Gunji Koizumi
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Gunji Koizumi, (1885-1965) introduced Judo to England. President and founder of the Budokwai. National Coach of the British Judo Association. As well as Judo, 'G.K.' was a master of Jujutsu, Kenjutsu ("the art of the sword"), Kendo and Katsu ("the art of resuscitation"). Art Dealer and Chinese lacquer expert by trade, he was also an Artist and an Electrical Engineer.
Koizumi was teaching Judo until the day before he died in April 1965, altogether he spent over sixty-four years in judo and, apart from nine months in 1906 and 1907, he was a strict amateur for the rest of his life. At his death he held the Kodokan grade of 8th Dan.
1885: Born in July in the village of Komatsuka in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Koizumi Gunji was the younger son of a tenant farmer, Koizumi Shukichi (1853-1903) and his wife Katsu (1855-1920).
1887: Koizumi embarked on his life-long fascination with the martial arts, having started Kendo at school when he was twelve.
1900 - As the younger son there were only two paths open to him: start his own farm, or be adopted into a family without a male heir - a Japanese custom. He liked neither option so, at the age of fifteen, he left home to seek his fortune in Tokyo. Once in Tokyo he enrolled as a trainee telegrapher under a government scheme. It was during this period that he started practising Jujutsu.
1901: At age 16, he studied Jujutsu at the Tenjin Shinyo-ryu.
Once qualified as a telegrapher he worked for a while in Tokyo before volunteering to work on the railways in Korea.
1904 - By now another ambition had arisen, he wanted to study electricity and, in his opinion, the best place to do that was in America. Having little money he decided to work his way to the West in a series of 'hops', which he did via Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and India. While in Singapore, Koizumi was one of the founding members of the first Jujutsu club in Singapore under Sensei Akistima.
1905: At age 20 he studied Jujutsu at the Akishirna Ryu.
1906: In May, Koizumi arrived in Prestatyn, North Wales. He travelled to Liverpool where he took up the post of Instructor at a school for Jujutsu.
1907: After nine months in England, Koizumi went to the United States to teach Jujutsu.
1910: In May Koizumi returned to England, where he set up an antique business in London.
1917: Married and with a thriving business, Koizumi felt that he had to make some contribution to help his adopted country. The contribution took the form of starting an institute for the study of the martial arts and their related cultural activities. He organized, at his own expense, a martial arts society in London, named the Budokwai (The Way of Knighthood Society). The Budokwai offered Jujutsu, Kendo and other Japanese arts to the British public.
1918: He found and leased two shops in Lower Grosvenor Place, Victoria and the premises opened on January 26th 1918. There was one dojo (training hall) of about twenty feet by twenty feet. The Budokwai was strictly amateur and democratic body, with an elected committee, annual general meetings and a constitution. It is run by and owned by the members. The first chief instructor was Yukio Tani.
1920: Koizumi and Tani were teaching their Jujutsu method when Jigoro Kano, the founder of Kodokan Judo, visited the club in July whilst on route to the Olympic Games in Antwerp. Hikoichi Aida and E.J.Harrison, both Kodokan Dan grades and members of the Budokwai, persuaded Koizumi and Tani to convert to Judo. This was agreed to and both Tani and Koizumi were awarded their Kodokan Judo Nidan (2nd Dans) certification, in recognition of their technique and status. During this visit a Budokwai member by the name of Tanabe was awarded his 1st Dan (Shodan), making him the first person to receive a Dan grading in England.
From there on Judo was formally taught at the Budokwai and this can be recognised as the starting point of British Judo.
Travelling with Kano was Hikoichi Aida who remained in Europe for the following 10 years teaching Jujutsu throughout England, France and Germany.
1922: Koizumi, who was also an expert in Oriental lacquerware, was appointed Consultant to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
1948: Promoted to 6th Dan. In July Koizumi became the first president of the newly founded British Judo Association.
1965: On April 15th, the nearly 80 year old Koizumi (by now an 8th Dan), having deciding that he had no longer had the strength to do more for British Judo and not wishing to be a burden, took his own life.
He had been on The Budokwai's mat teaching the previous day. When asked that evening, while being driven home, what he would most like to happen, he replied, "To see people think for themselves and not be led like sheep."
There is a Japanese Cherry Tree dedicated to Koizumi in Roper's Garden on the Chelsea Embankment, London.
