Mind Over Muscle

In 1882 Jigoro Kano founded Kodokan Judo in Tokyo. The jujitsu he had studied was very different from the martial arts it would become; there was no core value, so he reorganized it while retaining its classical traditions and history. Historically, martial arts were practiced only by the elite in Japan, but Kano popularized them and judo, among people in all levels of society. He understood the importance of creating balance in a practice that can be both physically and mentally taxing.