What did Kano mean when he talked about making the Olympics into a part of global culture? He meant incorporating the spirit of martial arts formed through Kodokan judo into the Olympic Spirit.
In 1881, after graduating from the University of Tokyo's Department of Aesthetics and Morals, where he majored in political science and economics, he spent another year researching ethics in the Department of Philosophy. This was because he was deeply interested in the inward development of human beings. After graduating the following year, he founded Kodokan judo. Kano believed that judo was intrinsically connected to inner growth in the human being.
After he became involved with the Olympic Movement, Kano strived to fuse the Olympic Spirit with the spirit of martial arts. While the Olympic Spirit is an extension of Hellenistic philosophy, which seeks the harmonized development of mind and body, the spirit of martial arts, as espoused by Kano, aimed to train the mind and body so as to contribute to society. It is a way of thinking that does not contradict the Olympic ideals; rather, it aims to extend them further. Kano's outlook on martial arts could be reduced to the mottoes of "Maximum efficient use of power" and "Mutual Welfare and Benefit" (practicing in real life an approach utilizing the most effective methods for achieving goals, thereby contributing to the progress and development of society).
It may be said that Kano envisaged incorporating the martial art spirit of "Maximum efficient use of power" and "Mutual Welfare and Benefit" with Western sports culture. The 1940 Olympic Games in Tokyo would be the perfect opportunity for realizing this ideal. However, Kano passed away in May 1938, and only two months later the Japanese government decided to forfeit the Tokyo Olympics after becoming embroiled in the Sino-Japanese war.
Up-and-coming prodigies and students of Kano during the Kami-Nibancho era (around 1885). Jojiro Tomita, Shiro Saigo, Yoshiaki Yamashita, Takejiro Yuasa and others can be seen around Kano Jigoro in the center.
