Qualifying to compete in the tournament meant I needed to make weight. It wasn’t easy to weigh in under 52kg (114.5 lbs) and there was a time I had to weigh in completely naked in front of everyone. This was unheard of at the time, especially in Japan. This is one anecdote Kaori Yamaguchi shares when giving public speaking engagements.
Who is Kaori Yamaguchi? For those that are not in the know, she is a figure we should all take into consideration when looking at the direction of modern Judo both in Japan and around the world. Additionally, her actions have influenced pop culture, gender, and voice of women’s sports in Japan.
I would argue that Kaori Yamaguchi (山口香) is the pioneer of competitive female Judo in Japan. If you are familiar with the TV Series and Kurosawa movie, Sugata Sanshiro the prodigy Judo player, then you might be amazed to hear that Kaori was nicknamed Lady Sugata Sanshiro (女姿三四郎) for her presence and relentless on the mat. The highlights of her athletic career are as follows:
– 1984 World Champion under 52kg
– 1988 Olympic Bronze medal in Seoul
– 5 World Championship medals
Yamaguchi Kaori has been featured on mainstream media in Japan through several different lenses. In 1992, Kansai Television made a non fiction 2 season series for a total of 24 episodes called めざせ!金メダル山口香物語 (roughly translated as “Go for the Gold, The Story of Yamaguchi Kaori”) The 2 season show began with Kaori’s introduction to Judo and her life into her pubescent years, and in the second season her time spent in college up to her performance at the 1988 Olympics.
While this was a non fiction documentary starring Kaori herself, other accounts inspired by her life have also been show cased on mainstream media in Japan. The protagonist Yawara Inokuma, in the comic book series “YAWARA!” by Naoki Urasawa and later anime cartoon “Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl!” is said to have been modeled after the inspiration of Kaori Yamaguchi.
In addition to Kaori’s inspirational feats on the mat, she hasn’t hesitated to voice her opinion on the current state of Judo in Japan and around the world. Her blog “Thinking about Judo by Yamaguchi Kaori” is one example of her opinion’s on Judo and thoughts on the founder of Judo, Kano Jigoro. (which I will translate in later blog posts)
In addition to her opinions on Judo, she has publicly opposed abusive behavior within sports education. When women from the national Judo team came to her for advice on issues related to physically abuse and power harassment by the national team coach, after taking some time to investigate the matter she reported the issue directly to Japan Judo Federation , yet very little was done to change things by the federation. In 2012 after the London Olympics the Judo Federation made an announcement that the coach for the Women’s National Team would stay the same. This wasn’t acceptable, and Kaori made it clear to the 15 member team that they would have to go public if they wanted a change in the coaching staff. When the team members went public, what ensued was a blitzkrieg of press and interviews resulting in the resignation of the national team coach.
Kaori Yamaguchi is currently an Associate Professor at Tsukuba University while serving as the Director of the Japan Olympic Committee, Director of Japan Volleyball Federation, and coaching staff for the Japan’s Women Judo national team.
While Kaori Yamaguchi made an impression through her relentlessness on the Judo competition mat, we see her continuing to make an impact in her second career outside of competition. Initially, the comic “YAWARA!” and the follow up anime tv series made an impact on generations of young Japanese through pop culture. Now, we see Kaori continuing to make an impact on the the next generation of elite female competitors. Understanding her story is therefore an essential component to understanding the struggles of gender and Japan.
Sources:
– Go for the Gold A Story of Yamaguchi Kaori
– Confessions of Truth: Physical Violence against the Female Judo Team