Judo’s resurgence after the war is due primarily to two individuals, Kyuzo Mifune and Curtis LeMay. The pre-war death of Jigorō Kanō (“the father of Judo”), wartime demands on the Japanese, their surrender, postwar occupation, and the martial-arts ban,[60] all contributed to a time of uncertainty for Judo. As assistant to General Douglas MacArthur during the occupation of Japan,
LeMay made practicing Judo a routine part of Air Force tours of duty in
Japan. Many Americans brought home stories of a “tiny old man” (Mifune)
throwing down healthy, young men without any apparent effort. LeMay
became a promoter of Judo’s training and provided political support for
Judo in the early years after the war. For this, he was awarded the
unique rank of Shihan. In addition, LeMay promoted Judo within the armed forces of the United States. [61]
This is the same Curtis LeMay who killed 100,000 people in the firebombing of Tokyo and was the running mate of segregationist George Wallace in 1968. Some people just lead busier lives than the rest of us.
