Judo discussion and investigation of selected topics by Ronald Desormeaux

Judo-Ron 8
Japan’s judo masters massive contribution to Judo in Europe
Sensei Kawaishi and Abe’s influence on French Judo

In the early 1900, several Japanese masters tried to establish a presence of Jujutsu and
later the Kano Judo system with very little success. Sensei Koizumi in England was
successful and so were Sensei Kawaishi and Abe, the former in the 1930 and the latter in
the 1950. Michel Brousse in his essay on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the
French Judo Federation in 1996 wrote about the important contributions made by Sensei
Kawaishi and Abe. These two giants of the judo world changed the technical approaches
and the cultural settings around them.

They were the Yin-Yang that energized the whole judo phenomena. Sensei Kawaishi
Mikinosuke venue in France is reported to be associated with the interests and
contribution of the Jewish engineer Moshe Feldenkrais who had met both Kano Shihan
and Kawaishi in London in the early 30’s. Kawaishi was a certified 4th dan from the
Kodokan (Dec 1924) and served as a teaching assistant to Sensei Koizumi at the
Budokwai in London.

Kawaishi, who was born in Himeji in 1899, was the sixth of seven infants whose father
was a sake brewer-dealer. After the death of his father, the older brother took command
of the family affairs and Kawaishi Mikinosuke was awarded some yearly inheritance
funds. He graduated from the liberal University of Waseda and was trained in judo by
Sensei Kurihara Tamio from the Budokukai. He left Japan to go to the USA where he
attended the San Diego University and taught judo and kendo outside school hours.

His family’s incomes having been suspended by his older brother, he supplemented his
incomes and family revenues by teaching judo at several locations. He later assumed the
name of Matsuda and engaged in several paid demonstrations-fights against several
individuals. He travelled extensively in the U.S.A. making San Diego and New York his
residences. He went to Brazil and met with a colleague from Waseda University Sensei
Maeda for a while. He left Sao Paulo to go to Europe and landed in England.

In 1931 he met Moshe Feldenkrais in London. He had taken the position of teaching
assistant to Sensei Koizumi Gunji at the Budokwai for two years. In 1933, he took over
the Jujutsu class at the Anglo-Japanese Club in London. When Feldenkrais moved to
Paris to attend the scientific establishment ESTP, he requested the participation of
Kawaishi and the latter became the technical director of the Jujutsu Club of France in
1935. That dojo was administered by Feldenkrais with another scientist named Paul
Bonet-Maury and was located on the premises of the University campus. That Dojo
became the nucleus of the French judo activities for the years to come.

Kawaishi adapted his strict and military judo teaching method to best suit the French
culture and the University milieu in which he found himself. He developed a whole
program of teaching around the use of the colour belt system as he had seen in England
 Judo discussion and investigation of selected topics by Ronald Desormeaux

and he assemble a total educational and training programme around it that proved to be
very cognitive, logical and progressive system.

He made use of the demonstration system alike the Gestalt where perception and insight
of techniques were prominent. He broke down each technique in segments and his
students repeat them using Uchi Komi style drills. He made use of the colour belt to
identify the various progress made and establish a judo hierarchy amongst his students.
He further reinforced the use of Randori and Butsukari as principal methods to safely
experience with live combat situations. His teaching encompassed Randori-Kata-jujutsu
and Kiai. Because of the student interest in jujutsu, he retained and taught legs, arm locks
and other techniques not found in the Kodokan syllabus. That approach proved to be very
popular with his audience. Since his first groups students came from the academic and
scientific milieu. He was intellectually challenged by them and able feed their curiosity
and interest far beyond what other teachers had tried before him.

His groups of students augmented rapidly and spread across France to open their own
dojo. Some students became part of the leading French society. During that period, the
French population had a carving for all kinds of elements of the Japanese culture and
Kawaishi represented to them, the archetype that could fulfill their aspirations.

Kawaishi assumed the roles of Sensei, administrator and mentor towards many judokas.
He provided the spiritual guidance and exercised his personal influence in many sectors
of the French judo federation. He became a sort of judo guru. He spoke little, was a
disciplinarian on the tatamis, sought technical perfection, was able to read the
personalities of his students and requested total loyalty and commitment from them in
return. He was considered as the supreme Japanese presence within the judo milieu. His
words and decision became Dogma. He understood the level of his influence and used it
both technically and commercially. He had his hands and mind in the development and
progression of students, the organization of the federation and the commercial
exploitation of all judo successes.

During the war of 1939, the geopolitical climate in France changed. The Japan-German
Alliance and the occupation of Northern France by Germany rendered the practice of
judo and jujutsu very difficult. Kawaishi left France towards the end of the war to return
to Japan. He came back in December 1948 holding a 7th dan from the Butokukai of
Kyoto. (The Kodokan confirmed his level of 7th dan in May 1949).

Upon his return in France, he found out that the governance of Judo had changed
considerably. The French Government had passed various laws introducing new rules and
values in sports and established organizational directives affecting all sports bodies
including judo which was forced to merge with the National Wrestling Association.
There was little room to manoeuvre and reinstate his personal and commercial ventures.
The need for cultural exchanges had diminished. Kawaishi’s overall supremacy over
French judo had been deluded extensively and his leadership had now to be shared with
several other governing entities including the College des Ceintures Noires, a sort of
Yudanshakai now responsible for the grading and the pedagogic programs. Kawaishi
 Judo discussion and investigation of selected topics by Ronald Desormeaux

tried to regain as much influence as he could but was unable to reinstate is past
governance style.

In 1951, in an attempt to promulgate and standardize his approach, he secured the

assistance of his scientific friends and published his books: The Kawaishi Judo Method
that will influence the judo teaching standards in many countries around the world.

In the late 1956 the unification of the Kodokan and Kawaishi systems were amalgamated
into the new French Federation. When no longer at the employ by the French judo
federation as the technical director, he created his own independent Judo Academy where
he continued to train and guide his principal followers until his death.

The other judo giant is recognized in the person of Sensei Abe Ichiro, a 6th dan from the
Kodokan who arrived in France in 1951 on a student bursary offered by the Laserre
brothers of Toulouse who ran the Shudokan dojo. George and Robert Lasserre were
wealthy business men and prominent judokas seeking to expand the judo sphere beyond
the reach of the individual charisma surrounding the great Kawaishi. They made several
contacts with the Kodokan and offered special teaching bursaries to outstanding Japanese
students in order to broaden the cultural exchange and expand the teaching universe in
the martial arts. There was some reticence from the French national administrators as this
endeavour as it was seen to be disloyal to Kawaishi. Nevertheless, the offer was made
and the excellent technician that was Abe Ichiro arrived in the south of France as the
official delegate from the Kodokan. His style and technical expertise soon attracted many
followers from diverse regions. Many seniors judoka readily converted to the Kodokan
style and approach and were left enriched by being in the presence of this fine judoka.

His temporary teaching bursary having expired, Sensei Abe moves to Paris to present his
credentials. His arrival in Northern France was seen by many locals as being a direct
confrontation to Kawaishi’s style and a threat to the current membership of the
Federation. Sensei Abe’s disciples and followers and newly converted members
encouraged him to continue his mission in order to ensure judo would be reoriented along
the original principles set by Jigoro Kano and presented along a more universal and
positive program to permit its greater evolution.

Tension mounts between the two camps and the Japanese ambassador was required to
make a decision and awarded his support to Kawaishi who already had an imprint. With
due respect to this decision, Sensei Abe left France and established his dojo in Brussels
where his new influence and teachings would expand far beyond the Belgium borders. In
1954, the Toulouse and southern regional group formed an independent association to
regroup the Kodokan teaching followers and expanded its reach across France’s territory.
The dissident group would later be amalgamated with the new French Federation in 1956.
 Judo discussion and investigation of selected topics by Ronald Desormeaux

Sensei Abe’s teaching permeated across France and represented a return to the basic
principles. It was delivered with a universal access philosophy. The training method was
different, more dynamic and flexible. It exemplified the liberty of movement and freedom
of expression. A greater use of Kuzushi, Tsukuri and Kake combined with the necessity
to feel the technique as it was executed made the fundamental difference to the students
who were previously accustomed to learn by performing drills and Uchi Komi from static
postures. With Sensei Abe’s influence, Judo as a physical and spiritual exercise became
an intelligent encounter where fun and friendship can be derived.

France was indeed the winner from the distinctive approaches displayed by both. The
charismatic Kawaishi set the ground rules and the technical fluency and adaptability of
Sensei Abe approach made the refinements possible. The French federation took the best
of both philosophies and added its own occidental processes rendering Judo one of its
principal “sport” and physical education system.