World Judo Day

Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, was born on October 28, 1882. It was the date of his birth that became the reason for later, many years later, to establish World Judo Day. Of course, this did not happen right away, and the founder had to prove for many years that his art was viable and useful. This date is traditionally celebrated in Japan itself, as well as in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. The International Federation established this day not only in memory of the creator, but also because this sport has become very popular. By the way, not everyone thinks that this is an exclusively sports festival. In many ways, judo is also an Eastern philosophy, a way of life where one is taught to use force to protect oneself and the weak, and not to attack. Today, about 20 million people around the world are seriously involved in this sport. The impressive scope gave impetus to the establishment of Judo Day in 2011. Since it is a sports holiday, it is celebrated somewhat differently than many others. On this day, it is customary to popularize not feasts and a carefree lifestyle, but sports and self-improvement, which will lead to harmony of soul and body. The founder himself, Jigoro Kano, as often happens, was a rather sickly child in childhood, which prompted his parents to seriously think about strengthening his body. Subsequently, a special philosophy was added to physical activity. The founder had previously practiced other popular martial arts in Japan, such as jiu-jitsu, but eventually developed his own system. It is noteworthy that he paid great attention to discipline, rigor, and self-control. He also believed that real masters should not take money for training. Therefore, he did not take money from his students, accepting only symbolic gifts in the form of tea and rice. And even more. The founder independently developed a form that was as convenient as possible for classes and distributed it to students. This is how the code of judo was formed, where the emphasis is equally on physical training, strict discipline, the ability to concentrate, as well as on nobility and selflessness. This holiday has become even more popular, since many famous people were or are interested in judo. It is known that Steven Seagal, Vladimir Putin, even Angela Merkel, British film director Guy Ritchie, American actor Chuck Norris and others are involved in it. All this attracted attention to martial arts, so the appearance of the holiday is quite justified. Traditionally, on this day, mass events are held, competitions, competitions, master classes or simply lectures are organized that tell about the complex and very exciting history of this type of martial arts. All this is aimed at popularizing the sport, which equally develops the strength of body and spirit. Sometimes events of this nature are specially dedicated to this date, for example, competitions between different sports schools. Interestingly, judo was officially included in the program of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964. At that time, many people in the world showed interest in martial arts, including athletes in the USSR, although there was an unspoken ban on training in martial arts in the Soviet Union. The authorities feared that this could lead to hotbeds of tension and increase crime. And all because Europeans, especially in Eastern Europe, did not take judo seriously for a long time, not paying attention to the fact that, first of all, it instills self-discipline in a person. Fortunately, after a few decades, the scales finally shifted towards judo. Gyms began to actively appear, so the emergence of International Judo Day on October 28 was a logical result.