Description
Mikinosuke Kawaishi (川石 酒造之助, Kawaishi Mikinosuke, born 13 August 1899 – 30
January 1969) was a Japanese master of jujutsu and judo who achieved the rank of
7th Dan. He led the development of Judo in France, with Shozo Awazu, and much of
Europe and is credited with introducing the colored belt system for
differentiating early grades. However, written accounts from the archives of
London's Budokwai judo club, founded in 1918, record the use of colored judo
belts at the 1926 9th annual Budokwai Display, and a list of ranked colored
judokas appears in the Budokwai Committee Minutes of June 1927. Kawaishi visited
London and the Budokwai in 1928, and was probably inspired to bring the colored
belt system to France. The Fédération Française posthumously awarded him 10th
Dan in judo and jujutsu.
Teachers (2)
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Takahashi Kazuyoshi
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1 source
fact_check
According to Kawaishi Norikazu, eldest son of Kawaishi Mikinosuke, his father
identified Takahashi as one of his teachers at Waseda University
"According to Kawaishi Norikazu15, eldest son of Kawaishi Mikinosuke, the
teachers identified by his father as those from whom his father had learnt jūdō
at Waseda University were Takahashi and Miyakawa."
— Kodokan Judo's Three Orphaned Forms of Counter
Techniques - Part 1: The Gonosen-no-kata (ResearchGate)link
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Mi
Miyakawa Ikkan
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1 source
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According to Kawaishi Norikazu, eldest son of Kawaishi Mikinosuke, his father
identified Miyakawa as one of his teachers at Waseda University
"According to Kawaishi Norikazu15, eldest son of Kawaishi Mikinosuke, the
teachers identified by his father as those from whom his father had learnt jūdō
at Waseda University were Takahashi and Miyakawa."
— Kodokan Judo's Three Orphaned Forms of Counter
Techniques - Part 1: The Gonosen-no-kata (ResearchGate)link
Ranks (2)
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Dan-Kyu System
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2 sources
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Achieved 7th dan rank during his lifetime, as documented in his book 'My
Method of Judo' published in 1955
"His system of Judo is fully described in his book My Method of Judo
written when he was a 7th dan and published in English in 1955"
— Tony Papenfuss. Mikonosuke Kawaishi: Judo Teacher
in Europelinkinfo
"I wish to express my gratitude to my friend and teacher of many years, Mr.
Mikinosuke Kawaishi, 7th Dan."
— Moshe Feldenkrais; Elizabeth Beringer. (2010).
Higher Judo: Groundworkinfo
Dan-Kyu System
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Posthumously awarded 10th dan by the French Judo Federation (FFJDA)
"Kawaishi Mikinosuke 川石酒造之助 (1899-1969), Kōdōkan 4th dan (later 7th dan and
FFJDA 10th dan posth.);"
— Tony Papenfuss. Mikonosuke Kawaishi: Judo Teacher
in Europelinkinfo
Students (3)
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Moshé Feldenkrais
(1936-1940)
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4 sources
fact_check
Feldenkrais's own preface to Higher Judo (1952) calls Kawaishi 'my
friend and teacher of many years' (primary); Brousse's foreword to the
2010 edition describes Feldenkrais as Kawaishi's 'assistant, disciple,
and friend'; de Crée (2013) confirms the shodan was issued by Kawaishi in
1936, not by Kano; corroborated by English Wikipedia and dcjudo.com. Confirmed
"In September 1933, he met Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo in Paris. Kano
encouraged him to study judo under Mikinosuke Kawaishi. Feldenkrais became a
close friend of Kano and corresponded with him regularly."
— Moshé Feldenkrais - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia
(English)linkinfo
"Feldenkrais learned Judo from Mikonosuke Kawaishi earning his Shodan in
1936 and a Nidan in 1938."
— McPartland, Terence. (2012). Moshe Feldenkrais and
Modern Judo: The Strange Forgotten Tale of a Physicist who Learned Judo
linkinfo
"I wish to express my gratitude to my friend and teacher of many years, Mr.
Mikinosuke Kawaishi, 7th Dan."
— Moshe Feldenkrais; Elizabeth Beringer. (2010).
Higher Judo: Groundworkinfo
"The Japanese expert was certainly attracted by the rational nature of the
explanations given by the engineer. As a result, Feldenkrais became the
assistant, the disciple, and friend of Kawaishi."
— Moshe Feldenkrais; Elizabeth Beringer. (2010).
Higher Judo: Groundworkinfo
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Fe
Fernando Franco de Sarabia
(1952-1953)
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1 source
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Fernando Franco trained with Kawaishi Mikinosuke at a stage in Biarritz (1952)
and subsequently traveled frequently to France to study Kawaishi's method;
awarded green belt (1952) and brown belt (1953) under Kawaishi.
"Fernando Franco obtiene el cinturón verde, otorgado por el maestro
Kawaishi -uno de los fundadores del judo francés y creador del método que lleva
su nombre-, en un stage celebrado en Biarriz (1952); para 1953 es ya cinturón
marrón."
— Fernando Franco de Sarabia Jim (?-1988)
linkinfo
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Jean de Herdt
(1935)
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2 sources
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EcuRed describes Jean de Herdt as a disciple of Mikinosuke Kawaishi, founder of
European judo; the 2012 Lyonne.fr press article presents de Herdt as the first
pupil of Kawaishi, who met him in 1935 at age 14 and was among the first to
obtain the black belt three years later
"En París fue alumno del sensei Jean de Herdt ... quien a su vez era
discípulo de Mikinosuke Kawaishi ... fundador del judo europeo."
— EcuRed contributors. (2026). André Kolychkine
Thompsonlinkinfo
"Jean de Herdt est le premier élève de Mikinosuke Kawaishi, l'homme qui
a implanté le judo en Europe. En 1935, la rencontre entre l'ado et le maître
... J'avais 14 ans et c'était interdit aux moins de 17 ans ... Trois ans
plus tard, il était parmi les premiers à obtenir la ceinture noire, à 17
ans."
— Lyonne.fr (Le Bien Public). (2012). Jean de Herdt,
88 ans, une légende du judo - Lyonne.frlinkhistoryinfo
Linked data
https://martial.is/entity/01KJJAWN28MWKKSN4J02MVY1T3