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Kodokan Judo: The Essential Guide to Judo by Its Founder Jigoro Kano
Judo, or the Way of Gentleness, an ideal form of physical exercise and a reliable system of self-defense, was specially created from traditional Japanese martial arts. This book by the creator of Kodokan judo is uniquely comprehensive and the most authoritative guide to this martial art ever published.
264 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1986
About the author
Jigoro Kano
34 books30 followersKanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎?, 28 October 1860 – 4 May 1938) was the founder of judo. Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical innovations attributed to Kanō include the use of black and white belts, and the introduction of dan ranking to show the relative ranking between members of a martial art style. Well-known mottoes attributed to Kanō include "Maximum Efficiency with Minimum Effort" and "Mutual Welfare and Benefit."
In his professional life Kanō was an educator. Important postings included serving as director of primary education for the Ministry of Education (文部省, Monbushō?) from 1898–1901, and as president of Tokyo Higher Normal School from 1901 until 1920.[1] He played a key role in making judo and kendo part of the Japanese public school programs of the 1910s.
Kanō was also a pioneer of international sports. Accomplishments included being the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (he served from 1909 until 1938); officially representing Japan at most Olympic Games held between 1912 and 1936; and serving as a leading spokesman for Japan's bid for the 1940 Olympic Games.
His official honors and decorations included the First Order of Merit and Grand Order of the Rising Sun and the Third Imperial Degree. Kanō was inducted into the IJF Hall of Fame on 14 May 1999.
In his professional life Kanō was an educator. Important postings included serving as director of primary education for the Ministry of Education (文部省, Monbushō?) from 1898–1901, and as president of Tokyo Higher Normal School from 1901 until 1920.[1] He played a key role in making judo and kendo part of the Japanese public school programs of the 1910s.
Kanō was also a pioneer of international sports. Accomplishments included being the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (he served from 1909 until 1938); officially representing Japan at most Olympic Games held between 1912 and 1936; and serving as a leading spokesman for Japan's bid for the 1940 Olympic Games.
His official honors and decorations included the First Order of Merit and Grand Order of the Rising Sun and the Third Imperial Degree. Kanō was inducted into the IJF Hall of Fame on 14 May 1999.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
April 13, 2011
This is THE book for any Judoka! It shows the throws and newaza techniques, and explains the principles and philosophy of Judo. Makes me want to visit the Kodokan in Japan someday. :)
April 23, 2020
"Consider fully, act decisively." - Kanō Jigorō (Basic Principle No. 3)
November 11, 2020
It is not important to be better than someone else, but to be better than you were yesterday.
June 10, 2020
This is probably a super-useful reference/reminder for somebody who is already training judo and is familiar with the techniques, but for someone like me, coming from an adjacent/daughter art (BJJ) and attempting to learn something about the origins of the art and perhaps expand my library of techniques, the blurry old photo illustrations and unclear technique descriptions render the central part of the book almost useless – I could just about recognize common moves, but could make neither heads nor tails of the stuff I see for the first time. The introduction is very interesting though, as is the latter part with its overview of the less familiar parts of judo (striking and first aid, no matter how weird and/or outdated they may be).
August 24, 2009
An invaluable resource for those just starting out and likely those continuing to learn Judo, from the creator of the martial art himself, Jigoro Kano.
October 25, 2025
Сега знам как е трябвало да падна, за да не си унищожа глезена и връзките (ахххххххххх)
September 25, 2008
It's the book.
September 27, 2010
well made, written by the founder of judo himself.
March 31, 2011
The core book about judo. In my opinion, it's the best place to start for those who would like to learn a little about this martial art (apart from actually going to a dojo of course).
October 15, 2011
Judo is my favorite exercise/sport. Judo always stay inside of me. I do a lot with it everyday life.
January 10, 2012
Thought this was going to be more about the history and theory behind judo rather than an instructional guide. Oh well.
July 9, 2012
Tremendous!
February 3, 2013
You need to get on a tatami before you'll understand this, but its an excellent learning tool.
July 20, 2009
The first martial art I ever studied.
March 15, 2026
"Maximum efficient use of power"
- Jigoro Kano
The definitive chronicle of Judo, this work is actually less important for the list of judo techniques it contains and more important as the first modern attempt to synthesize individual martial arts techniques into a cohesive and efficient system based on unifying principles.
While there is a long list of techniques with photos and descriptions, much of which are most definitely outmoded or not the area of a judokas expertise, credit must be given for the influence Kano had on the importance of efficiency in fighting. A book is also not the best way to learn how to throw an opponent compared to live practice or at least footage, but nonetheless for its time it was likely the preeminent resource for understanding the concept and structure of a martial art as a system rather than simply a set of random techniques.
Anybody, like myself, who trains and competes out of a modern fight gym will take for granted the model of training "technique" (kata) and then applying those techniques in "sparring" or for grappling arts "rolling" (randori) against a live opponent actively trying to do the same - however, it was Kano's idea to include both that ensures the techniques used actually work in real life and expose one to the chaos of combat in a controlled environment. Modern BJJ really has Judo to thank for its modern reputation. Anybody who trains, especially those in the grappling arts, would benefit from reading Kano's work.
- Jigoro Kano
The definitive chronicle of Judo, this work is actually less important for the list of judo techniques it contains and more important as the first modern attempt to synthesize individual martial arts techniques into a cohesive and efficient system based on unifying principles.
While there is a long list of techniques with photos and descriptions, much of which are most definitely outmoded or not the area of a judokas expertise, credit must be given for the influence Kano had on the importance of efficiency in fighting. A book is also not the best way to learn how to throw an opponent compared to live practice or at least footage, but nonetheless for its time it was likely the preeminent resource for understanding the concept and structure of a martial art as a system rather than simply a set of random techniques.
Anybody, like myself, who trains and competes out of a modern fight gym will take for granted the model of training "technique" (kata) and then applying those techniques in "sparring" or for grappling arts "rolling" (randori) against a live opponent actively trying to do the same - however, it was Kano's idea to include both that ensures the techniques used actually work in real life and expose one to the chaos of combat in a controlled environment. Modern BJJ really has Judo to thank for its modern reputation. Anybody who trains, especially those in the grappling arts, would benefit from reading Kano's work.
November 16, 2024
O livro é extremamente interessante afinal o mesmo consegue fazer por meio de uma excelente tradução a transmissão dos conhecimentos passados por Jigororo Kano sobre tal arte marcial sendo um livro interessante afinal o mesmo também conta sobre a história e origem de tal esporte mostrando muito sobre o mesmo e o que rodeia a história de tal sendo um livro que vale a pena a leitura tanto por aqueles que são leigos ou desconhecem tal arte quanto por aqueles que já tem experiência sobre tal e conhecem os N viés que rodeiam sobre tal
Porém algumas partes de tal livro se mostram um pouco complexas e inacessíveis para os mais leigos sendo algo que torna sua leitura um pouco inacessível para aqueles que não conhecem tanto sobre o esporte porém o mesmo é muito interessante afinal explora desde o básico até o avançado dos N golpes expostos pelo “Jigororo"
Sendo assim essa é uma obra que recomendo muito tanto para os praticantes, quanto para os apreciantes, quanto para os curiosos sobre tal
Nota:8/10
Porém algumas partes de tal livro se mostram um pouco complexas e inacessíveis para os mais leigos sendo algo que torna sua leitura um pouco inacessível para aqueles que não conhecem tanto sobre o esporte porém o mesmo é muito interessante afinal explora desde o básico até o avançado dos N golpes expostos pelo “Jigororo"
Sendo assim essa é uma obra que recomendo muito tanto para os praticantes, quanto para os apreciantes, quanto para os curiosos sobre tal
Nota:8/10
April 19, 2026
Since I got this book, I hadn’t really read it until today. Around the same week I got promoted, my breathing issues got a bit worse, and since the doctor still hasn’t figured it out and the treatment doesn’t really help, I’ve been a bit nervous about if it might affect my performance. I felt a bit embarrassed that I cried after class yesterday and my sensei saw it. But those emotions also told me that how much I love judo. I should be happy that breathing issues don’t stop me from practicing because the joy I get from judo is always more than the discomfort from my health issues.
I hope to earn my orange belt by the end of this year, but more importantly, no matter how much progress I make, I want to enjoy every moment I step into the dojo. Pure fun is always my only purpose here.
I hope to earn my orange belt by the end of this year, but more importantly, no matter how much progress I make, I want to enjoy every moment I step into the dojo. Pure fun is always my only purpose here.
July 29, 2025
Both a technical reference and a philosophical foundation. I was impressed by the clarity of the explanations, the precision of the techniques, and the deep respect for discipline and mutual development. It’s more than a manual, it’s the soul of judo, transmitted by its founder.
November 14, 2018
Jigoro is legendary.Physics meets calisthenics Practice is for life.
March 3, 2022
Non è un manuale di "mosse" bensì un libro di un grande rivoluzionario educatore
December 4, 2024
Great for seeing the whole of judo in one book. Sometimes hard to understand the techniques but overall very cool.
January 24, 2025
The translation of Kano's work provides a brief summary about the origins of judo, some common modern standards of judo practice, and the philosophy of judo in the modern age. After the summary, the book becomes a "how-to tutorial" about the original throws by the Kodokan.
Other reviews of this book claim that it is the essential book to learn about judo. I disagree: this book is a great starting place to learn about judo, provided that you know nothing about the martial art. All information found in this book can be found in greater accessibility and greater detail than in this book on the internet.
Before the internet was invented, I agree that this book would have been fantastic. In the modern age, however, this book is not worth spending money on.
Other reviews of this book claim that it is the essential book to learn about judo. I disagree: this book is a great starting place to learn about judo, provided that you know nothing about the martial art. All information found in this book can be found in greater accessibility and greater detail than in this book on the internet.
Before the internet was invented, I agree that this book would have been fantastic. In the modern age, however, this book is not worth spending money on.
October 23, 2015
It's a great reference book.
It gives you a basic idea of Judo, its history and philosophy and a list of al techniques with pictures and short explanation. Great for studying them before googling them and looking at VIDEOS of people doing them and explaining them.
Another issue I found is that even if the pictures show the most notorious and original masters of the art, the definition is crap. I much rather have a nice crisp picture of a less notorious guy doing the same technique, as it's shown on the later parts of the book.
It is still a very interesting and useful study guide and I recomend it to every Judoka.
It gives you a basic idea of Judo, its history and philosophy and a list of al techniques with pictures and short explanation. Great for studying them before googling them and looking at VIDEOS of people doing them and explaining them.
Another issue I found is that even if the pictures show the most notorious and original masters of the art, the definition is crap. I much rather have a nice crisp picture of a less notorious guy doing the same technique, as it's shown on the later parts of the book.
It is still a very interesting and useful study guide and I recomend it to every Judoka.
December 22, 2023
Es una guía útil para personas que están interesadas en judo pero sobre todo para quienes practiquen judo formalmente.
Un poco anticuado en sus guías de enseñanza pero muy útil si ya sabes las técnicas, un buen libro para recordar lo fundamental de judo.
No para principiantes o practicantes casuales.
Un poco anticuado en sus guías de enseñanza pero muy útil si ya sabes las técnicas, un buen libro para recordar lo fundamental de judo.
No para principiantes o practicantes casuales.
November 16, 2010
Elenca e illustra tutte le tecniche di judo, compresi i kata. Guida di riferimento (per appassionati, naturalmente).
March 10, 2014
Outstanding textbook of Judo!
May 13, 2014
Great Book, I carry it my bag at the DOJO
November 15, 2014
The bible of Judo. Nothing more needs to be said.
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June 13, 2015Was my staple read an earlier version of Professor Kano's edition in the 60's
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews