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A small woman bows. She stands opposite a man. He is much larger than she is. They both stand on a large square mat. The woman wears a white shirt and white trousers. She has a red belt around her waist. The man steps towards her and holds her wrist. The small woman moves her body quickly. The man lands on the mat on his back. Up again, the woman flips him over onto the floor. How can such a small woman do this?
This woman is an expert in judo. Judo is a martial art. It is a structured kind of fighting. People practice these styles of fighting as an art form. This little woman is one of the most famous judo experts. She is a sense a master teacher. Today's Spotlight is on sense kaiko fukuda.
Judo began in Japan. It is a combat sport. In these sports, two people usually compete against each other. They take turns attacking and defending. But in judo people do not use violence. To win. Judo is based on using an attacker's violence against themselves. Experts in judo train for many years to learn to do this. They use special moves to throw opponents to the ground, and they also have to learn how to fall without getting hurt.
Keiko Fukuda's family was very important in martial arts. Her grandfather taught a different sport called jiujutsu. One of his students was a man named Jigoro Kano. In eighteen eighty two, Kano created a new form of martial art from jujitsu. He named it judo. This means the gentle way in Japanese.
The main idea of judo was that gentleness can control strength. Judo teaches that people can use less effort to get a greater result. Jigoro can wrote a book about judo. In it, he describes judo this way.
Using force against a more powerful opponent will result in your defeat, but moving and avoiding your opponent attack will cause him to lose his balance. Then his power will be reduced and you will defeat him. This can apply even with differences in power, so it is possible for weaker people to beat much stronger ones.
Kano's ideas were not just about combat. He believed practicing judo would focus a person's mind and body. A person could become skilled practicing judo, but they would also become a better person through its discipline. Judo's final goal is to improve society by improving its people.
Being good at judo depends on skill and training. A person's size is not important. This was very good for Kiko. For Kuda, she was only one hundred and twenty five centimeters tall and she only weighed about forty five kilograms, but she became the most famous female judo expert in the world.
Fukuda began her judo training in nineteen thirty four. At that time, Jigoro Kano started a new judo school for women. Fukuda explained what happened in the documentary film Missus Judo.
I was twenty one years old at this time. Maws Kano said to me, we have a new women judo section, therefore please come. When I had that, there was nothing left to a question.
Judo soon became the most important part of for Kuda's life. She practiced judo through many difficulties. At the time, Japan was fighting in World War II, Tokyo was very dangerous. Bombs often fell throughout the city. But for Kuda was determined to learn. She traveled across Tokyo every day to practice and teach judo.
Fukuda gave up many things to do judo. She even chose not to have a husband and family. Fukuda knew that without a husband people would not give her as much respect. But she also knew that she could not do judo if she had a husband, so she made a very difficult choice. She said in an interview on judoinfo dot com.
Judo is my lifetime partner. Judo is my family. Anyway I go, students are very nice to me. I have family all over the world.
There were also other difficulties for women in judo. For many years, women could not move up to the higher levels of judo. Judo levels are called dans. Students wear different colored cloth belts around their waists. Each color represents for a different level of ability.
The highest level belt color is black. There are ten degrees or dans. In the black belt. Very few people reach the tenth level. Less than forty people have achieved this rank. To be a tenth day, a person must do more than be good in judo skills, they must give something to the art form of judo. This could be teaching students or writing a book.
When Fakuda was training, the Judo Institute had some different rules for women. Women could not go higher than the fifth dan. By this time, Kiko for Kuda was one of the greatest experts in judo. She knew it was not fair that she could not move to a higher dan, but Fakuda continued to practice judo. She became a sense a master teacher. She wrote books and taught around the world.
In nineteen sixty six, Fukuda was in California in the United States. People at Mills College saw her judo demistration and they quickly offered her a teaching job. Fukuda took this position and moved to the US. Later, she opened her own judo school in California. Fukuda taught there for over forty years. She encouraged people who did judo. She especially inspired young women. Fukuda also continued to travel around the world. She did this even when she grew older.
In the film Missus Judo, Fukuda told this story.
I went to France to teach judo. People gave us from all over the country, but I heard they were not sure about what a navy old woman could offer. Dave became sure when I showed them all forty throwing techniques.
Fakuda sense also led a movement for women in judo. They wanted to be able to reach the higher dans. In nineteen seventy four, the Judo Institute changed the rules. Now women had no limits in judo. Over time, for Kuda moved up to the ninth Dan. Then, in twenty eleven, for Kuda's dream came true. USA Judo awarded her the tenth Dan. She was ninety eight years old.
For many years, she continued to teach judo three times each week, host an annual judo competition, and teach at the Joshi Judo Camp until her death at age ninety nine. She lived with her personal motto, well, be strong, be gentle, be beautiful in mind, body and spirit.
Do you practice martial arts? Have you seen people practice judo? You can leave a comment on our website at www dot Spotlight English dot com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and x.
The writers of this program were Rina dam and Dan Chrisman. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is called Fukuda Sense Strong and Gentle.
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