And then now for something completely different: the Judo Show !!

Cichorei Kano wrote:... there are now also "official Judo Show courses" given in several European countries.

Quicksilver wrote:I am of the opinion that the main mistake one might make upon viewing these is to judge them by the standards and criteria of what they are not- that is, traditional kata or even necessarily 'Judo' in an essential sense, because the primary intent behind them is very different. And as an appropriation of elements of Judo to produce a show, a display of skill and athleticism intended to impress and entertain, I do not think this to be a negative thing in general and regarding the above videos specifically, those in them seem to have done a pretty good job.

It is interesting, the implications carried by matters such as this and opinions thereon.

Cichorei Kano wrote:

Quicksilver wrote:I am of the opinion that the main mistake one might make upon viewing these is to judge them by the standards and criteria of what they are not- that is, traditional kata or even necessarily 'Judo' in an essential sense, because the primary intent behind them is very different. And as an appropriation of elements of Judo to produce a show, a display of skill and athleticism intended to impress and entertain, I do not think this to be a negative thing in general and regarding the above videos specifically, those in them seem to have done a pretty good job.

It is interesting, the implications carried by matters such as this and opinions thereon.

Thank you for that thoughtful response. I was toying around with the idea of writing up a scholarly paper on the topic, and it is always useful to bounce off a couple of ideas. Yours is an interesting argument that I am trying to place against the background of judo.

Bear with me for a second before I come back to your argument.

Judo evolves. I think that is logical and acceptable. It evolved during Kanô's life and it evolved afterwards. Nothing in Kanô's ideas suggested that jûdô was meant to cease existing with his passing. That would also not be in line with Japanese budô tradition and Japanese thinking. Therefore, Kanô must have been very aware of the idea that judo would continue to evolve.

Where it gets more obscure is ... that I do not think that this evoluation was supposed to go uncontrolled. There was evolution in jûdô techniques during Kanô's life, techniques that were also developed by others. He accepted that, although whatever was developed needed to be in line with his thinking. For example, he was rather critical of Feldenkrais' manuscript, because clearly what Feldenkrais described seems to have been both conceptually and technically not entirely in line with Kanô's. Kanô seems to have been very critical when people touched kata, although he himself changed kata several times, and the infamous 1906 Butokukai meeting also brouoght changes. It seems that Kanô was more appreciative of the jûjutsu masters present during that meeting than of individuals who separate from him started changing things. Maybe the difference is also that at the 1906 meeting he was an active member during the dicussions. Kanô is known to have reacted rather terse when Koizum in 1932 showed some 'improvements' to jû-no-kata and demonstrated his version. Kanô immediately reacted: "That is an modification of jû-no-kata !" The meaning of that sentence should be interpreted a bit darker than what it wordly is communicating ...

Kanô never during his life condoned any of the kata Mifune developed, and Mifune arguably was not an incompetent judo idiot. My understanding from Kanô's negative reactions is that he considered the comprehension of his Kôdôkan jûdô by others as deficient, at least conceptually. It didn't matter if you were a superb technician, as that was not what his judo was about. Enough excellent technicians (Saigô Shirô, Yokoyama Sakujirô) actually separated from him.

It seems that in Kanô's ideas the Kôdôkan would remain the guardian of proper jûdô. That is also logical as there is nothing about an IJF or anything in control of his jûdô. He likely assumed that his best and most faithful pupils (Nagaoka, etc) would fulfill that job. Kanô did not foresee that 75 years later the comprehension of many of his lessons would even be lost among many of those teaching at the Kôdôkan. Oimatsu is long gone, and Daigo is the last one holding some of that knowledge. There is no proper succession foreseen at the Kôdôkan after Daigo. Teaching staff has mostly been trained to memorize mechanical steps, but not the conceptual meaning or historic development and place of kata and kata-like exercises. The relevancy of this statement is that Judo Show was not something condoned by the Kôdôkan and even less by those at the Kôdôkan with the best intrinsic knowledge.

Furthermore, Kanô emphatically and extensively discussed the necessity of practising both randori and kata. This was obviously not essential to win a certain contest, but it was essential to comprehend jûdô in the way he saw jûdô. Kanô never wrote that it is essential to show or demonstrate kata to others and eventually be evaluated on them. No, he talked about 'practice' of kata. Thus the purpose of kata, no doubt, is to improve YOUR jûdô. A demonstration does not really serve to improve your jûdô; the preceding practice might, but the demonstration itself has as a purpose to exhibit something to a body of spectators. There is no record of kata intended for demonstration before half of the 1890s. It's something that almost haphazardly started to introduce jûdô to others, probably to show it was a valuable alternative to jûjutsu, but also very different (in Kanô's opinion).

Now that we know that practice of kata was for yourself, not for others, and that doing so was essential, we can derive that each kata added something essential. What it adds and can add is proportional to the level one has and wants to achieve. It is then not illogical that one cannot even begin to understand that material which is far above one's level. A brown belt does not have to be occupied with what precisely itsutsu-no-kata is trying to communicate, but he needs to be concerned about how practice of nage-no-kata improves his randori in terms of responses, kuzushi, debana, action reaction, ma-ai. All the kata established by Kanô as Kôdôkankata,irrespective of whether they were original or imported fulfilled that purpose.

Within that conceptual view the practice of "judo show" should therefore be essential in addition to randori. If it isn't, then there is an intrinsic problem with regard to the existence of such kata. The second problem is that each kata adds an essential component in Kanô's comprehensive educational view of jû-no-kata. I have a fairly good understanding of the sense and role of all kata established by Kanô, and also of the other two Kôdôkan kata established after his death. I do, however, not understand how the "judo show kata" fits in there. What part of jûdô as a broad education does it play an essential role in in achieving that goal ?

In your explanation you offer such a goal, and I understand that, but I do not find that goal anywhere in Kanô's objectives of jûdô. It is true that in Kanô's personal evolution there was a shift towards the more aesthetic, which probably also explains a certain loss of fighting skill realism, a problem which also over time jûdô's parent schools suffered from. However, the aesthetic was never a sole goal in itself, and these aesthetics were classical Japanese aesthetics, not the Western Vizer-type of "spectacular aesthetics", not the sort of thing to be expressed in superlatives such as largest, biggests, tallest, most expensive, etc. On the contrary.

Now, there is at least one other precedent of kata-like exercises that is at risk to the same concerns, namely, the "Judo dance". The Judo dance was demonstrated several times during main events at the Kôdôkan and elswhere in the 1950s. It presumably was done away with because it forced women jûdôkan into stereotypical roles. I would need to look up though, if the Jûdô dance was created during Kanô's life or condoned by him. Certainly, the argument would stand that the Jûdô dance too was far more geared towards 'entertainment' than anything else, altough one could argue probably that in a nondiverse society with stereotypical gender roles, the "Judo dance" for women was an essential part of 'their' education though obviously not for men. As offensive as such a statement might sound today, it probably is not too far off from reality in Japan in those days, since women at the Women's department of the Kôdôkan also had separate classes in etiquette. Men did not.

Thus, even if the "Judo dance" could compare in concept somewhat with the "Judo show", parallel is only partly true, which brings me back to my initial questions on how "Judo kata show" is in anyway essential in Kanô's educational view of jûdô and what it is supposedly to transmit to the jûdôka that is manifest in his improvement of jûdô ?

"Judo show" by its own name is an odd case, since contrary to kata, which is primarily intended for yourself, a 'show' is fundamentally intended for others ! What it seems to strive for is a mere visual display not supported by any educational principle, but by what by laypeople may be perceived as spectacular,that what maximally impresses through out effect, effect that is amplified by things anathema to direct improvement of education, such as flashing light shows, bright colors and emphasis on qualities that from a viewpoint of Japanese aesthetics do not correspond with the ulterior mastership of aesthetic values.

Evaluating different such exercises by scores and point pushes the problem to an even greater extremity, because one then has to explain what jusifies a higher score when compared with a lower one ? Oftentimes the answer to that is also strangely removed from any of the objectives of Kanô.

Thus, to come back to your argument, I understand it in its absolute form, but I do not understand its relative place in judo as conceived by Kano, or as evolved building on Kanô's concept.

I hope I have been able to provide some insight in these concerns. It is not "modern evolution" which is a taboo. Clearly, YouTube did not exist in Kanô's day, and is a modern evolution too, but one that positively contributes to people's knowledge by exposing them to online clinics, study material, etc.

Quicksilver wrote:

Cichorei Kano wrote:

Quicksilver wrote:I am of the opinion that the main mistake one might make upon viewing these is to judge them by the standards and criteria of what they are not- that is, traditional kata or even necessarily 'Judo' in an essential sense, because the primary intent behind them is very different. And as an appropriation of elements of Judo to produce a show, a display of skill and athleticism intended to impress and entertain, I do not think this to be a negative thing in general and regarding the above videos specifically, those in them seem to have done a pretty good job.

It is interesting, the implications carried by matters such as this and opinions thereon.

Thank you for that thoughtful response. I was toying around with the idea of writing up a scholarly paper on the topic, and it is always useful to bounce off a couple of ideas. Yours is an interesting argument that I am trying to place against the background of judo.

Bear with me for a second before I come back to your argument.

Judo evolves. I think that is logical and acceptable. It evolved during Kanô's life and it evolved afterwards. Nothing in Kanô's ideas suggested that jûdô was meant to cease existing with his passing. That would also not be in line with Japanese budô tradition and Japanese thinking. Therefore, Kanô must have been very aware of the idea that judo would continue to evolve.

Where it gets more obscure is ... that I do not think that this evoluation was supposed to go uncontrolled. There was evolution in jûdô techniques during Kanô's life, techniques that were also developed by others. He accepted that, although whatever was developed needed to be in line with his thinking. For example, he was rather critical of Feldenkrais' manuscript, because clearly what Feldenkrais described seems to have been both conceptually and technically not entirely in line with Kanô's. Kanô seems to have been very critical when people touched kata, although he himself changed kata several times, and the infamous 1906 Butokukai meeting also brouoght changes. It seems that Kanô was more appreciative of the jûjutsu masters present during that meeting than of individuals who separate from him started changing things. Maybe the difference is also that at the 1906 meeting he was an active member during the dicussions. Kanô is known to have reacted rather terse when Koizum in 1932 showed some 'improvements' to jû-no-kata and demonstrated his version. Kanô immediately reacted: "That is an modification of jû-no-kata !" The meaning of that sentence should be interpreted a bit darker than what it wordly is communicating ...

Kanô never during his life condoned any of the kata Mifune developed, and Mifune arguably was not an incompetent judo idiot. My understanding from Kanô's negative reactions is that he considered the comprehension of his Kôdôkan jûdô by others as deficient, at least conceptually. It didn't matter if you were a superb technician, as that was not what his judo was about. Enough excellent technicians (Saigô Shirô, Yokoyama Sakujirô) actually separated from him.

It seems that in Kanô's ideas the Kôdôkan would remain the guardian of proper jûdô. That is also logical as there is nothing about an IJF or anything in control of his jûdô. He likely assumed that his best and most faithful pupils (Nagaoka, etc) would fulfill that job. Kanô did not foresee that 75 years later the comprehension of many of his lessons would even be lost among many of those teaching at the Kôdôkan. Oimatsu is long gone, and Daigo is the last one holding some of that knowledge. There is no proper succession foreseen at the Kôdôkan after Daigo. Teaching staff has mostly been trained to memorize mechanical steps, but not the conceptual meaning or historic development and place of kata and kata-like exercises. The relevancy of this statement is that Judo Show was not something condoned by the Kôdôkan and even less by those at the Kôdôkan with the best intrinsic knowledge.

Furthermore, Kanô emphatically and extensively discussed the necessity of practising both randori and kata. This was obviously not essential to win a certain contest, but it was essential to comprehend jûdô in the way he saw jûdô. Kanô never wrote that it is essential to show or demonstrate kata to others and eventually be evaluated on them. No, he talked about 'practice' of kata. Thus the purpose of kata, no doubt, is to improve YOUR jûdô. A demonstration does not really serve to improve your jûdô; the preceding practice might, but the demonstration itself has as a purpose to exhibit something to a body of spectators. There is no record of kata intended for demonstration before half of the 1890s. It's something that almost haphazardly started to introduce jûdô to others, probably to show it was a valuable alternative to jûjutsu, but also very different (in Kanô's opinion).

Now that we know that practice of kata was for yourself, not for others, and that doing so was essential, we can derive that each kata added something essential. What it adds and can add is proportional to the level one has and wants to achieve. It is then not illogical that one cannot even begin to understand that material which is far above one's level. A brown belt does not have to be occupied with what precisely itsutsu-no-kata is trying to communicate, but he needs to be concerned about how practice of nage-no-kata improves his randori in terms of responses, kuzushi, debana, action reaction, ma-ai. All the kata established by Kanô as Kôdôkankata,irrespective of whether they were original or imported fulfilled that purpose.

Within that conceptual view the practice of "judo show" should therefore be essential in addition to randori. If it isn't, then there is an intrinsic problem with regard to the existence of such kata. The second problem is that each kata adds an essential component in Kanô's comprehensive educational view of jû-no-kata. I have a fairly good understanding of the sense and role of all kata established by Kanô, and also of the other two Kôdôkan kata established after his death. I do, however, not understand how the "judo show kata" fits in there. What part of jûdô as a broad education does it play an essential role in in achieving that goal ?

In your explanation you offer such a goal, and I understand that, but I do not find that goal anywhere in Kanô's objectives of jûdô. It is true that in Kanô's personal evolution there was a shift towards the more aesthetic, which probably also explains a certain loss of fighting skill realism, a problem which also over time jûdô's parent schools suffered from. However, the aesthetic was never a sole goal in itself, and these aesthetics were classical Japanese aesthetics, not the Western Vizer-type of "spectacular aesthetics", not the sort of thing to be expressed in superlatives such as largest, biggests, tallest, most expensive, etc. On the contrary.

Now, there is at least one other precedent of kata-like exercises that is at risk to the same concerns, namely, the "Judo dance". The Judo dance was demonstrated several times during main events at the Kôdôkan and elswhere in the 1950s. It presumably was done away with because it forced women jûdôkan into stereotypical roles. I would need to look up though, if the Jûdô dance was created during Kanô's life or condoned by him. Certainly, the argument would stand that the Jûdô dance too was far more geared towards 'entertainment' than anything else, altough one could argue probably that in a nondiverse society with stereotypical gender roles, the "Judo dance" for women was an essential part of 'their' education though obviously not for men. As offensive as such a statement might sound today, it probably is not too far off from reality in Japan in those days, since women at the Women's department of the Kôdôkan also had separate classes in etiquette. Men did not.

Thus, even if the "Judo dance" could compare in concept somewhat with the "Judo show", parallel is only partly true, which brings me back to my initial questions on how "Judo kata show" is in anyway essential in Kanô's educational view of jûdô and what it is supposedly to transmit to the jûdôka that is manifest in his improvement of jûdô ?

"Judo show" by its own name is an odd case, since contrary to kata, which is primarily intended for yourself, a 'show' is fundamentally intended for others ! What it seems to strive for is a mere visual display not supported by any educational principle, but by what by laypeople may be perceived as spectacular,that what maximally impresses through out effect, effect that is amplified by things anathema to direct improvement of education, such as flashing light shows, bright colors and emphasis on qualities that from a viewpoint of Japanese aesthetics do not correspond with the ulterior mastership of aesthetic values.

Evaluating different such exercises by scores and point pushes the problem to an even greater extremity, because one then has to explain what jusifies a higher score when compared with a lower one ? Oftentimes the answer to that is also strangely removed from any of the objectives of Kanô.

Thus, to come back to your argument, I understand it in its absolute form, but I do not understand its relative place in judo as conceived by Kano, or as evolved building on Kanô's concept.

I hope I have been able to provide some insight in these concerns. It is not "modern evolution" which is a taboo. Clearly, YouTube did not exist in Kanô's day, and is a modern evolution too, but one that positively contributes to people's knowledge by exposing them to online clinics, study material, etc.

Thank you, what you write is interesting and I think I do understand what you mean.

This is something of a digression, but how inseparable in your opinion in Kano's Judo is the ideological from the physical? You mentioned earlier that one may be highly technically proficient but perhaps lacking or differing in theoretical understanding in a philosophical (for want of a better term) sense, but to what degree must this theoretical understanding be preceded by practical/technical ability, and why?

Regards

Hanon wrote:

This is a question worthy of debate. Before CK Sensei offers an answer, what would your thought be?

Kind regards,

Mike

Hanon wrote:Hi QS,

"......How inseparable in your opinion in Kano's Judo is the ideological from the physical?"

The simple answer is they are one and the same. The waters deepen when an explanation is needed.

You write you are a beginner and student of judo. I am not being flippant when I write that we are all the same in that respect. Its a long passage and though some are further down that passage than others non of us ever reach the end. I no longer accept that that is even the ideology of learning judo. I think its the journey that makes us who we are not the destination?

The philosophy, ideology of judo can only ever be understood, learned and internalised by its physical practice. That practice starts with basic manners like the rei and passes though the years to genuine love and care abut this planet and all life forms on it. I am now causing you concern? Please don't be alarmed by what I write I am not a guru or some chap with a long white beard and walks around barefoot saving ants from impending death.

The goal of judo is world peace. That is such a massive ideology-concept that most judoka laugh. Its so far away and removed from o-goshi and hadaka-jime that such an ideology cannot be appreciated yet it is there if the judo student lives the life of a judoka. Now that last line does sound odd?

You see the physical aspects of kodokan judo are very much a vehicle we use to build and develop the inner character.

..................................................................................

Before I write another word I have to make it clear I am only a student and cannot achieve myself the lofty goals that kano set for us. Please don't expect me to walk on water and find in me some infallible human being. I understand some of the theory and have an awful lot of the practical application of judo under my obi BUT I am still human and very fallible, regardless my being a registered antique.

..................................................................................

Judo is a full contact martial way. This means we actually fight each other. These fights are where we test our techniques but much more important these fights are where we learn to develop the inner self and overall character. How so?
When we are taught by sensei we are given time to learn our physical art, we serve an apprenticeship where pressure to win in shiai is absent until we are physically and emotionally able to make the best of entering such shiai.

In reality our biggest fight in judo is not with a partner its with ourselves. Each time we partake in a shiai we have to step up to the mark and face our inner fears, doubts and insecurities. Our partner is there to do the same so in reality its not about who wins the shiai its about who takes home the greatest lessons and those are how we win or lose and who we lose to. By lose to I mean ourselves. Did we give up all hope as soon as we knew who our partner was? Did we truly give our best? Did we cheat, play for time etc. These lessons from shiai are directly applicable to our daily lives.

In the physical world of judo we make tai sabaki, counters, use combinations and follow ups, we bluff, we do all sorts physical actions to over come another person. This is a key area in relation to the philosophy of judo. These lessons are then taken into our lives. eg,
We are hit in the rear by another car. Do we get out of our care with anger and punch the other driver? Do we leave our car to see if the other driver is hurt? Do we even bother with the other driver or do we just look at the damage done to our car. These life choices can depend on many many factors and the practice of kodokan judo is but one manner that we may use to make a choice in real life terms.

Every single pupil a sensei teaches can become a winner. A winner in life. It is not that medal around ones neck that makes a judoka even a judoka its how that person is inside, how they are as a person. As soon as we step onto a tatami we are on the path to self development. The development starts in a micro fashion on a tatami but soon enough that dojo becomes ones world and our judo becomes us. Physical and emotional development though practice. That is why kano shihan wrote "never miss a lesson" Obvious yet so important.

This has been one of my infamous rambles and I have no idea if I have managed to make any sense at all. Please do pass feedback. I am still trying to understand the questions never alone find the answers.

Kindest regards,

Mike

GregW wrote:Maybe I'm the proverbial "stick-in-the-mud," but I found the whole idea undignified. One of the most beautiful things I saw in my judo life was ju no kata performed by two young women back in the 1970s in Richmond, Virginia.

Our club had gone up to a tournament in, if I recall correctly, the Jewish Community Center there. After the shiai was over, when we were waiting for the officials to begin handing out medals, they dimmed the lights and two young women came out and bowed in on the mats. There was one bright spotlight that illuminated a circular area over the mat. There was no announcement of what was going to happen in advance.

The girls began the kata and a hush fell over the room. Even the smaller children were entranced. The only sounds were the sounds of feet sliding over the mat and the sound of the cloth as gi brushed against gi. I was a green belt at the time and I had never seen any kata before (this was two decades before YouTube!), but I had heard of it.

When they finished, there was a moment of silence and then the whole room erupted in applause. I was totally impressed. I had seen a moment of great beauty in judo. It's one of the things that still burns like a fire in my memory. It's one of the reasons why I love judo so much.

Judo is the marriage of power, grace, beauty, and commitment. Seeing it reduced to a "show" isn't appealing at all. Humanity has enough "American Idols" and "look at me--I'm the greatest" talent shows. To me, judo is the antithesis of that mentality. A judo "show" does judo a disservice.

Hanon wrote:Important addendum. 22 05 13. When I posted my previous posts I had NO IDEA that 'judo show' was now part of the actual judo curriculum and even had championship status where EJU medals where awarded. I find this absurd. There is not enough dojo time these days to practice judo let alone practice to medal in 'judo show'. I must make my point clear. I am 100% against this 'judo show' being used at it is. A judo display to raise money is one thing to take it and integrate it into actual judo is beyond my comprehension. I would walk out of any championship where such a thing was being shown. I will never teach such a thing or be associated with it at any level.

This was a question of a display in the appropriate occasion being used to entertain the public to show the lighter side of judo. This is NOT judo and to spend time practicing to medal in such an activity is simply absurd.

I sincerely apologise for not comprehending the initial intent of the post and taking on board its true context. I only watched the first clip and very wrongly assumed this was 'just' a one of display that most dojo make every now and then to show at the end of some other event that judo has a lighter side. I can but repeaat I had zero knowledge that this 'judo show' abomination was now an integral part of dojo life and even taken to championship level at the highest level such as EJU championships side by side with kodokan kata.

I cannot express how dangerous to judo education this new introduction is. It not only shows how out of touch the EJU is in terms of what constitutes judo it also, sadly, reflects how desperate some judoka are driven to medal in 'judo'. WE as forum members are concerned about this forum and the low numbers of postings and general membership. I would be an awful lot more concerned about the real world of judo and what is being taught in our dojo.

I can imagine a judoka being attacked in the street and requesting the attacker to hang on a second while the judoka turned his MP3 player on for the music! Judo is a martial way, such theories run through the very blood of kodokan judo. Though we sacrifice killing-harming for growth and education we still learn the tools needed to harm should, God forbid, we ever need to use them.

I cannot imagine where I have been the last few years as I have not even heard mention of this 'judo show'? Perhaps ignorance was bliss in this case.

Mike

Cichorei Kano wrote:

Hanon wrote:Important addendum. 22 05 13. When I posted my previous posts I had NO IDEA that 'judo show' was now part of the actual judo curriculum and even had championship status where EJU medals where awarded. I find this absurd. There is not enough dojo time these days to practice judo let alone practice to medal in 'judo show'. I must make my point clear. I am 100% against this 'judo show' being used at it is. A judo display to raise money is one thing to take it and integrate it into actual judo is beyond my comprehension. I would walk out of any championship where such a thing was being shown. I will never teach such a thing or be associated with it at any level.

This was a question of a display in the appropriate occasion being used to entertain the public to show the lighter side of judo. This is NOT judo and to spend time practicing to medal in such an activity is simply absurd.

I sincerely apologise for not comprehending the initial intent of the post and taking on board its true context. I only watched the first clip and very wrongly assumed this was 'just' a one of display that most dojo make every now and then to show at the end of some other event that judo has a lighter side. I can but repeaat I had zero knowledge that this 'judo show' abomination was now an integral part of dojo life and even taken to championship level at the highest level such as EJU championships side by side with kodokan kata.

I cannot express how dangerous to judo education this new introduction is. It not only shows how out of touch the EJU is in terms of what constitutes judo it also, sadly, reflects how desperate some judoka are driven to medal in 'judo'. WE as forum members are concerned about this forum and the low numbers of postings and general membership. I would be an awful lot more concerned about the real world of judo and what is being taught in our dojo.

I can imagine a judoka being attacked in the street and requesting the attacker to hang on a second while the judoka turned his MP3 player on for the music! Judo is a martial way, such theories run through the very blood of kodokan judo. Though we sacrifice killing-harming for growth and education we still learn the tools needed to harm should, God forbid, we ever need to use them.

I cannot imagine where I have been the last few years as I have not even heard mention of this 'judo show'? Perhaps ignorance was bliss in this case.

Mike

Hanon-sensei,

Thanks for the response. Yes, indeed those were some of the points I was trying to make. I usually have some very serious reasons as to why I post such things. It's some times difficult to do so on a forum, as there is a lot of room for misunderstanding and sometimes it is unfortunately thought that we are just trying to be critical or condescending. It honestly has nothing to do with it. We can chuckle about or mock Judo Show all we want, but as educators we have a far more important mission, namely teaching judo with regard to its objectives.

I have for many years on this and the old forum tried to make a point that kata is an essential part of judo. When I write this, then obviously kata in this sense has nothing to do whatsoever with things as Judo Show is not kata despite it being sold that way. What it shows is that even some of leading governing bodies have absolutely no clue what kata is. I have written many times that people think that kata is something where you go stand on a tatami bow to a jury, then towards each other, and then demonstrate something to an audience and jury. That is not kata. Kata is not and has never been intended as a demonstration for others. The purpose of kata just like the purpose of randori is to improve your judo. Only in 1894 due to the opening of a new Kôdôkan Kanô had decided to invite dignitaries and as he was still in the progress to sell his judo to the world he needed a way to do so in the presence of those dignitaries in the small time window he was given. Thus, he decided to 'demonstrate' judo. That is how kata occasionally was actually demonstrated rather than just practised.

Daigo once said: "there is no jûdô kata after Kanô-shihan". It means that in strict sense, there are only the following judo kata, with the emphasis on 'kata':

- nage-no-kata
- katame-no-kata
- kime-no-kata (or its ancestor form shôbu-no-kata)
- jû-no-kata
- koshiki-no-kata
- itsutsu-no-kata
(-gô-no-kata)

Those kata are set and can't be expanded in this view*. These are part of the fundamentals of jûdô.

In this view neither Seiryoku zen'yô kokumin taiiku, nor Kôdôkan goshinjutsu, or Joshi jûdô goshinhô are 'kata', but only 'methods' or 'hô' rather than 'forms'.

In this framework, no doubt there is no room for 'Judo show'. Judo show does not teach something that is essential to grasp judo and realize its principles. On the contrary it has little to do with those principles. One could argue that if it is spectacular enough that it will attract many more people to jûdô and thus contributes to realizing the principle of ji-ta kyô-ei. This is not sincere. One could equally distribute free marihuana among the jûdô audience and it will grow (no pun intended) too.

It is, of course, very possible that someone who is very skilled in jûdô performs Jûdô Show, just like someone who is very skilled in jûdô might participate in growing or selling pot. That is little relevant. What is relevant is that promoting Jûdô Show perpetuates the misunderstand of what kata is about. It fuels, and in a justifiable way, every reason that can be thought of by those not understanding, what a joke jûdô and kata is. The BJJ-ers and MMA-ers now truly have very justifiable reasons to mock jûdô. Over the years the sportification of jûdô has caused it to more and more lose its budô character, not just in theory but also in practice. Jûdô is becoming puppet theater.

So far Japan, has far stayed away from it, but it will be interesting to watch Japan. Japan is a rather odd case with regard to these things. When push comes to shove, Japan despite its principles has always sold out in the end. Remember how Japan was against weight classes in jûdô ? Yep, until Geesink started wiping the floor with Kaminaga and Cie. Remember how Japan stuck with the white stripe in the women's belt ? Yep, until the IJF Refereeing Rules prohibited it. Remember how Japan was against the yellow/blue tatami ? Go visit the Nichidai judo, go visit some dôjô in Nagoya, and see what now has been implemented in the All Japan Championships. Japan was against competing in kata, look now.

Japan is against everything as long as it does not imply that they risk losing out on a gold medal. This has been proven time and time again. I've heard many times the claim by senior Japanese Officials at the Kôdôkan/AJJF that the IJF could do whatever it wanted and that the Kôdôkan/AJJF would not care and just do their stuff. These are nice words, but reality shows that this is clearly not the case. Japan has so far not shown it has the spine to stand up against the IJF, and I doubt it will, at least as long as the Vizer era continues and no Asian IJF President is put in place. Let's not forget that even in the AJU Japan does not hold the presidency or major posts aymore except for refereeing.

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*In wider sense there exist 10 Jûdô kata, which then include the others mentioned, and in very wide sense everything in jûdô that is determined before hand and not improvisation, is not randori but kata.

Hanon wrote:
Who in the EJU came up with this idea and why?