Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo.
(1860-1938)

Dr. Jigoro Kano was born in 1860 in Kobe, Japan into a wealthy family. In 1877, he began his Jujitsu studies as a college student.

In 1880, Kano then began his studies of Kito-Ryu, which emphasized nagewaza (throwing techiniques). These techniques complemented the grappling techniques in his earlier studies.

In 1882 Kano founded Kodokan Judo. His martial art (Judo) all but replaced the parent arts of jujitsu in Japan as the most popular sport and as a normal part of school education.

Dr. Kano traveled the world spreading judo; he died in 1938 on board the ship SS Hikawa Maru on a return voyage from Cairo, Egypt,  where he had gone to meet with an Olympic committee - his dream was for Judo to be an Olympic sport.