1956 World Judo Championships
Encyclopedia
The 1956 World Judo Championships were the 1st edition of the World Judo Championships
, and were held at the Kuramae Kokugikan
in Tokyo
, Japan
on May 3, 1956.
World Judo Championships
The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year by the International Judo Federation, and qualified judoka compete in their respective categories as representatives of their...
, and were held at the Kuramae Kokugikan
Kuramae Kokugikan
was a building situated in the Kuramae district of Tokyo which was built by the Japan Sumo Association and opened in 1950. The Association needed a permanent venue to hold sumo tournaments as the previous, bomb-damaged, Kokugikan had been taken over by occupying Allied forces after World War II...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on May 3, 1956.
Men
| Open |  Shokichi NatsuiShokichi Natsui was a Japanese judoka from the Akita Prefecture. He became the first world champion in judo, winning the title at the 1956 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, by beating Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu in the final... |
Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu |
 Henri CourtineHenri Courtine Henri Courtine is a French judoka. He received a bronze medal at the 1956 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, shared with Anton Geesink, after losing the semi final to winner Shokichi Natsui. He is three times individual European champion , and four times with the French team...  Anton GeesinkAnton Geesink Antonius "Anton" Johannes Geesink was a Dutch 10th-dan judoka from Utrecht. He was a three-time World Judo Champion , Olympic Gold Medalist and won 21 European championships... |
Medals table
| 1 | Japan |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | France |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Netherlands |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |