Google pays tribute to the 'father of Judo' Kano Jigoro with doodle

Google on Thursday paid tribute to Japan’s 'Father of Judo', Professor Kano Jigoro.

The doodle carousel celebrates Jigoro's 161st birth anniversary.

Born in 1860 in Mikage (now part of Kobe), Kano - a child prodigy - moved to Tokyo with his father at age 11, but often faced adversity in school. This led him to become determined to learn the martial art of Jujutsu.


As a student at Tokyo University, Jigoro found in Jujutsu master and former samurai Fukuda Hachinosuke his teacher.

It was during a Jujutsu sparring match that Jigoro incorporated a western wrestling move and brought his opponent down, leading to the birth of Judo.

According to a blogpost by Google, 'Judo' was formed as a "safe and cooperative sport based on Kano’s personal philosophy of Seiryoku-Zenyo (maximum efficient use of energy) and Jita-Kyoei (mutual prosperity of self and others)."

Judo removed the most dangerous techniques used in Jujutsu.




Jigoro continued to develop Judo for years at the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo.

"The name Judo means “the gentle way” and the sport is built on principles such as justice, courtesy, safety, and modesty. Kano saw the martial art as a way to bring people together, even while throwing opponents to the mat," Google blogpost says.

He also welcomed women into the sport in 1893.

Jigoro became the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1909, and in 1960, the IOC approved Judo as an official Olympic sport.

The doodle, by Los Angeles, CA-based artist Cynthia Yuan Cheng, tells Jigoro's story and the birth of Judo through eight illustrations.