was a

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

martial artist. She was the highest-ranked female

judoka is an unarmed 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 Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

in history, holding the rank of 9th ''

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'Ivoi ...

'' 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'' ( ...

(2006), and 10th ''dan'' from

USA Judo USA Judo (officially known as United States Judo, Inc.) is a non-profit organization which represents all areas of U.S. judo practitioners, including athletes, coaches, referees and others. The organization is managed by a staff of seven at the U ...

(July 2011) and from the

United States Judo Federation The United States Judo Federation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting judo in the United States. Its national office is in Ontario, Oregon. History The United States Judo Federation was originally known as the Amateur Judo Associa ...

(USJF) (September 2011), and was the last surviving student of

Kanō Jigorō was a Japanese educator, athlete, and the founder of Judo. Along with Ju-Jutsu, Judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical inno ...

, founder of

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 ...

.Sullivan, K. (2003)
A lifetime of Judo: 90 year old Keiko Fukuda, the martial art's highest-ranked women (''sic''), still goes to the mat for her Bay Area students
Reproduced from the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (October 17, 2003). Retrieved on April 25, 2010.Davis, S. (2009)
A living legend: Judo Master Keiko Fukuda
(July 14, 2009). Retrieved on April 24, 2010.
(December 5, 2007). Retrieved on April 24, 2010.Hoppe, S. T. (1998): ''Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror: Martial arts in women's lives'' (p. 266). Rochester, VT: Park Street Press. ()Takahashi, M. (2005): ''Mastering Judo'' (p. 33). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. ()Narimatsu, K. (2011)
USA Judo promotes Professor Keiko Fukuda to 10th Dan!!!
(August 1, 2011). Retrieved on August 6, 2011.Ashley, J. (2011)
98-year-old woman becomes first woman ever to earn Judo's highest-degree black belt
''Shine'' (August 9, 2011). Retrieved on August 9, 2011. She was a renowned pioneer of women's judo, together with her senpai Masako Noritomi (1913–1982) being the first woman promoted to 6th ''dan'' (c. 1972). In 2006 the Kodokan promoted Fukuda to 9th ''dan''. She is also the first and, so far, only woman to have been promoted to 10th ''dan'' in the art of judo. After completing her formal education in Japan, Fukuda visited the United States of America to teach in the 1950s and 1960s, and eventually settled there. She continued to teach her art in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

until her death in 2013.

Early life

Fukuda was born on April 12, 1913, in Tokyo.Sidney, J. (2003): ''The Warrior's Path: Wisdom from contemporary martial arts masters''. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications. () Her father died when she was very young. As a youth, she learned the arts of

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

flower arrangement Floral design or flower arrangement is the art of using plant materials and flowers to create an eye-catching and balanced composition or display. Evidence of refined floristry is found as far back as the culture of ancient Egypt. Professionally ...

, and the

tea ceremony An East Asian tea ceremony, or ''Chádào'' (), or ''Dado'' ( ko, 다도 (茶道)), is a ceremonially ritualized form of making tea (茶 ''cha'') practiced in East Asia by the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. The tea ceremony (), literally transla ...

; typical pursuits for a woman in Japan at that time. Despite her conventional upbringing, Fukuda felt close to judo through memories of her grandfather, and one day went with her mother to watch a judo training session. A few months later, she decided to begin training for herself. Her mother and brother supported this decision, but her uncle was opposed to the idea. Her mother and brother had thought that Fukuda would eventually marry one of the judo practitioners, but she never married, instead becoming a judo expert herself. Fukuda's grandfather, Fukuda Hachinosuke, had been a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

and master of Tenjin Shinyō-ryū jujutsu, and he had taught that art to Kanō Jigorō, founder of judo and head of the Kodokan.Johnson, G. (1974): "A single reed that bends gracefully in the wind." ''Black Belt'', 12(6):28–33.Joshi Judo: 2010 Joshi Camp
(2010). Retrieved on April 25, 2010.Cavalcanti, K. (c. 1998)

Retrieved on April 25, 2010. Kanō had studied under three jujutsu masters before founding judo, and Fukuda's grandfather had been the first of these men.De Leonardis, A. (1966): "The weaker (?) sex is organizing: A world leader in woman's (''sic'') judo takes a knowing look at some of the surprising things that lady judokas are up to these days." ''Black Belt'', 4(11):40–45. Kanō had taught female students as early as 1893 (Sueko Ashiya), and had formally opened the ''joshi-bu'' (women's section) of the Kodokan in 1926.Walsh, D. (2009)
Martial arts heroines
(May 8, 2009). Retrieved on April 25, 2010. He personally invited the young Fukuda to study judo—an unusual gesture for that time—as a mark of respect for her grandfather.Anonymous (1974): "PSJA women host Keiko Fukuda." ''Black Belt'', 12(4):13. She began training in judo in 1935, as one of only 24 women training at the Kodokan. Apart from instruction by judo's founder, Fukuda also learned from

Kyuzo Mifune has been categorized as one of the greatest exponents of the art of judo after the founder, Kanō Jigorō. He is considered by many to be the greatest judo technician ever, after Kanō. Early life Mifune was born on April 21, 1883, in Kuji Cit ...

Judo career

Fukuda, standing at only 4' 11" (150 cm) and weighing less than 100 lb. (45 kg), became a judo instructor in 1937. She also earned a degree in

Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japanes ...

from

Showa Women's University is a women's private university in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. The university has undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs and five research institutes. It also contains affiliated schools that span from kindergarten to high school. Aside fr ...

. In 1953, she was promoted to the rank of 5th ''dan'' in judo.McCabe-Cardoza, M. (1996): ''A woman's guide to martial arts: How to choose and get started in a discipline'' (p. 28). Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press. () She traveled to the United States of America later that year, at the invitation of a judo club in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, and stayed for almost two years before returning to Japan. Fukuda next traveled to the US in 1966, giving seminars in California. At that time, she was one of only four women in the world ranked at 5th ''dan'' in judo, and was one of only two female instructors at the Kodokan (the other being Masako Noritomi, also ranked 5th ''dan''). In 1966, she demonstrated her art at

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was ...

, and the institution immediately offered her a teaching position; she accepted, and taught there from 1967 to 1978.Mills College: Four Mills women featured in ''Wise Talk, Wild Women''
(May 1, 2007). Retrieved on April 25, 2010. During this time, Fukuda lived at the Noe Valley home of one of her students, Shelley Fernandez, and taught judo there in addition to her teaching at the college. When the class sizes grew, she shifted the classes to the Sokoji Zen Buddhist temple in the

Japantown, San Francisco (also known as J-Town or historically as ''Japanese Town'', or "Nihonmachi" ("Japan town", in Japanese)) is a neighborhood in the Western Addition district of San Francisco, California. Japantown comprises about 6 city blocks and is considere ...

. She named her school the Soko Joshi Judo Club. Having settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fukuda gave up her Japanese citizenship to become a US citizen. In November 1972, following a letter campaign against the rule prohibiting women from being promoted higher than 5th ''dan'', Fukuda (together with her senpai Masako Noritomi (1913–1982)) became the first woman promoted to 6th ''dan'' by the Kodokan. According to Fukuda, "the Kodokan was old fashioned and

sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...

about belts and ranks". In 1973, she published ''Born for the Mat: A Kodokan kata textbook for women'', an instructional book for women about the ''

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 ...

'' (patterns) of Kodokan judo.Best Judo Book Reviews: Born for the mat – A Kodokan kata textbook for women
(July 18, 2009). Retrieved on April 25, 2010. In 1974, she established the annual Joshi Judo Camp to give female judo practitioners the opportunity to train together. That year, she was one of only three women in the world ranked 6th ''dan'' in judo. In 1990, Fukuda was awarded Japan's

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

, 4th Class (Gold Rays with Rosette), and the United States Judo Incorporated (USJI) Henry Stone Lifetime Contribution to American Judo Award. In 2004, she published ''Ju-No-Kata: A Kodokan textbook, revised and expanded from Born for the Mat'', a pictorial guide for performing Ju-no-kata, one of the seven Kodokan ''kata''.Fukuda, K. (2004): ''Ju-No-Kata: A Kodokan textbook, revised and expanded from Born for the Mat''. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. () Fukuda served as a technical adviser for US Women's Judo and the USJI Kata Judges' Certification Sub-committee. She also served as a National Kata Judge, and was a faculty member of the USJI National Teachers’ Institute, a member of the USJF Promotion Committee, and a member of the USJF and USJI Women's Sub-committee. Fukuda held the rank of 9th ''dan'', the second-highest in judo, from two organizations, and in July 2011 received the rank of 10th ''dan'' from a third organization. In 1994, she was the first woman to be awarded a rare red belt (at the time for women still marking the 8th ''dan'' rank) in judo by the Kodokan. In 2001 the USJF promoted her to USJF 9th dan (red belt) for her lifelong contribution to the art of judo. On January 8, 2006, at its annual New Year's ''

Kagami Biraki is a traditional Japanese ceremony where are broken open. It traditionally falls on January 11 (odd numbers are associated with being good luck in Japan). The term also refers to the opening of a cask of sake at a party or ceremony. Histor ...

'' celebration, the Kodokan promoted Fukuda to the rank of 9th ''dan''—the first time it had awarded this rank to a woman.United States Judo Federation: Kodokan announces high Dan promotions!
(January 13, 2006). Retrieved on April 25, 2010.
(November 13, 2009). Retrieved on April 25, 2010.National Women's Martial Arts Federation: Keiko Fukuda
Retrieved on April 25, 2010. On July 28, 2011, the promotion board of USA Judo awarded Fukuda the rank of 10th ''dan'', an action which was followed by the USJF's promotion board on September 10, 2011.

Later life

Fukuda continued to teach judo three times each week, host the annual Fukuda Invitational Kata Championships, and teach at the annual Joshi Judo Camp
(2009). Retrieved on April 25, 2010 until her death, at the age of 99, in San Francisco, California. She established the Keiko Fukuda Judo Scholarship to encourage and enable women to continue their formal training in the art.United States Judo Federation: Keiko Fukuda Judo Scholarship
Retrieved on April 25, 2010. Apart from teaching in the USA, she also taught in Australia, Canada, France, Norway and the Philippines. Fukuda's personal motto was: ''"Tsuyoku, Yasashiku, Utsukushiku"'' (in English: ''"Be strong, be gentle, be beautiful, in mind, body, and spirit"'').

Death

Fukuda died at her home in San Francisco on February 9, 2013.

References

External links

Soko Joshi Judo Club

contains photographs of Fukuda (c. 1970 and c. 2000). * contains a documentary on Fukuda (2009). *
Papers of Keiko Fukuda, 2004–2009 (inclusive), Schlesinger Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fukuda, Keiko 1913 births 2013 deaths American female judoka Japanese emigrants to the United States Japanese female judoka Judoka trainers Martial arts school founders Martial arts writers Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th class Sportspeople from Tokyo American sportspeople of Japanese descent Showa Women's University alumni 20th-century philanthropists 21st-century American women