Judo in Canada

Judo in Canada made its debut on the west coast, when Japanese immigrants brought with them the fundamentals of the gentle art. Around 1914, Mr. Takagaki, then a 4th Dan, became one of the first teachers of judo. He opened a dojo, which was inaugurated by Master Kano himself. He later returned to Japan and reached the grade of 9th Dan.

Among the promoters of judo in Canada at that time were Messrs. Kamino and Sasaki, members of the Vancouver Kidokwan and founders of eastern Canada's first dojo in Toronto. Toward the end of 1940 they became the first persons to be awarded the grade of 6th Dan in Canada. There were also Canadians of Japanese origin who helped the sport to grow, in particular the Mitanis whose sons and grandsons would eventually make their way to all the provinces. Mr. Hatashita, our past national president, Mr. Okimura and Mr. Tokairin were among the first to teach Kodokan judo in eastern Canada around 1946. Around 1950, a number of black belt holders from Europe settled in the East. Doug Rogers, who won a silver medal in the Tokyo Games, began his judo training under the technical guidance of a young French immigrant. It was a group of judokas in the East who formed the first association in the 1950s known as the Canadian Judo Federation. This federation became affiliated with the International Federation in 1958, the Canadian Judo Federation lost its accreditation with the International Judo Federation (IJF). That same year Mr. Umetsu represented Canada at the 2nd World championships in Tokyo. The IJF gave him the mission of forming a single association, which eventually became known as the Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association (Judo Canada). Today it is the only official association in Canada, grouping for the first time the judokas in all the provinces and territories. Judo Canada has complete jurisdiction over the standards imposed by the IJF and among its functions designates Canadian representatives to the World Championships, the Olympic Games, the Pan-American Games and other international events.

Judo became an official olympic sport in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Women's judo became an official olympic sport in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.