Mataemon Tanabe

was a Japanese jujutsu practitioner and master of the Fusen-ryū school. He became famous for defeating multiple members of the Kodokan in challenge matches, and came to be considered one of the greatest modern jujutsuka. to the extent he was described as "at the level of a judo 4th dan" later in his life. The match was the hardest defeat suffered by the Kodokan school against a jujutsu challenger, and it was soon made public that Tanabe had found the Kodokan style's weak point thanks to his dexterity at groundfighting. His victory over Yamashita was particularly sound, as he also challenged the rest of the Kōdōkan Shitennō, but both Sakujiro Yokoyama and Tsunejiro Tomita rejected the offer. Only Shiro Saigo accepted, but the match never happened due to undisclosed reasons.

At the Butoku Kai

After those fights, Tanabe's renown was such that he was one of the twenty representing masters chosen in 1895 to open up the jujutsu division at the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, an idea promoted by Kodokan founder Jigoro Kano. Tanabe taught at the Butokukai for a long time, and also competed against martial artists from other styles.

In spring 1898, Tanabe was involved in an exhibition fight in front of Prince Yoshihito in Kyoto, going against Kasumi Shin-ryū jujutsuka and 3rd dan judoka Yuji Hirooka in a rematch of a past challenge fight. Hirooka blocked Tanabe's first morote gari, but fell to the second, after which Tanabe applied an ashi garami (足挫, a name used mainly for ashi hishigi, although the technique might have been a variation of 足緘, the current canonical ashi garami included in the Kodokan katame-no-kata). Hirooka's leg was rendered injured with an audible noise before he could tap out, leaving him unable to properly walk out after the match. Tanabe attempted his signature tomoe nage, and although Isogai blocked it, Tanabe managed to pull him down. The match stalled, with Isogai showing signs of fatigue first, but eventually the referee called for a draw on the basis that both opponents were tired and not making advances. Tanabe demanded for the match to continue until a finish, but the decision was not reversed. as well as Tenjin Shinyo-ryū. Knowing Tanabe's reputation, Handa introduced him to Soji Kimotsuki, a former student of his who had joined Kodokan, and the two fought a match. It would to be the first time Tanabe lost a bout against a judoka, as Kimotsuki threw him on his head with deashi barai and knocked him out. He was appointed judo kyoshi in 1906, teaching at the Butoku Kai until his retirement in 1922, and was promoted to hanshi in 1927. Tanabe died in 1942 in Osaka. Years after his death, his career was praised by judo historian Takeshi Kuroda, who called him "the last great jujutsuka" and a figure of utmost importance for the history of Kodokan. He was the inspiration for the character Gennosuke Higaki in Tsuneo Tomita's popular novel series Sanshiro Sugata.

His heir Teruo later joined the Kodokan, placing second at the 1931 All Japan Judo Championships after Shuzan Takahashi and eventually reaching the 8º dan.