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From the Wiki entry on 'Japanese militarism':
Kanō Jigorō, creator of Judo and founder of the modern Japanese educational system, member of Japan's Olympic Committee, and de facto foreign minister for Japan was a staunch opponent of militarism. Concerned that his Judo school, the Kodokan, would be used as a military training center, he obtained a promise from the Emperor that it would not be. Alternate sources list different causes of death, and some consider his passing to be suspicious.
I've heard all this for years, but have never seen any evidence pro or con. Wiki can be a valuable resource, but here's something that has a number of half-truths and perhaps outright fabrications.
1. Kano shihan did not found the 'modern Japanese educational system'. Certainly he was very involved in its development rather early on, and while influential, never rose above a high mid-level position in the Ministry of Education, and only for a limited period.
2. His international diplomacy was limited to his effort to get approval for the 1940 Olympics to be held in Tokyo, so certainly was not the 'defacto foreign minister'.
3. What demonstrates his 'staunch anti-militarism'? He advocated caution in foreign engagements, but despite having the bully pulpit of being a member of the House of Peers (equivalent to US Senate or UK House of Lords), I can't find any speeches by him on the topic. He confined most public comments to issues of the Olympics, education, and judo.
4. I can find no sign that he was concerned about the use of the Kodokan as a military training facility. In fact, I think it strange to think so, as the Kodokan was nowhere near a major military facility at the time, so it's utility as a military training facility would be very low. You take the training where the soldiers are, not vice versus. As the property of a private foundation, the Kodokan was not under the purview of the military. Also, well before Kano's death, a brutal form of judo was being taught at every major Imperial military school, often under the supervision of senior Kodokan kodansha. In fact he was an enthusiastic supporter of the Imperial Navy's adoption of judo as its primary martial art, and supported the adoption from the earliest days, dispatching senior instructors to Etajima after it moved from Tsukiji, Tokyo.
5. Years before his death, Kano shihan was seriously ill for a long time, and died onboard a luxury passenger ship enroute home to Japan after a tough travel schedule that probably would have left even a much younger, healthy man tired and subject to illness. The ship's captain described him as clearly ill for days before his death, and personally multiple times urged Kano to stay in his cabin to rest until the ship could reach port and he could get medical care. Kano shihan, stubborn to the end, refused, and insisted on dressing and attending meals with the captain until he could no longer physically leave his bed, where he died days from home.
Does anyone have any sources to expand or change the above?
thanks!
NBK
Kanō Jigorō, creator of Judo and founder of the modern Japanese educational system, member of Japan's Olympic Committee, and de facto foreign minister for Japan was a staunch opponent of militarism. Concerned that his Judo school, the Kodokan, would be used as a military training center, he obtained a promise from the Emperor that it would not be. Alternate sources list different causes of death, and some consider his passing to be suspicious.
I've heard all this for years, but have never seen any evidence pro or con. Wiki can be a valuable resource, but here's something that has a number of half-truths and perhaps outright fabrications.
1. Kano shihan did not found the 'modern Japanese educational system'. Certainly he was very involved in its development rather early on, and while influential, never rose above a high mid-level position in the Ministry of Education, and only for a limited period.
2. His international diplomacy was limited to his effort to get approval for the 1940 Olympics to be held in Tokyo, so certainly was not the 'defacto foreign minister'.
3. What demonstrates his 'staunch anti-militarism'? He advocated caution in foreign engagements, but despite having the bully pulpit of being a member of the House of Peers (equivalent to US Senate or UK House of Lords), I can't find any speeches by him on the topic. He confined most public comments to issues of the Olympics, education, and judo.
4. I can find no sign that he was concerned about the use of the Kodokan as a military training facility. In fact, I think it strange to think so, as the Kodokan was nowhere near a major military facility at the time, so it's utility as a military training facility would be very low. You take the training where the soldiers are, not vice versus. As the property of a private foundation, the Kodokan was not under the purview of the military. Also, well before Kano's death, a brutal form of judo was being taught at every major Imperial military school, often under the supervision of senior Kodokan kodansha. In fact he was an enthusiastic supporter of the Imperial Navy's adoption of judo as its primary martial art, and supported the adoption from the earliest days, dispatching senior instructors to Etajima after it moved from Tsukiji, Tokyo.
5. Years before his death, Kano shihan was seriously ill for a long time, and died onboard a luxury passenger ship enroute home to Japan after a tough travel schedule that probably would have left even a much younger, healthy man tired and subject to illness. The ship's captain described him as clearly ill for days before his death, and personally multiple times urged Kano to stay in his cabin to rest until the ship could reach port and he could get medical care. Kano shihan, stubborn to the end, refused, and insisted on dressing and attending meals with the captain until he could no longer physically leave his bed, where he died days from home.
Does anyone have any sources to expand or change the above?
thanks!
NBK
