Masahiko Kimura

Even though I trained in judo for a brief period quite a long time ago, it wasn’t until I started doing research on Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and even rolling around on the mat for a short while that I became familiar with the term ‘Kimura’. And even then I thought it was just some technique that could really hurt you or your opponent, depending on who’s on the receiving end of it.

Well, after digging a bit deeper, I too finally saw the light! Man, I must have been living under a rock or something.

Masahiko Kimura (1917-1993) is considered by many the greatest Judoka to ever live. He stood 5’6″ (170 cm) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84kg).

Kimura became the youngest ever 5th-degree black belt when he was just 18 and by the time he reached the age of 29 he was a 7th dan.

In 1937, Kimura did something very remarkable: He won the All-Japan Championship and remained undefeated for the next 13 years in matches held throughout Japan.

But what he accomplished later in life on the international stage really cemented the legend of Kimura.

In 1951, he defeated Brazil’s Helio Gracie, a legend in his own right, who publicly said that he thought nobody in the world could defeat Kimura.

At age 42, Kimura faced a much bigger and younger opponent by the name of Waldemar Santana, who he even battled to a draw.

Kimura’s prime came before judo was an Olympic event, but in his senior years he trained a number of notable Olympian judokas, including Canada’s Doug Rogers, who won silver in the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games.

As far as I could find out, Kimura was never awarded beyond 7th dan and based on so many reports I am left to believe that Japanese judo officials were not quite amused with Kimura’s career moves from judo into professional wrestling.

What I find intriguing is how a guy like him standing at 5’6″ (170 cm) and weighing 185 pounds (84kg) could beat countless taller, heavier and at times way younger and faster opponents.

Kimura’s success is based on San Bai Ro Rioku. On this premise, Kimura did 300 pushups everyday in High School. While attending university he increased that number to 500.

After his first victory, Kimura decided to start doing 1,000 non-stop pushups to ensure future victories. As you can assume, doing pushups was just a small part of Kimura’s regimen. During his prime, he practiced 4 times a day, at least 6 hours every day. He trained at Taku-Shoku University, Local Clubs, Kodokan, and Police Academies.

Quite often he would practice against a tree, always at midnight. During one instance, Wushi-Zima, a two time champion, heard a commotion in the nearby woods. When he checked out the noise it turned out to be Kimura doing uchikomi against a tree. For better understanding of uchikomi: You actually practice a throw, where you take your opponent to the point just before he is thrown.

And coming full circle: So, what actually is a ‘Kimura’?

The Kimura lock is one of the most important submission holds in Jiu-Jitsu and other grappling styles. At times it referred to as hammerlock, chicken wing or ude-garami. Whatever you prefer, it is a very powerful and versatile attack. And wherever you see grapplers competing, you can be sure to see the Kimura lock used to submit opponents and win fights.

Le me know if you think that Masahiko Kimura is the best judoka ever.