is a Japanese

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 ...

ka. He was born in

Iyo, Ehime 270px, Goshikihama Park Lighthouse is a city located in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 35,888 in 16169 households and a population density of 180 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Iy ...

, and began judo at the age of 6. He entered the Kanagawa Prefectural Police after graduating from

Tokai University is a private non-sectarian higher education institution located in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded by Dr. Shigeyoshi Matsumae. It was accredited under Japan's old educational system in 1946 and under the new system in 1950. In 2008, Tokai Un ...

. He was good at

Seoinage is a shoulder throw, one of the traditional forty throws of Judo as developed by Jigoro Kano. It belongs to the first group, Dai Ikkyo, of the traditional throwing list, Gokyo (no waza), of Kodokan Judo. It is also part of the current 67 Thro ...

and got medals of

world championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

twice. He was also known as a rival of three-time Olympic champion

Tadahiro Nomura is one of the most famous judo competitors in Japan. He is the only judoka in the world who has won three individual Olympic gold medals in a row, all in the extra lightweight (-60 kg) division. Biography Nomura was born into a family of ...

for long time. As of 2010, he coaches judo at

Komatsu Limited or () is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures construction, mining, forestry and military equipment, as well as diesel engines and industrial equipment like press machines, lasers and thermoelectric generators. Its headquarte ...

and among his students are

Mika Sugimoto is a Japanese female judoka. She won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, as well as the gold medal in the heavyweight (+78 kg) division and in the openweight division at the 2010 World Judo Championships The 2010 World Jud ...

Ayumi Tanimoto born August 4, 1981, in Anjo, Aichi, is a Japanese judoka. She was coached by Toshihiko Koga, who is a gold medalist at the Barcelona Olympics and a silver medalist at the Atlanta Olympics Men's Judo. Tanimoto won the Women's -63 kg c ...

, and

Mina Watanabe is a Japanese judoka. She is from Mito, Ibaraki. After graduation from high school, she worked for Komatsu Limited. She won the bronze medal in the Middleweight (70 kg) division at the 2009 World Judo Championships The 2009 World Jud ...

References

Japanese male judoka 1974 births Living people Tokai University alumni People from Iyo, Ehime Sportspeople from Ehime Prefecture Asian Games medalists in judo Judoka at the 1998 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for Japan Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games 20th-century Japanese people 21st-century Japanese people {{Japan-judo-bio-stub