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History of Judo in Canada |
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It was around 1924 that Judo was introduced to the Canadian West Coast
under the impetus of and through the enthusiasm of a young Japanese
Judoka. Takagaki was a fourth Dan at the time. He and a few fellow
immigrant Japanese founded the first Canadian Dojo for both
socio-cultural and sport purposes. After a few years, Mr. Takagaki
returned to Japan where he later obtained his ninth Dan.
Among the pioneers of that era we must mention Mr. Sasaki who became
the director of the Dojo. On the occasion of a visit to Vancouver,
Master Kano gave to the first Canadian Dojo the name of the Kidokan.
Around the 1940’s, many Japanese and Canadian’s of Japanese origin were
relocated to the East of the Rockies and at the end of the war, many of
them preferred to remain in their new
communities. They began to develop the sport of Judo. That was the
beginning of the Raymond and Lethbridge dojos in Alberta as well as the
Hatashita Judo Club in Toronto and the Montreal Seidokan.
Early in the 1950’s, many European black belt Judoka settled in the
East, especially in Quebec. Not all of them were teaching Kodokan Judo
but they contributed largely to its practice on a wider scale. They
established the first Canadian Judo Federation (C.J.F.) which became
affiliated with the International Judo Federation (IJF), also a newly
established organization.
At the time of the first World Championships of 1956, in Tokyo, there
were two representatives from the Canadian Judo Federation. During that
same year, the Canadian Kodokan Black Belt Association (CKBBA) was
formed, regrouping members from several provinces, with Mr. Sasaki as
its first president on October 25, 1956.
In 1958, at the second World Championships, Canada was represented by
Mr Umetsu, the second president of the CKBBA, who was both a delegate
to the congress of the IJF, and a competitor. That same year,
recognition was granted to the CKBBA by the International Judo
Federation. To the present day, Judo Canada is the only official
organization governing Judo in Canada. Mr. Hatashita was elected third
president of the Association in 1961 and held ofice until 1978. There
is presently a Judo Association in each Canadian province and territory.
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History of Judo in Canada