Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

768 Written Texts: Japan
the development of a strong military (kyôhei [87]). In 1891, it ordered
compulsory training in European-style military calisthenics (heishiki taisô
[88]) at all elementary and middle schools. The ministry stated that physically
these exercises would promote health and balanced muscular development,
spiritually they would promote cheerfulness and fortitude, and socially
they would teach obedience to commands.
Faced with this situation, many martial art enthusiasts sought to reform
their training methods to meet the new educational standards and
policies. In particular, they developed methods of group instruction, exercises
for balanced physical development, principles of hygiene, rules barring
illegal techniques, referees to enforce rules, tournament procedures
that would ensure the safety of weaker contestants, and an ethos of sportsmanship.
Kanô Jigorô [89] (1860–1938), the founder of the Kôdôkan [90]
style of jûjutsu (jûdô), exerted enormous influence on all these efforts in his
roles as president (for twenty-seven years) of Tokyo Teacher’s School (shihan
gakkô [91]), as the first president of the Japanese Physical Education
Association, and as Japan’s first representative to the International
Olympic Committee. Under Kanô’s leadership, Tokyo Teacher’s School became
the first government institution of higher education to train instructors
of martial arts. Kanô was a prolific writer. His collected works (three
volumes, 1992) provide extraordinarily rich information on the development
of Japanese public education, jûdô, and international sports.
Kanô also encouraged others to write modern martial art textbooks,
several of which are still used today. Jûdô kyôhan [92] (Judo Teaching
Manual, 1908; reprinted in Watanabe 1971) by two of Kanô’s students,
Yokoyama Sakujirô [93] (1863–1912) and Ôshima Eisuke [94], was translated
into English in 1915. Takano Sasaburô [95] (1863–1950), an instructor
at Tokyo Teacher’s School, wrote a series of works, Kendô [96]
(1915; reprinted 1984), Nihon kendô kyôhan [97] (Japanese Kendô Teaching
Manual, 1920), and Kendô kyôhan [98] (Kendô Teaching Manual,
1930; reprinted 1993), that helped transform rough-and-tumble gekken
[99] (battling swords) into a modern sport with systematic teaching methods
and clear standards for judging tournaments. These authors (as well as
pressure from nationalist politicians) prompted the Ministry of Education
to adopt jûjutsu and gekken as part of the standard school curriculum in
1912 and to change their names to jûdô and kendô, respectively, in 1926.
Finally, Kanô was instrumental in helping Funakoshi [100] Gichin [101]
(1870–1956) introduce Okinawan boxing (karate) to Japan (from whence
it spread to the rest of the world). Funakoshi’s Karatedô kyôhan [102]
(Karate Teaching Manual, 1935; English translation 1973) remains the
standard introduction to this martial art.
William M. Bodiford