The Kano Society

 Volume 2 No 1 July 2001  Bulletin 3

 The Bulletin - Editor’s comment

Welcome to the third edition of the 'Bulletin' - sorry that it has been produced a little later than hoped—but better late than never. This is our on line / off line newsletter about Judo and the Kano Society - the previous two issues are in the website so everyone can have a full set. Feel free to print off and distribute to colleagues and friends who you think may be interested. As I said before we do need articles and contributions. This may be in the form of news, interesting bits and pieces, photographs or reminiscences and historical material. 

The Kagami-biraki which was advertised in the last issue went well and was an enjoyable occasion when some of the audience admitted that this was the first time they had seen Kata. Percy Sekine kindly allowed us to use the Judokan and the demonstrations were followed by a variety of Japanese food and drink—Sake for those who wanted it .. But the Mochi turned out not to be recommended—if you wanted to live to eat another meal! Hopefully we will be able to hold another in new year 2002—please let us know if you want to participate in any way.

Please note details of Trevor Leggett’s memorial event (see page 4) which will be held in early September. It is now almost a year since our patron died and this celebration of his life and works will be an important milestone in marking the first anniversary of his passing. Regards—  Diana Birch

The Kodokan Emblem -     

The Kano Society have adopted the cherry flower symbol as their logo. There are interesting historical and traditional facts behind the symbolism. The following is taken from Judo Training Methods by Takahiko Ishikawa and Donn F. Draeger

The Kodokan emblem is seen very often by people practicing Judo and many have asked what it represents. Since the Kodokan is the original school of Judo founded by Jigoro Kano and still the international technical authority for Judo, its symbol is found in many dojos, books, web pages, and even on judogi. The symbol can be displayed with or without the Japanese characters for "ju" (gentleness, softness, yielding, or flexibility) and "do" (way, road, path, or teaching) as shown here.

The cherry blossom was considered an especially beautiful and important symbol for Japanese samurai because at the height of its beauty it would inevitably fall to the ground to die. Samurai also had to be willing to sacrifice themselves in their prime, and the cherry blossom was evidence that this is the natural way of things and could even be beautiful and pure. Life is as delicate and light as the falling petals, and there is a natural time for all beautiful things to end. The samurai strove to understand the nature of life and death by meditating on the blossom of the cherry tree. This peace was tempered by the inner strength, power, and fighting spirit represented by the circle of red. Through the study of attack and defense in Judo we learn to harmonize our spirit and body, learning to both fight hard and let go softly.

The standard emblem of the Kodokan is an 8 petaled flower of the cherry tree. It was adopted by feudal Samurai because the flower is detached from the branch at the apogee of its beauty in order to die. It symbolizes a degree of maturity within the individual which is summarized by the expression, "Strong within, but gentle without." The fire red color of the center of the emblem indicates the "fire" or "ardor" of the individual.

The spirit of the Kodokan combines the strength of iron forged to red heat inside the silk, supple, and white flower. This is symbolic of the union of body strength and resistant suppleness and flexibility of the pure spirit developed by the Judo exponent of black belt grade. It is a sign of personal attainment.

and light  as the 

falling petals and 

there is a natural time 

for all beautiful things 

to end ....

Donn F. Draeger

Donn Draeger: The following is an edited section of an excerpt from Martial Musings by Robert W. Smith which was submitted by Arthur Tansley.

Donn lived in a rambling house in the Ichigaya section of Tokyo. Big and well made, it nevertheless shivered it's timbers when Wang Shujin, the neijia master, would visit and punch anything anchored. Residents included Jon Bluming, young Jim Bregman (the 1964 Tokyo Olympics 3^rd place winner), Doug Rogers (Canadian heavyweight champion and 2^nd place winner in the same Olympics), Bill Fuller, and a dyspeptic Japanese housekeeper with an expression stronger than Wang's punch. It was said that Donn had more than a hundred black belts in the various martial arts - which is perhaps excessive but as Douglas Chadwick said  - ‘I wouldn't claim that all elephant stories are true.. but with elephants, you don't need to make up all that much’

Donn and the Ichigaya gang were on call for film producers in Tokyo who needed foreign extras they played every type of foreign soldier in battle scenes and Donn’s most lucrative film work was for the James Bond series. Donn wrote over twenty books. He pecked away at his small typewriter hours a day, instructing, clarifying, leading. His books were authentic, blending tradition and innovation. Though his prose was centered and vital, his inherent humor was absent. Outside his books, which had all the wit and humor of Marine Corps administrative memoranda, Donn was always full of fun.

Donn's fighting priorities changed over time. In judo when his knees gave out, he pursued groundwork and was reputed to be in the top echelon in Japan in that area. He also taught a few top Japanese swordsmen in a mountain retreat for several weeks each year. Isao Inokuma, who won the 1964 heavyweight judo title, told Japanese television that Donn’s coaching was the key to his success - an unprecedented acknowledgment by a Japanese judoka. Early on, judo and kendo were the objects of his effort. After 1965, however, weaponry supplanted the judo. His mentor at the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu, Otake Risuke, said that when Donn entered his school fifteen years before, he was already 5th-dan judo, 7th-dan kendo, 7th-dan iaido, and a 7th-dan in jodo with kyoshi, or instructors rank. Once he started doing Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu, he stopped judo and kendo, his old sportive favorites. Around 1966, Donn relocated to Narita, an hour outside Tokyo, where he remained for the rest of his life. He died of cancer in 1985.

There can be no mystery in how he benefited America and the world by his contributions. He opened Asian combatives to the full view of the West. He was an authentic warrior able to blend the tough with the tender. He could fight the match, referee it, and then explain the mechanics of it later in his books. He was an unusual American.

Donn never made a dollar with his incomparable skill. All of it went into the more than twenty books we have inherited. Hear his name. Donn Draeger: Don’t nod in recognition; Donn Draeger: Bow with admiration and respect.

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Bulletin 3 part 2