Sarah Mayer, First Non-Japanese Female Judo Black Belt

The same year that Amelia Earhart flew from Honolulu to Oakland Ca (non-stop, of course), driving tests were introduced in Great Britain and Parker Brothers launched their game of Monopoly, the martial art of Judo awarded its first black belt to a non-Japanese female judoka.

This all happened in 1935!

Sarah Mayer started Judo in London, England at the Budokwai, which had been founded by Gunji Koizumi in 1918.

She visited Japan in the 1930′s and studied at the birthplace of Judo, better known as ‘Kodokan’.

Later she went on to study at the Kyoto Butokukai, which had been established in 1890 and was led by founder Jigoro Kano’s representatives, for about 2 years.

On March 1, 1935 the Japanese Times bore the headline “Foreign Woman wins Shodan at the Butokukai”.

To Sarah Mayer’s surprise, she was offered this rank on February 27, 1935 and was the first non-Japanese woman in the world to be awarded black belt rank in Kodokan Judo.

She returned the same year to Britain and practiced at the Budokwai for a while before setting up her own dojo in her home in Burgh Heath.