Mifune Kyūzō
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was a Japanese judoka and one of the greatest exponents of the art of
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, 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 Encyc ...
after the founder,
Kanō Jigorō was a Japanese judoka, educator, politician, and the founder of judo. Judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic Games, Olympic sport. Pedagogical ...
. 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 City,
Iwate Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Pre ...
, on Honshū Island in Japan, a year after 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'' ...
was founded.International Budo Institute: Kyuzo Mifune
(''c.'' 2005). Retrieved on June 18, 2010.
Noha, R. (''c.'' 2005)
Kyuzo Mifune, Master of Judo
Retrieved on June 11, 2010.

(''c.'' 2010). Retrieved on June 22, 2010.
He was reportedly incorrigible as a boy, always performing some mischief or organizing others in a similar pursuit. When Mifune was 13 years old, his father, a strict disciplinarian who finally gave up on the youngest of his seven children, sent the boy to a junior high school at
Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...
, in northern Japan. There, the young Mifune discovered judo, and decided to dedicate himself to it. At age 14, he defeated nine opponents in a row at one tournament with another high school. At the end of his time in Sendai, in 1903, he faced veteran master Matsugoro Okuda in a sparring match in his dojo. Okuda won easily, but he praised Mifune's skills highly and predicted he would become a legend of the art. After graduating, Mifune was sent to a Tokyo preparatory school, anticipating entry into
Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...
. He immediately attempted to join the Kodokan. In those days, this required a personal interview with Kano, upon the recommendation of ranking judoka, and then signing a blood oath. Mifune did not know anyone at the Kodokan, but picked out Sakujiro Yokoyama, who then had a fearsome reputation, as 'Demon Yokoyama,' whose fast, powerful judo had gained much reputation for the Kodokan. Mifune camped at Yokoyama's doorstep until the latter consented to recommend him to Kano. In July 1903, Mifune joined the Kodokan, and the next year he joined Waseda University too. However his father, finding out he was spending more time at judo than studying, cut off his allowance, and Mifune, now 22, went out to find work. He began a newspaper, sold advertising, and built it into a thriving enterprise. He was able to sell it at a substantial profit, and entered the economics program at
Keio University , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...
.


Career

After 15 months of training, Mifune achieved the rank of ''
shodan SHODAN (), an acronym for Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network, is the main antagonist of Looking Glass Studios's cyberpunk-horror themed video game ''System Shock (series), System Shock''. An artificial intelligence originally in charg ...
'' ("beginning '' dan'', indicating 1st ''dan'' ranking) in Kodokan judo, and after the remarkably short time of four more months, ''nidan'' (2nd ''dan''). Through timing and speed, Mifune quickly gained a reputation, and was never defeated at the annual Red and White Kodokan tournament. By 1910, he was ranked ''godan'' (5th ''dan'') and an instructor. He was already being called the "God of Judo". He was 30. His father recommended a girl in his hometown and, for only the second time since he had left home, he returned, to marry. During the next 20 years, Mifune's reputation continued to grow. He became 6th dan (rokudan) in 1917 and 7th dan (shichidan) in 1923. When he was 40, he was challenged by a 6 foot tall and 240 lb.
sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...
wrestler. Mifune, 5 feet 2 inches tall and 145 lb., finally slammed the wrestler with his trademark "airplane" throw (''kuki nage'' or '' sumi otoshi''). He ate sparingly, slept on a Western-style bed, and did not smoke. In 1931, Kano promoted Mifune to 8th dan (hachidan) and in 1937, to the rank of ''kudan'' (9th ''dan''). With Kano's death in 1938, Mifune became the most influential instructor. Students had long complained that Mifune would get carried away with lectures, and he was "feared more than loved." On May 25, 1945, he was promoted to ''judan'' (10th ''dan''), the fourth of 15 judoka to ever be so honored. Mifune was given the title of Hanshi then
Meijin is one of the eight titles in Japanese professional shogi player, professional shogi, and is the most prestigious title, along with Ryūō. The word ( "excellent, artful", "person") refers to a highly skilled master of a certain field (the ...
by the
International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF) is the oldest continuously operating Japanese organization promoting international Budō.''Journal of Combat Sports and Martial Arts''. MEDSPORTPRESS, 2011; 1(2); Vol. 2, page 50. The organization, founded in 1951, has headquarters in Tok ...
(IMAF) and in 1956, he wrote his classic book, '' The Canon of Judo'', still a remarkable exposition of judo history, philosophy, and technical description. To E. J. Harrison, he wrote a book foreword that was simple but expressed Mifune's philosophical nature: "Freedom in continuous change!"
Trevor Leggett Trevor Pryce Leggett (22 August 1914 – 2 August 2000) was a British judo teacher, author, translator, and head of the BBC's Japanese Service for 24 years.Dunne, A., & Bowen, R. (2003): "Trevor Pryce Leggett, 1914–2000." In H. Cortazzi ...
, a frequent visitor to 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'' ...
over many years, remarked that judo was much "rougher" at the Kodokan prior to World War II than afterward; this was, perhaps, the influence of Mifune.


Awards and honors

In 1964, Mifune was awarded the
Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...
(3rd Class).


Death

Mifune died on January 27, 1965, of
throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...
, in the Nichidai University Hospital in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
.Anonymous (1965): "K. Mifune, 10th-Dan Judo Master, is dead in Tokyo at 81." ''Black Belt'', 3(5):19.


Anecdotes

In his book ''The Fighting Spirit of Japan'' (published in 1913), E.J. Harrison writes about an anecdote as told to him by Sakujiro Yokoyama:


See also

* '' The Canon of Judo''


References


External links

* . A 63 minute film that shows Mifune demonstrating judo techniques, kata, randori, and counters. This is an excellent complement to his book '' The Canon of Judo''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mifune, Kyuzo 1883 births 1965 deaths Japanese male judoka Judoka trainers Martial artists from Iwate Prefecture Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Kodokan 10th dans Keio University alumni