An international phenomenon established by a 21-year-old Japanese student, Judo has crafted a unique legacy within self-defense, Mixed Martial Arts, and the Olympic Games.
IPPON takes place in California and Japan, featuring exclusive interviews with judo pioneers like Hayward Nishioka (3x U.S. National Champion and author), MMA luminaries such as Justin Flores (judo/grappling coach of U.S. Olympian and former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey), and world-class athletes like Celita Schutz (3x U.S. Olympian and 6x U.S. National Champion).
The film explores the secrets of judo by synthesizing culture, science, and nutrition: promoting health and well-being in communities around the world.
You can read more about each location and the people I met, below:
📍NIPPON SPORT SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
Nittaidai (Nippon Sport Science University) is an academic institution dedicated to promoting physical education and sports, improving the health of the Japan’s citizens, and cultivating elite athletes with the goal of creating a truly rich and vibrant society.
I had the opportunity to talk with judo practitioners and coaches from Nittaidai about nutrition among athletes, the culture of judo in Japan, and how judo has changed to fit today’s competitive world of sports.
A special thank you to Professor Koichi Nakazato for coordinating the day! Professor Nakazato and I also talked about biochemical research and translational applications to the area of sports performance. His lab is based at Nittaidai.
📍KODOKAN
Kodokan Judo was founded by Kano Jigoro Shihan, who as a youth began practicing Jujutsu* as a way to strengthen his frail body. He transformed the traditional Jujutsu principle of “defeating strength through flexibility” into a new principle of “maximum efficient use of physical and mental energy,” creating a new branch of martial art.
He named the training institution “Kodokan.” The word “Kodo” means to learn, prove and practice the principle. The fact that Professor Kano named Judo “Kodokan Judo” shows us how he made much of the principle and made it a principal objective of life to learn.
I visited the Kodokan and talked with Naoki Murata-sensei, professor and curator of the Kodokan Library and Museum. We discussed the rich history of the Kodokan, why judo has become an international sensation, and how the traditions of Professor Kano’s vision are kept alive today.
📍NIHON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Underneath the recreational courts of Nihon University School of Medicine is a dojo where students practice jujutsu: the parent martial art to judo. The mat is suspended from the ground, which causes the floor to shake with every stumble, grapple, and toss.
Ryo Yamaguchi, a fifth year medical student at Nihon, introduces me to his fellow classmates and holds a practice to demonstrate jujutsu.
📍UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
I visited Takahiro Nakajima, a graduate student in sports biomechanics at the University of Tokyo (UTokyo), to learn how judo takes advantage of timing, momentum, and balance during powerful throws and maneuvers.
Using force plates, motion trackers, and high speed cameras, his lab has analyzed sports from skiing to tennis. He spoke about his own research on maintaining gait and balance to prevent falling, an integral skill every judoka learns with time. He also talked about his motivations and inspirations to enter the field of sports biomechanics.
📍PARAESTRA DOJO
Ikebukuro, a commercial and entertainment district in Tokyo, a home of owl cafes and 10-story arcade centers, is where my penultimate shooting location resides. Parnestra dojo is run by Kuji Asakura, a world-class sensei who teaches world-class fighters jujutsu. He also happens to be a psychologist.
We talked about the intersections of jujutsu and judo, the culture of jujutsu in Japan amidst the widespread popularity of judo, and how he approaches his training.
📍TOKYO EMBASSY
The US Embassy Judo Club was my last stop. It was founded in 1957 by Sato Shizuya Sensei. It is dedicated to providing a family oriented environment where members of the international community in Tokyo can discover unique aspects of Japanese culture, enjoy staying fit, and learn practical self-defense skills.
I interviewed Lance Gatling, Director of the US Embassy Judo Club, and guest instructor Sato Tadayuki; we talked about the “unofficial” history of judo, judo’s crossovers with other martial arts, and its hidden techniques that became lost with time.
The practice was particularly unique in that Lance Gatling intertwined the history of techniques and the lineage of judo to explain moves to students and elucidate why certain traditions have developed.