Open Veils · Answer
Are there any judo schools and/or teachers that practice Kyozo Mifune's judo?
Mifune's judo — characterized by fluid kuzushi, circular off-balancing, and his signature 'air throw' (Kuki Nage) — represents a distinct technical lineage that survived primarily through direct transmission rather than institutional preservation. The Kodokan's competitive evolution has largely marginalized his subtler, principle-based approach. Several lineages trace direct or near-direct descent from Mifune, and his Canon of Judo remains actively sought by practitioners pursuing this transmission.
Evidence
- Kyuzo Mifune's technical philosophy centered on yielding, spherical movement, and reading an opponent's center of gravity — principles he articulated in 'The Canon of Judo' (1956), which organizes techniques differently from the official Kodokan Gokyo, emphasizing adaptation through reversal and counters.
- The clearest surviving lineage runs through Keiko Fukuda (1913–2013), who trained under both Jigoro Kano and Mifune at the Kodokan from 1935 onward.
- Ken Ryu Jujutsu Society (Shinjitsu Dojo), as recently as October 2026, was actively seeking Mifune's Canon of Judo specifically to inform their judo practice — indicating grassroots transmission efforts outside mainstream sport judo structures remain alive.
- Among researchers and practitioners in the alternative judo world, Mifune's approach is often contrasted with the power-based randori style that dominated post-war competition.
- For those seeking active transmission, the most reliable leads remain Fukuda lineage clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kodokan kata specialists who trained before the 1964 Olympic competitive shift, and jujutsu-rooted schools like Ken Ryu that explicitly draw on the Canon.