An interesting story about Kano is this -- when once he was on a voyage to Europe via the Indian Ocean, there was a huge, muscular Russian on board the steamer who challenged anybody to a wrestling match. [This was probably during his 1889 trip to Europe. If so, then Kano left Yokohama aboard the SS Caledonian on September 13, 1889. He changed to the SS Irrawaddy at Shanghai and arrived at Marseilles on October 15.] Kano was the only one who accepted the challenge, but taking compassion on his size, the Muscovite admonished the Japanese not to hurt himself by a useless display of mere courage. Some of the bystanders knew the secret, and encouraged them to go on. A temporary gymnasium was set up on the deck; passengers gathered about and without much ado, the big man was raised on the back of the small, and thrown over his shoulders, landing on the deck with a thud, but with the arm of the victor under his head to minimize the shock. The defeated man was disconsolate, and would not speak to his conqueror for several days; but they became good friends afterwards.

Of course, neither jujutsu nor judo can work miracles, for we cannot escape from our physical and moral limitations. But within these limitations, it is wonderful what the judo school of Kano has accomplished.

Lifted by our buddies at http://www.ejmas.com/jcs/jcsart_JapanTimes1_1299.htm

Video please.

Asian martial art's masters' tales of deadliness so often include unrecorded matches with nameless, heavily built russian wrestlers that I no long believe any of them. Not even when it's Kano we're talking about. I promise you a few hours of googling for stories about many, many CMA and JMA masters will turn up many, many simillar stories.

It's almost like a manifestation of some kind of inferiority complex about big russians.

In Judo there is usually good documentation for challenges. That is one of the reasons that it is so well established because they took the time to write **** down instead of my "ancient chinese master killed a whole army with the power of the chi he saved from refraining from masturbation for 40 years in a cave".

:5squeeze:

It's almost like a manifestation of some kind of inferiority complexThis wouldn't be why Thai Boxers almost always lose in martial arts films, would it?

This wouldn't be why Thai Boxers almost always lose in martial arts films, would it?

Except Ong Bak.

In Judo there is usually good documentation for challenges. That is one of the reasons that it is so well established because they took the time to write **** down instead of my "ancient chinese master killed a whole army with the power of the chi he saved from refraining from masterbation for 40 years in a cave".

:5squeeze:

I'm well aware of that, which is why I used the qualifier 'even when we're talking about Kano'. I will of course accept this story when I see the documentation for it....

Except Ong Bak.Hey, I said "almost always."

I don't know what you guys are talking about. Just today I was on the bus and there was a very large Russian who, being Russian and therefore omni-angry, challanged all aboard to a 'wrestling' match. I was about to step forward when this 3 ft asian man appeared from absolutly nowhere (using CHI!!!!) and accepted the challange. The Russian came forward shot on the old Master but the Master with a mere flick of his tiny, liver spotted hand, threw the Russian to the ground, where a chi vortex opened up and swallowed him! I was amazed and I asked the old man how he did this, he said it takes many years of study. I asked him where the Russian went, he said back to Russia. I then asked him why he had done this strange trick, seeing as how the Russian seemed to be so easily defeated by the throw, the old man replied: "This way we'll never know his name, and should you tell any one this story there will absolutly no way to back it up. Also I've used chi to wipe clear the minds of all who saw this feat, accept you of course, for you are a true believer!"

Fedor v Sudo.

Sudo by compassionate shoulder throw.

I don't know what you guys are talking about. Just today I was on the bus and there was a very large Russian who, being Russian and therefore omni-angry, challanged all aboard to a 'wrestling' match. I was about to step forward when this 3 ft asian man appeared from absolutly nowhere (using CHI!!!!) and accepted the challange. The Russian came forward shot on the old Master but the Master with a mere flick of his tiny, liver spotted hand, threw the Russian to the ground, where a chi vortex opened up and swallowed him! I was amazed and I asked the old man how he did this, he said it takes many years of study. I asked him where the Russian went, he said back to Russia. I then asked him why he had done this strange trick, seeing as how the Russian seemed to be so easily defeated by the throw, the old man replied: "This way we'll never know his name, and should you tell any one this story there will absolutly no way to back it up. Also I've used chi to wipe clear the minds of all who saw this feat, accept you of course, for you are a true believer!"

Amen.

I've heard the "Big Russian" story about Kano, but it is also documetned that Kano hated challenge matches. When the senior Kodokan students took on the Tokyo Municipal Police, they had to do it when Kano was out of the country, and he was pissed when he found out.

Some thing doesn't jive, here.

I've heard the "Big Russian" story about Kano, but it is also documetned that Kano hated challenge matches. When the senior Kodokan students took on the Tokyo Municipal Police, they had to do it when Kano was out of the country, and he was pissed when he found out.

Some thing doesn't jive, here.

Actually, it all makes sense now. Kano knew that in order for his style to become legendary, his disciples would have to make completely unsubstanciated claims for generations to come. You can't make crap like that up if there's actual fights on "record".

Nahh...they beat the Municipal Police 9-0 and that pretty much sealed the deal in Japan.

There was a standing challenge from Yukio Tani's promoters against George Hackenschmidt, who was pretty much the archetypal "huge Russian wrestler", but nothing ever came of it.

Ernest Regnier, who fought under the nom du guerre "Re-Nie" and introduced jiujitsu to France circa 1906, did well in challenge matches until he took on Ivan ("Nan") Podoubny, a very large Greco-Roman style wrestler. Regnier was a small man and not a particularly experienced jiujitsuka, although he had a solid background in the Greco-Roman style. After he lost to Podoubny he seems to have drifted away from both jiujitsu and wrestling.

There is also an account in the autobiography of Armand Cherpillod, a Swiss wrestler who fought challenges during the first pro-wrestling boom of the early 1900s, of how either Sadekazu Uyenishi or Yukio Tani took on a Russian wrestler named Klemsky (spelling is uncertain as Cherpillod habitually mis-spelled personal names). Klemsky had an extraordinarily powerful neck and boasted that he could not be strangled. When the Japanese fighter found that the standard strangles weren't working, he improvised by reinforcing a collar strangle with both feet as extra leverage; this apparently caused "a net of blood" to escape from the Russian's mouth and KO'd him almost instantly. The spectators thought he was dead and there was a near-riot until one of the Japanese fighters "revived" him, apparently by massaging the carotid arteries.

Source - the Bartitsu Compendium, see review at http://www.bullshido.net/modules.php?name=Reviews&file=viewreview&op=newreview&id=185

I'm well aware of that, which is why I used the qualifier 'even when we're talking about Kano'. I will of course accept this story when I see the documentation for it....

The above is a supposed translation from the original that was written many moons ago. I can't read the original.....but given the citations, its about as real as the internet gets.