Keiko Fukuda
Encyclopedia
is the highest-ranked female judo
practitioner in history, holding the rank of 9th dan
from the Kodokan
and the United States Judo Federation
(USJF), and 10th dan from USA Judo
, and is the last surviving student of Kanō Jigorō
, founder of judo. She is a renowned pioneer of women's judo, being the first woman promoted to 6th dan (c. 1972), and later 9th dan (2006), by the Kodokan. She is also the first and, so far, only woman promoted to 10th dan in the art. After completing her formal education in Japan, Fukuda visited the United States of America to teach in the 1950s and 1960s, and eventually settled there. She continues to teach her art in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
, flower arrangement
, and the tea ceremony
; typical pursuits for a woman in Japan at that time. Despite her conventional upbringing, Fukuda felt close to judo through memories of her grandfather, and one day went with her mother to watch a judo training session. A few months later, she decided to begin training for herself. Her mother and brother supported this decision, but her uncle was opposed to the idea. Her mother and brother had thought that Fukuda would eventually marry one of the judo practitioners, but she never married, instead becoming a judo expert herself.
Fukuda's grandfather, Fukuda Hachinosuke, had been a samurai
and master of Tenjin Shinyō-ryū jujutsu
, and he had taught that art to Kanō Jigorō, founder of judo and head of the Kodokan. Kanō had studied under three jujutsu masters before founding judo, and Fukuda's grandfather had been the first of these men. Kanō had taught female students as early as 1893 (Sueko Ashiya), and had formally opened the joshi-bu (women's section) of the Kodokan in 1926. He personally invited the young Fukuda to study judo—an unusual gesture for that time—as a mark of respect for her grandfather. She began training in judo in 1935, as one of only 24 women training at the Kodokan. Apart from instruction by judo's founder, Fukuda also learned from Kyuzo Mifune
.
Fukuda, standing at only 4' 11" (150 cm) and weighing less than 100 lb. (45 kg), became a judo instructor in 1937. She also earned a degree in Japanese literature
from Showa Women's University
. In 1953, she was promoted to the rank of 5th dan in judo. She traveled to the USA later that year, at the invitation of a judo club in Oakland, California
, and stayed for almost two years before returning to Japan. Fukuda next traveled to the US in 1966, giving seminars in California. At that time, she was one of only four women in the world ranked at 5th dan in judo, and was one of only two female instructors at the Kodokan (the other being Masako Noritomi, also ranked 5th dan). In 1966, she demonstrated her art at Mills College
, and the institution immediately offered her a teaching position; she accepted, and taught there from 1967 to 1978.
During this time, Fukuda lived at the Noe Valley
home of one of her students, Shelley Fernandez, and taught judo there in addition to her teaching at the college. When the class sizes grew, she shifted the classes to the Sokoji Zen Buddhist temple in the Japantown, San Francisco
. She named her school the Soko Joshi Judo Club. Having settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fukuda gave up her Japanese citizenship to become a US citizen.
Around 1972, following a letter campaign against the rule prohibiting women from being promoted higher than 5th dan, Fukuda became the first woman promoted to 6th dan by the Kodokan. In 1973, she published Born for the Mat: A Kodokan kata textbook for women, an instructional book for women about the kata
(patterns) of Kodokan judo. In 1974, she established the annual Joshi Judo Camp to give female judo practitioners the opportunity to train together. That year, she was one of only three women in the world ranked 6th dan in judo.
In 1990, Fukuda was awarded Japan's Order of the Sacred Treasure
, 4th Class (Gold Rays with Rosette), and the United States Judo Incorporated (USJI) Henry Stone Lifetime Contribution to American Judo Award. In 2004, she published Ju-No-Kata: A Kodokan textbook, revised and expanded from Born for the Mat, a pictorial guide for performing Ju-no-kata
, one of the seven Kodokan kata. Fukuda has served as a technical adviser for US Women's Judo and the USJI Kata Judges' Certification Sub-committee. She has also served as a National Kata Judge, and was a faculty member of the USJI National Teachers’ Institute, a member of the USJF Promotion Committee, and a member of the USJF and USJI Women’s Sub-committee.
Fukuda holds the rank of 9th dan, the second-highest in judo, from two organizations, and in July 2011 received the rank of 10th dan from a third organization. In 2001, she was awarded a rare red belt
(marking 9th dan rank) in judo by the USJF for her lifelong contribution to the art. On January 8, 2006, at its annual New Year's Kagami Biraki
celebration, the Kodokan promoted Fukuda to the rank of 9th dan—the first time it had awarded this rank to a woman. On July 28, 2011, the promotion board of USA Judo awarded Fukuda the rank of 10th dan.
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
practitioner in history, holding the rank of 9th dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
from the Kodokan
Kodokan
, or the Kodokan Institute, is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. Literally, kō means "to lecture" or "to spread information," dō means "the way," and kan is "a public building or hall," together translating roughly as "a place for the study or promotion of the way." The Kodokan was...
and the United States Judo Federation
United States Judo Federation
The United States Judo Federation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting judo in the United States. Its national office is located in Ontario, Oregon. In 2007 it will sanction competitions and tournaments in at least nine different states....
(USJF), and 10th dan from USA Judo
USA Judo
USA Judo is a non-profit organization which represents from all areas of U.S. judo practitioners, including athletes, coaches, referees and others. The organization is managed by a staff of six at the USA Judo National Office which is located at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs,...
, and is the last surviving student of Kanō Jigorō
Kano Jigoro
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...
, founder of judo. She is a renowned pioneer of women's judo, being the first woman promoted to 6th dan (c. 1972), and later 9th dan (2006), by the Kodokan. She is also the first and, so far, only woman promoted to 10th dan in the art. After completing her formal education in Japan, Fukuda visited the United States of America to teach in the 1950s and 1960s, and eventually settled there. She continues to teach her art in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
Early life
Fukuda was born on April 12, 1913, in Tokyo, Japan. Her father died when she was very young. As a youth, she learned the arts of calligraphyJapanese calligraphy
is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. For a long time, the most esteemed calligrapher in Japan had been Wang Xizhi, a Chinese calligrapher in the 4th century but after the invention of Hiragana and Katakana, the Japanese unique syllabaries, the distinctive...
, flower arrangement
Ikebana
is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as .-Etymology:"Ikebana" is from the Japanese and . Possible translations include "giving life to flowers" and "arranging flowers".- Approach :...
, and the tea ceremony
Japanese tea ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...
; typical pursuits for a woman in Japan at that time. Despite her conventional upbringing, Fukuda felt close to judo through memories of her grandfather, and one day went with her mother to watch a judo training session. A few months later, she decided to begin training for herself. Her mother and brother supported this decision, but her uncle was opposed to the idea. Her mother and brother had thought that Fukuda would eventually marry one of the judo practitioners, but she never married, instead becoming a judo expert herself.
Fukuda's grandfather, Fukuda Hachinosuke, had been a samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
and master of Tenjin Shinyō-ryū jujutsu
Tenjin Shinyo-ryu
, literally meaning "Divine True Willow School", can be classified as a traditional school of jujutsu. It was founded by Iso Mataemon Minamoto no Masatari in the 1830s...
, and he had taught that art to Kanō Jigorō, founder of judo and head of the Kodokan. Kanō had studied under three jujutsu masters before founding judo, and Fukuda's grandfather had been the first of these men. Kanō had taught female students as early as 1893 (Sueko Ashiya), and had formally opened the joshi-bu (women's section) of the Kodokan in 1926. He personally invited the young Fukuda to study judo—an unusual gesture for that time—as a mark of respect for her grandfather. She began training in judo in 1935, as one of only 24 women training at the Kodokan. Apart from instruction by judo's founder, Fukuda also learned from Kyuzo Mifune
Kyuzo Mifune
has been categorized as one of the greatest exponents of the art of judo after the founder, Kanō Jigorō. He is considered by many to be the greatest judo technician ever, after Kanō.-Early life:...
.
Judo career
Japanese literature
Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...
from Showa Women's University
Showa Women's University
is a women's private university in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. It also contains a school with all levels from kindergarten to high school.- History :Japan Women's School of Higher Education , the predecessor of this university, was established by poet Enkichi Hitomi , who gathered together his...
. In 1953, she was promoted to the rank of 5th dan in judo. She traveled to the USA later that year, at the invitation of a judo club in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, and stayed for almost two years before returning to Japan. Fukuda next traveled to the US in 1966, giving seminars in California. At that time, she was one of only four women in the world ranked at 5th dan in judo, and was one of only two female instructors at the Kodokan (the other being Masako Noritomi, also ranked 5th dan). In 1966, she demonstrated her art at Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
, and the institution immediately offered her a teaching position; she accepted, and taught there from 1967 to 1978.
During this time, Fukuda lived at the Noe Valley
Noe Valley, San Francisco, California
-Location:Its borders are generally considered to be 22nd Street to the north, Randall Street to the south, Dolores Street to the east, and Grand View Avenue to the west. These borders are understood to be somewhat flexible, particularly by real estate agents...
home of one of her students, Shelley Fernandez, and taught judo there in addition to her teaching at the college. When the class sizes grew, she shifted the classes to the Sokoji Zen Buddhist temple in the Japantown, San Francisco
Japantown, San Francisco, California
comprises about six square city blocks in San Francisco, California, USA. San Francisco's Japantown is the largest and oldest such enclave in the United States.-Location:...
. She named her school the Soko Joshi Judo Club. Having settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fukuda gave up her Japanese citizenship to become a US citizen.
Around 1972, following a letter campaign against the rule prohibiting women from being promoted higher than 5th dan, Fukuda became the first woman promoted to 6th dan by the Kodokan. In 1973, she published Born for the Mat: A Kodokan kata textbook for women, an instructional book for women about the kata
Kata
is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general....
(patterns) of Kodokan judo. In 1974, she established the annual Joshi Judo Camp to give female judo practitioners the opportunity to train together. That year, she was one of only three women in the world ranked 6th dan in judo.
In 1990, Fukuda was awarded Japan's Order of the Sacred Treasure
Order of the Sacred Treasure
The is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
, 4th Class (Gold Rays with Rosette), and the United States Judo Incorporated (USJI) Henry Stone Lifetime Contribution to American Judo Award. In 2004, she published Ju-No-Kata: A Kodokan textbook, revised and expanded from Born for the Mat, a pictorial guide for performing Ju-no-kata
Ju-no-kata
is a kata in Judo.It is designed to teach the fundamental principles of judo, especially the principle of ju .It consists in three sets of techniques.- Videos of Ju-no-kata :...
, one of the seven Kodokan kata. Fukuda has served as a technical adviser for US Women's Judo and the USJI Kata Judges' Certification Sub-committee. She has also served as a National Kata Judge, and was a faculty member of the USJI National Teachers’ Institute, a member of the USJF Promotion Committee, and a member of the USJF and USJI Women’s Sub-committee.
Fukuda holds the rank of 9th dan, the second-highest in judo, from two organizations, and in July 2011 received the rank of 10th dan from a third organization. In 2001, she was awarded a rare red belt
Red belt (martial arts)
A Red Belt is one of several colored belts used in some martial arts where each practitioner's level is marked by the color of the belt, these are most commonly those of Japanese or Korean origin...
(marking 9th dan rank) in judo by the USJF for her lifelong contribution to the art. On January 8, 2006, at its annual New Year's Kagami Biraki
Kagami biraki
Kagami Biraki is a Japanese traditional ceremony which literally translates to "Opening the Mirror" or, also, "Breaking of the Mochi." It traditionally falls on January 11 It refers to the opening of a Kagami mochi, or to the opening of a cask of Sake at a party or ceremony.-History:The fourth...
celebration, the Kodokan promoted Fukuda to the rank of 9th dan—the first time it had awarded this rank to a woman. On July 28, 2011, the promotion board of USA Judo awarded Fukuda the rank of 10th dan.
Later life
Fukuda still teaches judo three times each week, hosts the annual Fukuda Invitational Kata Championships, and teaches at the annual Joshi Judo Camp. She has established the Keiko Fukuda Judo Scholarship to encourage and enable women to continue their formal training in the art. Apart from teaching in the USA, she has also taught in Australia, Canada, France, Norway, and the Philippines. Fukuda's personal motto is: "Be gentle, kind, and beautiful, yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically."External links
- Soko Joshi Judo Club
- USA Dojo: A lifetime of Judo contains photographs of Fukuda (c. 1970 and c. 2000).
- YouTube: Be strong, be gentle, be beautiful contains a documentary on Fukuda (2009).