The Canon of Judo is a book that was originally published in 1956, and written by

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'' ( ...

10th

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 ...

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 ...

(1883-1965). The book covers almost all of the Kodokan recognized techniques, adds variations and new techniques, including

Do-Jime is a chokehold in judo.Mifune, Kyuzo: ''The Canon of Judo'', Kodansha International Ltd. (Tokyo) 2004, , p. It is one of the twelve constriction techniques of Kodokan Judo in the Shime-waza list. Do-jime is one of the four forbidden techniques, ...

in passing as well. The book also describes fifteen

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 ...

developed by Mifune to teach adaptation through reversal and counters. The book organizes the techniques differently from the official Kodokan Gokyo. This book is based on new and revised material by the author made between the original publish date and the authors death. The original book, "Canon of Judo", does not contain this information. Furthermore, the original book was translated by K. Sugai whose translations were poor at best. (For example, "Or this is to throw him down by foot sweeping instant before his advanced-feet are fixed in order to change his position or break your balance.")

Subjects covered

The book gives a brief history 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 ...

in Japan, and gives the lineage of Judo, referencing Jujutsu masters prior to Jigoro Kano. To show the early origins and continuous development of the

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, a long list of historical text sources, people, and schools and styles are mentioned. In the book,

explains his metaphysical view of Judo, its role in Japanese society (and the world), and benefits to the individual player. He notes that Judo initially only included throws, and explains the difference between Judo and Ju-jutsu. He discusses the role of competition in Judo, and the purpose of free practice, randori, and explains that it is an indispensable part of the sport. Although the book mentions the five kata, # Nage (Throwing Forms) # Kime (Forms of Decision) # Katame (Grappling Forms) # Ju (Forms of Gentleness) # Koshiki (Ancient Forms) it does not cover them. Furthermore, it does not cover Atemi-waza, but states that Atemi-waza include strikes, kicks, hits, and attacks using the fist, foot, elbow, kneecap, side of the palm, shoulder, or head, to attack the opponents vital points. Lastly before going into each technique in detail, the book covers some basic concepts of techniques, such as

Tai-sabaki is a term from Japanese martial arts and which relates to 'whole body movement', or repositioning. It can be translated as ''body-management''. It is a term used widely in and very important in kendo, jujutsu, aikido, judo, karate and ninjuts ...

(body control) and Hen-nou (adaptability). It can be surmised that throwing techniques have at least three phases: #

Kuzushi is a Japanese term for unbalancing an opponent in the Japanese martial arts. The noun comes from the transitive verb ''kuzusu'' (崩す), meaning ''to level, pull down, destroy or demolish''. As such, it refers to not just an unbalancing, but ...

, balance breaking # Tsukuri, positioning # Kake, execution

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Canon of Judo, The Judo books 1956 books