JUDO is a material art performed without the use of weapons. The Japanese sport of Jude was the first martial art to be introduced at the Olympics, fittingly at the Tokyo Games of 1964. The hand-to-hand combat sport has its origins in the 3rd century BC martial art of jujutsu. Jujutsu was popular during feudal times in Japan. The modern game of judo (‘the gentle way’) evolved in the late 19th century and its founder was Kano Jigoro.
RULES
Judokas try to throw each other on the mat to win the contest. The first person to hold his rival immobile for 30 seconds is the winner.
Points can be accumulated through ippon (full point), waza-ari (half-point awarded for less powerful throws), yuko and koko (also lower-grade points).
Points are awarded for pinning the opponent to the mat, with a 25-second hold getting an ippon and a 10-second hold being awarded a koka.
STARS
Japan’s Toyokazu Nomura, a Judo great, defeated five opponents in less than eleven minutes, to win the gold medal in the light middleweight class at the 1972 Munich Games. Other greats include Yasuhiro Yamashita (1984 Olympic Open Champion and four times World Champion) and Keiji Suzuki (2003 World and 2004 Olympic champion).
Famous Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, maker of such acclaimed movies as Rashomon, used jujutsu and judo in his films.
