Jigoro Kano

Japanese educator and martial artist who founded judo, combining elements of several schools of jujutsu into a system he called the gentle way. He established the Kodokan, the first school of judo, in Tokyo in 1882. He introduced the black and white belt ranking system still used across martial arts and served for decades as an educator, including as director of primary education for the Ministry of Education and as principal of the Tokyo Higher Normal School. In 1909 he became the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee and worked to bring the 1940 Olympic Games to Tokyo. Judo, the sport he founded, became the first Japanese martial art to gain wide international recognition.