Yosh Uchida
Encyclopedia
Yoshihiro "Yosh" Uchida (born April 1, 1920) is an American
businessman, entrepreneur, and educator who is best known for his contributions to judo
. Uchida has been the head judo coach at San Jose State University
for over 60 years, and was instrumental in the development of the martial art into a competitive sport
.
immigrants who worked as farm laborers in California
's Imperial Valley. Yosh studied biology
at San Jose State, and in 1940 was made the student-coach
of the Physical Education Department's judo program. He was drafted into the United States Army
during World War II
, and served as a medical technician. He returned to San Jose State in 1946 to complete his degree and to restart the judo program.
After graduating in 1947, Uchida remained the coach at SJSU, a part-time position, while working as a laboratory technician at O'Connor Hospital
and then at San Jose Hospital, before buying and operating a medical laboratory
in 1956. During this time, Uchida and University of California, Berkeley
judo coach Henry Stone
began developing rules to allow their students to compete against each other, including a weight class system, moving judo away from a martial art for self defense to a sport
for competition
. Stone and Uchida persuaded the Amateur Athletic Union
(AAU) to sanction judo in 1953; the first AAU National Championship in judo was held at San Jose State in that year.
Uchida was elected president of the Judo Black Belt Federation for 1960–1961. As president, Uchida represented the United States at the International Judo Federation
meeting in Paris
in 1961. At that meeting, the IJF voted to include the weight class system for all future international judo competitions.
In 1962, Uchida organized the first National Collegiate Judo Championship, which was held at the United States Air Force Academy
. Uchida's San Jose State Spartans
won the first of their over 40 national championships under his leadership at the inaugural tournament.
Uchida represented the United States as the team coach of the first Olympic Judo Tournament
at the 1964 Summer Olympics
in Tokyo
. The team included two of Uchida's students from San Jose State, Ben Nighthorse Campbell
and Paul Maruyama
. James Bregman
won a bronze medal in the under-80 kg class, becoming the first American to medal in the sport.
Uchida continued promoting the sport after the 1964 Olympics. He organized the first U.S. High School Judo Championships and the first U.S. Open tournament, both hosted at San Jose State. , his San Jose State Spartans judo teams have won 42 of the 46 National Collegiate Judo Championships. In February 2007, the San Jose State program was named one of six USA Judo
National Training Sites.
By 1989, Uchida's laboratory business had grown to include forty locations. He sold the business to Unilab in that year for $30 million. He used the funds from the sale to found Uchida Enterprises, which is involved in real estate redevelopment in San Jose's Japantown neighborhood
.
For his contributions to judo, Uchida was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure
with Golden Rays in 1986 by Emperor Hirohito
of Japan
. He was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Uchida has also received many awards from San Jose State, including the university's highest award (the Tower Award) in 1992 and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters
in 2004. Additionally, the building on campus that houses the judo dojo was renamed "Yoshihiro Uchida Hall" in 1997. Coincidentally, Uchida's parents and brothers were processed in this building prior to being sent to an internment camp
during World War II.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, entrepreneur, and educator who is best known for his contributions to judo
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...
. Uchida has been the head judo coach at San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
for over 60 years, and was instrumental in the development of the martial art into a competitive sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
.
Biography
Uchida is the child of JapaneseJapanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
immigrants who worked as farm laborers in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's Imperial Valley. Yosh studied biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
at San Jose State, and in 1940 was made the student-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
of the Physical Education Department's judo program. He was drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and served as a medical technician. He returned to San Jose State in 1946 to complete his degree and to restart the judo program.
After graduating in 1947, Uchida remained the coach at SJSU, a part-time position, while working as a laboratory technician at O'Connor Hospital
O'Connor Hospital
O'Connor Hospital is a hospital operated by the Roman Catholic Church in San Jose, California. It was founded in 1889, and was the first hospital in Santa Clara County, California. O'Connor Hospital was built by Judge Myles P. O'Connor and his wife, Amanda...
and then at San Jose Hospital, before buying and operating a medical laboratory
Medical laboratory
A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on clinical specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient as pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.-Departments:...
in 1956. During this time, Uchida and University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
judo coach Henry Stone
Henry Stone
Henry Stone is an American record company executive and producer whose career spans the era from R&B in the early 1950s through the disco boom of the 1970s to the present day. He is best known as co-owner and president of TK Records....
began developing rules to allow their students to compete against each other, including a weight class system, moving judo away from a martial art for self defense to a sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
for competition
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
. Stone and Uchida persuaded the Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
(AAU) to sanction judo in 1953; the first AAU National Championship in judo was held at San Jose State in that year.
Uchida was elected president of the Judo Black Belt Federation for 1960–1961. As president, Uchida represented the United States at the International Judo Federation
International Judo Federation
The International Judo Federation was founded in July 1951. The IJF was originally composed of judo federations from Europe plus Argentina. Countries from four continents were affiliated over the next ten years. Today the IJF has 200 National Federations on all continents...
meeting in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1961. At that meeting, the IJF voted to include the weight class system for all future international judo competitions.
In 1962, Uchida organized the first National Collegiate Judo Championship, which was held at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
. Uchida's San Jose State Spartans
San José State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans is the name of the athletic teams representing San Jose State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Western Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division I level...
won the first of their over 40 national championships under his leadership at the inaugural tournament.
Uchida represented the United States as the team coach of the first Olympic Judo Tournament
Judo at the 1964 Summer Olympics
The judo competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics was the first time the sport was included in the Summer Olympic Games. Medals were awarded in 4 classes, and competition was restricted to men only. The competition was held in the Nippon Budokan, which was built to host the competition...
at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
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...
. The team included two of Uchida's students from San Jose State, Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Benjamin Nighthorse Campbell is an American politician. He was a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1993 until 2005 and was during his tenure the only American Indian serving in the U.S. Congress. Campbell was a three term U.S. Representative from 1987 to 1993, when he was sworn into office as a...
and Paul Maruyama
Paul Maruyama
Professor Paul Kuniaki Maruyama was a member of the first American team to compete in judo in the Summer Olympics. Judo was first in included in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.He was born in Tokyo....
. James Bregman
James Bregman
James Steven Bregman was a member of the first American team to compete in judo in the Summer Olympics...
won a bronze medal in the under-80 kg class, becoming the first American to medal in the sport.
Uchida continued promoting the sport after the 1964 Olympics. He organized the first U.S. High School Judo Championships and the first U.S. Open tournament, both hosted at San Jose State. , his San Jose State Spartans judo teams have won 42 of the 46 National Collegiate Judo Championships. In February 2007, the San Jose State program was named one of six 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,...
National Training Sites.
By 1989, Uchida's laboratory business had grown to include forty locations. He sold the business to Unilab in that year for $30 million. He used the funds from the sale to found Uchida Enterprises, which is involved in real estate redevelopment in San Jose's Japantown neighborhood
Japantown, San Jose, California
Japantown is the portion of San Jose, California bounded by First Street to the west, 8th street to the east, Empire Street to the south and Taylor Street to the north; it is just north of Downtown San Jose. Japantown originally formed around the existing "Heinlenville" Chinatown settlement...
.
For his contributions to judo, Uchida was awarded the 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...
with Golden Rays in 1986 by Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
of 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...
. He was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Uchida has also received many awards from San Jose State, including the university's highest award (the Tower Award) in 1992 and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
in 2004. Additionally, the building on campus that houses the judo dojo was renamed "Yoshihiro Uchida Hall" in 1997. Coincidentally, Uchida's parents and brothers were processed in this building prior to being sent to an internment camp
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
during World War II.