Kyuzo Mifune

was a Japanese judoka and one of the greatest exponents of the art of judo after the founder, Kanō Jigorō. He is considered by many to be the greatest judo technician ever, after Kanō.

Early life Mifune was born on April 21, 1883, in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture, on Honshū Island in Japan, a year after the Kodokan was founded. He was reportedly incorrigible as a boy, always performing some mischief or organizing others in a similar pursuit.

After graduating, Mifune was sent to a Tokyo preparatory school, anticipating entry into Waseda University. Mifune was given the title of Hanshi then Meijin by the International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF) and in 1956, he wrote his classic book, The Canon of Judo, still a remarkable exposition of judo history, philosophy, and technical description.

Death Mifune died on January 27, 1965, of throat cancer, in the Nichidai University Hospital in Tokyo.

Anecdotes In his book The Fighting Spirit of Japan (published in 1913), E.J. Harrison writes about an anecdote as told to him by Sakujiro Yokoyama: