Any history of Judo is incomplete without a description of its founder, Kano Jigoro. Born into a respected family of imperial bureaucrats, he studied at the university in Kyoto and excelled as a student of Jujitsu of the Tenjin Shin-yo school under Fukuda Hachinosuke.

Kano Jigoro made his greatest contribution to the martial arts came when he was 22 years old. In 1882 he founded his own dojo, or school, in the Eisho-ji temple in Tokyo. The aim of his new school was to create a new Martial Art, Judo. Judo was not to be based on the very martial nature of Jujitsu, which at that time had degenerated into a style of street fighting used by thugs and criminals, but on the principles of character and fitness development useful in a time of peace. Kano's combination of throwing, grappling, and Atemi techniques without punches, kicks, or the use of weapons was an extremely innovative approach to the Martial Arts.

Under Kano Jigoro's direction, Judo was given a rank structure based on the traditional budo systems. In 1883 the first black belt was awarded to Taira Shiro, and by the end of the decade Kano, who was still considered the only sensei, or master, of Judo, had approximately 600 pupils. In that same year, he traveled to Europe to demonstrate his art and the first dojo was established there. In 1902 a Japanese instructor began giving Judo lessons in the White House to President Theodore Roosevelt; Kano himself was sent by the Japanese government on several missions to China and Europe to teach Judo there. In 1915 he was given a honorary Olympic medal by the King of Sweden in recognition of his efforts to make Judo an international Martial Art.

Upon returning to Japan, Kano Jigoro founded the Kodokan, or "mother school," of Tokyo in 1922 as the official international center of Judo. The spirit of Judo was preserved by the Kodokan's strict rules of practice and training. Upon entering, the Kodokan students had to take an oath.

Once I have entered the Kodokan, I will not end my study without reasonable cause.
I will not dishonor the Dojo.
Unless I am given permission, I will not disclose the secrets which I have been taught.
Pupil first, teacher second, I will always follow the rules of the Dojo.

Later in life, Kano began to recognize the competitive nature of Judo and attempted to promote it as a form of physical education. He died in 1938 on his way back to Japan from Cairo. He was visiting Egypt as the Japanese delegate to the International Committee for the Olympic Games.

After Kano Jigoro's death, Judo's popularity grew immensely throughout Japan and Europe. The first International Judo competition between Great Britain and France was held in 1947. The British won, only to later lose to the French in the first European Championship held in 1951. By this time, Judo had become more of a competitive sport than a way of life

In 1956 Judo became a physical education requirement in all Japanese schools. Public competitions grew and in 1961 the first non-Japanese, the Dutchman Anton Geesink, defeated the international Japanese champion, Sone. It was decided that contingent upon Judo's inauguration as an Olympic sport at the 1964 Tokyo games, weight divisions would be created.

Since Judo became an Olympic sport, many international clubs and tournaments were organized throughout the world. Today, many critics consider Judo to be more a variant of wrestling than a Martial Art. Nevertheless, its popularity continues to grow and Judo now has several million students worldwide.