Judo provides lessons for Japan-Russia diplomacy
Alongside the Gakushi Kaikan building in Tokyo's Kanda district, where the University of Tokyo's predecessor Kaisei Gakko once stood, is a monument to "the birthplace of the University of Tokyo." At the beginning of the Meiji period, students there keenly participated in western sports including cricket, boating events and baseball, and another monument states that the area is "the birthplace of Japanese baseball."
But one student focused on a completely different discipline. Jigoro Kano, the founder of modern judo, was a keen adherent of Tenjin Shinyoryu, a traditional school of jujutsu. He trained hard and learned the techniques of the martial art, but was no match for the giant Kanekichi Fukushima, who served as acting instructor.
One day Kano bowed deeply to Fukushima and challenged him to a bout. Fukushima laughed and accepted. They began the face-off standing 2 meters apart. Fukushima advanced toward his opponent, taking one step, and then another. The moment he grabbed Kano's collar, Kano, who had been waiting, clamped onto his opponent's hand with an underhand grip, bent his knees, and then gave Fukushima a thrust with his free hand. Fukushima tumbled to the ground head over heels. Shocked at his loss, he was unable to rise to his feet.
The encounter appears as an anecdote in Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's book "Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin", recounted in "Putin to Judo no Kokoro" (Putin and the Heart of Judo, edited by Yasuhiro Yamashita et al. and published by Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc.). It mentions the importance of breaking an opponent's balance as the first part of a throw, and comments, "Today, even people who have just started judo know this, but at the time this was a great discovery."
In a recent Japan-Russia summit, the Northern Territories issue that has been a point of dispute between Japan and Russia was brought to the table. After the talks, Putin, who visited Yamashita's judo-training organization, remarked, "There's a proverb saying that it's easy to love the whole world but it's hard to love your neighbor."
Can we expect progress on the Northern Territories issue? Putin says that he has learned all important things from judo, and in diplomacy he is probably scrupulous when it comes to "first breaking an opponent's balance." Japan, the originator of judo, needs to face Russia steadily so that it is not thrown. ("Yoroku," a front-page column in the Mainichi Shimbun)
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) May 25, 2009
But one student focused on a completely different discipline. Jigoro Kano, the founder of modern judo, was a keen adherent of Tenjin Shinyoryu, a traditional school of jujutsu. He trained hard and learned the techniques of the martial art, but was no match for the giant Kanekichi Fukushima, who served as acting instructor.
One day Kano bowed deeply to Fukushima and challenged him to a bout. Fukushima laughed and accepted. They began the face-off standing 2 meters apart. Fukushima advanced toward his opponent, taking one step, and then another. The moment he grabbed Kano's collar, Kano, who had been waiting, clamped onto his opponent's hand with an underhand grip, bent his knees, and then gave Fukushima a thrust with his free hand. Fukushima tumbled to the ground head over heels. Shocked at his loss, he was unable to rise to his feet.
The encounter appears as an anecdote in Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's book "Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin", recounted in "Putin to Judo no Kokoro" (Putin and the Heart of Judo, edited by Yasuhiro Yamashita et al. and published by Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc.). It mentions the importance of breaking an opponent's balance as the first part of a throw, and comments, "Today, even people who have just started judo know this, but at the time this was a great discovery."
In a recent Japan-Russia summit, the Northern Territories issue that has been a point of dispute between Japan and Russia was brought to the table. After the talks, Putin, who visited Yamashita's judo-training organization, remarked, "There's a proverb saying that it's easy to love the whole world but it's hard to love your neighbor."
Can we expect progress on the Northern Territories issue? Putin says that he has learned all important things from judo, and in diplomacy he is probably scrupulous when it comes to "first breaking an opponent's balance." Japan, the originator of judo, needs to face Russia steadily so that it is not thrown. ("Yoroku," a front-page column in the Mainichi Shimbun)
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) May 25, 2009
FONTE: Mainichi Daily News - Japan
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Felicidades sempre...