is a retired
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"). ...
who competed in the 63 kg division.
Biography
Kawaguchi began training in judo at age 5 under his father, who was a local judo coach.
He later won an inter-highschool judo tournament, and in 1969 entered
Meiji University
, abbreviated as Meiji (明治) or Meidai (明大'')'', is a private research university located in Chiyoda City, the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1881 as Meiji Law School (明治法律学校, ''Meiji Hōritsu Gakkō'') by three Meiji-er ...
.
In 1971 he defeated the future Olympic gold medalist
Toyokazu Nomura
is a retired judoka who competed in the half-middleweight (70 kg) division.
Life and career
Nomura was born into a family of judoka. His father was the founder of a local judo dojo, and his brother was also an instructor who taught Olympi ...
in the world championship final, and became the Japanese representative for the
63 kg division at the
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...
.
After two quick victories in the first and second rounds of the Olympic competition, Kawaguchi faced Mongolian judoka
Bakhvain Buyadaa in the third round, and broke two ribs while escaping from Buidaa's ground pin.
Coach
Akio Kaminaga suggested Kawaguchi to withdraw, but Kawaguchi continued, and advanced to the semifinal with a close decision victory. He won the semifinal against
Kim Yong-Ik
Kim Yong-ik (May 15, 1920 – April 11, 1995), also known as Yong Ik Kim, was an early Korean–American writer originally from Tongyeong, Korea. His works were primarily in English but also translated into other languages such as German and ...
of
North Korea with a
yoko-shiho-gatame
is one of the seven mat holds, Osaekomi-waza, of Kodokan Judo. In grappling terms, it is categorized as a side control hold.
Technique description , only to face Buidaa in the final. In contrast to their previous bout, Kawaguchi quickly pinned Buidaa with a
kouchi gari, and won with a
kami-shiho-gatame within 39 seconds. Buidaa was later disqualified for failing a drug test.
After retiring from competitions Kawaguchi succeeded his father as head of the
Kawaguchi dojo.
In 2007, the dojo was sued by parents of a boy, who died after hitting the back of his head during the training. The Hiroshima District Court found that Kawaguchi did not follow required safety procedures and ordered him to pay 24 million yen in compensation.
See also
*
List of judoka
This is a list of highly notable judoka (judo practitioners).
Founder
* Jigorō Kanō (Japan, 1860–1938) founded judo, and established the Kōdōkan in 1882. Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recogn ...
*
List of Olympic medalists in judo
References
External links
Official website(archived)
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawaguchi, Takao
1950 births
Living people
Japanese male judoka
Judoka at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Olympic judoka for Japan
Olympic gold medalists for Japan
Sportspeople from Hiroshima
Olympic medalists in judo
Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Judo referees