Judo was developed in Japan by Dr Jigoro Kano who was born on October 28th, 1860 in the village of Mikage located close to Kobe. He was the third son of Jerosaku Kano, a merchant in shipping equipment.

Dr Kano became an apprentice of Yanosuke Fukuda, a master of the Tenjin Shin'yo school of jujitsu, when he was seventeen. In May 1882, when he was 21 years old, he took the best things about each jujitsu style and created a single new style. This was the birth of modern judo.

He tirelessly promoted judo as a physical exercise from a wide national point of view. he became the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee in 1909 thus gaining worldwide recognition for his contribution in sport and Judo.

Towards the end of the 19th century Judo evolved from being a martial art into one of the world's most popular sports. Since its inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, where men's judo was finally recognized as an official Olympic event. Medals were awarded to competitors in various weight divisions, and Japanese competitors swept the gold in all except the open division, where a non-Japanese champion was crowned.

Judo has progressed rapidly and is without doubt the worlds most popular combat sport. Judo is however much more than a sport, it is also seen to be effective as an educational system in both physical and moral spheres.