'Moral Code' attributed to Jigoro Kano

Can anyone shed light on the source and original meaning of the 'Judo Moral Code' often referred to?  The reason for asking is the apparent variation in the terms and kanji used.  

For example here in a US website, and here in the UK (at Nic Fairborther's widely respected resource for kids), and indeed in an IJF page, here, the terms used are Courtesy, Courage, Friendship, Honesty, Honor, Modesty, Respect, Self-Control, whereas in the [apparently more widely promoted] French language sites that google found me, the translated terms - and kanji - are both different. Most notably, 'Sincerity' in used in place of 'Honesty'. e.g.here, here, and here.

Even in an EJU presentation, here, (an EJU 'Judo for Peace project' presentation'), there seems to be other kanji.


...so I'm interested to know what is the original source of this moral code and whether scholars here can shed some light on or offering interpretation.

kc1 wrote:Can anyone shed light on the source and original meaning of the 'Judo Moral Code' often referred to?  The reason for asking is the apparent variation in the terms and kanji used.  

For example here in a US website, and here in the UK (at Nic Fairborther's widely respected resource for kids), and indeed in an IJF page, here, the terms used are Courtesy, Courage, Friendship, Honesty, Honor, Modesty, Respect, Self-Control, whereas in the [apparently more widely promoted] French language sites that google found me, the translated terms - and kanji - are both different. Most notably, 'Sincerity' in used in place of 'Honesty'. e.g.here, here, and here.

Even in an EJU presentation, here, (an EJU 'Judo for Peace project' presentation'), there seems to be other kanji.

...so I'm interested to know what is the original source of this moral code and whether scholars here can shed some light on or offering interpretation.

I would also love a definitive answer on this.

The Judo Québec Site has this version:
http://judo-quebec.qc.ca/a-propos/qu-est-ce-que-le-judo/quest-ce-que-le-judo/  (Scroll down to see CODE D’HONNEUR DU JUDOKA)

1.La politesse : c’est respecter l’autre.  {Politeness / Courtesy}
2.Le courage : c’est faire ce qui est juste.  {Courage}
3.La sincérité : c’est s’exprimer sans déguiser sa pensée.  {Sincerity}
4.L’honneur : c’est être fidèle à la parole donnée.  {Honor}
5.La modestie : c’est parler de soi-même sans orgueil.  {Modesty}
6.Le respect : c’est faire naître la confiance.  {Respect}
7.Le contrôle de soi : c’est savoir taire sa colère.  {Self Control}
8.L’amitié : c’est le plus pur des sentiments humains.  {Friendship}

They credit the list to the French Federation.  {Fédération Française de Judo et de Disciplines Associées}

I always suspected this came from the French and that they just made it up, because I've never come across anything to this effect in Kano's writings.
As far as I can determine, the two guiding principles of Judo that Kano promoted were "Seiryoku-Zenyo" and "Jita-Kyoei" roughly translated as "Best use of energy" and "mutual benefit".
Taken together, expanded and elaborated upon as Kano did, they make for a fine technical and philosophical approach to Judo.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with any of the values in the new "Moral Code" except that to me it was an unnecessary exercise.  If one truly understands the full implications of Jita-Kyoei and lives and breathes sincere reiho in their judo then it covers most of what is listed.  To me there is more value in really exploring Kano's two precepts, than trying to retro-fit another 8 onto his work.

Just looking at "Mutual benefit" as a concept.  We need at least two people to practice judo, to be fair both should take it in turns to be tori and uke.  To practice effectively so that both benefit requires cooperation, mutual respect and a degree of courtesy.  Through the course of our practice we must at least be friendly to each other, if not outright become friends.  We will need to display patience and self-control to get past the inevitable rough spots that come from throwing, holding, locking and choking each other.  That already covers 1, 3, 6, 7 and 8.  I could go on but you get the picture.  Why eight values when two will do?

I found another one, which has confused me even more:  http://www.judoclubpantin.fr/pages/le-judo/code-moral-et-valeurs.html.



This one contains kanji which Google seems to translate as something completely different than the meaning written next to it.  (Although of course Google is not the most reliable of translators).

For example, against 'Self-control', the other has "ji-sei" and 時制, which Google says means "tense".  It says Self-control is actually 自粛 or jishuku.  
For 'Respect' Google comes up with 尊敬 Sonkei or 尊重 Sonchō, 敬意 Keii, but not what's on the poster entitled 'yu-ki', which seems to be female name...

...yet the same kanji in this poster seems to be replicated all over [the mostly French speaking parts of ] the web.

I even found this one with a British Judo logo that adds the 'hygiene' to the list:http://www.dragonjudoclub.co.uk/wp-content/downloads/2014_JUDOMORALCODE_POSTER.pdf

Once again, if anyone with knowledge of either the source of the attribution to Kano's teachings or of Japanese can look at some of these and help me sift through what can reliably be taken as the original meaning and correct kanji, I would greatly appreciate it.

I have written in this forum of Kano shihan's admonitions to judoka - one very late in his life, which had never been mentioned much less translated.

Nothing so far sounds anything like what I've seen Kano shihan write.

NBK wrote:I have written in this forum of Kano shihan's admonitions to judoka - one very late in his life, which had never been mentioned much less translated.

Nothing so far sounds anything like what I've seen Kano shihan write.

Can you comment on the Kanji/Romaji in the Poster above?
Does it translate to what it says in French?

More and more it looks like none of this comes from Kano and it's just something the French Federation came up with.
My suspicion is that they started with the Code of Bushido as a basis and made some modifications to better suit the objectives and values of French Judo and modern society.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushido#Eight_virtues_of_Bushidō_(as_envisioned_by_Nitobe_Inazō)

The 8 values of Bushido are more than likely an exercise in revisionist history in the first place. About the same degree of Romanticism as we attribute to knights in shining armour in the west. The French are good at this stuff though. Most of what we think we know about King Arthur was also made up by the French.

I found the substitution of Duty/Loyalty with Amitié/Friendship interesting. I'm surprised it wasn't "Fraternité"... Vive la Révolution and all that.

No contribution for Kanji & Romanji
only something on the sources:

http://judo-club-barleduc.e-monsite.com/pages/page-4.html

Y-Chromosome wrote:

NBK wrote:I have written in this forum of Kano shihan's admonitions to judoka - one very late in his life, which had never been mentioned much less translated.

Nothing so far sounds anything like what I've seen Kano shihan write.

Can you comment on the Kanji/Romaji in the Poster above?
Does it translate to what it says in French?

More and more it looks like none of this comes from Kano and it's just something the French Federation came up with.
My suspicion is that they started with the Code of Bushido as a basis and made some modifications to better suit the objectives and values of French Judo and modern society.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushido#Eight_virtues_of_Bushidō_(as_envisioned_by_Nitobe_Inazō)

The 8 values of Bushido are more than likely an exercise in revisionist history in the first place.  About the same degree of Romanticism as we attribute to knights in shining armour in the west.  The French are good at this stuff though.  Most of what we think we know about King Arthur was also made up by the French.

I found the substitution of Duty/Loyalty with Amitié/Friendship interesting.  I'm surprised it wasn't "Fraternité"... Vive la Révolution and all that.

"Can you comment on the Kanji/Romaji in the Poster above?
Does it translate to what it says in French?"

Not to be too short, but I'm not sure why anyone would care what the almost doubtlessly made up Japanese says. The Japanese will never read it.

Since I don't read French at more than a very rudimentary level, I did put the text below from your next link through Google Translate (which does OK with simple European language quotes, by and large, but is miserable at complex Oriental languages like Japanese - and, it turns out I could read it):

    Créé en 1985 par Bernard Midan, sur la base du Code d'Honneur et de Morale du collège national des ceintures noires proposé par Jean-Lucien Jazarin sur la base du texte de Nitobe.

"Created in 1985 by Bernard Midan, on the basis of the Code of Honor and Morale of the national college of black belts proposed by Jean-Lucien Jazarin on the basis of the text of Nitobe. "

I'd correct it to read:
"... Code of Honor and Morals of...."

Voilà.

Given that, seems pretty self explanatory. Someone made it up from something Nitobe wrote.

BTW, Nitobe didn't do judo AFAIK. He did know Kano shihan well, but that's another story. He also thought he invented the very term bushido, but Kano shihan beat him by years.

Kano shihan did write of the different levels of judo. Physical judo was simply the lowest, most rudimentary form. I translated some things that AFAIK had never been translated before, it's in one of these fora someplace. No one cares, it seems, although I'm sure someone has stolen it and is trying to figure it out now. Near impossible without understanding the context.

PS - didn't know the French made up King Arthur stories, thanks.  Just something else to hold against them.

[quote="NBK"]

Y-Chromosome wrote:

NBK wrote:I have written in this forum of Kano shihan's admonitions to judoka - one very late in his life, which had never been mentioned much less translated.

Nothing so far sounds anything like what I've seen Kano shihan write.

"Can you comment on the Kanji/Romaji in the Poster above?
Does it translate to what it says in French?"

Not to be too short, but I'm not sure why anyone would care what the almost doubtlessly made up Japanese says. The Japanese will never read it.

Only that this is what the OP's question was. I think he was trying to determine if the French/English had been accurately translated from the Japanese. I think what we can conclude is that a French author (or authors) have adapted this list from the writings of a Japanese author who himself was not writing about judo.

All of this pretty much confirms my original inclination to want to ignore this "code".
That said, I'm still curious if they got the Kanji at all right, since it does seem likely that this may have been a backwards translation from French to Japanese. If it's completely F'd up, it's further evidence of the inauthenticity of the whole affair.

Personally, my French is pretty solid, but my Japanese is less than weak.

The list in French/English is :
1. La politesse Courtesy (Politeness)
2. Le courage Courage
3. La sincérité Sincerity
4. L’honneur Honor
5. La modestie Modesty
6. Le respect Respect
7. Le contrôle de soi Self Control
8. L’amitié Friendship

kc1 wrote:Can anyone shed light on the source and original meaning of the 'Judo Moral Code' often referred to?

Bonjour messieurs,
The “Code Moral du Judo” is indeed a strictly french creation, published by the French Federation :
https://www.ffjudo.com/les-valeurs

It was created as a pedagogical tool, mostly targeting beginners, including children and teenagers.

As written above, it is a modernized version of an earlier Code, that one authored by Jean-Lucien Jazarin :  
CODE D'HONNEUR ET DE MORALE TRADITIONNELLE DU COLLEGE NATIONAL DES CEINTURES NOIRES DE FRANCE
[ Code of honor and traditional morality of the National College of Black Belts (holders) of France ]

For those that can read french, or master the Google Translate type tools, here is the whole story :
http://www.judopourtous.com/PagesAnnexees/CodeMoral.htm

Bonne lecture,

Jihef wrote:

kc1 wrote:Can anyone shed light on the source and original meaning of the 'Judo Moral Code' often referred to?

Bonjour messieurs,
The “Code Moral du Judo” is indeed a strictly french creation, published by the French Federation :
https://www.ffjudo.com/les-valeurs

It was created as a pedagogical tool, mostly targeting beginners, including children and teenagers.

As written above, it is a modernized version of an earlier Code, that one authored by Jean-Lucien Jazarin :  
CODE D'HONNEUR ET DE MORALE TRADITIONNELLE DU COLLEGE NATIONAL DES CEINTURES NOIRES DE FRANCE
[ Code of honor and traditional morality of the National College of Black Belts (holders) of France ]

For those that can read french, or master the Google Translate type tools, here is the whole story :
http://www.judopourtous.com/PagesAnnexees/CodeMoral.htm

Bonne lecture,

Thanks for that.

Now, why would anyone translate that into Japanese?

Beyond me.

NBK wrote:

Jihef wrote:

kc1 wrote:Can anyone shed light on the source and original meaning of the 'Judo Moral Code' often referred to?

Bonjour messieurs,
The “Code Moral du Judo” is indeed a strictly french creation, published by the French Federation :
https://www.ffjudo.com/les-valeurs

It was created as a pedagogical tool, mostly targeting beginners, including children and teenagers.

As written above, it is a modernized version of an earlier Code, that one authored by Jean-Lucien Jazarin :  
CODE D'HONNEUR ET DE MORALE TRADITIONNELLE DU COLLEGE NATIONAL DES CEINTURES NOIRES DE FRANCE
[ Code of honor and traditional morality of the National College of Black Belts (holders) of France ]

For those that can read french, or master the Google Translate type tools, here is the whole story :
http://www.judopourtous.com/PagesAnnexees/CodeMoral.htm

Bonne lecture,

Thanks for that.

Now, why would anyone translate that into Japanese?

Beyond me.

More to the point, why would anyone undertake to write their own Moral Code of Judo which was NOT derived from the teachings and writings of Kano?

Presumably, the original text by Nitobe Inazō would have been in Japanese. Some of the principles stayed the same, so those could have been copied directly. For the rest, well it's Judo, so I guess it just doesn't seem official unless it's in Japanese.

Personally, I think that any attempt to teach the values of Judo that does not have "Jita-Kyoei" explicitly outlined and at the core of its message, is going to hit rather wide of the mark.

Here's a post I made on our Facebook page for Embassy Judo, Tokyo, Japan

https://www.facebook.com/usejc/posts/1292267867469738

The beginning:
This is a very rare text by Kanô shihan; it is very indirect and complex. The below is simply a truncated paraphrasing.

It is a very short essay, really just a list in a small, obscure Showa era book. The book was only printed in a small batch in a first edition, and by the time the second edition came out, the book had been completely reworked and this essay was replaced by a much longer essay by Kanô shihan and this disappeared.

The 'practicing' is 修行 shugyô, which the excellent www.jisho.org defines as:
1. ascetic practices (Buddhist term)
2. training; practice; discipline; study
Wikipedia definition
3. Sādhanā (Sanskrit साधन,Tib. སྒྲུབ་ཐབས་, druptap; Wyl. sgrub thabs) literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.

柔道十二訓 Judo’s 12 Precepts - Kanô Jigorô
.... see Facebook for the rest....

Y-Chromosome wrote: Presumably, the original text by Nitobe Inazō would have been in Japanese. Some of the principles stayed the same, so those could have been copied directly.  For the rest, well it's Judo, so I guess it just doesn't seem official unless it's in Japanese.

No. Nitobe, who had became a Quaker in the U.S., and generally influenced by western (religious) culture, originally wrote 'Bushido: The Soul of Japan' in English, and for a western audience. Only later it was translated into Japanese, and many other languages.

Reinberger wrote:

Y-Chromosome wrote: Presumably, the original text by Nitobe Inazō would have been in Japanese. Some of the principles stayed the same, so those could have been copied directly.  For the rest, well it's Judo, so I guess it just doesn't seem official unless it's in Japanese.

No. Nitobe, who had became a Quaker in the U.S., and generally influenced by western (religious) culture, originally wrote 'Bushido: The Soul of Japan' in English, and for a western audience. Only later it was translated into Japanese, and many other languages.

R-berger is right - actually 'Bushido' is a pretty odd book.

Nitobe wrote it (if in fact he wrote it - some wonder if his American wife had more than a bit of influence on it) in English, for Western audiences, and it wasn't until he returned to Japan some years later did he have the thought of translating it into Japanese.

Except that a publisher without permission had already had the translation done and was selling copies. Into the 2nd or 3rd printing.

Nitobe reached some arrangement with the publisher, including payment for back royalties, which in the event never seemed to be paid. Nitobe was apparently a bit of a soft touch.

NBK wrote:

Reinberger wrote:

Y-Chromosome wrote: Presumably, the original text by Nitobe Inazō would have been in Japanese. Some of the principles stayed the same, so those could have been copied directly.  For the rest, well it's Judo, so I guess it just doesn't seem official unless it's in Japanese.

No. Nitobe, who had became a Quaker in the U.S., and generally influenced by western (religious) culture, originally wrote 'Bushido: The Soul of Japan' in English, and for a western audience. Only later it was translated into Japanese, and many other languages.

R-berger is right - actually 'Bushido' is a pretty odd book.

Nitobe wrote it (if in fact he wrote it - some wonder if his American wife had more than a bit of influence on it) in English, for Western audiences, and it wasn't until he returned to Japan some years later did he have the thought of translating it into Japanese.

Except that a publisher without permission had already had the translation done and was selling copies. Into the 2nd or 3rd printing.

Nitobe reached some arrangement with the publisher, including payment for back royalties, which in the event never seemed to be paid. Nitobe was apparently a bit of a soft touch.

So let me get this straight.
A Japanese man and maybe his American wife, influenced with the hard-core pacifist principles of the Quakers, wrote a book glamorizing some of the most ruthless fighters of world history and making them out to be some sort of warrior-saints, imbued with all the finest human virtues.
Based on those writing in English (probably) and not the unauthorized Japanese translation (probably) a Frenchman made up a revised list he thought applicable to Judo.
The Frenchman's list was later re-revised by yet another Frenchman and has been promoted by the French Federation as a set of Judo Values.
The French Federation's list has since been further adopted by other countries and regions and even given some play by the international federation.

Throughout all of this... the actual writings and teachings of Kano have been more or less completely ignored.

Does that about sum it up?

Y-Chromosome wrote:So let me get this straight. (…)
Does that about sum it up?

Egg Zaktly.
There goes this sad story.

Y-Chromosome wrote:

NBK wrote:

Reinberger wrote:

Y-Chromosome wrote: Presumably, the original text by Nitobe Inazō would have been in Japanese. Some of the principles stayed the same, so those could have been copied directly.  For the rest, well it's Judo, so I guess it just doesn't seem official unless it's in Japanese.

No. Nitobe, who had became a Quaker in the U.S., and generally influenced by western (religious) culture, originally wrote 'Bushido: The Soul of Japan' in English, and for a western audience. Only later it was translated into Japanese, and many other languages.

R-berger is right - actually 'Bushido' is a pretty odd book.

Nitobe wrote it (if in fact he wrote it - some wonder if his American wife had more than a bit of influence on it) in English, for Western audiences, and it wasn't until he returned to Japan some years later did he have the thought of translating it into Japanese.

Except that a publisher without permission had already had the translation done and was selling copies. Into the 2nd or 3rd printing.

Nitobe reached some arrangement with the publisher, including payment for back royalties, which in the event never seemed to be paid. Nitobe was apparently a bit of a soft touch.

So let me get this straight.
A Japanese man and maybe his American wife, influenced with the hard-core pacifist principles of the Quakers, wrote a book glamorizing some of the most ruthless fighters of world history and making them out to be some sort of warrior-saints, imbued with all the finest human virtues.
Based on those writing in English (probably) and not the unauthorized Japanese translation (probably) a Frenchman made up a revised list he thought applicable to Judo.
The Frenchman's list was later re-revised by yet another Frenchman and has been promoted by the French Federation as a set of Judo Values.
The French Federation's list has since been further adopted by other countries and regions and even given some play by the international federation.

Throughout all of this... the actual writings and teachings of Kano have been more or less completely ignored.

Does that about sum it up?

Pretty much it, yes.

Except you missed the part in which the Frenchman tried to translate it into Japanese and displays that for whatever reason.

Did it match Kano's 12 Tenets of Judo?

Not so much.
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Embassy Judo Club 大使館柔道道場
Here's a very rare writing by Kanô shihan, and I just took a (very!!) rough cut at a translation; it is very indirect and complex.
柔道十二訓 Judo’s 12 Precepts - Kanô Jigorô, 1930

Practicing jûdô as Budô
1. Practice kata and randori as carefully as if your opponent is armed with a live sword.
2. Do not forget that the objective of jûdô study is to improve every day, not to win or lose.
3. Jûdô practice is not limited to the dojo.

Practicing jûdô as Physical Exercise
4. Avoid dangerous techniques and optimize your exercise to train your body.
5. Do not neglect proper food, sleep and rest.
6. Exercise correctly, not carelessly, in accordance with proper principles.

Practicing jûdô as Spiritual Training
7. Conduct kata and randori with your best effort.
8. Endeavor to practice not only with your powers of judgement, but also with your powers of intuition.
9. It is necessary to consider others’ reactions to you in your self reflection.

Practicing jûdô principles in Daily Life
10. In the basics of your daily life, bear in mind the principle of ‘Seiryoku Zenyô Jita Kyôei’ .
11. When faced with occasional inconsistencies in your teachings, keep in mind the principle of ‘Seiryoku Zenyô Jita Kyôei’.
12. When faced with many pressures, even the daily necessities of life in mind, one by one consider your problems, keeping in mind the principle of ‘Seiryoku Zenyô Jita Kyôei’.

Draft translation July 2016
Lance Gatling, Director / Instructor, Embassy Judo

July 6, 2016 at 3:48am · Public

Thanks for clearing up the provenance, chaps (and for the [more useful] 12 precepts).

Y-Chromosome wrote:So let me get this straight...and even given some play by the international federation.

An IJF version even appears framed on Jan Snijders' wall in one of the IJF's 'Judo Legends' promotional videos:


By the way, can anybody tell me what the certificate Franco Capeletti is holding is for/from, here: https://youtu.be/RMzFFjR7gPw?t=2m22s?

kc1 wrote:Thanks for clearing up the provenance, chaps (and for the [more useful] 12 precepts).
.......

By the way, can anybody tell me what the certificate Franco Capeletti is holding is for/from, here: https://youtu.be/RMzFFjR7gPw?t=2m22s?

Order of the Rising Sun.
On behalf / from of the Emperor of Japan.
Signed by Japan Prime Minister Abe Shinzô (right signature, the left is the bureaucrat who runs the agency that organizes all this stuff)
Suggest you check out which one, I can't tell by looking, think it's the lowest rank.

Created in 1985 by Bernard Midan, on the basis of the code of honor and morality of the national college of black belts proposed by Jean-Lucien Jazarin on the basis of the text of Nitobe.

Daniel51100 wrote:Created in 1985 by Bernard Midan, on the basis of the code of honor and morality of the national college of black belts proposed by Jean-Lucien Jazarin on the basis of the text of Nitobe.

Nitobe never did any martial art AFAIK.

Nitobe was generally thought of a sort of intellectual poser by the people who actually defined bushido in Japan. And very few Westerners understand bushido or its historic context.

Actually Nitobe was a key force in Japan's colonization of Taiwan - and most folks would be surprised at how 'reactionary' his writings would seem today.

Daniel51100 wrote:Created in 1985 by Bernard Midan, on the basis of the code of honor and morality of the national college of black belts proposed by Jean-Lucien Jazarin on the basis of the text of Nitobe.

If you had taken the time to read the above contributions, you would have read this has been discussed already, 4 weeks ago.