Keiko Fukuda

Keiko Fukuda (Japanese福田 敬 子Keiko Fukuda, born April 12, 1913 in the prefecture of Tokyo, † February 9, 2013 ) was an American judoka Japanese origin. She was honored in 2011 at the age of 98 years as the first woman of the American Judo Federation with the highest league title of their sport, the 10th Dan.

Life

Keiko Fukuda first learned calligraphy, ikebana and tea ceremony and studied Japanese literature at Showa Women's University. Your judo training she received in 1935 at Kanō Jigorō ( 1860-1938 ), the founder of Judo, in 1882 opened his Kodokan. In 1951, she reached as one of four women worldwide to 5th Dan and was together with Masako Noritomi teacher at the Kodokan. 1953, she first came to the United States, and decided - after she was asked by Kano to bring the women in the world judo closer - to stay in the U.S. and teach. Following the lifting of the ban, to lend graduations higher than the 5th Dan in Women, Fukuda was awarded in 1972 as the first female judoka to 6th Dan by the Kodokan. In 2006 she was again awarded as the first wife of 9th Dan. The United States Judo Federation gave her 28 July 2011 the 10.Dan, which is not yet explicitly recognized up to the present time by the Kodokan or the International Judo Federation.

She taught Judo in France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the Philippines. Fukuda was the last surviving judoka who was taught by Kanō Jigorō.

Until recently she taught three times a week at the San Francisco Women's judo school ( Soko joshi jūdō club) in the district Noe Valley San Francisco. Fukuda passed away on February 9, 2013 at her home in San Francisco.

Awards

Writings

• Born for the mat; a Kodokan kata textbook for women, San Francisco 1973
• Ju no kata: A Kodokan judo textbook, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California 2004, ISBN 1556435045