81 kg category in 2012, and both
Jessica Klimkait Jessica Klimkait (born 31 December 1996) is a Canadian Judoka who competes in the women's 57 kg category. In 2021 she became Canada's second judo world champion, defeating Momo Tamaoki of Japan in the women's lightfoot (57 kg) final a ...
(-57 kg) and
Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (born 26 June 1994) is a Canadian judoka who competes in the women's 63 kg category. Beauchemin-Pinard won a bronze medal in the 63 kg weight class at the 2020 Summer Olympics, making her the second Canadian ...
(-63 kg) won bronze at the 2020 Summer Olympics, 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


World Championships

Twelve medals have been awarded to Canadians at the
World Judo Championships The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year (except the years when the Olympics take place) by the International Judo ...
. Rogers won bronze in the +80 kg category in 1965 World Judo Championships, 1965,
Phil Takahashi Philip Masato Takahashi (June 12, 1957 – June 15, 2020) was a judoka from Canada, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics (1984 and 1988). He twice won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games during his car ...
won bronze in the -60 kg category and Kevin Doherty won bronze in the -78 kg category in 1981 World Judo Championships, 1981; Gill won silver in the 86 kg category in 1993 World Judo Championships, 1993, bronze in 1995 World Judo Championships#86 kg, 1995, and bronze in 1999 World Judo Championships#100 kg, 100 kg in 1999; Valois-Fortier won silver (2014 World Judo Championships – Men's 81 kg, 2014) and bronze (2015 World Judo Championships – Men's 81 kg, 2015, 2019 World Judo Championships – Men's 81 kg, 2019) in the -81 kg category;
Christa Deguchi Christa Deguchi ( 出口 クリスタ ''Deguchi Christa,'' born 29 October 1995) is a Canadian judoka. Switch to representing Canada In 2017, Deguchi switched to representing Canada from where she was born, Japan. Deguchi's dad is from Canada ...
won bronze (2018 World Judo Championships – Women's 57 kg, 2018) and gold (2019 World Judo Championships – Women's 57 kg, 2019) in the -57 kg category; and
Jessica Klimkait Jessica Klimkait (born 31 December 1996) is a Canadian Judoka who competes in the women's 57 kg category. In 2021 she became Canada's second judo world champion, defeating Momo Tamaoki of Japan in the women's lightfoot (57 kg) final a ...
won gold in the -2021 World Judo Championships – Women's 57 kg, 57 kg category in 2021. Jessica Klimkait (-51 kg) and Louis Krieber-Gagnon (-81 kg) both won gold at the 2013 World Judo Cadets Championships, World Cadets Judo Championships.


Paralympics & IBSA Championships

Canada was first represented in international competition for the visually impaired by brothers Pier Morten and
Eddie Morten Eddie Morten (born 29 May 1962), also spelled 'Eddy', is a Canadian Paralympics, Paralympic athlete who won bronze in the 5 km Racewalking, Walk in 1980, gold in the -65 kg category in Wrestling in 1984, and bronze in Judo in the -71&nbs ...
at the 1988 Paralympics, where they each won bronze in the -65 kg and -71 kg categories, respectively. Pier, who is the first deaf-blind person in the world to earn a black belt in judo and was inducted into the Judo Canada Hall of Fame in 2012, also won bronze in the -71 kg category in 1992 and the -73 kg category in 2000 at the Paralympics, making him Canada's most successful visually impaired judoka. Priscilla Gagné won silver in the -52 kg category at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, 2020 Paralympics. William Morgan (judoka), William Morgan placed fifth in the 2004 and seventh in the 2008 Paralympics, where he was Canada's only competitor. Tom Thompson (judoka), Tom Thompson coached the Paralympic judo team from 2000 to 2014, when he was replaced by Andrzej Sądej. A video of Morgan explaining Paralympic judo is available in the 'External links' section below. Pier Morten won bronze at the first IBSA World Games in 1998, William Morgan won bronze in the -81 kg category at the IBSA World Games in 2003 and the -100 kg category at the IBSA World Judo Championships in 2006, and Priscilla Gagné won bronze in the -52 kg category in 2018. Gagné also won silver at the 2019 IBSA Judo International Qualifier, which is equivalent to the IBSA World Games but was held instead of the latter because the IBSA could not find a suitable host for a full edition of the Games.


Regional

Canada's greatest success in international competition has been at the Pan American Games, with a total of 84 medals (15 gold, 23 silver, and 46 bronze) awarded since 1967, the fourth-highest medal count out of 20 countries (see 'Judo at the Pan American Games' for a list of the results).


Recognition of public service


Domestic

Four judoka have been awarded Membership in the Order of Canada, the country's second highest civilian honour of merit, for outstanding contributions to their communities through judo: James Driscoll (1978), Yuzuru Kojima, Yuzuru "Jim" Kojima (1983), Yoshio Senda (2008), and Hiroshi Nakamura (2013). Five judoka are members of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame: Doug Rogers as an athlete (1973), and Minoru "Frank" Hatashita (1974), Yoshio Senda (1977), and
Shigetaka Sasaki Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki (20 March 1903 – 26 February 1993) was a Japanese and Canadian judoka who founded the first judo club in Canada and is considered the 'Father of Canadian Judo'. After establishing the Tai Iku Dojo in Vancouver in 1924, S ...
(1986), and Hiroshi Nakamura (2019) as 'builders' (officials, administrators, and volunteers). In 2002 Jim Kojima and Yoshio Senda were awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. In 2012 at least thirteen judoka were awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Canadian Olympic Committee as either athletes (including the entire 2012 Olympic team) or builders: Fred Blaney, Amy Cotton, Mario Des Forges, Alexandre Émond, Gisèle Gravel, Jim Kojima, Sasha Mehmedovic, Joliane Melançon, Hiroshi Nakamura, Sérgio Pessoa, Sérgio Pesoa, Nicholas Tritton,
Antoine Valois-Fortier Antoine Valois-Fortier (born 13 March 1990) is a Canadian retired judoka who won the bronze medal in the −81 kg category at the 2012 Olympics, becoming the first Canadian to win a medal in Olympic judo in twelve years and the fifth to w ...
, and Kelita Zupancic.


International

Four Canadians have been Civil awards and decorations, decorated by the Emperor of Japan in recognition of their service in improving the status of Japanese Canadian, Japanese-Canadians through a lifelong commitment to the promotion and development of judo in Canada: Shigetaka Sasaki with the Order of the Rising Sun, Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays in 1986, Yoshio Senda with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays in 1991,
Masao Takahashi Masao Takahashi (June 24, 1929 – February 14, 2020) was a Canadian judoka, author, coach, and founder of the Takahashi School of Martial Arts (Est. 1969) in Ottawa, Ontario. He was involved in judo for more than 70 years, and was ranked ''hachi ...
with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2002, and Jim Kojima with the Order of the Rising Sun, Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2011. Raymond Damblant was awarded the
International Judo Federation The International Judo Federation (IJF) was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe and Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National ...
's Silver Medal Award of Merit in 1997.


Research

Judo has been the subject of significant research worldwide, most notably in Japan. It has received less attention in Canada, but is still addressed in both non-academic and academic research across a variety of different Academic discipline, disciplines.


Popular history

Most research on judo in Canada is non-academic popular history that is usually Self-publishing, self-published through club and regional association websites, newsletters, and books. The most complete history of Canadian judo is Glynn Leyshon's book ''Judoka: the History of Judo in Canada'', first published in 1998 and then updated in a second Edition (book), edition with
Nicolas Gill Nicolas Gill (born 24 April 1972 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian judoka who competed at four consecutive Olympic Games. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, receiving a bronze in the middleweight (86 kg) division at his inaugural Olympia ...
as co-author in 2019. Leyshon was Professor Emeritus of kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario, but ''Judoka'' is an official history commissioned by
Judo Canada Judo Canada, formerly known as The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association, is the non-profit national governing body of the Japanese martial art and combat sport Judo in Canada, and a federation of Judo associations in each of the ten provinces ...
rather than an academic study. Other examples of popular history include Daniel Nykon and Yuzuru Kojima, Jim Kojima's ''The Story of the Steveston Judo Club'' (2004), Jane Senda's ''Kyodokan: the Story of the Kyodokan Judo Club and the Founder, Dr. Yoshio Senda'' (2004), and Carl "Dutchie" Schell's memoir ''The Origin of Judo in New Brunswick and the Judo Shimpokai'' (2019).


Natural sciences

The most widely citation, cited academic publications are academic journal, journal articles and books written by sports science, sports scientists and collaborators from other disciplines. The earliest, "A physiological profile of the Canadian judo team" by A.W. Taylor and L. Brassard, was published in ''The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness'' in 1981. The similarly titled "Physiological profiles of the Canadian National Judo Team" was published by S.G. Thomas, M.H. Cox, Yves LeGal, Y.M. LeGal, T.J. Verde, and H.K. Smith in the ''Canadian Journal of Sport Sciences'' in 1989. A third article, "Physical performance attributes of junior and senior women, juvenile, junior, and senior men judokas", presents the results of a study of the 1989 Alberta judo team and was published by N.G. Little in ''The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness'' in 1991. Kinesiologist and judoka Wayland Pulkkinen Self-publishing, self-published ''The Sport Science of Elite Judo Athletes: a Review & Application for Training'' in 2001.


Humanities and social sciences

Other scholars have focused on the social aspects of judo. Anne Doré's article "Japanese-Canadian Sport History in the Fraser Valley: Judo and Baseball in the Interwar Years" (2002) and Joseph Svinth's book ''Getting a Grip: Judo in the Nikkei Communities of the Pacific Northwest, 1900-1950'' (2003) both address the history of Judo in British Columbia. Luiz Moraes' Doctor of Philosophy, PhD thesis in Pedagogy, education at the
University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
, ''Influences on the Development of Beliefs of Canadian Expert Judo Coaches and Their Impact on Action'' (1998), describes the beliefs of Canadian judo coaches and how these beliefs were represented in their actions during training. And Michelle Rogers' Master of Arts, MA thesis in anthropology at the University of Victoria, ''Twentieth Century Travels: Tales of a Canadian Judoka'' (2005), examines the life of her father, Olympian Doug Rogers, and uses his story as a case study of how large-scale global processes can influence the life of an individual.


Popular culture


Television

The most common television coverage of judo in Canada is interviews conducted with Olympic athletes, particularly after a medal has been won, along with short athlete profiles that are interspersed throughout coverage of the Games. One such profile, shown during the 2012 Olympics as part of a Canadian Television Network, CTV series called "The Difference Makers", features Kelita Zupancic, who was training in Japan during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disaster. Most of judo's television appearances that are not directly related to the Olympics occurred in the 1950s on either the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC or its French-language counterpart Radio-Canada, and coincided with the spread of new judo clubs throughout the country following the Second World War. The earliest seems to be an interview at the Ottawa Judo Club, conducted in French by then-journalist René Lévesque and accompanied by a demonstration, in 1955. Another French-language interview and demonstration, this time focusing on the role of women in judo, also aired on Radio-Canada two years later. The first coverage of judo on English television appears to have been in 1956, starting with a demonstration by Fred Okimura and assistants on the ''Vic Obeck Show'', and then in an episode of the information program Tabloid (TV series), ''Tabloid'', titled "From foe to friend: Japanese culture in Canada". The episode covers several different elements of Japanese culture, and includes a judo demonstration by Frank Hatashita and his daughter Patsy Yuriko Hatashita. Four other programs (''Around Town'', ''Graphic (TV series), Graphic'', ''Hobby Corner'', and ''Spotlight'') aired episodes that included judo demonstrations or interviews with judoka from 1957 to 1959. In 1971 the children's show ''Alphabet Soup (TV series), Alphabet Soup'' ran an episode titled "J is for Judo" which featured journalist and judoka Frank Moritsugu instructing host Mavis Kerr in the basics of judo, and in 1976 The
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
produced a seven-minute 'sport interlude' titled "Capsule – Judo" that was shown on television as part of the coverage leading up to and during the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, Montreal Olympics. A 2015 Canadian Tire commercial featured members of Toronto's Ronin Judo Club performing throws on a driveway to demonstrate that the driveway sealer being advertised is dry after 12 hours and does not stain their uniforms.


Film

The National Film Board has produced two short documentaries about judo. The first is ''Judo Jinks'' (1954), hosted by journalist Fred Davis (broadcaster), Fred Davis, which includes a brief history of judo, some demonstrations, and an interview with
Bernard Gauthier Bernard Gauthier (22 September 1924 – 23 November 2018) was a French road racing cyclist, who was professional from 1947 to 1961. He won the Bordeaux–Paris road race on four occasions. Major results ;1947 :Circuit Lyonnais :Tour de Franc ...
. The second, ''Judoka'' (1965), features Doug Rogers and was filmed after he won silver at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. It shows his intensive training under the famous
Masahiko Kimura was a Japanese judoka and professional wrestler who is widely considered one of the greatest judoka of all time.Jim Chen, Theodore ChenThe Man Who Defeated Helio Gracie.July 3, 2003. He won the All-Japan Judo Championships three times in a row ...
and glimpses of Rogers' life in Japan. Clips of Rogers' silver medal match and the medal ceremony also appear in Kon Ichikawa's celebrated documentary ''Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965). In 2019 the
International Judo Federation The International Judo Federation (IJF) was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe and Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National ...
produced a short film titled ''Judo for the World – Canada'', which focuses on judo in
Northern Canada Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...
and
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. It features Mario Des Forges, Sarah Myriam Mazouz, Sarah Mazouz, and
Antoine Valois-Fortier Antoine Valois-Fortier (born 13 March 1990) is a Canadian retired judoka who won the bronze medal in the −81 kg category at the 2012 Olympics, becoming the first Canadian to win a medal in Olympic judo in twelve years and the fifth to w ...
, among others.


Other visual arts

In 2010 the Portrait Society of Canada held a month-long exhibition at the John B. Aird Gallery in Toronto, titled "Canadian Olympic Athletes: a Dialogue in Art", that featured portraits of Canadian Olympic athletes painted by members of the Society: an Oil paint, oil portrait of Sasha Mehmedovic by Veronica Kvassetskaia-Tsyglan, and an Acrylic paint, acrylic portrait of Frazer Will by Hon Kong.


Podcasts

Prominent judoka such as Nicolas Gill have been interviewed and Canadian judo topics (such as the rivalry between
Jessica Klimkait Jessica Klimkait (born 31 December 1996) is a Canadian Judoka who competes in the women's 57 kg category. In 2021 she became Canada's second judo world champion, defeating Momo Tamaoki of Japan in the women's lightfoot (57 kg) final a ...
and
Christa Deguchi Christa Deguchi ( 出口 クリスタ ''Deguchi Christa,'' born 29 October 1995) is a Canadian judoka. Switch to representing Canada In 2017, Deguchi switched to representing Canada from where she was born, Japan. Deguchi's dad is from Canada ...
) have been discussed on judo-related podcasts, and Judo Canada started its own podcast in 2021.


Music

Musician M. Rivers, Mark Kasprzyk, who previously went by the stage name 'Kazzer' and now goes by 'M. Rivers', was an alternate for Canada's 2000 Olympic Judo team. In the video for his best known song as Kazzer, "Pedal to the Metal" (2002), Kasprzyk stops a Bullying, bully using the judo throw ''ippon seoi nage''.


Postage stamps

Canada Post issued a postage stamp that illustrated judo at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. In 2012, it issued another judo stamp as part of its "Definitives: Canadian Pride" series, this time featuring
Nicolas Gill Nicolas Gill (born 24 April 1972 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian judoka who competed at four consecutive Olympic Games. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, receiving a bronze in the middleweight (86 kg) division at his inaugural Olympia ...
as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.


Public figures

Former Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau began practising judo sometime in the mid-1950s when he was in his mid-thirties, and by the end of the decade he was ranked ''ikkyū'' (first k''yū'', brown belt). Later, when he travelled to Japan as Prime Minister, he was promoted to ''shodan'' (first ''dan'', black belt) by the Kodokan, and then promoted to ''nidan'' (second ''dan'') by
Masao Takahashi Masao Takahashi (June 24, 1929 – February 14, 2020) was a Canadian judoka, author, coach, and founder of the Takahashi School of Martial Arts (Est. 1969) in Ottawa, Ontario. He was involved in judo for more than 70 years, and was ranked ''hachi ...
in Ottawa before leaving office. Trudeau began the night of his famous 'walk in the snow' before announcing his retirement in 1984 by going to judo with his sons, including current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Other Canadian politicians and their families have also been associated with judo. The children of Trudeau's successor in office, Brian Mulroney, also practised at the Takahashi Dojo, and
Judo Canada Judo Canada, formerly known as The Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association, is the non-profit national governing body of the Japanese martial art and combat sport Judo in Canada, and a federation of Judo associations in each of the ten provinces ...
has presented two honorary black belts to Member of Parliament (Canada), Members of Parliament: Minister of Health and Welfare Judy LaMarsh at the Eastern Canada Championships in 1964, and former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker at the Senior Women and Junior National Championships in 1979.


See also


General

*
List of Canadian judoka This is a list of prominent Canadian judoka, including members of the Judo Canada Hall of Fame, lifetime members of Judo Canada, ''kōdansha'' (high ''dan''-holders), all participants in the Olympics, Paralympics, and World Judo Championships, a ...
* Judo by country


Judo by province and territory


References


Further reading

* Official history commissioned by Judo Canada. * Includes information that was omitted from the second edition. * Includes a chapter on judo in British Columbia.


External links

*
Judo for the World – Canada
' (2019) – Short documentary about judo in
Northern Canada Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...
and
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
produced by the
International Judo Federation The International Judo Federation (IJF) was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe and Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National ...
(YouTube)
Judo - Inside Sports - paraEmotion 10
(2009) – William Morgan (judoka), William Morgan explaining Paralympic judo (YouTube)
''Judoka''
(1965) – Short documentary about Doug Rogers' life in Japan following the Judo at the 1964 Summer Olympics, 1964 Olympics (National Film Board of Canada, NFB)
"From foe to friend: Japanese culture in Canada"
(1956) – Episode of ''Tabloid'' that includes a judo demonstration by Frank Hatashita and his daughter beginning at 20 minutes 41 seconds. ( CBC) {{Sport in Canada Judo in Canada