A Brief History of Judo ............................................................................................................

Most people are familiar with the terms Jujitsu - more properly called Jujutsu - and Judo but few can distinguish between them. Before we go further it is useful to define the two terms and help explain why Judo has largely superseded Jujutsu today.

The words Jujutsu and Judo are each written with two Chinese characters the first of which Ju meaning “gentleness” or “giving way” is the same in each case. The meaning of Jujutsu is “art” or “practice” whilst Do means “principle” or “way” as referring to the principle or way of life itself. Therefore Jujutsu may be translated as the “Gentle Art” and Judo as the “Gentle Way”.

Jujutsu is primarily designed to hurt or maim an opponent to such an extent that he is rendered harmless. Judo on the other hand is an exercise allowing full-blooded competition without the intention of injury. This is why Judo has largely superseded Jujutsu to day even to the extent of being included in the Olympic Games.

This simplistic view of Judo as a sport may be contested by more experienced participants but it suffices in the first instance.

Now the origins of Judo lay in Japan's early feudal period when many Martial Arts, including use of the sword, lance and bow, were practised and refined. One such art was Jujutsu, also known as Taijutsu or Yawara, which involved throwing, hitting, choking, bending limbs etc. and also the defence against these attacks.

Although Jujutsu techniques had been known from these earliest times it was not until the Edo period (1603 - 1868) that systematic teaching developed them into the complex art taught in the many different schools.

Towards the end of the 19th century a Japanese Schoolmaster, Dr. Jigoro Kano, studied and refined techniques from various schools until in February 1882 he proposed his method of exercise called Judo. Later, in May the same year, he established his own school called the Kodokan in the grounds of the Eishoji Buddhist temple and modern Kodokan Judo was born.

Dr. Kano continued to promote Judo worldwide until his death in 1938 whilst returning from an International Olympic Committee meeting. Today the International Judo Federation has members in almost every country in the world and the Kodokan International Judo Centre in the heart of Tokyo is the world headquarters and centre of excellence.

The British Judo Council was founded in 1958 by Mr Kenshiro Abbe who was an eighth dan Judo and a sixth or seventh dan in many other Japanese martial arts. Mr Abbe, the son of a Kendo master (Japanese swordsman), trained at the Butokai in Kyoto which was the main rival of and usually the victor over the Kodokan in Tokyo. During this time he won the equivalent of the present day All Japan championship three times.

A story has it that when Mr Abbe entered the Japanese army he was required to become a dan grade (black belt) at Kendo, which he had never practised before as he did not want to be likened to his father. However during the first lesson he so overwhelmed the instructor who was a 5th dan that he was removed from the class and awarded 6th dan right away! His other martial arts skills were more that enough to make him an expert swordsman.

However after the Second World War the Allied Command felt that the Butokai was too strong a link with the Japanese past and so closed it down and many senior martial artists including Mr Abbe had to look for work elsewhere.

At the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1964 the BJC held what is probably the biggest and most prestigious Judo event ever to be held in this country. Apart from a competition with over 800 competitors many martial arts masters came from all over Europe to take part in demonstrations of Kendo, Aikido, Karate and Judo. One of the highlights was a demonstration of Nage-no-Kata (formal throws) by Mr Abbe and his colleague from the Butokai, Mr Haku Michigami who was by then living in France.

The British Judo Council (Martial Arts Circle) was founded in 1968 after Mr Abbe had returned to Japan where he sadly died in 1978. The original founders - Nobby Clarke, John Hughes, Bob White, Vince Williams, Bill Wood and John Vine - actually signed a charter ensuring that the membership would always be put first; a tradition that continues up to the present day.

In 1969 the BJC (M.A.C.) entered its first team into the European Judo Union Championships which that year were held in Vienna. After some great performances the five-man team took the gold and Mike Ilott, although officially under age, brought home the Council's first individual European title.

Throughout the 1970's the BJC (M.A.C.) continued to dominate the European scene with its best result coming in 1974 when not only did the Council take both the men's and women's team titles but also 9 out of the 14 individual titles.

Also since the early 1970's many BJC (M.A.C.) members have benefited from attending the International Stage de Judo held each year in Bordeaux, France. Supervised by Mr Haku Michigami, who is now a 9th Dan and the last remaining graduate from the Butokai, his logical approach and high skill level have helped to make the Council the best technical judo organisation in the country.

Today the BJC (MAC) has links with many other like minded Judo organisations both at home and abroad and runs courses, gradings and competitions throughout the country including the annual Summer School in Swanage, Dorset.

What the future holds is hard to predict but suffice to say that with the expertise available and a strong will to succeed the BJC (MAC) can face the next millennium with the utmost confidence.

Mike Ilott 6th Dan

The Judo Council Today
The Judo Council Ltd was formed in 1995 and, with effect from 1st October 1995, took over the role previously undertaken by the British Judo Council (Martial Arts Circle).

Although the company was setup on 1st October 1995, the directors of the company (who had assumed directorship as their right as regional Chairmen/reps) did not begin to operate as a company until 1st January 1998 when the current board of directors assembled.

Formed to promote Judo within Great Britain and beyond, the British Judo Council (Martial Arts Circle) is the trading arm of the Judo Council and at this present time, under going some changes to enable it pursue Judo to a wider audience. The British Judo Council (Martial Arts Circle) is a democratic association and as such each region has a voice in the running of and final outcome of the British Judo Council (Martial Arts Circle).