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| Sport | Judo |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1952 |
| Affiliation | USA Judo |
| Regional affiliation | United States |
| President | Mark T. Muranaka |
| Official website | |
| www | |
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The United States Judo Federation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting judo in the United States. Its national office is in Ontario, Oregon.
The United States Judo Federation (USJF) was originally known as the Amateur Judo Association in 1952. In 1955 it was renamed Judo Black Belt Federation. As late as 1955, the JBBF was the only Judo federation in the United States. In 1967, it changed its name to the United States Judo Federation. [1] In 1969, a faction of the Armed Forces Judo Association became the United States Judo Association. [1]
In 2007, USJF sanctioned competitions and tournaments in at least nine different states.
In contrast with USA Judo, which focuses on elite athletes and American participation in Olympic and international tournaments, USJF's focus is on "grassroots" judo.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds. BJJ focuses on taking ones opponent down to the ground, gaining a dominant position, and using a number of techniques to force them into submission via joint locks or chokeholds.
Keiko Fukuda was a Japanese-American martial artist. She was the highest-ranked female judoka in history, holding the rank of 9th dan from the Kodokan (2006), and 10th dan from USA Judo and from the United States Judo Federation (USJF), and was the last surviving student of Kanō Jigorō, founder of judo. She was a renowned pioneer of women's judo, together with her senpai Masako Noritomi (1913–1982) being the first woman promoted to 6th dan. In 2006, the Kodokan promoted Fukuda to 9th dan. She is also the first and, so far, only woman to have been promoted to 10th dan in the art of judo. After completing her formal education in Japan, Fukuda visited the United States to teach in the 1950s and 1960s, and eventually settled there. She continued to teach her art in the San Francisco Bay Area until her death in 2013.
Sambo is a martial art with Soviet origins, an internationally practised combat sport, and a recognized style of amateur wrestling included by UWW in the World Wrestling Championships along with Graeco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.
Gokor Grigor Chivichyan is an Armenian-American martial artist and trainer in judo, submission grappling, and mixed martial arts. Chivichyan currently trains professional and amateur athletes at Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood, California, United States.
Hidetaka Nishiyama was a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was an internationally recognized instructor, author, and administrator, and helped to establish the Japan Karate Association. Nishiyama was one of the last surviving students of Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate. He was based in the United States of America from 1961 until his death in 2008, and was a pioneer of karate in that country. He had been posthumously awarded the rank of 10th dan in karate.
Yoshisada Yonezuka, was a Judo instructor and two time U.S. Olympic Judo Team coach.
In judo, improvement and understanding of the art is denoted by a system of rankings split into kyū and dan grades. These are indicated with various systems of coloured belts, with the black belt indicating a practitioner who has attained a certain level of competence.
David Rudman was a Russian-American wrestler, Sambo world champion, and judo European champion.
Kyu-ha Kim was a South Korean judoka. He was the youngest judoka to get his kudan. He was posthumously promoted to, jūdan the 10th degree black belt. He also practiced in the Korean martial art, Taekwondo and attained the rank of 9th degree black belt. Prior to his death he taught martial arts for over sixty years. He established a school in Brentwood, PA and taught at the University of Pittsburgh. In June 2008, he became the oldest successful heart transplant recipient of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Nobuyoshi Higashi is a Japanese American teacher of Tomiki Aikido, karate, and judo, and the founder of Kokushi-ryu jujutsu. He is a 10th dan in jujutsu, 9th dan in judo, 7th dan in aikido, and 7th dan in karate. His style of aikido includes defenses against knives.
Arthur Canario is a former nationally ranked judo practitioner and collegiate football player for Long Island University at CW Post. As an offensive tackle at LIU, he became an Academic All-American and graduated magna cum laude in 1973. He later attended the Georgetown University School of Medicine and became an orthopedic surgeon.
Karl Geis was an American judo, aikido, and jodo instructor. He died of prostate cancer. Karl Geis is a member of the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame, and the founder of Fugakukai International Association.
Eichi Karl Koiwai, M.D. was the president of the United States Judo Federation (USJF) in 1973 and 1974 and the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee in 1973.
Kenji Yamada (1924–2014) was a competitive judoka who was a two-time U.S. National Judo champion.
James Takemori was an American judoka and World War II veteran.
There are three main organizations that govern judo in the United States. The United States Judo Federation (USJF) started in 1952. The concentration of the USJF is on the east and west coasts, but also in Chicago and Hawaii. The United States Judo Association (USJA) was founded in 1968 as an extension of the Armed Forces Judo Association (AFJA) when it broke off from the USJF to focus on a more Americanized structure. The USJA is mostly concentrated in California and Florida, but also popular in the Midwest and Southeast. The United States Judo, Inc. (USJI), doing business as USA Judo, was founded in 1978 and has its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It may be slightly larger than the USJA and USJF, as they have crossover members from both of these organizations, since they are the designated national governing body of the USOC for the Olympics.
Yoshito Vince Tamura was a former international competitor in judo.
Masato Tamura was born in Fife, Washington, United States. Tamura was born in 1913. By 1965 he was a 7th Dan in Judo. In 1969, Tamura was awarded the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame for Judo Instructor. In 1972 he operated a dojo in California.
Harold "Hal" Sharp was an American judoka and author of books on judo.
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