Nice photos

hey guys,

I've been into my endless research about judo history and found this website with really good old pictures. A lot of old master as Nakano Shozo, Iizuka kunisaburo, Mifune, Sanpo and many others.

Hope you guys like it:
http://www.mitajuyukai.gr.jp/history/history02.html

Cheers

That's the current Keio University.  Founded by Fukuzawa Yukichi, a very famous name in Japanese history.  A very prestigious private university.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keio_University
Formerly known as Keio Gijuku, the website name comes from its location in Mita Ward, Tokyo.  The 'Mita Juyu Kai' can be translated as the 'Mita Judo Friends Association'.  

It has a very long judo history as you can see.

NBK

And I think I could recognise Kano-shihan on some of the pictures. The relation between Kano and Fukuzawa Yukichi would be another very intersesting topic.

Where is Jon S when you need him??

Interesting cache of photos, nice find, IgorRG; will take a while to read through the descriptions. They all seem to be dated and include full names of contestants, locations, etc., which is very useful. So many old judo photos found on the internet include no information, or only the most sketchy details.

I practised at Keio many years ago. The chairman of the judo club is Meiji Watanabe, who can be seen in one of the photos running down the right, making a speech, with a picture of Fukuzawa Yukichi leaning against the wall behind him. I used to practise with Watanabe at my club, the Judokan, in London. He was a fourth dan at the time and was studying tailoring for the family business, Ichibankan, an expensive tailors that occupies a corner building (maybe two) just along from the Sony building. His brother, Koji Watanabe, is a clothes designer, in the same building. Went out drinking in Tokyo once with Meiji Watanabe, Saburo Matsushita and my teacher, Percy Sekine. Not twice, as I upset Meiji.
When I first came to Japan, I lived for 18 months in Shinohashi, Azabu, on a spacious plot of land, 1200 tsubo, owned by descendants of Fukuzawa Yukichi. I met his daughter, though she didn't live there. She was 92 years old at the time and spoke fluent English and read the Japan Times every day -- the text was easier on her eyes than the tiny kanji of the Japanese papers, she said. There was a kind of storehouse on the land with lots of Fukuzawa memorabilia, and even some of the furniture he used. Eventually they sold the land to the adjacent Iran Embassy.

Tsurumaki wrote:Interesting cache of photos, nice find, IgorRG; will take a while to read through the descriptions. They all seem to be dated and include full names of contestants, locations, etc., which is very useful. So many old judo photos found on the internet include no information, or only the most sketchy details.

I practised at Keio many years ago. The chairman of the judo club is Meiji Watanabe, who can be seen in one of the photos running down the right, making a speech, with a picture of Fukuzawa Yukichi leaning against the wall behind him. I used to practise with Watanabe at my club, the Judokan, in London. He was a fourth dan at the time and was studying tailoring for the family business, Ichibankan, an expensive tailors that occupies a corner building (maybe two) just along from the Sony building. His brother, Koji Watanabe, is a clothes designer, in the same building. Went out drinking in Tokyo once with Meiji Watanabe, Saburo Matsushita and my teacher, Percy Sekine. Not twice, as I upset Meiji.
When I first came to Japan, I lived for 18 months in Shinohashi, Azabu, on a spacious plot of land, 1200 tsubo, owned by descendants of Fukuzawa Yukichi. I met his daughter, though she didn't live there. She was 92 years old at the time and spoke fluent English and read the Japan Times every day -- the text was easier on her eyes than the tiny kanji of the Japanese papers, she said. There was a kind of storehouse on the land with lots of Fukuzawa memorabilia, and even some of the furniture he used. Eventually they sold the land to the adjacent Iran Embassy.

Tsurumaki-sensei
What is it that I always feel more comfortable when I read your memories !?  Meiji Watanabe, if I`m correct, was sitting next to me at the wedding ceremony of the son of Tsuyoshi Sato-sensei who used to coach at Keio some .... years ago. I sent him Syd Hoar`s regards as Sato-sensei belongs to the same Chiyoda-ku Judo. I remember a few others from Ichibankan who used to be his pupils.

In Shibuya is a sports center where every Wendseday quite a few ex-Keio judo boys gather for a little swetting, after which we normally have a glass or two at a near-by house.  They help us with Japan Masters Judo, headed by Noguchi, Shimizu etc. There also you`d meet Kisaburo Watanabe or Yoshigaki on and off, who are all Chuo guys.  Another place one can find Keio judo guys gathering is Soba-ya in Kanda owned by a ex-Keio judo guy. One day I found an interesting photo of around the beginning of Taisho; as I was so seriously looking at it, the owner told me to take it home. The Soba-noodle shop was burnt down earlier this year according to the news, so I presume we lost quite a few judo documents/photos there. On 21/22 Sep there`ll be IJF Grand Masters Judo at the Kodokan where the Team Keio Tsunamachi will participate, supported by Mita Juyukai.  More stories Sensei when there were no such thing as Taibatsu in judo ... every day practically got killed but every morning work up in high spirits.

Thanks for all the replies guys!
There are two photos that I'm really curious about, both from the Tenran Shiai. The famous one with four guys on the front row, among then Ushijima and Kurihara Tamio, and the other one of everyone that was competing or judging ( my opinion), any of you guys could name a few on these photos?
By the way I really appreciate reading your stories. Thank you

IgorRG wrote:Thanks for all the replies guys!
There are two photos that I'm really curious about, both from the Tenran Shiai. The famous one with four guys on the front row, among then Ushijima and Kurihara Tamio, and the other one of everyone that was competing or judging ( my opinion), any of you guys could name a few on these photos?
By the way I really appreciate reading your stories. Thank you

Can you post the specific photo here or put a link to only that photo ?  Otherwise we have to read through the captions of all 200 pictures on the site to know which one it is you are talking about ? Or are you referring to the one on the second row with the people in haori ? But then in your post you are talking about "four guys" whereas on that particular picture there are 5 people. So all in all very confusing. If you cant post a specific link or the picture, could you at least say what row and what position the picture is in that you are talking about ?

Sorry about that confusion.
Here they are:
http://www.mitajuyukai.gr.jp/history/images/G01-04.jpg
http://www.mitajuyukai.gr.jp/history/images/140.jpg